If you've been thinking that the clouds of smog and haze
around town have an unwholesome look to them, you’d be right. According to an
article in the Salt Lake Tribune as recently as January 21,
Provo was ranked by the Environmental Protection Agency as the second worst air
quality as a city in the nation, behind Logan.
This poor air quality is due to an inversion, a weather
pattern that causes warm high pressure to seal cold polluted air into Utah’s
high mountain valleys.
The smoggy air has us thinking about what can be done on a
local level to help combat the emissions which contribute to the polluted soup
that citizens endure every winter.
“The largest cities in Utah are, once again, experiencing
the worst air quality in the country,” said Provo Council member Laura
Cabanilla. “This has become an all too common part of the winter season and is
becoming a genuine public health emergency. Scientific data reports that
particulate pollution has already reached severe levels. Many people may not
realize that they are suffering from the effects of pollution when they begin
experiencing sore throats, watery eyes, and difficulty breathing -- they may
believe they have the flu or a cold, when they are actually experiencing poor
air quality.”
Cabanilla mentioned that there are several things
individuals can do to help alleviate the effects of the inversion, or at least
minimize a person’s everyday contribution to the haze. These ideas include not
idling your car, carpooling and taking public transportation where possible,
and not performing any exercise outdoors during the inversion.
Provo city council has also been working on a bicycle master
plan to increase the amount of bicycle path available in the city, which will
have an added benefit of helping reduce emissions by encouraging people to
drive less, and to increase awareness of how emissions can affect our immediate
environment. The council hopes that measures similar to the bike master plan
will encourage citizens to enjoy Provo’s outdoors, and also participate in
lowering emissions which can lead to the pollution we experience every winter.
The city already has an established policy to prevent idling
of vehicles, which can contribute to the poor air quality. You can read up more
about it here,
and another great resource is the Mayor’s post on this issue, which can be read
here.
Let us know what you think! How do you think we can
contribute locally to less emissions in an effective way?
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