January 29, 2007
Top 10 Polluted Cities
A brand-new list of the world’s most polluted places holds few surprises: Chernobyl is number one, followed by a slew of Russian, Indian and Chinese cities.
1. Chernobyl, Ukraine
2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
3. Haina, Dominican Republic
4. Kabwe, Zambia
5. La Oroya, Peru
6. Linfen, China
7. Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan
8. Norilsk, Russia
9. Ranipet, India
10. Rudnaya Pristan, Russia
It’s great that there are no North American cities on the list, but it also poses a question: even if the United States does get its emissions under control, will it even matter in the light of pollution from rapidly industrializing nations like China?
The answer is yes, because China plans to abide by the Kyoto protocols, as their vice-chairman of development told the World Economic Forum this weekend. An Indian representative also vowed to cut emissions, although he said his country is turning more and more to nuclear power to do so.
The attitude all around at the international meeting was that climate change is simply too disastrous—and too expensive—to ignore. “Waiting and seeing because one element or another is not certain is not a valid answer,” said the CEO of a major Swiss reinsurance and capital management company. “No shareholders would tolerate this in business. Why should the people tolerate it from us?”
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Ms. Phillips and anyone else reading her blog needs to also read Mr. George Will’s column “Inconvenient Kyoto Truths” on the last page of February 12, 2007′s NEWSWEEK.
Comment by Jane Westmoreland — February 7, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
[...] Jen Phillips at The Smithsonian slaps America-bashing, awareness raising, eco-prudes with a bit of common sense: It’s great that there are no North American cities on the list, but it also poses a question: even if the United States does get its emissions under control, will it even matter in the light of pollution from rapidly industrializing nations like China?But, she shows her true colors as the KoolAid drinking anti-free market, human rights blind, lemming: [...]
Pingback by PietyHill Press » Blog Archive » The US Didn’t Even Make the Top Ten — February 12, 2007 @ 9:56 am
Its really sad city numbre five La Oroya is inmy country , living obver there is really disguisting besides the high altitude (3 800 m.a.s.l) about 15 000 thousand feet high, the air is polluted and gray , and you feel like you cannot breathe , beacause oxygen is barely in the air because of the altitude and of course the chemical gases provided by those huge chimnies which are all over the town . Hope this situation improves soon
Comment by Holdthelock — April 8, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
POLLUTION TO THE OROYA CITY PERÚ
The years 2006 and 2007 the Blacksmith Institute have accomplished a research about the cities more contaminated to the world and arrived to the conclusion that the Oroya city was between the 10 cities more polluted of the world and, the environment Graffiti 2008 said that is between five more pollute too to the world. This qualifications are benevolents; according to my researchs to many years who I am publishing, the Oroya city is the most polluted to Peru, Latin America and of the world and every day is being more polluted: lead in blood in children in the Ancient Oroya in average 53.7 ug/dl ( DIGESA 1999); pregnancies women 39.49 ig/dl ( UNES 2000), new borns children 19.06 ug/dl, puerperal 319 ug/100 grams/placenta ( Castro 2003) and workers 50 ug/dl ( Doe Run 2003).Top lead in blood accepted 10 ug/dl; present day is 0 ug/dl ( Pediatric of Academy to USA)
When the Oroya city was in hands to the CentroMin eliminated only by the upper chimney to 167.500 meters, in average by day in tons: sulfur dioxide 1000, lead 2500, arsenic 2500, cadmium 40, particulate matter 50 and so on, more 24,000 to toxis gas product to the incomplete combustion of the coal, without count it is eliminated by industrial incinerator y by the 97 smalls chimneys, it is estimated 15,000; overall 45,000 tons for day (PAMA . El Complejo Metalúrgico de la Oroya, 1996); other research say that by this chimney only eliminate overall 119¨917,440 tons too every day to a velocity to 8.7 meters by second ( Chuquimantari C. Yauli-La Oroya Minería y Ciudades Empresas Pág. 57, 1992)
Doe Run envoy every three months the concentrations of the heavy metals to the Ministry to the Energy and Mines and with the sames datums Ceverstav have demostrated the pollution was increased; for example the sulfur dioxide it have increased in near to 300 %, by increment to the production (Cederstav. La Oroya no Espera 2002
The American Association to the Environment say that the environmental quality to the Oroya it is serious deteriorated since that Doe Run was owner and the same enterprise
declared that the concentrations of the heavy metals gas is ncreased in the air: lead 1160 %, cadmium 1990 % and arsenic 6006 % (Portugal, et al. Los Humos de Doe Run 2003)
Comment by Godofredo Arauzo — January 11, 2009 @ 6:42 pm