World Bank announced this week from an Oslo Climate and Clean Air Coalition that they plan to target pollution in developing countries, with future funding.
According to Reuters editor Pravin Char, “aggressive action” would be implemented in order to help poorer nations cut emissions of air pollutants, in hopes to minimize global climate changes.
With their new plan of action, World Bank hopes to “reduce pollution from public transport, curb methane emissions from rice irrigation, and improve the efficiency of high-polluting cooking stoves and brick kilns.” These pollutant-sources contribute to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, the number one greenhouse gas emitted from human activities.
Ultimately, this abundance of carbon dioxide in the ozone is the underlying cause of global warming. “Anything that delays the pace at which global warming is arriving buys time for our clients, the poor countries of the word,” Rachel Kyte, vice president of sustainable development at World Bank, said in an interview Tuesday.
By minimizing short-term pollutants in the present, we could reduce global temperatures from rising 0.9°F come 2040-2050. Using and maintaining resources responsibly is a vital aspect in preserving human health, as well as eco-health.
One estimate claims that six million people worldwide die early every year from air pollution. If these numbers are accurate, our Earth needs to begin advocating for the cessation of air pollution, effective immediately – the death toll is uncomfortably high for this kind of man-made disaster.
Reflection
I believe one of the most important components to drastic air-pollution reduction is education. The World Bank has targeted developing nations as an outlet for their pollutant-prevention plans. Perhaps, most of these countries do not have the economies or the political prowess to deliver mass, public announcements about the harmful effects of pollution. If these nations are, in fact, developing countries, I would imagine that most of their energies are exhausted on providing enough food, shelter, and stability for their people – one of the last tasks on their mind is preventing pollution. However, this article alluded to the significance of curbing pollution among these nations. If we protect the environment by using our resources wisely, we are preserving our own lives, as well. We are as much a part of the Earth, the environment, as the trees in the forest and the whales in the ocean. We function in an ever-giving, ever-providing circle of life that must be maintained by its inhabitants. Squandering technology and allowing pollution to build up in the atmosphere is an ignorant action, by nature’s standards. If we are to move, breathe, and live in this world, we must protect the air we breathe and the land we walk on at all costs.
Char, Pravin, ed. “The World Bank Targets Pollution Action Through Funds For Developing Nations.” Huff Post Green. N.p., 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.
This post also appears on Blogspot
Bethany N. Bella 