Question 18. In some areas, air pollution is a major health concern. What results in air pollution, and how can governments reduce it and improve air quality for their citizens?

Air pollution has become a significant cause for alarm concerning health in various locales. While industrialisation and increasing carbon emissions are the primary contributors to this predicament, this essay will illuminate some pragmatic strategies to curb air pollution and ameliorate the situation.

Industrialisation, despite its contribution to prosperity, significantly exacerbates environmental hazards, particularly in terms of air quality and the closely intertwined respiratory issues. The process of industrialising an area typically involves extensive deforestation. Consequently, with fewer trees, which serve as the lungs of the earth, there is nothing to absorb carbon emissions. Additionally, development leads to an increase in the number of vehicles on the road, emitting copious amounts of carbon and various other pollutants into the atmosphere. Bangalore is a quintessential example of this unfortunate progression. Once known as the Garden City, it has now transformed into a congested industrial hub, with millions of vehicles on the roads and a multitude of factories, polluting the entire city.

However, several pragmatic solutions are available to address issues related to air quality. Firstly, governments can intensify efforts towards afforestation. This can be accomplished by deploying dedicated teams to plant trees wherever feasible. Furthermore, the public should be educated about the critical importance of trees and encouraged to participate in environmental conservation. Volunteer initiatives should be actively promoted and systematically organised. Secondly, governments should advocate for the widespread adoption of eco-friendly vehicles on the road. Transitioning from fossil-fuelled vehicles to electric ones would be a substantial step towards this goal. More people would embrace this transition if governments offered tax reductions and increased subsidies for purchasing electric vehicles. Similar measures can be implemented to facilitate the public’s shift from conventional electricity, which releases significant volumes of carbon into the atmosphere, to solar and other forms of sustainable and emission-free energy production.

In conclusion, while rampant carbon emissions due to industrialisation and deforestation are among the principal causes of air pollution, increased afforestation, transitioning to electric vehicles, and adopting sustainable energy sources could significantly mitigate this problem and enhance public health. Governments, while pursuing development, should ensure that these practices do not jeopardise the well-being of their citizens.

List of vocabulary used:

1. Substantial: Of considerable importance or size.
2. Alarm: A sudden feeling of fear or worry about potential danger.
3. Pertaining: Relating to or concerning.
4. Industrialisation: The development of industries on a wide scale.
5. Carbon emissions: Release of carbon, especially as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.
6. Predicament: A difficult or unpleasant situation.
7. Pragmatic: Dealing with things sensibly and realistically.
8. Ameliorate: To make something better or improve it.
9. Exacerbates: To make a problem or situation worse.
10. Entwined: Closely connected or linked together.
11. Extensive: Covering or affecting a large area.
12. Absorb: To take in or soak up.
13. Copious: Abundant in supply or quantity.
14. Quintessential: Representing the most perfect example of something.
15. Congested: Overcrowded or full of traffic.
16. Multitude: A large number of things or people.
17. Feasible: Possible to do easily or conveniently.
18. Encouraged: Given support or confidence to do something.
19. Volunteer initiatives: Programs where people offer their services voluntarily.
20. Substantial: Of considerable importance, size, or worth.
21. Transitioning: Changing from one state or condition to another.
22. Mitigate: To make less severe or serious.
23. Sustainable: Capable of being maintained without harming the environment.
24. Well-being: The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.