2 minute read
WOW! yesterday the pollution was bad here in Taichung and today it’s even worse. At the time of writing (and where I am located) the pollution level is in the red, its severe and its 159. check your location here -:
That’s in the severe section of the scale. A great article written on the effects of pollution on the human body here:http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/How-Does-Pollution-Affect-Humans
In essence here are the main points -:
- Breathing polluted air puts you at a higher risk for asthma and other respiratory diseases.
- When exposed to ground ozone for 6 to 7 hours, scientific evidence show that healthy people’s lung function decreased and they suffered from respiratory inflammation.
- Air pollutants are mostly carcinogens and living in a polluted area can put people at risk of Cancer.
- Coughing and wheezing are common symptoms observed on city folks.
- Damages the immune system, endocrine and reproductive systems.
- High levels of particle pollution have been associated with higher incidents of heart problems.
- The burning of fossil fuels and the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are causing the Earth to become warmer.
- The toxic chemicals released into the air settle into plants and water sources. Animals eat the contaminated plants and drink the water. The poison then travels up the food chain – to us.
So what is Taiwan doing about the pollution problem?
The government to impose emission standards countrywide and industry emission checking. But part of me thinks they don’t really enforce it. There is a very relaxed view on enforcement here. In the UK, if you run a red light and the police are there, you are going to be getting pulled over and fined or having points put on your license. In Taiwan I have watched people run red lights as police watch them and nothing happens. I have seen police run red lights themselves, not in an emergency situation. no lights, no sirens. I would expect the government to also take the same relaxed stance with these ‘checks’.
Article here on standards. -:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/1352231094002142
I will say though, that electric scooters such as the Gogoro brand have been getting increasingly popular in Taiwan. I see maybe one in ten scooters are now electric. this is because the government will give financial aid to those who purchase an electric motorcycles. This is an appealing offer and to be fair the bikes are lovely look, quiet, clean and fun. Also Taiwan is planning to install 3000+ battery stations around the country with the view to increase this as time moves on. I have also heard that in certain cities they will be banning the selling of petrol scooters by 2022.
Very big fan of electric and solar future here. here’s to hoping. 🙂