Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Jakarta: Living with asthma in the world's most polluted city
Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia, with a little over 10 million inhabitants. It is well known as the economic, political, and cultural hub of the country as well as one of the most air-polluted cities in the world. In fact, Jakarta became the world’s most heavily polluted city this summer. There are a number of contributing factors in regard to the high levels of pollution in Jakarta. The roads are filled with high numbers of motorbikes, cars, and trucks, many of which would fall outside the guidelines for what an environmentally safe vehicle should be. Also, coal and other fossil fuel-based power plants and factories are emitting higher levels of pollutants. In addition, dry air in the summer months, June through August, keeps pollutants longer in the air. The air is so polluted that doctors advise patients with asthma to move out of the city. Well, a few million people are going to move to the new capital on the east coast of Borneo Island within a few years. But what about those who will keep living and working in Jakarta in the private sector and their families? Will the government care about Jakarta’s air quality as much as they do now when it moves to another island? Until the power source of motorbikes, cars, and power plants is switched to a non-fossil or cleaner one, Jakarta’s air quality in the dry season isn’t expected to improve.
Read the article and learn about the air quality in the world’s most polluted and congested capital.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66496992
Jakarta: Living with asthma in the world's most polluted city
Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia, with a little over 10 million inhabitants. It is well known as the economic, political, and cultural hub of the country as well as one of the most air-polluted cities in the world. In fact, Jakarta became the world’s most heavily polluted city this summer. There are a number of contributing factors in regard to the high levels of pollution in Jakarta. The roads are filled with high numbers of motorbikes, cars, and trucks, many of which would fall outside the guidelines for what an environmentally safe vehicle should be. Also, coal and other fossil fuel-based power plants and factories are emitting higher levels of pollutants. In addition, dry air in the summer months, June through August, keeps pollutants longer in the air. The air is so polluted that doctors advise patients with asthma to move out of the city. Well, a few million people are going to move to the new capital on the east coast of Borneo Island within a few years. But what about those who will keep living and working in Jakarta in the private sector and their families? Will the government care about Jakarta’s air quality as much as they do now when it moves to another island? Until the power source of motorbikes, cars, and power plants is switched to a non-fossil or cleaner one, Jakarta’s air quality in the dry season isn’t expected to improve.
Read the article and learn about the air quality in the world’s most polluted and congested capital.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66496992
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