Catch My Breath

Part III- Urban Settlements

It's so hard for me to breathe!

 

How can you breathe? Source: Tumblr 

Southern California is no stranger to air pollution. It's a landscape filled with freeways and cars. It's home to major ports and airports. I mean look at how many freeways run through Los Angeles alone:

 

Where will the road take you? LA freeway system. Source: Orange Juice Blog 

So how does Southern California get so air polluted? NASA (2013) gives a simple overview! Los Angeles is bordered by mountains and the sea creating a bowl environment so that most of the air pollution gets stuck in the city. In a city where transportation is key, most of the emissions get stuck in Los Angeles.

I wanted to share with you this video that highlights air quality in Southern California. While it is a 'call to arms/pull on the heartstrings' type film it raises some good points about air pollution in the area and how the residents have to adapt to this. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, the film producers, are a partially federally funded organization that focuses on clean air without trying to hinder business. This is almost contradictory because they want to reduce air pollution yet name the ports and railways as the major pollutants to the area (the key drivers of SoCal business). However, while maybe exaggerating to create interest for their cause this quote really stuck with me: "Nearly 5,000 Southern Californians die prematurely each year due to air pollution." Southern Californians have had to quickly adapt to their rapidly growing urban environment in the past century and it has not always produced a good outcome. That's not to say Los Angelenos aren't aware of this problem; organizations like the South Coast AQMD exist because people want to reduce air pollution! While air pollution has been improving and various clean up schemes are in place (EPA 2013), Los Angeles still suffers from polluted air.

Check it out and tell me what you think: