Pollution is caused primarily by humans, as a result of their everyday activities and modes of transportation as well as commercial and industrial waste and general agricultural practices (Green Student U, 2013). Air pollution generated by humans alone is linked to over two million deaths per year, worldwide, ranging from deaths caused by everything from particulates that have entered into the air we breathe to the increasing hole in the ozone (Science Daily, 2013). In order to work to combat these issues, the City Council has provided a budget of $18 million for addressing the environmental issues currently facing the city.
The city has come up with seven different possibilities for how these funds may be allocated, based upon popular acceptance of the ideas, budgetary usages, and pollution reduction, as shown in the table below:
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"Environmental Pollution Scenario".
Looking at the different options that the City Council has provided, it has been determined that the four options that would be chosen would be as follows:
There are several different reasons that these four different options were chosen over the others, both from a practical and from an environmental science perspective. If the roads themselves are improved, that will result in decreased wear and tear on the motor vehicles that traverse the roads, which will in turn work to decrease the rapidity in which the vehicles deteriorate, resulting in decreased levels of pollution. Given that the road improvement projects are being based under the pollution initiative and not the civic improvement initiative, there is a decreased likelihood that this will be opposed, serving to benefit all, including the environment.
Random emissions testing will work to get the cars off the road who, as a result of the poor road conditions and limited maintenance, are producing more pollutants and reducing air quality in the city. This will serve to increase air quality almost immediately and work to decrease the amount of pollutants placed in the air over time, as those who have a known issue would be more likely to work to get the issue corrected in order to prevent themselves from receiving a citation for the state of their vehicle. There will be some opposition against this particular measure as individuals will feel that this is forcing them to make repairs to their vehicles that they may not be able to afford, but will be necessary in order to ensure that the city remains habitable.
The next two have somewhat of a correlation between the two. By working to increase green areas and urban forestry, the city is providing plants, plants who convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, working to decrease the pollutants in the air. This will serve to provide places for those who do chose to use alternative forms of transportation with pleasant paths and areas that they may cut-through in order to get from point A to point B, thus making it more appealing. There are those who may argue against the greenery, citing that there are better things that the money could be used for, however it may be argued that addressing the pollution issue is a necessary matter, and by going this particular route it also means that there is less money that needs to be spent on city beautification, and that money may be allocated to other civic matters.
Environmental decision making necessitates the maintenance of a fine balance between the effectiveness of a measure and the public’s reaction towards that matter. Though there are those who would disagree with the money being spent in some of these cases, there are valid arguments that may be made in order to support each of the four choices, whereas others could be seen as wasted efforts. For example, carpooling is something that sounds good in practice, but there comes a time when others are not wanted in the car, and a break from coworkers or neighbors is needed; those who start often quit after a few months, which would be a targeted waste of $2.8 million. By working to select these four specific measures, not only will the government have money left over, but many of the measures serve dual purposes, working to free up spending in the budget that would not otherwise have been available. There are those who will never want to spend money on the environmental issues, but maintenance and prevention is always cheaper than cleanup once something goes horribly awry.
- Green Student U. (2013). Pollution. Retrieved from http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution
- Science Daily. (2013, July 12). Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130712084455.htm
