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| Thu, 10th Oct 2019 14:43:00 |
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FIELDS OF POLLUTION: AGRICULTURE’S SURPRISING IMPACT ON URBAN AIR QUALITY |
If you live in a European city, you probably feel the air gets too thick at times – and not without reason: 9 out of 10 Europeans living in cities breathe air which is harmful for their health.
Urban air pollution can be suffocating, and as city dwellers we often find ourselves dreaming of a countryside escape, to take a breath of fresh air away from traffic fumes. What we don’t know is that a big share of the pollution that makes our air hard to breathe originates right there, in the fields.
Air pollution in cities has many sources. Road traffic, domestic heating and industrial emissions are among the first ones that come to our mind, but there is another one which is too often forgotten: agriculture.
Emissions from farming are responsible for a surprising amount of urban air contamination. In cities like Paris, they can sometimes account for more than half of background air pollution.
The French National Centre for Scientific Research even determined that 62% of the fine particles in a severe air pollution episode in Paris during spring 2014 were caused by ammonia.
In Europe, agriculture is responsible for 94% of the emissions of ammonia, a highly polluting gas originating from farm activities, and notably from manure management and storage and fertiliser use. Once it enters the air, it threatens ecosystems by causing eutrophication of soil and water, and acidification of soil, lakes and rivers. Ammonia also causes irritation when inhaled.
Read original full article
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