Introduction
In Los Angeles, the major environmental problem for all citizens these days is air pollution which is the presence of mixture of gases as well as numerous solid particles into the environment. This has become a major concern because air pollution contributes to a dramatic change in the climate causing cardiovascular diseases and deaths thereby affecting the well-being of all living things in Los Angeles. Therefore, this paper is written to present strategies using which positive environment behavior could be easily promoted on a general level for combating the air pollution. Additionally, one of the technological advancement is also discussed from positive and negative perspectives.
Two Strategies for Promoting Positive Environmental Behavior
Apart from affecting the human life, smog spread to the surrounding mountainous areas in Los Angeles that damages the wildlife and trees. Since smog settles down on every surface in Los Angeles, it creates water pollution which gets distributed through water supplies to large areas. Various mixtures of gases such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and lead etc get mixed into the atmosphere that causes human illnesses at larger scale. Apart from transportation, the burning of fossil fuels in power generation stations, homes, office buildings and industries are other major contributors to air pollution in Los Angeles.
Since air pollution from industrial wastes and traffic sources have the potential to cause cardiovascular diseases and may result, particularly, in death or mortality, it is necessary that positive environmental behavior be promoted all across the Los Angeles . This should be done to reduce the environmental impact of air pollution. Moreover, the promotion of positive environmental behavior helps reduce the amount of solid particles and gas mixtures into the atmosphere. Such gases mixtures and particles include chemicals, particulates, biological materials and other harmful substances etc.
All this could be achieved if the two general strategies in this section are implemented all across the Los Angeles, California. One primary strategy to implement positive environmental behavior in Los Angeles is to create social awareness about the sources as well as likely impact of air pollution and taking corrective actions against the release of solid particles and mixture of gases into the atmosphere. This strategy to promote positive environmental behavior will attract attention from all citizens of Los Angeles by making them familiar with information about health and environmental risks as well as problems. Once every individual in Los Angeles is made knowledge, through social awareness, about the positive environmental behavior, such a strategic campaign is more likely to modify attitude towards air pollution. Social awareness will also contribute to modification in industrial processes and traffic systems leading to a reduction in release of numerous gases and solid particles into the environment. In addition to creation of social awareness to promote positive environmental behavior is to implement the other strategy, which is, to take corrective action against all those processes that lead to air pollution and release of gases as well as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
After creation of social awareness through various campaigns among the people of Los Angeles about the negative effects of air pollution, they may be encouraged to take several corrective measures. These actions may include the recycling of newspapers, searching for new ways to reuse things, recycling of bottles/cans and purchasing only those products packed in recyclable or reusable containers. Moreover, the citizens of Los Angeles may be convinced to conserve gasoline or reduce its use by either bicycling or walking down the road. The use of gasoline could also be minimized for reducing the release of carbon emissions by car polling between friends and colleagues. Much of the air pollution in Los Angeles could be reduced to a controllable level by using fewer vehicles for transportation and covering short distances by walk.
Positive and Negative Consequences of Air Pollution Enhancing Pro-environmental Behavior
The positive and negative consequences of air pollution result in promotion of pro-environmental behavior in particular manners. The negative consequence of air pollution is that it modifies the climate by harming the environment and reducing the well-being of people of Los Angeles as well as animals living in the city. As stated earlier, air pollution is the main cause of cardiovascular disease and death. The negative consequences of air pollution generally lead to promotion of positive environmental behavior because they protect the human health and atmosphere from harms of climatic change and air pollution. This is so because negative consequences of air pollution result in introduction of sanctions against those organizations and individuals who fail to comply with pre-specified environmental standards.
These sanctions are actually geared to reduce the release of harmful gas mixtures and solid particles into the environment. Therefore, to avoid sanctions, people and industries will implement environment friendly measures to carry out their daily business, thereby, promoting positive environment behavior .
As far as the positive consequences are concerned, when citizens of Los Angeles realize that reducing the air pollution promotes the well-being of all living things and keep the atmosphere clean, they will be encouraged to resort to those measures that are environment friendly. This could be easily achieved if social awareness is created among the people of Los Angeles.
Technological Advances impacting the Environment in Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, the exploration, processing, development, production and distribution of natural as well as alternative resources has become more productive and cost effective through technological advances. Technological advancement has provided the people of Los Angeles a facility to combat the negative effects of air pollution that may be the result of human error and depletion of natural resources. A common pollutant in power plant emissions, vehicle exhaustions and cigarette smoke has a potential to damage a new born baby’s development and could shrink the white colored matter in baby’s left side of brain. This paper is also informative to reduce the effects of air pollution since this problem leads to aggravation of asthma as well as lung and heart diseases. Due to release of burning diesel in machines, air pollution originating from this source could result in cancer. The increasing number of diesel trucks, cars and other fuel engines release fumes into the atmosphere which contributes to the air pollution due to increase in smog problem .
Though technological advancements have brought improvements in environment management all across the Los Angeles even then, these advances also have some negative impact onto the atmosphere for the citizens of Los Angeles. One of the most prominent examples is the Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). This vehicle combines the features of an electric and hybrid vehicles as well as conventional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) propulsion system accompanied by an electric propulsion system.
This vehicle helps in environment management by limiting the release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere and the electric propulsion system require the use of fossil fuel. The electric power-train is attached to this vehicle for better performance than other conventional vehicles with regards to fuel economy. Variety of Hybrid Electric Vehicles exists such as hybrid electric cars, trucks, tractors and pickups etc.
Despite this major advantage, this technology has its limitation because it cannot serve the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. In other words, HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) use electric propulsion systems together-with ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) propulsion system. Because of this, such an advanced technology still requires the use of fossil fuels for lubricating the internally moving parts of combustion engine to reduce carbon emissions into the environment. Moreover, these vehicles depend on both the electricity and fossil fuels for charging the internal machinery due to which it is difficult to assess whether such vehicles produce much air pollution than the amount reduced. An alternative to this technology is charging the vehicle from clean energy sources.
Environmental policies and sanctions have a major impact on the climate and atmosphere management all across Los Angeles. These policies and sanctions represent the commitment and responsibility of citizens of Los Angeles and industries to formulate and implement laws, regulations and policies for dealing with environmental issues and sustainability . When environmental policies and laws are implemented in Los Angeles, individuals and industries will be encouraged as well as obliged to accept them and change their attitude towards the air pollution. In contrast to this, if citizens fail to accept and implement environmental policies, they will be forced by regulatory authorities to face the consequences for denying those laws.
Because individuals and industries have the responsibility to introduce environmental friendly policies and regulations, implementation of environmental policies occurs at numerous levels. This should be done to influence and target different economic agents (individuals and industries) to protect the atmosphere and its inhabitants. Environment policies have the influence to protect the atmosphere, human beings, animals and ecosystems etc from the air pollution. These policies are actually geared towards changing, improving, safeguarding and protecting the environmental sustainability and all of its inhabitants.
Conclusion
After analyzing the environmental condition for Los Angeles, it has been observed that air pollution tends to affect the well-being of all human beings and animals. Much of the air pollution, causing the release of solid particles and gases into the atmosphere, stems from the industrial activity and traffic. This affects the cardiovascular health of all citizens of Los Angeles. To combat the negative effects of carbon emissions and promotion of positive environmental behavior, one strategy is to create social awareness and the other tactic is to take corrective actions for changing the attitude towards pollution. This could be done by imposing laws and sanctions over individuals as well as industries and imposing penalties on those who do not comply with environmental policies. As far as the technological advancement is concerned, improvements in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) have reduced carbon emissions in Los Angeles. However, such improvement has a negative influence or limitation that Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) still depends heavily on fossil fuels to run the internal machinery.
References
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