Climate in cities

Basics

Unit 1:
Air pollution due to human activity

Air pollution is a serious problem in cities. It changes our urban climate, degrades the environment and has negative impacts on the economy and on our health. Industry and transport are the largest sources of air pollutants and emission of these pollutants results in high levels of particles and soot in the air and can cause smog to form.

Industrial accidents can cause huge inputs of air pollutants into the atmosphere and these emissions may lead to permanent degradation of the natural environment.  One of the most polluted regions in Europe is the so called "Black Triangle", located at the junction of the borders of Germany, Poland and The Czech Republic, where huge brown coal resources are exploited. 

As the atmosphere is constantly moving, pollutants are carried great distances away from their source region.  This means that air pollution is an international rather than local problem.