Smothered+by+smog,+Polish+cities+rank+among+Europe's+dirtiest

[|Smothered by Smog, Polish Cities Rank Among Europe’s Dirtiest] Source: New York Times Date Published: April 22nd, 20 Date Accessed: May 10th, 2018

A Polish city that is covered in smog. Source (Greenpeace Unearthed) __** Summary: **__ The article is about Poland, and how they are one of the most polluted countries in Europe, with 33 of the 50 most polluted cities in Europe in Poland and cities covered in smog. Much of the air pollution and smog is due to Poland's reliance on coal, 19 million people use coal for heat in winter and 80% of private homes rely on coal. Burning coal is common and it is preferred to Russian gas after Poland left the Soviet Union. Transportation is another reason for the air pollution, as Poland is known for having old cars. Action by Poland's government is lacking, although they have announced that they will spend 8.8 Billion dollars on combating smog by 2028, they are also building new coal mines. The coal industry is also very powerful in Poland, so the politicians may be afraid to take a stand against coal. Another problem is that the coal furnaces used are often as old as 35 years, and local government has not provided funding for newer and cleaner furnaces. One local government that has taken action is Krakow, they have outlawed cheapest coal, are hoping to outlaw burning coal and wood by 2019, and are transitioning to cleaner fuel. The negative effects on human health are evident, about 48,000 people die from related illnesses each year, 62 percent of kindergartners breathe polluted air, and the air has shown to give people headaches and make it harder to breathe.

__** How this relates to the course: **__ This article deals with coal and the negative effects of Poland's reliance on it. In the nonrenewable energy chapter of our textbook on page 380, it discusses the negative effects of burning coal, "Burning coal releases thousands of times more radioactive particles into the atm unit of energy produced than does a normally operating nuclear power plant. Without expensive air pollution control devices, burning coal produces more air pollution per unit of energy than any other fossil fuel." (Miller 380) On page 476 it also talks about industrial smog " During winter, people were exposed to industrial smog consisting of mostly sulfur dioxide, suspended droplets of sulfuric acid and a variety of suspended solid particles and droplets. (Miller 476) Smog and coal relate to this article because this article is about Poland's use of coal, and how it is leading to air pollution and smog.

__** Opinion: **__ I think that the national government of Poland needs to do something to reduce its use of coal and to reduce the air pollution in its cities. It is appaling that over 60% of the top 50 most polluted cities in Europe are in just one country. The government and political parties of Poland should not be controlled by the coal industry and should have stricter regulations against coal and at least provided newer and cleaner furnaces. If the national government of Poland does not do anything, local governments should follow the lead of Krakow and use a similar plan to reduce their reliance on coal. The negative effects of the air pollution are evident, and the government should do its job to protect its citizens from it and premature death by making laws. __** Law relating to article: **__ This article relates to the Clean Air Act of 1963 which set standards for pollution levels or limiting emissions or effluents for various classes of pollutants based on current technology. This law relates to the article because the article deals with coal emissions in Poland that are not very strictly regulated and is leading to air pollution and smog