Speaking: Air pollution

Prop: conscious / aware in Madrid
1. It´s hard to get used to smog ( smoky fog) if you´re never lived in a city
Causes
1. toxic fumes of diesel cars
  Annotations:
  - *fumes: noxious gases
2. ammonia emissions from farming, wood, and coal fires
  Annotations:
  - *coal = carbón
3. Tyre burning
  Annotations:
  - Tyre = pneumatic
4. Open rubbish dumps
  Annotations:
  - Rubbish tip = garbage dump tip = dump (vaciar)
5. Dust from construction sites
Consequences
1. restrictions in traffic circulation
  1. Madrid had to declare an emergency and banned traffic for several days over Christmas
  2. Because of several Madrid areas breached = broke their annual limits for nitrogen dioxide
2. not running in open air areas
3. Worsen health public condition: heart and respiratory diseases, blood vessel conditions, strokes, lung cancers, and other long-term illnesses
  Annotations:
  - worsen = get worse blood vessel (vaso sanguíneo)= vein, artery or capillary
4. Madrid lifted partial car ban as pollution eases
  Annotations:
  - *ease=reduce
  1. Madrid lifted an unprecedented ban on half of most private cars, as pollution in the Spanish capital ease up (be less severe).
    1. A day earlier and for the first time in Spain, authorities decided to implement a measure already used in other cities abroad by ordering vehicles with even-number registration plates to drive on even-number days and cars with odd-number plates on odd-number days.
      1. The measure took effect one day (on Thursday) but it was short-lived. Because in a tweet, Madrid city hall said it had lifted the partial ban from Friday "given the improvement in NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and (weather) forecasts".
        The partial ban on cars is activated when levels of harmful NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) go extremely high and if the air is unlikely to clear imminently.
        There are exceptions to the ban, such as for mopeds ( motorbikes), those carrying three people or more or used by disabled people.
        Buses, taxis, emergency vehicles are also exempt (excluded, excused)
        But city hall said that some restrictions, such as a ban on parking in the city centre for non-residents, would continue as pollution levels had still not come down to satisfactory levels.
Solutions
1. encourage to use public transport
2. collect public funds
3. It was inevitable in places like Madrid in the 19th century, when health wasn´t considered so important; but today, it is irresponsible to allow it, and the argument of economic development is not valid. We need to develop a different culture in our cities. We need much better public policies.
4. Heavy investment in renewable energy has improved air quality in some areas
5. we need much better public policies

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Speaking: Air pollution

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	Created by Andrea Lladro about 6 years ago