Smog on the horizon, Cap'n.
Today, parts of the US and Southern Ontario got the first winter smog alert...and everyone's shocked and dismayed.
What's more shocking to me is that we've accepted summer smog alerts as a given and only show concern when an alert appears in the winter. We don't even blink an eye in June, but in February, it's news all of a sudden.
This should spur us to work towards bettering our air quality, but it won't. Give us enough time and we'll just adapt to these winter alerts and not have our children or seniors go outside because of the smog. We'll continue on with our lives as if winter smog alerts weren't all that special. Maybe when everyday turns into a smog alert day we'll get off our asses and do something about all the crap we put into the air.
So, from here on out, don't be surprised anymore by winter smog alerts. You'll definitely be seeing more in the future.
1 comment:
Call me Pollyanna but I'm vaguely, cautiously optimistic that Ontario is finally starting to lurch in the right direction on this one. A big chunk of the smog (I believe) comes from the States so our ability to do anything about that is limited but the plans to close the coal plants will make a big difference - I doubt they'll close on schedule, but hopefully only a few years behind. Kyoto may lead to tighter vehicle emissions, hybrids are gaining market share. The green belt, if it passes should help slow the growth in driving, wind power is getting more competitive, the new smart meters should help control peak demand which should limit the need for new plants, and while still quite unlikely, the idea of tapping into hydropower in Northern Ontario, Manitoba at least seems to be on the table now.
Sure not all of this will pan out, but I think the long term trend is positive. Of course I didn't like the short term trend so I moved (that wasn't the only reasonof course, but it was certainly a factor - living a life where I can't ever see a clear blue sky just lost it's appeal after a few years).
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