How Communities Contribute to Air Pollution
Communities, neighbourhoods and individuals are closely linked, so a significant portion of a community's pollution comes from individual activities and sources. Communities
as a whole have responsibility for air pollution caused mainly by motor vehicle use, along with wood burning by residents and for land clearing. Some of the sources of community air pollution are:
- poor land-use planning, so that the community is sprawled out, rather than compact. This makes long-distance travel and commutes necessary, with resulting vehicle emissions;
- a transportation system built to meet the needs of vehicle use — including single-occupant vehicles — rather than human and environmental well being;
- little support of such alternative transportation as public transit, cycling, carpooling and walking;
- allowing backyard burning of vegetative matter and possibly more toxic substances such as plastics, garbage and tires;
- wood stove use during periods of poor air quality; and
- a lack of commitment to energy conservation in community offices and vehicle fleets.
See How Individuals Contribute to Air Pollution to find out more about the pollutants emitted in communities, through wood and fossil-fuel burning.
See also How
Business and Industry Contribute to Air Pollution .
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