Case Studies

• North Pacific Garbage Patch:

  • 1.6mn km squared (3x size of France)
  • Weighs 80,000 tonnes estimated (500x Boeing 747s)
  • Affects 700 Species (Kills up to 100,000 animals a year)
  • 1.8 billion individual pieces of plastic.
  • 46% of mass is fishing nets.
• Midway Island:

  • One of the most remote islands in the world, badly affected by NPGP.
  • Kills thousands of Albatrosses that migrate there - bodies are left to rot.
  • 26,000kg of waste washes onto the island annually.
• Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana:

  • Massive wasteland of electronic goods.
  • Ghana is paid to recycle by HICs, but it is just dumped.
  • 50mn tonnes of e-waste is thrown away yearly, only 20% is recycled properly.
  • Plastic and useless metals are burnt to find valuable metals, creates toxic fumes that affect areas for miles in all directions.
  • One of the largest food markets is located in the area, intoxicates food.
  • One egg exceeded safe limits on chlorinated dioxins by 220x.
  • 150,000 tonnes of e-waste are imported into Ghana yearly.
• Cape Town, South Africa (Day Zero):

  • Day Zero was the point where water rationing would be introduced, and mains shut off.
  • In October 2019, dams were up to 60% lower than in 2018.
  • Caused by a 3 year deficit.
  • Level 3 restrictions were reached, limiting consumption to 105 litres per person.
• China South - North Transfer Scheme:

  • $62bn
  • 12tn gallons of water to be moved 1000km
  • Aims to link China's 4 big rivers to counter aquifers drying up in the North Plains.
  • Water table below Beijing falling at 5m per year.
• New Delhi, India:

  • 62% of land in New Delhi was considered as degraded.
  • 25% of population live in illegal slums.
  • Large contributor to urban degradation.
  • Largest slum is Bhalswa Slum.
  • High vehicle usage and industrial areas pollute the air and can pose health risks.
  • Children are consistently diagnosed with Asthma or Pneumonia.
  • Poor waste management leads to polluted air and water.
  • 60% of Bhalswa waste is dumped in one of 3 sites untreated.
  • Only 30% of pop. have access to toilets.
• Constraints and Solutions in New Delhi, India:

  • Urbanisation is rampant at 1.34% per year.
  • Water sources may remain polluted for a long time.
  • Strains on infrastructure and high costs make many schemes unfeasible in the area.
  • Energy supplies are limited if India wants to become Net Zero by 2070.
  • Slum redevelopment is energy intensive.
  • Land reclamation is a feasible solution.
  • 30% of land in India is classed as degraded.
  • Carbon sinks are being developed in the area to combat air pollution.
  • 2,000 trees planted along the Barapullah drain to clean the water and the air.
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia:

  • Burning coal during winter.
  • 60% of countries pop. live in Ger district in Gers and heat with coal and and other fossil fuels.
  • Makes winter months much worse for air pollution as people heat homes to cope with -30C temperatures.
  • Vehicles are becoming more popular producing more tailpipe emissions.
  • Number of cars increased by 57%.
  • Rapid construction leads to heavy machinery being used and dust from building contributes to PM2.5 quantities in the air.
  • Air pollution is usually 6-10x what is considered safe by WHO.
  • Devices once maxed out at 133x recommended level.
• Solutions in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia:

  • In 2019, Mongolian Govt. announced intentions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22.7% by 2030.
  • $130mn granted for Air Quality Improvement program, which aims to reduce air pollution.
  • $160mn provided by Asian Bank for stage 2 of the program.
  • Alternative fuels are now being used for heat.
  • Air pollutants expected to reduce by 80% in 2025.
  • AQI program overdelivered, reducing PM2.5 by 51% in just 2 years.
  • 40,000 children provided with free PCV13 jabs to counter diseases caused by air pollution.