Cards (9)

  • 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.