Air Pollution In Bogota

Environmental Policy
Final Research Paper
May 2012
Word Count: 2277
Country: Colombia
City: Bogotá
Central Research Question: What are the causes and effects of air pollution in Bogotá, Colombia?
Introduction:
Colombia is a beautiful South American country. It is divided by five different regions; the Andean, Pacific, Caribbean, Orinoco and Amazon. Each one has its own culture,customs, food and climate. It is the fourth largest country in South America with a population of more than 46 million and an annual growth rate of 1.2%. It has five major industrial centers, Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, and Bucaramanga. Each one is located in a different geographical region.
Since Colombia has a high population and significant industrial development, it faces someenvironmental issues such as deforestation, soil erosion, wild life preservation and pollution. As consequence, the capital city, Bogotá, has the most environmental problems because it is the largest city in Colombia. In particular, the most noticeable and important issue is air pollution. Air pollution in Bogotá has increased throughout years and it is affecting human health. The government and citizens aretaking action in order to address this concern. The most effective policies have some sort of incentive for individuals and industries to reduce and limit emissions that damage the environment.

Problem Location:
Bogotá is Colombia’s capital city, as well as the capital of Cundinamarca State. It is referred as Bogotá D.C. It covers an area of 1, 737 km2. It is one of the biggest urban citiesin Latin America, with a population of more than eight million, and an annual growth rate of 1.2%. The main factor increasing population is the vast rural-urban migration. Individuals see more economic opportunities in Bogota since there are more jobs available because of the technological advances.
The rapid growth of population causes pollution and deteriorates Bogotá´s air quality. Also, itincreased the vehicles circulating to more than one million vehicles, of which there are many old and poorly maintained cars. In fact, in 2011 only 15% of particular cars were less than 10 years old. 90% of the total vehicles are private around one million, and 80,000 are public transit vehicles.
Additionally, this city has approximately 4,700 industries, which increases with time. Some of theprincipal industries located in Bogotá are: textile, food, commerce, pharmaceutical, beverages, and mining. The most pollutant industries are the industries of plastic, carbon, paper, petroleum, nitro phosphate installment, the production of acids, particularly nitric acids, the production of brown sugarloaf, as well as the fabrication of ceramic goods, among others. In fact, a study done by theIDEAM (Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales), found that those industries contribute to acid rain, climate change, the ozone layer reduction and in general have a negative effect on the air quality of Bogota.
Environmental Problem:
Over the past few years Bogotá grew tremendously in population, businesses and vehicles, allowing for an increase in industrial and economicactivities. One of the main environmental issues in Bogotá, Colombia is air pollution; it is mainly created by vehicle emissions. Bogotá has the highest rates of environmental degradation in the country. Air pollution augments this problem and it affects the environment, the visibility and human health. According to the Encyclopedia of Earth, there are three major sources of air pollution in urbanareas. They are mobile sources, stationary sources, and open burning sources. They can be categorized into the source groups of motor traffic, industry, power plants, trade, and domestic fuel.
Based on the study by the Japanese International Cooperation and the Secretary of Health of the District, it was determined that 70% of the pollution in Bogota is attributed to cars (including public...