Polluted Thinking

After the storms hit Northern Europe, with horrendous flooding and misery for many, a high pressure system has at last arrived with fine settled weather.  That's good news isn't it?  Well apparently not for Parisians because the atmospheric conditions have caused high levels of pollution.  It's blamed on minute particles from diesel exhausts, heating systems and industrial emissions becoming trapped in the lower atmosphere.  The authorities responded swiftly, firstly by giving free travel on buses, metros and public bikes over the weekend.  This was followed on Monday morning by a scheme of alternating driving days, based on odd and even number plates, for cars and motorcycles.

Now the Parisians are known to be a bit rebellious.  A French friend of mine once said "rules are for fools" and there is no doubt that not everyone complied with the restrictions, even though the aim of the measures was protect people's health.  But wait a minute, what's new about pollution?  The nasty pollutants in Paris are being replenished continuously and all over the world.  So is it now time for action purely because the toxic air is getting too close for comfort?  I find the situation in Paris very interesting from two perspectives.  Firstly, the authorities appear to have been panicked into action.  Is it genuine concern for public health or could the forthcoming Paris mayoral elections have something to do with it?  Secondly, the fierce resistance by some residents to the restrictions is, in my view, symptomatic of an egotistic human race.  A slight bit of inconvenience to, for example, one's travel-to-work plans is met with harsh indignation.

The major pollutant in the atmosphere is excessive carbon dioxide, which is responsible for on-going climate change, the impacts of which could be extremely damaging to life as we know it on this planet.  Carbon dioxide is a very long-lived pollutant, being more persistent in the environment than radioactive waste.

The level in the atmosphere has already exceeded 400 parts per million and continues to rise.  This, as we know, has a direct impact on the global temperatures and the weather systems.  Now to do anything about this requires measures that are far more draconian than those experienced in Paris over the past few days.  What's more, if we wait for the introduction of 'panic measures', it will be far too late.  In fact some would argue we have already gone past the point of no return.  Most of the carbon-reduction measures have been voluntary, with citizens of many countries being encouraged to reduce their carbon footprints.  But the measurements being taken of carbon dioxide pollution continue to confirm that it's business as usual.

What will it take to change individual and collective attitudes?  One thing's for sure, the technology to combat pollution and its knock-on effects, is available but that will not eradicate the real toxicity within society - polluted thinking.