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Mexico City- Pollution Report by Harry Preston
Air pollution is one of the many problems that the authorities of the Mexican capital face. In 1986, a system was put in place for atmospheric monitoring (Simat), which each day gives measurements of the Metropolitan Air Quality Indice. In 2008, 1.5% of greenhouse gases in the world were produced by the agglomeration of Mexico City. 4,000 deaths per year are attributed to pollution caused by this area of the world. However, these figures are only estimates.
This pollution is the result of intense traffic - there are 4 million cars, 27,000 microbuses, and 92,000 taxis which consume about 14 million gallons of gasoline every day. Industry has also seen extremely rapid growth (60,000 industrial companies working in Mexico City). Urban sprawl and the construction of new highways over the past thirty years reinforces the use of cars in Mexico City. According to a report of the Committee on Human Rights of the Federal District (CDHDF) published in December 2008, 80% of GHG emissions are produced by transport.
The 'bowl effect' of Mexico City worsens the pollution by promoting thermal inversion. The long dry season favors the stagnation of air over the city for half of the year. Because of the altitude, some districts being over more than 2,800 metres, it freezes for on average ten nights between December and February every year. The cooling of the soil causes a thermal inversion: a layer of cold stagnant air of a few hundred meters thick filled with an accumulation of gases, fumes and dust is dispersed as part of warming during the middle of the day. However, the combination of elements conducive to the concentration of air pollution is reduced during the rainy season.
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