Tackling Air Pollution
Aug 27, 2008
A recent report of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) paints a harrowing picture of the costs of air pollution in Canada. The study, entitled No Breathing Room: National Illness Costs of Air Pollution shows the effects of poor air quality based on the concentrations of two highly predictive pollutants – ozone and particulate matter - on the Canadian population.
With the recent Olympic games in China, much was made about the poor air quality and the risk it posed to the athletes. But few really stop to think about the severity of the problem that we face right here in Canada.
In 2008, 80 percent of those who die due to air pollution will be over the age of 65. This year alone will see more than 9,000 hospital visits, 30,000 emergency department visits and some 620,000 doctor’s office visits resulting from air pollution. According to the CMA, the economic cost of air pollution this year will be in excess of $8 billion. By 2031, the accumulated cost will have surpassed $250 billion.
The study found that, by 2031, almost 90,000 Canadians will have died from the acute short-term effects of air pollution. Long-term exposure will have resulted in over 700,000 deaths.
It’s imperative that our governments take immediate and significant action to address the pollution problem. One proposed solution came from the federal NDP in the wake of the CMA report.
The NDP outlined its “Big Polluters Pay” strategy earlier this year to limit pollution and meet annual emissions reductions targets. The plan involves a “ cap-and-trade” carbon pricing system that would force big polluters – which account for half of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions – to pay $35 per ton of carbon emitted. It’s anticipated that this will bring in $2.5 billion a year that would be invested in developing green technologies and helping make them affordable to the average Canadian.
The federal Liberals have proposed a carbon tax of their own which would be applied to such essentials as gas, home heating fuel and electricity. Whichever party forms power given recent rumours of an impending federal election this fall, it is essential that a comprehensive plan to attack pollution be a substantial part of their platform.
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