Alejandro Bermudez Los Angeles traffic pollution

Los Angeles Highways: A Fast Lane For Pollution

Alejandro Bermudez

Los Angeles is one of the most well known cities in the world filled with diversity, landmarks, and central hub for all types of cultures. Being one of the largest cities in the United States it is a heavily populated area. With plenty of sites to see and locations to explore, traveling is a main aspect of being in Los Angeles and the highways provide faster routes to these locations than driving by street. These highways may provide faster transportation but can be harmful to its neighboring communities. Considering the population of Los Angeles CO2 emissions are highly concentrated in highways especially due to traffic but its not only the pollution but the location in where the highways takes place. A 2013 study by the US: Public Library of Science researched pollution levels in relation to neurodevelopment deficiencies after prenatal exposure to pollutants. The study showed a relationship between increased baby birth rates and prenatal exposure. Therefore children are more likely to be obese as a response to living near pollution along with asthma and higher chance of depression in adult males. The research also noted the location of most highways being near low-socioeconomic areas where it may be more difficult for its residents to receive the adequate treatment to prevent these deficits.

This issue is personal to me not only because I personal live near several highways but because overall it is effecting our climate and communities. The highways are very helpful in traveling but the amount of pollution caused by them can be reduced by putting more emphasis on public transportation and encouraging carpooling. If we focus on reducing pollution levels through these methods instead of creating more highways that can lead to more vehicle pollution and more people being relocated we can provide a healthier environment for our community while benefiting our climate.

What especially hurts about the amount of pollution and where it is located is how it effects the youth before they are even born. I work with children and I see some with asthma and breathing issues. Although they may have been born with it knowing that the environment we are in already puts them at a disadvantage is terrible. Also knowing that the lack of effort in reducing emission levels is providing an unhealthy environment for future generations yet not taken as seriously is very alarming. I believe we must work in the present to provide a healthy environment not just for ourselves but for future generations. 

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The I-710 freeway has been of main focus when discussing car emission levels members of neighboring communities mention the unhealthy air quality surrounding the highway. In a 2005 research held by Gunwoo Lee and colleagues focused on reducing the emission rate in the freeway since the highway runs through the San Pedro ports contributing vastly to California's economy they tried to reduce the emission without disrupting the economy. The researchers discovered that transition to zero-emission trucks instead of diesel resulted in other modes of transportation to be used such as rails. These changes were noted that emission levels have gone down and have spread less.

How Can We Help?

The EPA provides a guideline of a few ideas that can help reduce vehicle emissions:

• Carpooling or using rideshares
• Using public transportations
• maintaining vehicle tune ups
• Electric vehicles
• Hybrid/Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Under California's Global Warming Solutions Act we are able to see a trend in Greenhouse Gases (GHG) decreasing over the decade. Through policies being placed such as the no-emission vehicles being used for transportation and an increase in public transportation we can see a great decline over the past decade. Although most emissions are still concentrated within low socioeconomic neighborhoods efforts towards pollution are more focused on reducing instead of relocating the emissions.

Our Supportive Community Members 

Denilson Cruz "It is unfortunate to see pollution effect the poor communities most than others even with these changes to help prevent so much car pollution these people are still surrounded by most of the emissions. We live in a pivotal moment when it comes to global warming where the people in charge do not believe it exist so its hard to believe that they will even help these people out."

Jacqueline Rodriguez "I find the situation insulting. You have these big corporations run by the upper class that knowingly poison our air. Then they turn a blind eye when a minority group decides to call them out on it. They place their factories in communities of color because they do not prioritize their health. But then we have global warming that effects all of us even them and they choose not to believe it is happening. At this point they are killing us and forgetting that they are evidently taking themselves down too."

Ruby Delgadillo "I'm glad to hear efforts are being made to reduce pollution but if what is left is still concentrated on poor communities then that's still a big problem. We already hear about the government officials not believing in global warming so I doubt they would believe these communities are still being hurt. I guess it is up to us to support those that can see this problem and also make a change. Until then all we can do is be aware of the situation."

References

Lee, G., You, S. (, Ritchie, S. G, Saphores, J. M, Sangkapichai, M., & Jayakrishnan, R. (2008). Environmental Impacts of a Major Freight Corridor: A study of the I-710 in California. UC Berkeley: University of California Transportation Center. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7kw9370nDavis, D. A., Bortolato, M.,

Godar, S. C., Sander, T. K., Iwata, N., Pakbin, P., … Morgan, T. E. (2013). Prenatal exposure to urban air nanoparticles in mice causes altered neuronal differentiation and depression-like responses. PLoS ONE, 8(5). https://doi-org.mimas.calstatela.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0064128GHG Current California Emission

Inventory Data. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-data.What You Can Do to Reduce Pollution from Vehicles and Engines. (2017, January 10). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/what-you-can-do-reduce-pollution-vehicles-and-engines.