M o scow
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T ab l e O f C o n t en t s - Tabl e of Con t en t s.................................Pg.2 - Resear ch qu est i on an d Ju st i f i cat i on ...Pg.3 - Act i on Pl an ...........................................Pg.5 - Ou t l i n e of M oscow................................Pg.6 - W h at n eeds I m pr ov i n g.........................Pg.6 - Possi bl e Sol u t i on s.................................Pg.7 - Ju st i f i cat i on of I m pr ovem en t s.............Pg.8 - Bi bl i ogr aphy..........................................Pg.9
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How can t h e levels of air pollu t ion in M oscow be decr eased? Ju st i f i cat i on : Air pollution has incr easingly becom e a pr oblem in ever y par t of the w or ld. The industr ial r evolution in the late 1700?s/ear ly 1800?s br ought w ith it an incr ease in use of fuels such as coal, r esulting in a m assive incr ease in ur ban air pollution. The developm ent of m or e industr ies, factor ies and an incr ease in population, and ther efor e r esour ces, has lead to a gr ow th in the am ount of gr eenhouse gas em issions all over the w or ld. The num ber of m otor vehicles has also incr eased lar gely, and is still incr easing fast as m or e people ar e able to affor d car s and fuel. Air pollution can have detr im ental effects on the health of citizens and envir onm ental consequences. Som e of these health r isks w ith long-ter m exposur e include cancer , and dam age to the im m une, neur ological, r epr oductive, and r espir ator y system s. The aver age am ount of deaths per year due to pollution r elated illnesses w or ldw ide is ar ound 5.5m illion. Som etim es even causing death. Som e of the effects on the envir onm ent include Acid r ain, Eutr ophication, Haze/Sm og, ozone depletion, cr op and for est dam age, global clim ate change, an incr ease in the occur r ence of natur al disaster s, and effects on w ildlife. As air pollution is absor bed into our atm ospher es, the tem per atur es incr ease as heat gets tr apped. This can r esult in heat-r elated natur al disaster s such as w ildfir es and dr oughts. In 2013 alone, M oscow pr oduced appr oxim ately 995 tons of pollution, 93% of em issions w as fr om car s. The AQI (air quality index), on Wednesday, Septem ber 13 2017, had a low of 53 and high of 119 w ith an aver age of 80. This is consider ed high and unhealthy and w hen the AQI is this high, people ar e advised to stay indoor s and not par ticipate in spor ting activities. On the 6th of August ther e w er e ar ound 600 separ ate w ildfir es bur ning in the for ests of m ainly w ester n Russia. 220 m iles east of M oscow , Russian tr oops had to dig tr enches to stop the fir es fr om spr eading, but that didn?t pr event the w ind fr om blow ing the r esulting sm oke tow ar ds M oscow. This lead to a thick sm og hanging over M oscow and a concentr ation of Car bon M onoxide m or e than 6x above nor m al levels. The deaths caused by this disaster w as estim ated to be at 5,000, w ith hundr eds of people seeking m edical car e dur ing this tim e. The sm og delayed and lead to cancellation of flights and w as able to seep into buildings and houses. Locals and tour ists w er e for ced to w ear face m asks and hang w et tow els ar ound their r oom s to decr ease the am ount of dust and pollution being inhaled. Hence w hy it is im por tant to take action now to pr event any fur ther , m or e ser ious dam age to the envir onm ent and its inhabitants. New , sustainable, w ays to com bat the incr ease in air pollution have to be cr eated and im plem ented in or der to im pr ove the w ell being of us and our w or ld and discuss how w e can decr ease the levels of air pollution in M oscow.
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Act i on Pl an : Act ion
Wh at r esou r ces do you expect t o u se?
Wer e t h ose r esou r ces act u ally u sef u l?
Wh er e else did you r esear ch t o im pr ove you r in it ial idea?
I mainly used statistics of what produces a certain amount of the total pollution but I improved my idea
Investigating the main contributors to air pollution.
Statistics/data and reports.
Yes, these helped me gage the severity of this problem.
Investigating the impact of high air pollution.
Reports, research sites.
Yes, very useful. They I used evidence, not provided me with only the effects. Data necessary information. and statistics were useful, such as the amount of deaths
Investigating which, if any, types of renewable energy sources are already being used.
City reports, data.
These sources were useful and provided me with accurate and useful statistics.
I researched information on how Russia is incorporating renewable resources.
Finding a way to increase biodiversity in Moscow.
Encyclopedias, records of solutions being implemented elsewhere.
These sources were useful and presented me with different ways to increase biodiversity that I
Some websites would lead me to investigating other solutions.
Finding alternative, sustainable energy resources that can be added in Russia.
Reports, statistics, encyclopedias.
These sources were useful and were able to provide me with useful facts that helped me develop my
I was able to build upon different renewable resources and not use only one.
What is Moscow?s land use model?
Encyclopedias.
These sources were useful and helped me answer my question
This allowed me to brainstorm how/where or if it was possible to add my solutions.
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Ou t l i n e of M oscow : M oscow , the capital of Russia, is located in w ester n Russia, on the M oskva r iver. M oscow is the lar gest city in Eur ope, it is a center of cultur e, histor y, ar chitectur e, politics, science, etc. w ithin Russia and Easter n Eur ope. The m ain function of M oscow is business/industr y, pr oducing fur nitur e, vodka, m achine tools, etc. M oscow follow s the ?Bur gess Ur ban Land Use M odel? accur ately, as can be seen thr ough the com par ison of the m ap of M oscow and the m odel. Ther e have been m any events and occur r ences thr oughout the life of Russia/M oscow that have shaped it into w hat it is today. This includes the Russian Revolution, W W I, W W II, as w ell as the industr ialization of the city. One exam ple of this is the building of the M oscow M etr o w hich w as opened in 1935. This is im por tant because it becam e a m ain par t of tr anspor tation thr oughout the city, aiding in the possibility for m or e people and car go to be tr anspor ted fur ther distances, faster.
W h at n eeds i m pr ov i n g? Being one of the lar gest cities in the w or ld (11th lar gest population w ithin city lim its), ther e ar e m any pr oblem s r elated to this. One of these is the am ount of air pollution pr oduced due to the gr ow ing population and dem and for r esour ces such as fuel and housing space. This m eans that the necessar y gr een spaces ar e getting r em oved in or der to m ake space for housing, offices, r oads, and other buildings and m or e people r esults in m or e fuels being used for car s, r esidential use such as heating, and ener gy for factor ies to pr oduce/pr ocess m or e r esour ces. The r ising population along w ith the gr ow ing economy r esults in a higher dem and for social status item s such as car s w hich in 2013 em itted 93% of the total 995 tonnes of pollution (CO2, etc.). The link of the incr ease in air pollution to the r ising tem per atur es has r esulted in w ildfir es. As alr eady stated above, the w ildfir es had detr im ental effects on the health of citizens and the economy by the pr evention of flights due to visibility. Congestion as a r esult of the influx of new car s is also a big pr oblem in M oscow.
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Possi bl e Sol u t i on s: Outside M oscow , ther e is r ich envir onm ental diver sity w ithin the for ests, but as you m ove closer to the center of the city, the am ount of gr een spaces decr eases gr eatly. The lack of biodiver sity com bined w ith the lar ge population, and ther efor e lack of space, w ithin the city, leads to a decr ease in beneficial gr een spaces. One of the solutions to com bat the high levels of pollution in M oscow is to cr eate m or e gr een spaces and biodiver sity. One w ay to incr ease the am ount of gr een spaces in or der to decr ease the levels of pollution in M oscow is to add r ooftop gar dens/gr een spaces. This is an ideal solution as it takes into account the lar ge population occupying the m ajor ity of the space in the city. As w ell as incr easing the biodiver sity in M oscow and decr easing the levels of CO2, the gr een r ooftop gar dens also act as insulation. This insulation m eans that less ener gy w ould be needed to be spent on cooling or heating, especially dur ing the w inter. The estim ated cost of installing a gr een r oof is ar ound $10 per squar e foot ($10 per 0.1 squar e m eter ) for a sim ple r oofing. The appr oxim ate annual m aintenance cost for a sim ple r oofing or intensive r oof can r ange fr om $0.75-$1.50 per squar e foot. Additionally, the incor por ation of gr een r oofs to high-r ise/apar tm ent buildings can im pr ove the com for t and health of the people living in the building and eventually, if it becom es w idespr ead, the w hole city as w ell as r educing and slow ing stor m w ater r unoff and filter pollutants in the r ainw ater. Over all, the im plem entation of gr een r oofs benefits the w hole population as w ell as the r esidents of the building. Another solution w ould be the addition of m or e r enew able ener gy sour ces. Russia?s m ain r enew able ener gy sour ce is hydr oelectr ic ener gy, w ith ar ound 16% of its total electr icity com ing fr om hydr oelectr icity. The abundance of fossil fuels like oil and natur al gas de-pr ior itizes the developm ent of other ener gy sour ces, including r enew able r esour ces. Russia has a lar ge potential for im plem entation of m or e hydr opow er ener gy stations, but ar e cur r ently only using 20%. Installing m or e dam s and hydr opow er plants w ould r esult in a lar ge por tion of the total ener gy being m ade up of hydr oelectr ic ener gy. Though expensive, the im plantation of these dam s w ould decr ease the har m ful effects of extr acting and bur ning fossil fuels on the envir onm ent. A alter native ener gy r esour ce that could be localized to the city could include Solar Panels. Solar ener gy in Russia is alm ost nonexistent, how ever , this doesn?t m ean it can?t be im plem ented. Russia has a theor etical potential of pr oducing 2,213 TW h/yr in solar ener gy, w ith a feasible am ount of 101 TW h/yr based on the economy. Russia is alr eady planning on installing solar ener gy plants to r each a potential of 150 M W by 2020. This ener gy w ould be distr ibuted thr oughout Russia and r eplace som e of the ener gy pr oduced by fossil fuels. In or der to localise this, solar panels w ould be added to the r oofs of lar ge apar tm ent blocks and high buildings, w her e they w ould supply the building they ar e on. Due to the vast expanse of em pty space in Russia, W ind Pow er is also an ideal for m of pr oducing r enew able ener gy. Public Tr anspor tation is another solution to the pr oblem of high levels of air pollution in Russia. By im pr oving the public tr anspor tation system s in m oscow , it can help decr ease congestion and the levels of air pollutants. One possibility is the building of an advanced bus-w ay. One exam ple of this is in the city of Cur itiba, Br azil. This city has m ade it m or e ideal to take public tr anspor tation than pr ivate tr anspor t w hile keeping the advancem ents cheap. One w ay of doing this is by speeding up the on-and-off system . Another w ay is by building a bus-system alm ost like a m etr o, w ith a ?spider w eb-like? connection of the r outes. Although this m ay be difficult, as M oscow is an old city, it is not im possible. This solution w ould alm ost cer tainly decr ease the am ount of pollution em itted by vehicles in M oscow and incr ease the quality of the air. 7
Ju st i f i cat i on Of W hy I m pr ovem en t s Sh ou l d Tak e Pl ace: M oscow is a industr ial city w ith m any attr actions, how ever ther e ar e disadvantages to the fast industr ialization of the city. The incr ease in pollution leaves r esidents developing diseases and the envir onm ent being ir r ever sibly dam aged. The fir st solution should be added because the ?par ks?in M oscow ar e m ainly pieces of land w ith ar tificial gr ass and tiled paths, w hich leads to a decr ease in biodiver sity and the low num ber of tr ees/shr ubs incr eases the am ount of pollution in the air. The second solution is ideal in or der to decr ease the am ount of air pollution in M oscow , as it is disadvantaged geogr aphically. M oscow is a victim of heat inver sion, m eaning that in the ear th?s atm ospher e, above this ar ea, instead of the layer of heat being below the layer of cold, the layer of cold is below the layer of heat. This r esults in a ?bubble? ar ound the city that tr aps any par ticulate and pollution. Finally, the congestion and influx of car s is one of the m ajor factor s contr ibuting to the incr easing levels of air pollutants. By im plem enting the thir d solution, this issue is tr eated and the im pact of the pr oblem is decr eased. Over all, these solutions offer differ ent w ays to com bat the lar ge issue of air pollution and aid M oscow in it?s jour ney to being a sustainable city.
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Bi bl i ogr aphy: -
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"Using Gr een Roofs To Reduce Heat Islands | US EPA."US EPA. N. p., 2014. Web. 22 M ar. 2018. "Tem per atur e Inver sion | M eteor ology."Encyclopedia Britannica. N. p., 2018. Web. 22 M ar. 2018. "Renew able Ener gy In Russia."En.wikipedia.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 22 M ar. 2018. "Cur itiba Bus System Is M odel For Rapid Tr ansit | Reim agine!."Reimaginerpe.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 22 M ar. 2018. M ass.gov. N. p., 2018. Web. 22 M ar. 2018. "Official: Envir onm ental Issues In M oscow And The M oscow Region Requir e Collective Effor t."Sputniknews.com. N. p., 2010. Web. 22 M ar. 2018. "Pr oblem s."M oscow M ega City. N. p., 2018. Web. 22 M ar. 2018. ?Air Pollution in M oscow : Real-Tim e Air Quality Index Visual M ap.?Aqicn.or g, aqicn.or g/m ap/m oscow /#@g/55.7519/37.6467/10z. ?GCSE Bitesize: The Bur gess and Hoyt M odel.? BBC, BBC,w w w.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geogr aphy/ur ban_envir onm ents/ur ban_m od ?Russia Infor m ation - M aps of Russia.? Russian M aps & Russia M ap Infor m ation US Visa to Russia.,w w w.usvisator ussia.com /r ussiam aps.htm . Fr ench, Richar d Antony, and Kathleen Ber ton M ur r ell. ?M oscow.? Encyclopædia Br itannica, Encyclopedia Br itannica, Inc., 25 Feb. 2018,w w w.br itannica.com /place/M oscow . Coutsoukis, Photius. ?Soviet Union M aps, Economy, Geogr aphy, Clim ate, Natur al Resour ces, Cur r ent Issues, Inter national Agr eem ents, Population, Social Statistics, Political System .?M aps of USSR, 16 Aug. 1999,https://allcountr ies.or g/m aps/ussr _m aps.htm l. Feldm an, Bor is, et al. Ur ban and Natur al Tr ansfor m ations of Agr icultur al Lands in M oscow Oblast. 2009, Ur ban and Natur al Tr ansfor m ations of Agr icultur al Lands in M oscow Oblast,w w w.cor p.at/ar chive/CORP2009_171.pdf. ?M oscow Air Pollution Reaches Especially Danger ous Levels.? Edited by The M oscow Tim es,The M oscow Tim es, 16 July 2014,https://them oscow tim es.com /ar ticles/m oscow -air -pollution-r eaches-especially-da Nunnink, Isabella. ?Pr oblem s.? M oscow M ega City, Aug. 2014,https://m egacitym oscow.w eebly.com /pr oblem s.htm l. "M oscow | Histor y, Geogr aphy, & M ap - People."Encyclopedia Br itannica. N. p., 2018. Web. 21 Feb. 2018.
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