NO DUMPING

 

In an attempt to reduce pollution and consequently its effects, the government of Trinidad and Tobago has implemented policies and laws against acts which will lead to pollution such as dumping. This of course is a good idea however for there to be successful outcomes, the policies and laws must be enforced to ensure better environmental and health quality as well as to contribute to the overall development of the country’s economy. This idea is supported by this image which depicts a "No dumping" sign yet there is garbage surrounding it.

SMOKING

Smoking is usually seen as just a pass time activity or as a bad habit or vice, regardless of the public knowledge of its health effects. However, what is less talked about if the effect which smoking has on the environmnent. The act of smoking can be either a voluntary or involuntary choice An example of involutiontary smoking can be be as a result of peer pressure. In my opinion I think that smoking may be more prevelent in cities. Cities are considered to be more modern than other areas. Also, because of globalisation and adverstiment smoking can sometimes be seen as something fun to do or something to do to fit. Cities are the first to adapt certain practices from the developed countries and as such to me, it seems as though it is more prevelent there.

VISUAL POLLUTION

Visual polltuion refers to the impacts of pollution that impair one's ability to enjoy a vista or view by altering the natural environment. Billboards is one such form of visual pollution. An overcrowding of an area causes visual pollution.

Adverstiment of one of the factors for good competition. One of the main and oldest ways of advertising is through the use of billboards. Billboards are effective to a point but can also be major eye sores. As cities expand and the amount and type of goods and services increase so too do competition rates. As such many billboards are seen in and around cities displaying different goods available in the city as well as other location in the country.

INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION

“The good and the bad”

Cities are home to several industries in many countries around the world. Even though industries provide goods, services and jobs, they also have adverse effects on the environment and health as they are major sources of pollution. Industrial activities results in the emission of toxic chemicals, radioactive material as well as hazardous and non-hazardous waste which are all harmful to the environment.

In my opinion, I believe that industries are somewhat beneficial to countries especially those that are locally or state owned. Apart from providing goods, services and jobs, industries (mainly those locally or state owned) aid in the contribution to monetary resources of a country. Additionally, industries help minimize import and maximize export on certain goods. It must be noted however, that even though industries do have their benefits, they also come with negative effects as mentioned previously. For example, in Trinidad there are several industries which are located in cities such as Port of Spain. Within Port of Spain there are different sectors including residential sectors. As such the impact of industrial activities poses threats to the health to those who live in and around the city. Hence, in order for a country like Trinidad to develop and maintain these industries, care must be taken to minimize or alleviate the negative impacts of industrial activities.

VEHICLE EXHAUST

Vehicle use varies in cities around the world and has environmental, social, economic and health impacts. These emissions occur while vehicles are in motion. They emit various gases into the environment and are of major concern to many because it has many adverse effects. For example, vehicle exhaust can lead to global warming through the emissions of carbon dioxide into the environment. Additionally other pollutants from vehicle emission can result in health hazards when these pollutants get into contact with waterways.In my opinion, the number of cars on the road in Trinidad is relatively high. This therefore leads to an increase in the levels of pollution. Due to urbanization, the resulting numbers of vehicles which enter and exit the cities are much greater than anywhere else in the country. The high concentrations of vehicles in cities lead to high levels of traffic congestion. As such there is a concentration of hazardous emissions in cities which can lead to worse impacts there than in other parts of a country.

ROADSIDE GARBAGE

“ A sight for sore eyes”

  

Above is the site of land pollution on the roadside in Port of Spain. Within a residential area in the capital city of Trinidad, is this unsightly pile of garbage. Not only is this a sore to the eyes but it also has the potential to have many hazardous effects on both the health and the environment among other factors which may not be visible to the naked eye. Waste if not attended to and properly disposed of can lead to contamination of the environment. One such way of further contaminating the environment is through the process of spreading pollution. This occurs when one type of pollution leads to another type of pollution. The image above depicts land pollution however this can lead to water pollution for example if the waste gets into contact with waterways such as rivers and drains. If this does occur then the waterways would become contaminated and through the process of evaporation and condensation, this contaminated water will fall back into the environment as acid rain continuing the cycle of pollution.

Using the Burgess concentric model 1924, this area would be considered to be the area of low-class residential housing where the poorest classes reside. Such areas are capable of housing large numbers of persons as these houses are extremely close to each other with several persons per household. Apart from this is the facts that as cities continue to grow so too do the population in and around it. Cities tend to draw people to it because of the many services which are available. What should be noted also is that as cities grow and population increases so too do the rate of overall consumption of the persons within the area resulting in an increase in waste. As such land pollution through excessive waste can be linked to the process of urbanization.

DEFORESTATION

 “Life lost never to be returned”

 



Deforestation is a type of land pollution that occurs as a result of the removal of trees without planting other trees to replace them. The image above illustrates deforestation the hills of Champ Fleur. The hills of Champ Fleur were once completely covered by luscious green trees which provided breath-taking scenery. However, today these luscious green trees are being cut down and replaced by man-made infrastructure such as the buildings seen in the image above.

Deforestation is of major concern because it has many adverse effects. Some of which include soil erosion whereby the land becomes vulnerable to weathering agents such as water and wind resulting in the loss of productivity of the land. Deforestation also leads to the destruction of animal habitats and in turn the loss of life of these animals since forested areas such as the Champ Fleur hills provides not only a place for these animals to live but also provides them with food. Greenhouse effects and global warming also results from deforestation. Since trees along with oceans are the main recycling units of carbon dioxide into oxygen, it means that with the removal of trees from the environment there would be a greater saturation of carbon dioxide on the earth. This concentration of carbon dioxide acts as a blanket preventing long wave radiation from returning into the atmosphere leading to greenhouse effects and consequently global warming when this radiation is converted into heat.

Deforestation can be seen in many areas in Trinidad but is seen to a wider extent in places which are considered to be urban or suburban such as Champ Fleur. The Ullman and Harris model 1945 can be applied to Trinidad as there are multiple nuclei throughout the country. According to the Ullman and Harris model 1945, each nucleus acts as a growth point and in time there will be an outward growth. Within Champ Fleur alone there are many industries such as the Carib brewery, Unilever Limited and the West Indies Tobacco Company. Also located within this area is the Mount Hope General Hospital. As such populations tend to develop around these sectors of the economy and as the population continues to grow there becomes an ever increasing need for land for activities such as commercial uses as well as residential uses. But because there is limited land available people now seek areas which would have once been considered unusable because of factors such as terrain to construct buildings and settle. As such it can be said that there is a relationship between deforestation and urbanization.