It is a poorly kept secret that across the globe the main place where pollution is most rife is in cities and urban communities. In metropolises home to such a vast number of humans, unfortunately, there are often higher levels of pollution.
There are a variety of reasons why cities are such hotbeds for pollution and why such a large quantity of emissions that damage the Earth’s atmosphere come from big cities. Some reasons why the level of fossil fuel emissions tend to be so high in large urban areas include cities being business hubs, a large number of industrial factories found close together, large populations, a large network of roads and highways, lots of vehicles of all shapes and sizes, a wide variety of public health issues and much more.
It is strikingly clear that cities in 2021 need to think of the future in their developments and do more to help their citizens contribute to protecting the planet.
We have comprised a guide to steps people in urban communities can take to lead more sustainable lives and help to reduce global warming.
Use Alternative Methods of Transport and Eco-Fuels
Cars and the excessive amounts of petrol and diesel they emit are a major source of pollution in urban areas worldwide. One green alternative to driving cars that spew fossil fuels into the atmosphere is using eco-fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, and electric-powered cars. Embracing eco-fuels is one-way people living in urban areas can help lead more sustainable lives.
Using public transport and alternative methods of transport to cars is another way that urban communities can reduce their carbon footprint and live sustainably. So, citizens in urban areas worldwide must apply social pressure on urban local authorities to encourage them to put lots of funding and time into developing public transport infrastructure further. People often commute to work and travel into cities, and everybody in urban communities traveling to work in their cars is certainly not sustainable for ensuring the planet’s survival.
Traveling to work on a bicycle is a great sustainable alternative to driving your car, and it also gets you fit and burns plenty of calories at the same time. In large bustling cities with lots of cars and traffic congestion, there are inevitably lots of road hazards cyclists are presented with regularly and you may want to consider getting bike insurance to cover you and your bike for injury, theft, accidental damage, liability insurance if you damage someone else’s property on your bike and so on. If you are interested in getting a good bike insurance policy from a reliable national insurance agency, look at Velosurance’s bicycle insurance rates and coverages. It’s better to have the comfort blanket of having insurance when you start cycling in a large city with lots of quite impatient drivers.
Recycle and Reuse Packaging
Single-use plastics used for items like plastic bags, disposable cutlery, coffee cups, wet wipes, etc are terrible for the environment and not conducive at all with sustainable living. The main reason why single-use plastics are so dangerous for the planet is that single-use plastics can take up to 1000 years to decompose in land fill sites and pollute the environment.
A better greener alternative is to use reusable packaging. Compared to single-use products, refillable bottles carry a 50-60% smaller ecological footprint. You can get creative with what you decide to reuse your packaging for, reuse cardboard for signs and coloring on, wash out jam jars and reuse them to hold other things, reuse egg cartons as a dish to feed the birds. Reusing packaging in your daily life is great for reducing your impact on the planet.
Sorting out your trash so you can recycle all recyclable materials is key to living sustainably. Recycling is a more natural way to sort out your waste and it avoids everything going into landfills.
Avoid Littering
Littering not only makes urban areas look a lot less attractive aesthetically, but it is also awful for the planet. As well as being harmful to humans, littering has adverse effects on wildlife and the natural habitats they live in. Waterways in urban areas such as rivers, lakes, and canals can be ruined by constant littering too.
Littering also has an adverse effect on tourism in popular cities. An urban space that is covered everywhere in litter looks far less appealing to tourists and it may really put them off visiting a city.
So, to follow a sustainable life and protect the planet, urban communities should avoid littering at all costs.
Don’t Use Harmful Aerosols and Sprays
Aerosol sprays and deodorants are dangerous for the planet because they emit dangerous toxic chemicals into the atmosphere like xylene and formaldehyde and contribute to the ozone effect.The depletion of the ozone had bad health effects on humans such as chest pain, coughing, and difficulties breathing, as well as endangering forests, plants, and the natural environment.
Despite a few greener eco projects popping up every now and then in cities across the globe, urban communities should be doing a lot more than they already are about sustainability and protecting the planet for the future.
