TODAY.AZ / Society

Azerbaijan does its part to protect environment

20 August 2015 [15:52] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Vusala Abbasova

We live in beautiful world, and this is undoubtedly true.

Our world – with its incredible array of wildlife, majestic waterfalls, lost cities, mysterious landmarks, and natural wonders – both surrounds us and is a part of us.

But can we protect the nature in its original form just for our own sake?

Harmful activities such as high urbanization, the overuse of fertilizers, and factory wastewater among others have unfortunately proliferated to create a severe environmental crisis.

Pollution as one of the major global environmental problems includes pollution of air, water, and soil, the recovery of which takes millions of years.

This emergency began with industrialization and the development of the motor vehicle, whose exhaust is the number one source of air pollution.

Pollution kills more than 1 million seabirds and 100 million mammals every year, according to the Conserve Energy Future website.

People who live in high-density air pollution areas have a 20 percent higher risk of dying from lung cancer than people living in less polluted areas.

More than 3 million kids under the age of 5 die every year due to environmental factors like pollution.

There are more than 500 million cars in the world and by 2030, that number will rise to 1 billion. This means that pollution levels will more than double.

Furthermore, heavy metals, nitrates, and plastics are toxins that exacerbate air pollution, while waterways are sullied by oil spills, acid rain, and urban runoff.

Azerbaijan is keen on providing legal reforms for air pollution reduction, such as the law on enterprises. This law requires a full examination of enterprises in order to identify exposure levels and to evaluate environmental damage.

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) is processing 21 out of 24 grades of Azerbaijan crude and 15 different petroleum products, including automotive gasoline, aviation kerosene, diesel fuel, black oil, petroleum coke, and others.

SOCAR also has begun to realize a program for controlling the exhaust of used automobiles. It operates three control centers in Bibi-Eybat, Balakhani and Hovsan settlements of Baku for this specific purpose.

Anthropogenic factors causing air pollution in the country originate from industry, but cars and trucks hold a special place among air pollution contributors by producing significant amounts of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants, said the expert of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

The expert also noted that the level of motor exhausts has increased ten times over he past ten years.

The government has implemented measures to decrease this figure with adoption of Euro-4 ecological standard, the use of which began in the country from April 1, 2014.

The adoption of Euro-4 standard significantly restricts the import of used cars into Azerbaijan has been applied to reduce the vehicle emissions and improve the environmental situation in the country.

Among the measures on air pollution reduction in the country, Azerbaijan has restricted the import of cars manufactured before 2003, the expert said.

He also highlighted the importance of restructuring roads, which will help to reduce the number of traffic jams and thus reduce vehicle emissions.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/society/143070.html

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