Poor Economy as Catalyst
In Africa the situation is more complex since the region has become a dumping ground for secondhand vehicles making over 90% of total vehicles on the road. These imported used cars, trucks; buses, agriculture machinery, and construction equipment are known to be heavy pollution emitters. Poor economy readily creates the room for increasing patronage of old vehicles in Africa. These second hand vehicles have high smoke capacity and produce excessive emissions.
In Nigeria the most populous country in Africa with very high vehicular traffic congestion, pollution is compounded by commercial transport motorcycles. Over 50% of air pollution in the cities is caused by these motorcycles. Furthermore West Africa has serious inadequate electric power supply. Also badly affected in the region is Nigeria which has now become the largest market and dumping ground for old/new from all over the world.
Presently every business outfit in the country relies on one or more gen sets to remain in operation. All business premises have clusters of various sizes and shades of gen sets saturating the air with carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) etc. The residential houses are not spared as people sleep in rooms with clusters of gen sets on the immediate corridors emitting high levels of these deadly toxic pollutants.
Adverse Effects of Auto pollution
Serious consequences of the toxic gases emitted from automobiles abound. These include:
- Road traffic insecurity: Most often commercial vehicles produce excessive emissions, thus reducing visibility and increasing traffic hazards.
- Health Hazards: At high level, these pollutants affect humans, increasing health risks of asthma, lung cancer, and leukemia.
- Ozone layer depletion.
- Global warming.
- Climate change: Resulting to the rising sea level, flooding, gully erosion and landslides, heat waves, desertification etc.
Reducing Auto Pollution
Reducing auto pollution emission must now be central in man's daily activities. This has become inevitable and critical to secure healthy environment and reduce global warming. All vehicle owners should be concerned with protecting our fragile environment.
If you own a car, truck, or gen set, learn what you can do on your vehicle to reduce its emission capacity.
Auto pollutants emission is a big contributor to global warming and climate change. This is worsened in developing countries where majority of vehicles on the road are secondhand, having high carbon capacity. Poverty and unemployment encourage the operation of commercial motorcycles while inadequate electric power supply encourages proliferation of generators, causing serious health hazards. Individual vehicle owners can and should now be encouraged to reduce pollution emission from their own vehicle engines. This is a drip for auto pollution reduction and environmental protection.
