One unexpected consequence of the riots is cleaner air, because fewer factories are running.
Amid the turmoil and disappointment of Egyptian President Mubarak’s refusal to leave Egypt despite ongoing and increasingly desperate protests, an unexpected consequence has emerged. Infamous for its stultifying smog, Cairo is packed with factories and cars that create an unhealthy breathing environment for its constituents. Long term government plans include relocating the factories but in the meantime, despite Mubarak’s pleas for Cairenes to return to work, many businesses remain closed. This in turn has cleared the air.Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that Cairenes can breathe a little easier, even though the political drama is far from simmering down.
That’s because many factories are still closed, reducing the amount of emissions clogging up the sky. The problem, according to the paper, is that the air above Cairo has a low dispersal rate, meaning that pollutants linger longer than they should.
The result, according to the World Health Organization, 10-100 times the safe limit of toxic atmospheric pollution that local residents breathe in. The WHO also noted that the average person breathes in 20 times as much pollution as is acceptable.
The World Bank reported in 2002 that pollution causes environmental damage amounting to an average USD 2.42 billion or 5% of Egypt’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Unfortunately, political success – should it ever come for the Egyptian people – would spell further environmental disaster since the capital’s 12,000 factories and four million cars will be back in full swing. And the black cloud will return.
More on the Egyptian Riots and Its Environmental Consequences:
Egypt’s Conflagration Is An Advance Warning For An Unsustainable World
Tunisia, Egypt: What Fuels Middle East Repression
Rising Food Prices Behind Riots in Tunisia And Egypt
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
