Environmental Quality and Atmospheric Pollution
Atmosphere has been a traditional rubbish bin for industry, transport and domestic users of fossil fuels for years. The environmental quality of the atmosphere is changing at an unprecedented speed. The emissions of gases, produced as consequence of the human activities, are causing irregularities in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, and these ones are generating important effects on the atmosphere and terrestrial biosphere system.
For example, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other gases emissions are inducing changes in the energetic balance of the Earth, increasing the planet temperature and producing other climate changes. Emissions of substances, that favour the reduction of the stratosphere ozone levels ("good ozone"), are producing an increase of the ultraviolet radiation over the earth´s surface. Emissions of non-organic toxic pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, are increasing the acidity of fresh water and soils at regional scales. And finally, emissions of a wide range of volatile organic compounds generate changes in the atmospheric Chemistry, especially in the troposphere oxidation capacity, affecting to a wide range of special dimensions that cover from urban scale to regional international or even global scales.
In this guideline is remarkable the ECOCAR, a mobile unit for measuring of atmospheric pollution (O3, CO, SO2, NOx and particles). Moreover, measures of non-controlled emission of biogas and other toxic gases on dumpfills of the island.