Cities are anthropogenic habitats, a place where humans congregate, to live, work and play in. Enticed by the prospect of jobs, education, facilities and in general, a better standard of living, cities draw humans in like fire to moth. In fact, more that half of the world’s population currently reside in a city, with this number projecting to rise to a 60% by 2030 (UN, n.d.).  In order to house this massive amount of people, rapid urbanisation ensued, and cities evolved into mega-cities, while previously rural communities begin adopting features of a city. Although cities are catalysts for economic growth, they also bring an onslaught of social and environmental issues.

 

Amidst the bright lights and hustle of activity, are insidious forms of pollution. Pollution is defined as an introduction of harmful substances into the environment. They can be clustered into the space they occupy, such as air, land and water. Other intangible forms of pollution are light and noise, both extremely commonplace in a city. Through this blog, we will look at how urbanisation and cities contribute to the pollution scene.

 

References

Cities—United Nations Sustainable Development Action 2015. (n.d.). United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/