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10 Of The World’s Most Beautiful City Views Ruined By Air Pollution: Study By HouseFresh
Despite decades of campaigning and policy change, air pollution is still worsening for more than half the world’s population. You might not notice the worsening effect in your daily, hometown life. But when you travel, the sight of industrial smog has a sobering effect.
As part of their mission to draw attention to the quality of the air you breathe, HouseFresh wanted to show you how 10 famous views could look if local human-made air pollution levels increase. The team found iconic photos of the views and, on each one, emulated the visual effect that air pollution has on the skyline of Ghaziabad, India, frequently ranked as the “most polluted city worldwide.”
More info: housefresh.com
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Rockefeller Center (New York, USA)
HouseFresh curated a list of the most beautiful city views around the world, pulling examples from articles from Insider, RTE, and The Times. According to them, “when the first 2020 lockdown struck, a bonus was the drop in air pollution. The view through our windows seemed freshly polished. Tourist attractions shone with an intensity unseen for decades. Environmentalists keenly told us that this was a wake-up call, not a turning point”. However, this was only temporary.
Montparnasse Tower (Paris, France)
EVERYONE! BEFORE YOU GO THROUGH THIS POST, THESE PHOTOS ARE NOT REAL! IT SAYS IN THE DESCRIPTION THAT THIS IS JUST A MODEL OF WHAT FAMOUS LANDMARKS WOULD LOOK LIKE IF THEY HAD THE SAME AMOUNT OF POLLUTION AS GHAZIABAD, INDIA! THIS IS NOT A PRANK! IT SAYS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE DESCRIPTION!
The pictures show how the views in each city might look if pollution levels reached that of Ghaziabad, India, the second most polluted city in the world. The most polluted city in the world is Hotan, China, which reports air pollution predominantly as a result of desert dust storms rather than man-made pollution, which is why the ream chose the second-most polluted city.
Kerry Park (Seattle, USA)
If you’re wondering how you could help in the fight against air pollution, there are a few simple ways that are adaptable to our everyday lives. You should reduce the number of trips using a car as well as the times you use a fireplace or woodstove. Also, avoid burning leaves, trash, and other materials, and using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
Christ The Redeemer (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil)
If you’re interested in learning more about the quarantine pollution drop, you can check out this post that includes 11 before-and-after comparisons showing the positive effect of the quarantine and how it was reducing pollution.
The Shard (London, UK)
Mrs. Macquarie’s Point (Australia)
St. Peter’s Basilica (Rome/Vatican City, Italy)
Tokyo Skytree (Japan)
"View recreated with air pollution level experienced in Ghaziabad, India." Caption on every photo.
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I feel bad for the people in India that have to live with that level of pollution. But these other cities must have implemented restrictions so that their cities don't end up with pollution like that. Time to put the pressure on the Indian Government to fix it. Let's clean up the world, not lower everyone else.
You are asking for a developing nation to make infrastructure. Do you think normal people in India can afford EVs and charging stations. Putting pressure won't do a thing because the products made by countries like China and India are not even used by them. The ones who are using them are the same ones who lecture them.
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When I was about 13, in 1973, my parents and I went on a trip to NYC. I actually still have the picture I took of the Statue of Liberty shrouded in a kind of brownish-gray smog. That smog, which smelled as bad as it looked, is the one memory of that trip that has stayed with me for almost 50 years. Then, in 1974, we moved to Los Angeles, where the local morning news would give the smog report, and list who could go outside (generally children and old folks) and who should not. I remember PE classes having to be held inside instead of outside on those days. That was back when cars still ran on leaded gas too. That means my generation, and the generations before that breathed while cars spewed lead in their exhaust, have traces of lead in our lungs that post-catalytic converter generations won’t. We’ve done a good job of cleaning our air, but it’s been a drop in the bucket compared to what we actually have to do—-and should’ve started doing long before my 1973 trip to NYC.
i don't think a view full of steel and concrete is anything worth looking at anyway, so the fogginess is an improvement, though not really for lung health. But there are probably people who would say a view of nothing but a bunch of mile high rocks and trees is nothing worth looking at so.. whatever.
not real this is what it would it look like if it had the same air pollution of ghazibad india
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I really hope the whole world doesn't come to this. Even seeing these simulations is making me a little depressed..
not real this is what it would it look like if it had the same air pollution of ghazibad india
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So what's the point of putting the same filter on all the toutistic photos? I lived near Paris for a time and saw what people call the "pollution dome" above the city when the sky is blue and the temperature rises. It's more impactful than this filter on the EIFFEL tower, not Montparnasse. And since then, it has been reduced by political measures aimed at reducing traffic and the use of fossil fuels.
This air is not vehicle or factory pollution, this heavy cover is not even all-year scene. This is mainly because of smoke because of stubble burning + fog, which causes smog. Govt of some states in late 2000s pushed sowing season of rice closer to monsoon to make use of rain water (since rice uses a lot of water). This unfortunately gave farmers just 2 weeks of window to sow wheat, after harvesting rice. So farmers resorted to burning stubble to clear, which is bad during summer, but a disaster during winters which chokes Northern regions.
not real this is what it would it look like if it had the same air pollution of ghazibad india
Load More Replies...
"View recreated with air pollution level experienced in Ghaziabad, India." Caption on every photo.
Load More Replies... I feel bad for the people in India that have to live with that level of pollution. But these other cities must have implemented restrictions so that their cities don't end up with pollution like that. Time to put the pressure on the Indian Government to fix it. Let's clean up the world, not lower everyone else.
You are asking for a developing nation to make infrastructure. Do you think normal people in India can afford EVs and charging stations. Putting pressure won't do a thing because the products made by countries like China and India are not even used by them. The ones who are using them are the same ones who lecture them.
Load More Replies... When I was about 13, in 1973, my parents and I went on a trip to NYC. I actually still have the picture I took of the Statue of Liberty shrouded in a kind of brownish-gray smog. That smog, which smelled as bad as it looked, is the one memory of that trip that has stayed with me for almost 50 years. Then, in 1974, we moved to Los Angeles, where the local morning news would give the smog report, and list who could go outside (generally children and old folks) and who should not. I remember PE classes having to be held inside instead of outside on those days. That was back when cars still ran on leaded gas too. That means my generation, and the generations before that breathed while cars spewed lead in their exhaust, have traces of lead in our lungs that post-catalytic converter generations won’t. We’ve done a good job of cleaning our air, but it’s been a drop in the bucket compared to what we actually have to do—-and should’ve started doing long before my 1973 trip to NYC.
i don't think a view full of steel and concrete is anything worth looking at anyway, so the fogginess is an improvement, though not really for lung health. But there are probably people who would say a view of nothing but a bunch of mile high rocks and trees is nothing worth looking at so.. whatever.
not real this is what it would it look like if it had the same air pollution of ghazibad india
Load More Replies... I really hope the whole world doesn't come to this. Even seeing these simulations is making me a little depressed..
not real this is what it would it look like if it had the same air pollution of ghazibad india
Load More Replies... So what's the point of putting the same filter on all the toutistic photos? I lived near Paris for a time and saw what people call the "pollution dome" above the city when the sky is blue and the temperature rises. It's more impactful than this filter on the EIFFEL tower, not Montparnasse. And since then, it has been reduced by political measures aimed at reducing traffic and the use of fossil fuels.
This air is not vehicle or factory pollution, this heavy cover is not even all-year scene. This is mainly because of smoke because of stubble burning + fog, which causes smog. Govt of some states in late 2000s pushed sowing season of rice closer to monsoon to make use of rain water (since rice uses a lot of water). This unfortunately gave farmers just 2 weeks of window to sow wheat, after harvesting rice. So farmers resorted to burning stubble to clear, which is bad during summer, but a disaster during winters which chokes Northern regions.
not real this is what it would it look like if it had the same air pollution of ghazibad india
Load More Replies...