from Hacker News

The cost of air pollution in South Africa

by ronzensci on 12/4/16, 5:03 PM with 9 comments

  • by RyanZAG on 12/4/16, 6:30 PM

    For some extra context here, a lot of this fine particulate matter is not from burning the coal - it's from decaying exposed mine dumps. The wind in Johannesburg blows the fine sand on top of the mine damps into the communities living next to the mine dumps. The article tries to make it out as being just regular air pollution from fossil fuels, but it's many more factors than just that, and fixing the unique problem of mine dumps is probably a lot easier than general air pollution if there was political will to fix it. Which there is not.

    https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/06/radioactive-c...

  • by grecy on 12/4/16, 9:52 PM

    I know a lot of people hate how the EPA stop them putting a monster V8 in their hot-rod, or a diesel in something-or-other.

    Now that I've spent 6 months in West Africa, where 99% of vehicles belch black smoke 24x7, I have a new-found respect for the EPA.

    Anyone that is against environmental regulations needs to live 6 months in a third world country to understand how important it is.

  • by ronzensci on 12/5/16, 4:05 AM

    New Delhi is facing a similar airpocalypse on PM2.5 monitors recording the max 999 ug/m3 in many areas. http://scroll.in/pulse/821837/as-delhi-dominates-the-airpoca...

    http://www.livemint.com/Science/NXS0n5Bhj2nOIwPEEYIxBK/Pollu...

    We need a way for nations & policy makers to learn from each other. Or at least from each others mistakes!

  • by chinathrow on 12/4/16, 9:56 PM

    Solar power in the two double digit percentage can't come fast enough - for all of Africa.

    I've seen some of the coal plants near Johannesburg from close - the pollution is real and and it's crazy. Also residents are burning coal, fields and whatever they can get in winter and those fires make the area hazy and smoggy.

  • by sw00 on 12/5/16, 6:55 AM

    >The GBD study estimated that South Africa had 1800 deaths in 2012 attributable to fine PM. This number was based on global satellite and modelling views on the severity of air pollution in the country.

    This makes it seem like they only used satellite data and a model to guesstimate this number? Very dubious without medical records to back this up.