Air pollution

Growing up in Southern California, I was really used to smog. The sort of stuff that makes it hard to breath sometimes. So when I started coming to Iceland, it just amazed me how clear the air was, how far one could see and how deep one could breath.

Shortly after I moved here, two years ago, I noticed a layer of brown air laying over Reykjavik. Smog? Seriously? In Iceland?

This summer it seems to me the air pollution has also been bad, because it has rained so little. Thank goodness there is not quite so much construction going on this year, because all the dust they kick up would just been hanging in the air. 

I was genuinely happy that it rained yesterday. More of that would be just fine. 

Comments

Morten Lange (Reykjavík) said…
Sæl

Fann færsla þína í gegnum blogg.gattinn.is

Hef svolítið verið að spá í loftmengun sjálfur, og þá ekki síst svifrykið. Það er því miður búið að plata Íslendinga til þess að trúa að aðalvandamálið séu nagladekkin, en útblástur bíla eða ryk frá framkvæmdum er ekki ofarlega í huga manna. Þetta er smátt og smátt að breytast, að ég held. Gott að fá inn þína rödd inn í umræðuna sem tengir loftmengun hér við loftmengun í Kaliforníu. Það hjálpi kannski menn að skilja að annað en nagladekkin skipti líka máli.

Það er búið að reka áróður fyrir dísilvéla í bíla, og sagt að þær séu umhverfisvænna, vegna þess að nýtni sé betri. Hins vegar gleymist að nefna að sót úr dísilvélum geri sérstaklega hættulegt svifryk, vegna smæðar rykkorna, og stórt yfirborð sem limar að sér annars konar loftmengun.

Ég valdi að skrifa á Íslensku eins og þú baðst um þó ég sé ekki íslenskur, því ég hef búið hér í 14 ár. :-) ( Uppalinn í Noregi - og 2 ár í Tansaníu )

Bloggið mitt: mortenl.blog.is

Kveðja,
Morten
July 28, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Lissy said…
Thanks Morten! I did not want to mention the nagladekk thing, but this was exactly what I was thinking, that the nagladekk is the least of Iceland's problems when the whole countryside is being dug up for this or that. Especially apparent out here in Reykjanes.

Your last name is the same as my maiden name, so you are especially welcome to the blog!
July 28, 2009 at 10:20 PM
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