Noor Debets
“Town bans pizza-making over soaring pollution” (BBC, 2015). It seems like a joke: of all things, why ban pizza ovens? But it is an actual headline I read online these Christmas holidays. What’s more, is that the particular town of San Vitaliano is in Italy. Despite their supposed best intentions for new years – at least leave their oven crusted quarto stagionis alone! But it’s citizens have to deal with this measure until the 31st of March. If you heat up your oven up, bad luck: harsh legal instruments are inplace that can fine you for up to 1000 euros. Only if “their owners install special filters to reduce air pollution,” the making of Pizza’s are allowed, the Mayor told the BBC.
The pollution that triggered this peculiar temporary measurement is a result of of the dry and sunny winter, and moreover, the lack of wind in Italy the past few days. This caused a massive surge in pollution. The smog, involving fine particles less than 0,0025 mm in diameter (PM2.5), so devastating to our lungs, reached a peak because the low laying clouds of particles couldn’t disperse. The always overcrowded streets of Rome and Milan were silenced for a few days, as cars were not allowed on the streets.
For the first time, however silly, I became aware that air pollution is experienced closer at home that I had thought it would. Because to me, smog is something you would see in the densely populated cities of China. I even was surprised that I did not notice any smog when I visited Beijing two years ago. In the meantime, I pictured Italy and its cities ofMilan and Napels as a country with bright, blue and sunny skies.
Thus, suddenly, I was curious as to how the situation was for the Netherlands. Up to certain extent I knew something about the bad Dutch air condition. For example, I grew up in Groningen, where the air is relatively clean and moved to Rotterdam surrounding myself with quite polluted air. I joke with my brother that we are allowed to smoke since our lungs have been “clean” the first 18 years of our lifetime.
However, I didn’t have the hard facts, so I did small research what showed me more accuracy. According to satellite views from NASA the air pollution around western Europe and East-China even seem to be the same – see picture above. Further investigation approve this first observation. I did a check-up with Real Time Air Quality Data provided by RIVM (Federal Institute for Public Health and Environment) and it appeared that the level of PM2.5 at this very moment (6th January 14:00) in Amsterdam is about 164 µg/m3 and in Beijing, by surprise, three times smaller with 46 µg/m3, whereby should be noted that the Chinese reached a maximum level of 216 µg/m3 in the past few days (AQICN, 2015). Both Dutch as Chinese levels are noted as very unhealthy and exceed the European levels of 40 µg/m3 on yearly average.
This information made me conclude that we, or at least I, somehow, accept the air pollution and take it for granted. Put this occurrence to the average citizen and they will shrug their shoulders perhaps too. But actually, it’s not something to joke about. Our air is polluted, big time!
Somehow, I just realized the above - thanks to the inventive ban of wooden pizza ovens. To me, it seems to be a good experiment to stimulate public awareness. Maybe it doesn’t immediate significantly change the environment but, since it affects our diet, it will enhance the awareness of many.
What could be the equivalent of Holland? A ban on rookworsten? Can we survive the winter without it?
AQICN (6 January 2015) Amsterdam. Viewed on 6 januari 2016, from http://aqicn.org/city/amsterdam/
BBC (22 december 2015) Italy: Town bans pizza-making over soaring pollution Viewed on 6-1-2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-35161213
NASA (14 december 2015) NASA Imgaes show human fingerprint on global air quality – Release materials. Viewed on 6-1-2015, from http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12094