Mama, it looks scary out there.

There used to be a time when you could climb a mountain and see for miles. Though that might not be the case anymore, at least America isn’t to this point yet:

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140422-would-you-work-here

Pollution in India has been bad for years and is constantly getting worse. Today, it’s to the point where the smog on any given day can weigh down the city. People’s eyes water and chests constrict because of the particles in the air. Delhi, India’s capital, was once best explored on foot. Today residents would rather hop in the car and go for a short drive than walk the streets. This creates a Catch-22 situation; the cars contribute to the pollution, and the pollution makes more people take their cars. The poor air quality is also weighing on doctors as they face more patients with respiratory illnesses. Children are particularly at risk.

Despite the implementation of the Euro IV emission standards in 2010, the volume of vehicles traveling the city continues to contribute to the pollution in India. Car pollution is not the only problem, though. Many citizens of the country will burn their trash to stay warm, emitting even more smoke into the air. The government of Delhi has implemented laws requiring Compressed Natural Gas for all public vehicles and has created a bus system that continues to expand. Even so, it seems there is no easy solution to this dusty, dirty problem.

Even if you don’t click on the article, I want you to see these:

 

 This is a terrible situation. In Delhi, it’s not violence or starvation that’s killing people; it’s the air. This is why, in the United States, we have agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources. Without the environment around us, we all would be dead. There would be no clean water to drink or bathe in; no sunlight would reach the plants of the food we depend on. As much as the American people complain about the bureaucracy—how much money they spend and how inefficient they are—America might have problems like this if not for them.

Personally, I want to cry for the children of India who don’t have the choice to go outside, to run around, and to just be kids. Whenever I babysit, it’s always my goal to get the kids to go play outside for a little while. This is sometimes a growing challenge, but I know it would be different if they could not go outside. However, that day may be coming soon. Air does not discriminate, and slow as it may be, sooner or later the air of India will reach the United States, and will probably bring particles with it. Pollution is a world-wide program. More countries should be as proactive as the United States at preserving the beautiful Earth we inhabit.

“It’s too polluted outside”