Planet Heart by François Reeves

Author:François Reeves
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-77100-082-6
Publisher: Greystone Books
Published: 2014-04-21T00:00:00+00:00

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THE WEST

WIND

IT IS POSSIBLE to reduce the number of heart attacks by improving both interior and exterior air quality. A number of studies have proven that. But trying to accomplish this goal is an enormous and ever-expanding challenge because global economic growth is currently reliant on the massive consumption of fossil fuels. And although many developed countries have measures in place to protect air quality, the combustion of fossil fuels is rising exponentially, largely because of galloping economic growth in the developing countries, where pollution is also rising exponentially. These countries—in particular the two Asian economic powerhouses, China and India—have been slow to adopt clean-air legislation; they consider the cost of improving air quality to be too high and, therefore, have not made it an economic priority.

One deeply ironic consequence of this global shift: Los Angeles, which now boasts some of the strictest antipollution regulations anywhere in the world, often finds itself blanketed by thick smog carried across the Pacific Ocean from Asia by the prevailing winds from the west. To use a sailing metaphor, in a regatta you want to be upwind rather than downwind, and in the environmental regatta, Los Angeles finds itself downwind to Asia.

The same often holds true within cities. Upscale neighborhoods are typically in the west end, for the simple reason that the prevailing winds blow from a westerly direction, in accordance with Earth’s rotation. Neighborhoods in a city’s western section are normally not exposed to the pollution picked up by air currents passing over the downtown and industrial areas, which are situated to the east. Montreal is a perfect example of this arrangement: its wealthiest conclaves are in the western suburbs, its middle- and working-class communities are close to the city center, and its heavy industry is located mainly in the east end. It’s the same in Paris, where the chic suburbs of Neuilly-sur-Seine and the Seizième Arrondissement hug the city’s western flank. In addition, upscale neighborhoods are typically canopied with trees, while lower-income areas feature barren stretches of cement and asphalt. In urban landscapes, it seems, clean air and trees are reserved for the rich.

Quebec is in a similar situation with respect to its neighbors to the west and south. Located in the easternmost region of the Saint Lawrence river basin, Quebec receives atmospheric pollutants from Ontario and the midwestern United States carried by water (the Saint Lawrence River is the drainage basin for the Great Lakes) and air (the prevailing winds follow the river’s route). These pollutants carry potent health hazards.

Interior Air and Heart Attacks

We know from numerous studies, in particular the compelling InterHeart Study,1 that secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease by up to 25 percent. In the early 2000s, concerned about the emerging data, local governments in North America and Europe began adopting regulations to restrict cigarette smoking indoors in public places. The regulations met with little opposition—quite the opposite—notably because the number of people who smoked had fallen off sharply. Such a policy would be harder to enact in China, where 60 percent of men are smokers, in contrast to 3 percent of women.

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