Emergence of urban centers is the major cause of the increase in emissions that affect the ozone layer. The effects of global warming are also attributed to the urban sprawl and motorization. The urban sprawl affects the environment in diverse ways.
The effects range from high level of energy consumption and use of transportation, cooling and heating facilities up to the sustenance of social thriving of urban neighborhoods. Meanwhile, to meet growth of motorization, developing countries have used a lot of natural resources to deal with infrastructure construction. However, there is adverse mass impact on motorized urban sprawl, which is solved by using technologies as claimed by business groups.
This essay will analyze three main situations caused by urban sprawl, and argue that these problems can be solved by environmental and technological means. This essay is primarily based on air pollution, social polarization and loss of farm land ( Gleria and Jaeger 65). One of the greatest effects of urban sprawl and motorization is air pollution.
Air pollution is emission of unwanted or unclean gases into the atmosphere. These gases are end result of the used fuels. Emitted gases lead to massive destruction of the environment. For instance, gases such as carbon dioxide if emitted into the atmosphere in large volumes gradually deplete the ozone layer.
As a result of depletion of ozone layer, occur such effects as climate change. Climate change adversely affects both human and vegetative lives. As a result of climate change, we can observe unreliability of weather conditions, thus lowering rainfall rate. Droughts and extinctions of many plants and animal species occur.
Air pollution leads to greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect is formed due to emission of such gases as carbon dioxide that largely contributes to depletion of the ozone layer. As a result of this, direct radiation occurs, thus causing droughts and water loss in the atmosphere.
Other effects of air pollution include cancer to human and animals. For instance, dissolved gases form an acidic media when it rains, thereby causing consumption of acidified water. Gonzales states that rates of gaseous emission are more pronounced in urban areas rather than in rural areas. This is due to the fact that most people in urban areas own cars, and the rate of motorist’s activities is higher than in rural areas. This means more consumption of fossil fuels and eventual emission of gases into the atmosphere (Gonzales, 211).
Different solutions to control the widespread of greenhouse gases emission into the atmosphere are provided. Government provides solutions to these problems. Technological approach advocates for inventing electric cars. They argue that with the coming of electric cars, the rate of consumption of fossil fuels will be cut drastically.
Therefore this will mean that emission of fossil gases reduces, thus no more global warming. The next approach for preventing emission of gases into the atmosphere is through government intervention through formulation of policies like public transport and land management policies. These policies are effective if properly followed. For instance, legislation to lower the number of vehicles possessed in any town ensures cut downs in fossil fuel usage (McCartney n. p.).
Gonzales, however, strongly advocates for technological approach, and explains that it provides an adequate measure to end emission of fossil gases. This is due to the fact that government legislations have more discrepancies than technological measures. Therefore technological approach is the best solution. Urban sprawl and motorization have caused polarization into the society.
Polarization is environmentally unfriendly since it leads to replacement of neighborhood by infrastructures. Displaced persons have no alternatives thus leading to environmental constraints. For instance, poor people become homeless since they cannot afford good houses in the cities (Mario and Jaeger 46).
Martin further suggests that transport injustice is one of the greatest social issues in the society. This is due to the fact that as a result of technology, the society is left homeless, and landless. Gonzales, on the other hand, suggests that by creating high transport rate; people resort to other means that are cheaper and environmental friendly.
However, technology explains that construction of dual carriage highway is not recommended, instead bypasses and underpasses that minimizes measure of land used are more rational. The government provides solutions by securing alternative lands to the displaced persons. Therefore the Government solution is more preferable than the technological one, because both underpasses and bypasses are costly to build and manage (Gonzales 123).
Finally, motorization and urban sprawl lead to loss of farm lands. It happens when productive agricultural land is used to build roads. Martin explains that utilization of farmland for infrastructural construction leads to reduced food production, loss of farm land, and eco-social problems.
Therefore, government should compensate farmers for the land used through its policies, as well as provide an alternative productive land (Martin 69). Technology should intensify search for other free lands where construction would be made. Therefore technology provides the most effective means of controlling the social effects motorization and urban sprawl.
In conclusion, government through its stakeholders should formulate legislations that control consequences of such phenomena as urban sprawl and motorization. Measures discussed, especially air pollution, adversely affect ecosystem, and should be controlled (Gonzales 78).
Works Cited
Gonzales, George. “Urban sprawl, global warming and the limits of ecological modernization.” Environmental politics. 14.3 (2005): 34-362. Print.
Mario, Gleria and Roger Jaeger. Phosphazenes: A Worldwide Insight. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2004. Print.
Martin, George. “Motorization, Social ecology and China.” Area. 39.1 (2007):66-73. Print.
McCartney, Danielle. “From Urban Sprawl to Sustainable Urban Village.” The Fifth Estate. 2009. Web.