Urban ecological transport — A priority of the human society in crowded urban centers

Abstract

The local, regional or global problems created by chemical, physical, noise, microbiological and, not least, electromagnetic environmental pollution are particularly complex. Due to their diverse nature, chemicals are indispensable to areas of great importance such as transport, agriculture, industry, etc. Chemistry and state-of-the-art technology can make our lives more comfortable but not better in terms of health. Pollutants released into the environment during combustion (SO2, NOx, PM 10, CO2, heavy metals) can affect all the components of the environment, the life of the animal, plant, and of man. Removing coal from the energy mix is a solution that would bring enormous benefits to people's health. The paper presents an assessment of the harmful emissions produced by coal-fired power plants and those produced by urban transport. Thus, an intercomparison of the level of concentrations of these harmful emissions from industrial sectors — energy and transport, the degree of dispersion of these harmful emissions in delimited areas as well as the noxious effects is a picture of the risk associated with the manufacture and use of chemicals, which may be diminished by using “green chemistry” processes and technologies. This pathway is one of the important alternatives to the sustainable development of the world in conditions of population growth without sacrificing the quality of the environment.