Analyzing the State of Air Pollution in the City of Doha - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal: Analyzing the of Air Pollution in the of Doha Introduction Air is a very important component of the biosphere. It is very essential in supporting the lives of all the living organisms. Air, being a composition of gases requires to be conserved so that harmful gases remain minimal while the beneficial gases get to be maintained at the standard levels. Many pollutants expose the air to pollution. These ranges from particulate substances, biological and chemical substance among others that is potentially harmful to the atmosphere. Air pollution has been associated with diverse detrimental effects, which includes diseases and death of living organisms, destruction of the earth’s atmosphere among other undesirable effects. It is very important to understand the factors contribute to air pollution so that measures are enacted that will help to contain the pollutants. Governments and environmental movements have worked hard to develop strategies and advocate for environmental protection in order to assure the future generations of clean atmosphere. Strategies such as the Kyoto Protocol have been very influential in facilitating reduction of carbon emissions from industries and other carbon sources. This research proposal is geared towards drawing an understanding of the state of air pollution in the city of Doha in Qatar. This will help in developing strategies that will ensure that the levels of air pollution are minimized within the city. Literature Review Environmental issues have aroused mega concerns in the recent years. Globally, organizations and governments are working towards combating destruction of the environment. Air pollution is one of these concerns. It entails the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere hence threatening livelihoods. The major sources of air pollution are harmful gases, and particulate matter such as dust. When the amounts of pollutants exceed a certain level, the lives of plants and animals are kept at a high risk. Many cities across the world have been found to exceed the required air pollution limits. However, as a result of the pollution interventions that have been advanced in the recent years cutting across the effort of organizations and government, the levels of air pollution are expected to reduce, though the change may be insignificant. Industries contribute the highest amount of emissions and particulate substances that ends up making air dirty. Carbon dioxide, the major gas in the industrial emissions has a major contribution to global warming (Preidt, 2014). The atmosphere faces the wrath of all the gaseous components that comes from the earth. Air pollution is greatly contributed by human activities, which facilitate the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The industrialized countries are the largest victims of air pollution courtesy of the many industries. High levels of sulfur dioxide, smoke, smog, methane, among other harmful gases causes deleterious effects to the atmosphere or the earth surface. For example, sulfur dioxide is a major component in the formation of acid rain, which results to corrosion of substances on the surface of the earth. Urban areas such as the city of Doha are highly susceptible to air pollution because of a number of factors. Urban areas are increasingly having high populations, which promote socio-economic activities that promote air pollution. Population in many cities have been growing, some at very alarming rates. In an effort to prepare for the 2022 World Cup, the city of Doha has experienced an increase in population. In addition, the construction works that are going on the country expose the major towns and cities to potential air pollution. The heightened increase in energy demands has caused an increase in the level of burning of fossil fuels, these results to environmental pollution. The number of cars in the cities also contributes to increased levels of emissions, which cause undesirable health complications among the dwellers in urban areas. This is demonstrated by the high prevalence of respiratory disease in such areas. Drawing from the detrimental effects caused by air pollution, interventions have been developed to prevent the menace. The Kyoto Protocol developed by quite a number of countries across the world laid the foundation for reduction in emissions, which is the major contributor to air pollution. The protocol advocates for a more efficient system of dealing with emissions such as development of technologies that would ensure that level of emissions were minimized (Ilyas et al., 2010). Through the protocol, every government has the discretion to ensure that their country work on reducing the levels of emissions. The WHO (2014) has established that the ambient air quality and health has continued to decline over time. health-related conditions have been greatly associated with air pollution. A number of cardiovascular as well as respiratory conditions are heavily linked to the state of air, which contains diverse pollutants. In order to ensure the menace of air pollution is overcome, there should be collaborative efforts by both the governments as well as profit-making and non-profit organizations in facilitating the development of cleaner energy, eco-friendly housing, less polluting transport means, as well as better waste management (Grennfelt & Hov, 2005). Policies developed by the government plays a critical role in facilitating the development of an environmentalism culture. Gases released into the air poses a risk to the health of an individual. Pulmonary system is the first target hence there is the resulting of lung and chest related complications (Dallas, 2014). Environmental sustainability can be achieved when there are policies developed by all the stakeholders in an effort to ensure that the air is maintained clean. Three in every ten people today are considering the issue of air pollution. This means that up to 31% are conscious of the need to keep their environment safe and clean. Some of the causes of air pollution are preventable. According to WHO (2014), approximately four million people die annually from complications caused by the gases released by solid fuels. The major complications that are associated with the air pollution in the households include pneumonia, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Blood pressure has also been also associated with the effects of air pollution (Ibald-Mulli, et al., 2001). Methodology This research will use a qualitative approach. In addition, a review of literature on air pollution will form a core aspect of the research. Data on the state of air pollution will be obtained from the Qatari Ministry of Environment as well as other affiliate bodies with statistics on air pollution in the city of Doha. The data will be analyzed and compared with that from other major cities of the world. The statistics will be obtained from the World Health Organization. the data collection will involve use of questionnaires where ten highly ranking environmentalists from various institutions will be interviewed concerning the state of air pollution in Doha. To ensure there is validity and reliability of the findings, the environmentalists will be required to give a prior consent. They will then be given two weeks to prepare for the interviews. The interviews will be recorder for analysis purposes. It will also be paramount to review the available literature about the state of air pollution in the city of Doha. Finally, the findings will be analyzed using the SPSS. To ensure the research abides with ethics, permission shall be sought from all the relevant authorities while the interviewees will be informed well in advance to ensure that they give reliable information. In addition, all the information acquired from the ministry of Environment and other sources shall be kept confidential. Expected Benefits The proposed research will bring forth a variety of benefits to the body of knowledge as well as promoting an understanding of the state of affairs as far as air pollution is concerned in the city of Doha. The city of Doha is expected to be on the limelight come 2022 as a result of the World Cup, this means that the city should be prepared to host people from across the world. When the levels of pollution are exceeding high, there is the likelihood that the visitors will dislike the place. However, the research findings will attempt to elucidate the situation so that interventions towards the realization of more safe and fresh air will be developed in advance, this would include aspects such as planting more trees and reducing the number of vehicles within the city. Getting to understand the potential pollutants will help facilitate the best strategy to chat the way forward. Recommendations The research proposal recommends that strategies be developed towards ensuring that the state of Doha in terms of air pollution is improved. First, the government should take initiative in addressing the whole issue of air pollution by developing a policy that will ensure that all industries that emit gases to the atmosphere stringently adhere to the set international standards such as the provisions of the Kyoto protocol. Secondly, organizations should embark on initiatives that promote clean air such as planting of trees that will ensure that the dust and other particulate substances are trapped and eliminated. In addition, other initiatives by either individuals or groups should be facilitated so that the atmosphere remains protected from the pollutants. Finally, there should be development of green technologies, which will ensure that the level of emissions are kept to the minimum. References Dallas, M. E. (2014). Children’s Asthma Linked to air pollution in 2nd trimester: study. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_146328.html Grennfelt, P., & Hov, Ø. (2005). Regional air pollution at a turning point. Ambio, 34(1), 2-10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/207674785?accountid=45049 Ibald-Mulli, A., Stieber, J., H-Erich Wichmann, Koenig, W., & Peters, A. (2001). Effects of air pollution on blood pressure: A population-based approach. American Journal of Public Health, 91(4), 571-7. Ilyas, S. Z., Khattak, A. I., Nasir, S. M., Qurashi, T., & Durrani, R. (2010). Air pollution assessment in urban areas and its impact on human health in the city of quetta, pakistan. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 12(3), 291-299.  Preidt, R. (2014). Traffic smog tied to hospital stays for white kids with asthma. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_145348.html WHO (2014). Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/ WHO.(2014). Household air pollution and health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/ Read More