Urban Polution In the 14th century - Research Paper Example

Urban PollutionThe rising concerns about pollution in America and Britain is not a new issue. By the 14th century, many European city dwellers had started showing their displeasure at the rising level of pollution in their towns. In the 1970s for example, many urban dwellers raised their voices in protest about the rising level of air pollution in their cities (Tarr 43). At this time, it was perceived that the main cause of the pollution was the motor vehicle. Fumes from the motor vehicles chocked people as they passed through traffic.

One thing that the American urban dwellers living in the 1970s forgot is that the auto’s main predecessor, the horse, was earlier perceived to be a worse option in respect of urban pollution. Many scholars decried the pollution that was in urban centers and in fact demanded that horses be banished from American cities. One authority noted that the horse was a taxing economic burden to humans, and an affront to hygiene. At this time, it was widely agreed that the “horseless carriage” be adopted as a solution to the pollution problem.

In the 14th century, in Europe, the horse had been identified as a major cause of pollution. Based on Statistics, it was established by sanitary experts that a horse produces between 15 and 30 pounds of dung every day. Assuming an average of 22 pounds per day, it was established roughly that in Milwaukee, with a population of about 350,000 people and 12,500 horses, slightly over 130 tons of manure were produced daily, horses only accounting for this (Tarr 43). Yet another problem in America in the early days related to noise pollution.

Noise pollution at this time was mainly produced by the clopping and clanking of horse shoes and horse cart wheels as they moved on cobblestones. The noise was such a nightmare that it interfered with court deliberations in Boston in 1747. Yet again, as the horses died in the cities out of sickness or injury, they produced foul smells that affected the city dwellers. The pollution caused by the horses also was known to predispose the people to such diseases as cholera and dysentery on top of having a negative aesthetic effect on the environment (Tarr 49).

As people embraced the automobile as a better transport alternative, the cities for a while saw some improvements. However, with time, people realized that the alternative was not any better. As the number of automobiles increased, cities such as Los Angeles and New York experienced fogs that no doubt were hazardous to the public (Tarr 48). It was realized that the automobiles were a worse alternative means of transport. Motor vehicle fumes irritated people’s lungs and eyes and weakened their immune system.

In a bid to see the streets get cleaner and the air fresher, people started to think of other alternative sources of energy as fossil fuels were perceived to be messy. Some quarters proposed that more electrical power be produced from nuclear energy which causes less pollution. Ultimately, people began debating about the benefits and disadvantages of various energy sources. Works citedTarr Joel. Urban Pollution – Many Long Years Ago in American Perspectives: Reading in American History, Volume 2, 5th ed. Print. Pearson. N.d.