[1] Mexico City once had the world’s worst air, with skies
so poisonous that birds dropped dead in flight. Today, efforts
to clean the smog are showing visible progress, revealing
[4] stunning views of snow-capped volcanoes — and offering a
model for the developing world. International experts are
praising the country’s progress. Many say its determined efforts
[7] to control auto emissions and other environmental effects of
rapid urbanization offer practical lessons to cities in China,
India and other fast-growing countries. Mexican officials have
[10] attacked the root causes of pollution that plagues many large
urban centers with spiraling growth. They plan to further
reduce vehicle emissions, which are the city’s greatest source
[13] of pollution. Pemex, the state oil monopoly, plans to build a
US$9.3 billion plant to produce low-sulfur fuel. Mexico City
Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is expanding the low-emissions
[16] Metrobus system, which has eliminated 80,000 tons of carbon
monoxide annually since 2005. Officials plan to add hybrid
buses. A suburban train system is to replace hundreds of
[19] thousands of vehicles.
The potential payoff for such efforts is now in sight:
Mexico City does not even rank among the top 10 polluted
[22] cities worldwide. Mexico City appears to have cut most of its
pollutants at least by half, while recent studies show a number
of cities in China and India recording higher levels of the most
[25] serious pollutants. In 1992, the United Nations declared
Mexico City the most polluted on the planet. High ozone levels
were thought to cause 1,000 deaths and 35,000 hospitalizations
[28] a year. Mexico was forced to act. It replaced the city’s sootbelching
old cars, removed lead from gasoline, embraced
natural gas, expanded public transportation, and relocated
[31] refineries and factories. Change was gradual, but the pace has
quickened in recent years. The presence of lead in the air has
dropped by 90 percent since 1990. Suspended particles –
[34] pieces of dust, soot or chemicals that lodge in lungs and cause
asthma, emphysema or cancer – have been cut by 70 percent.
Carbon monoxide and other pollutants also have been
[37] drastically reduced.
Anne-Marie O’Connor. Mexico City drastically reduced air pollutants since the 1990s. In: The Washington Post. Internet: <www.washingtonpost.com>.
Judge the item.
In order to address the pollution problem, both the quality and type of the fuel used in Mexico City were changed.
