What kind of' air' in Bristol?

bristol | the environment | news report Sunday January 27, 2013 00:05 by Cyclista

I haven't ridden my rusty old bike at all lately because of damage to my leg done last year by an arrogant BMW 4X4 driver who knocked me over and drove off without stopping, so I went for a nice long leisurely ride around Bristol today, I was taking it relatively easy as I need to rebuild soft muscles etc. and to regain some confidence, but it felt great to be back in the saddle.

I really enjoyed my ride today (especially around the harbour) even though generally the traffic is worse than I remember it last, but breathing  vehicles exhaust fumes really pisses me off!

When I finished my ride and returned home for a much needed cuppa, I was just a little breathless, which I thought was 'acceptable' in the circumstances.

I know a bit about the pollution in city air these days, the Ozone, the CO2 etc. etc. and how its getting worse day by day, but tonight I came across something on the net which scared the hell out of me!

We have all heard about CO2 levels going up all around the world blah blah, about mega deforestation, about temperatures rising, about floating garbage patches in the Pacifice ocean, and how the oceans themselves are becoming acidified, dangerously.

We all know that the Oxygen we breathe comes from the forests and the oceans.

Oxygen levels are dropping worldwide!

The concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere has dropped from 35 to 21 percent from prehistoric times to now, and the carbon dioxide has increased in part by the human growth pollution in cities with high oxygen levels, which often comprises only 15 percent of total air.

So at this rate it is obvious that in these cities we will render the “air” unbreathable.

Diana Beresford-Kroeger, a botanist, says, “the abuse of forests and pollution of the oceans has caused them to produce only half the oxygen (they produced) 10,000 years ago.”

We must also consider that in the last 30 years this process has accelerated the deterioration or the collapse of almost all living systems.

How serious does it have to get?