Preface

Due to the lack of environmental policies and unplanned industrialization, the world faces air pollution and climate change challenges. No doubt increasing air pollution is creating an alarming situation for the fauna and flora. In addition, manufacturing and logistical operations are heavily dependent on fossil fuels and energy consumption, fueling air pollution.

Air quality is measured through the Air Quality Index (AQI), based on the concentration of pollutants present in the air in a particular area. Poor air quality has adverse impacts on human, animal, and plant life. Further, air pollution is also a cause of acidic rain, which directly and/or indirectly affects the agricultural sector and converts into water pollution.

With the help of the Clean Air Act of the 1970s, the United States significantly controlled air pollution in their territories. However, 80% of the world's energy budget comes from burning fossil fuels, thus the world needs collective efforts to reduce dependence on burning fossil fuels and recover environmental sustainability by adopting renewable energy sources and green practices.

We would like to thank the contributors of the book for their extraordinary hard work. We would also like to thank IntechOpen and Author Service Manager Ms. Iva Lipovćfor her help in coordinating and facilitating this project. We also extend our thanks to IntechOpen publisher for all of their support.

Thank you,

**Dr. Syed Abdul Rehman Khan, PhD** Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China

Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Spatial Information Engineering, Beijing, China

**1**

Section 1

Introduction

Section 1 Introduction

**3**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

Filth Poisons

Poor Air Quality: A Dark Cloud of

Our home, the Earth, is the rarest planet in-universe the to sustain life. The thing which makes it unique amongst heavenly bodies is balance in the environment. This balance is the key to sustain life for millions of years. Air is one of the most critical components of mother nature; it provides oxygen for all species, both plant and animal, to live. Air not only provides oxygen but is also essential for keeping the human body cool. The advantages of air are countless, from the cloud, weather, humidity, dust, and pollen migration to burning fire; without it, life will not continue. Air is made up of chemical components, and if pollutants added, it would become harmful for all living beings. The chapter put forward is to highlight the importance of the quality of ambient air, standards to measure, and sources of pollution. Further in the chapter, the impacts of polluted air on human health and the countries' financial obstacles are discussed. The chapter concludes with a summary and recommendations for policymakers, NGOs, and affected people to better their

Human beings need combustion energy to survive and live their daily lives. The energy needs are constant in the everyday affair, from cooking to use electricity. Out of the most abundant of all fuels in an urban and rural setting in developing countries are coal, wood, methane gas, and cow dengue. The heat produced from the fuel is used for cooking, keeping warm, and boiling water for sanitation. The combustion fuels mainly categorize as gas, liquid, and solids [1]. Solid fuels need an air mixture to fully combust and provide energy [2]. Such fuels produce heat for our well-being and produce gases that affect the air around us. A good quality air constitutes seventy-eight percent nitrogen, twenty-one percent oxygen, one percent other gases (National Geographic) for human beings to survive. In the one percent of other gases, 0.1% of gases are CO2, methane, water, and neon gas [3]. The combustion of solid fuel results in carbon monoxide emissions, particulate matter (PM), and organic compounds [4]. The emitted gases badly affect air quality and

There are many other activities in the daily walk of human life which are adversely affecting air quality. The leading causes are the construction of megacities, manufacturing of goods, usage of pesticides, automobiles, and airplanes [6]. The polluted emission from solid fuels and biomass in domestic use has declined since 1990 [7] due to the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and methane

*Syed Abdul Rehman Khan, Adeel Shah and Zhang Yu*

lives and repair the damage caused to nature's precious gift, the air.

**Keywords:** Air quality, pollutants, and AQI

thus are termed as pollution [5].

**1. Introduction**

## **Chapter 1**
