South Korea, Iran and 8 other countries in which the air is so dirty that it is simply dangerous for them to breathe (11 photos)

Carbon dioxide is certainly important for the Earth's biosphere, but not in quantities that are emitted into the atmosphere today. First human influence on the level of CO2 in the atmosphere was noted in the middle of the XIX century and has steadily increased since then.





Now the concentration of carbon dioxide has reached its maximum level over the past 800 thousand years, and maybe for all 20 million years. Who is guilty? Here are the top 10 countries leading on carbon dioxide emissions.

Canada:

557 Mt CO2 in year. A typical image of Canada - virgin forests, crystal clear clean lakes, mountains and rivers, nature and space. Despite Canada is among the top ten countries that emit into the atmosphere the largest amount of carbon dioxide. in order to change the current situation, in October 2016 the government Canada has decided to introduce a tax on carbon dioxide emissions.



South Korea:

592 Mt CO2 in year. Refugees from North Korea say that life in the country of southern neighbors - like a breath of fresh air. Such the metaphor may sound like an evil irony: the air in South Korea is one of the most polluted in Asia, sometimes literally suffocating. Spring in Seoul is like being in the same room with a person who smokes 4 packs of cigarettes a day. South Korea has 50 coal plants (and more are planned), and More than 10 million people live in Seoul, and almost everyone uses cars. Unlike Canada, no measures that could improve the ecological situation, South Korea does not undertake.





Saudi Arabia:

601 Mt CO2 in year. According to WHO, the capital of Saudi Arabia Riyadh is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and even in Beijing, such a “table Mendeleev”, which poisons the breath in Riyadh. In this case, the problem of industrial waste is exacerbated by difficult natural conditions, in particular the frequent and sometimes terrifying sandy storms. Environmental issues in Saudi Arabia are considered secondary, and, like South Korea, the state does not intend reduce the volume of oil and gas production and processing industry.



Iran:

648 Mt CO2 in year. The city of Ahvaz in Iran, which once served as a winter the residence of the Persian kings, today a major metallurgical center and one of the cities with the most polluted air in the world. For example, in Moscow, the average annual concentration of PM10 (fine particles, which are an important component air pollution) is 33 µg/m

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, and in Ahvaz it sometimes reaches 372 mcg/m

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. But problems with carbon dioxide emissions, alas, are typical for the entire territory of Iran. In November 2016 there were all the capital's schools are closed because of the deadly fumes that suffocated the city. "Deadly" is not a figure of speech here: in 23 days more than 400 people died from polluted air. Apart from petrochemical industries, which significantly worsen the environment, An important reason for this situation in Iran is the sanctions. Over the past 38 years after the end of the Islamic revolution, Iranians drive old cars with low quality fuel.



Germany:

798 Mt CO2 in year. The presence of Germany in this list is as surprising as as well as the presence of Canada. But do not be deceived: in addition to green fields, good economy and eco-orientation, in Germany many large cities. So, Stuttgart is called "German Beijing" - there is no smog here, but the level of concentration of dangerous particles high enough. So in 2014, the concentration of particles exceeded allowable rate for 64 days, which made the air more dirtier than Seoul and Los Angeles combined. In 28 districts of the country, the level of air pollution is considered dangerous. For example, in 2013, from the increased content more than 10 thousand people died of nitrogen oxides in the air Germany.



Japan:

1237 Mt CO2 in year. Japan ranks 5th in the world in terms of pollution, releasing into the air almost twice as much carbon dioxide than South Korea. But it's all a giant step forward compared to what was happening on the island state literally 50 years ago. Terrible syndromes, cause To