Have you ever heard of a ‘smellfie’?
Don’t worry I haven’t either, in fact it’s a relatively new term just recently coined through an article from the BBC written by Matt McGrath. Said article, Can city ‘Smellfies’ stop air pollution? outlines the work of “smell-activists” and what they’re doing to find the best quality of air in London. This is turn, highlights the current environmental situation of London and what is being done to rectify it.
At the start of 2017, London faced a few air pollution scares in which several parts of the city reached dangerously high levels of air toxins. This situation has turned our heads in the direction of reducing emissions and cleaning up London’s air quality. This is where movements such as the ‘smellfie’ comes into play. Taking to social media and embracing the technological age, environmental activists are showing the smells of London. Doesn’t it sound appealing to know that there’s more than just pollution in the air?
As the concern for London’s air quality grows, so do the resources available to inform the public and raise awareness to the current situation. Not only is there news media available, and the social media action with ‘smellfies’, there are also resources such as London Air: https://www.londonair.org.uk/LondonAir/Default.aspx London Air, powered by environmental researchers at King’s College London, updates the pollution “forecast” of London daily. Their continuous monitoring of London’s current environmental situation, highlights the issue of air quality in the city. In turn, not only are they conducting important research, London Air continues to fuel the rhetoric around the pollution crisis affecting London.
So, what can we do, to better the air quality in London and contribute to the environmental movement? For starters, taking public transport and walking places is the easiest form of reducing the pollution. There are multitude of resources that can be used to get from place to place within the city. Embracing the ‘Smellfie’ and becoming aware of the impact we have on our environment. Especially since it must be better to breathe in the smell of flowers and fresh air instead of pollution.
Sources:
http://www.londonair.org.uk/LondonAir/Default.aspx
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39179098

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