New York City's pollution history from the 18th century onwards

History Of Pollution in New York City

New York City has unique benefits in that there are tremendous amounts of people who live within close proximity to each other. This has resulted in higher uses of mass transit systems (such as: subways and buses). On average, New York's total environmental footprint is 7.1 metrics tons per person annually. This is much lower than national average of 24.5 metric tons. The city contributes 1% of the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere for the United States each year. ("Inventory Greenhouse of New York City," 2007) (Jarvey, 2006)

In spite of these benefits and lower levels of carbon emission, New York City was named the dirtiest city for 2012 in Travel and Leisure magazine. They cited poor air quality, water and large amounts of trash everywhere. This is problematic, as New York has been trying to consistently reduce the overall amounts of pollution for many decades. These conclusions are ignoring the positive transformations and how they have impacted New York. To fully understand what is taking place requires studying the history of pollution, its affects, causes, reasons and areas of improvement. Together, these elements will highlight the overall scope of these transformations and their impact on the quality of life inside the city. (Brown, 2012) ("Inventory Greenhouse of New York City," 2007) (Jarvey, 2006)

A Timeline of Pollution

New York first started to experience pollution problems during the late 18th century. This is when the city was becoming a major center for trade and commerce. What made it such an ideal location is the area was surrounded by various fresh water ports. This made it easier for ships to access the port any time of year. (Waldman, 2013) (Jarvey, 2006)

As the city began to grow, it started to experience water pollution issues. This is because most people were dumping their sewage and other waste into rivers. To make matter worse the cramped neighborhoods meant that there was no effective waste disposal system. In the 1860s, the city began to build its own sewage and water system. This was the first step towards dealing with issues which are negatively impacting the environment. (Waldman, 2013) (Jarvey, 2006)

However, by the 1890s it was clear that this was a problem which was becoming worse. To deal with these challenges the Metropolitan Sewage Commission began to monitor the quality of water and disposal of waste. They surveyed the New York Harbor and determined that it was filled with a black sludge at the bottom. This is the result of years of contamination that built up. In the decades following, they worked to continuously improve these standards and enforce them on the local level. Once the Clean Water Act was passed, is when these standards became common throughout the nation. This law adopted the provisions that were focused on by the Metropolitan Sewage Commission. Most notably: all lakes, rivers, streams and ponds must be fishable. This ensured improved standards for monitoring and increasing the quality of water inside New York City. (Waldman, 2013) (Jarvey, 2006)

During the 1890s, air pollution also became a major issue from rapid industrialization. The result is that the government began to enact various air quality laws dating back to the early 20th century. This was regulated for the most part by the New York Sanitary Code. These are a series of local guidelines which are used to loosely enforce different environmental ordinances. They rely mainly on the individual voluntarily complying and have limited enforcement powers. (Reitze, 2005) (Waldman, 2013)

Over the course of time, the government began to take a more active role in the process. This is because they felt that these laws were ineffective in addressing quality and enforcement issues. The result is the Department of Housing and Buildings began to establish their own standards in the 1940s. They did this by having different hearings on air pollution and determining the most appropriate guidelines on a case by case basis. (Reitze, 2005) (Waldman, 2013)

In the 1960s, the problem became much worse with several deaths being attributed to air pollution. The result is the federal government funded a study to determine how to improve air quality standards. What they concluded, is that dramatic action must be taken through more aggressive enforcement. This led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in the 1970s. New York City followed suit, with the creation of local agencies which can mirror the one of the federal level (i.e. The Bureau of Environmental Compliance and the Bureau of Environmental Planning & Analysis). The result is that air quality standards have been steadily improving. This is achieved through Article 19 of the New York Environmental Conservation Law. (Reitze, 2005) (Waldman, 2013)

In some cases, this is taking place with New York being at the forefront for addressing key challenges. For instance, in 2007 Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a city wide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. This was designed to reduce the total amounts of contaminants that everyone was breathing. The result was a shift in these practices with more people following these guidelines. This improved the air quality levels inside these establishments. Other cities have followed New York's lead by establishing similar ordinances on their own. (Reitze, 2005) (Waldman, 2013)

Conclusion

Pollution has been a problem which is continually building as New York City has grown. This resulted in different approaches being taken to address the problem. Over the course of time, the local government is embracing a proactive strategy in dealing with these challenges. This is when they will work off of the guidelines established on the federal level in order to shape their policies.

As a result, New York is known for being at the forefront for regulating pollution on different levels. This has helped them to become a blue print for other cities to follow by seeing how they solved their environmental problems through taking a similar kind of approach. In the long-term, this has improves the quality of life inside the city by dealing with some of the most common issues impacting large urban centers. In many ways, one could argue that this is what helps to make New York such a popular destination.