Pennsylvania to Tehran: Still Sick of Smog
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.13.05
Many will have heard of the October 1952 "Killer Fog" of London, during which thousands died from breathing polluted air. Or the US' "Killer Smog" of 1948, during which several people were asphyxiated and over 7,000 made ill as the result of severe air pollution over a small town in western Pennsylvania. A half century later, "killer" air pollution events still come to large cities, mainly in nations with so-called developing economies. In the latest event, more than 1,600 people have been taken to hospitals in Tehran. The Iranian culprit is not coal fired heaters or smelters, as was the case in London or Pennsylvania, respectively. These days the grim reapers are internal combustion engines, usually very old ones with no design accomodation for pollution control.
According to a BBC report, Tehran "public offices and schools have been closed in an attempt to reduce traffic, and clear the city's blanket of smog...Authorities have blamed the severe smog on emissions from the capital's three million cars, many of which lack modern exhaust filters. It is estimated that up to 5,000 people die every year from air pollution in the city".
What sort of vehicles are most commonly driven in Tehran? According to several European news reports 'most of the city's more than 2 million cars are at least 20 years old and lack catalytic converters'. WIth fuel prices subsidised in Iran, gasoline costs a little over 30 cents a gallon. Not much incentive to look for better mileage even for those with the money to get a new car.
Cities such as Mexico City, Beijing, Calcutta, Jakarta, New Delhi, Shanghai and Tehran are well known for high levels air pollution. Few SUV's and Trucks exist to point the finger of blame at.
Two things jump out at us from the parable of developing Mega-Cities. One is that citizens probably rank remedy for climate change pretty far down on their list of priorities. No surprise to see little support for Kyoto from them. The second thing which stands out is that the vehicular design remedies for climate change could easily help with local pollution problems. Pehaps one day there will be a world car that can be upgraded over the years. Woudn't that be a design for sustainability?
Candidates? One of the popular "new" cars sold in Tehran is the Kia Pride, as shown above in the graphic. Those Korean designed mini's get over 40 mpg.
Looks like a Ford Festiva to me.
Or as ours is known, The Mighty Festiva. 1988, around 115k miles and still getting 35 mpg.
=== author's response follows ====
I've read that this is one of those brand "crossovers" that serves as platform for your's and at least one other model. Also reported to have begun from a Japanese design??? That was the basis for my indirect referencing of a "world brand".
Been using one of these (Kia Pride they're called over here in Chile, streets are full of em) for 6 years so far, mine is a model from 1996 and has 128.000 Kms, still kicking at 15-20 km/lt (35-45 mpg)
Been able to climb over really rugged terrains, has taken me to really nice places and it hasn't EVER let me down on the road, or anywhere.
Btw, you can lower the front seats and it converts to a full 2 bed camping solution, with 12VDC outlet :)
I really luv this car.
Though vehicles make a contribution to the air pollution in major cities, it would be a mistake to blame it all on cars.
If you calculate the total emissions from power plants - most of which run a lot more regularly than automobiles - you normally find that they are significantly greater than those from personal automobiles. I would bet that Iranian power plants are not provided with state of the art pollution controls.
Perhaps this is another reason why Iran is interested in power produced by nuclear power plants - they do not produce any air pollution at all. If they are going to invest, it makes more sense to buy a new nuclear plant than to refit an oil oil burner.
I love those Kia Prides/ Ford Festivas. Too bad they don't sell any new ones in the USA. I love their boxy designs which make them very roomy despite their actual size. I hate the new econo cars and their chunky round designs.