Cross-Cultural Blog

I really enjoyed this entry about pollution in Cairo. In fact, pollution is a major problem that currently affects most major cities in our world. I am glad that the AUC campus has been moved to a much cleaner, safer environment. However, as far as addressing the pollution issue, are there any solutions being offered to lessen the effect or cause of the problem? Looking into public transportation, environmentally friendly cars, or social awareness may be options to combat pollution. This issue is one that cities worldwide face, and I hope together, we can find a solution.

I also enjoyed reading this entry. As I read if for the first time, I was reminded of a city in a slightly similar situation that is of much importance to me. That city is Chicago, Illinois. I live roughly thirty miles north of the downtown area, so I do not directly face the daily hustle and bustle of a city of so many millions (although the traffic extends all the way to my home). Chicago was just recently named the most stressful city in America by Forbes, which I found surprising. With so many cars, some of the highest fuel prices in the country, and the eighth worst pollution in the United States, Chicago was ranked number one. I would be lying to say that I was expecting to hear this, especially since the parts of the city that I tend to visit are clean and, just like Cairo, the people tend to be friendly. However, other parts of the city are very polluted, mostly the southern side. Minus not being one of the top five most populous cities in the world, Chicago has many similarities to Cairo.

Pollution is a problem everywhere. I know it is a bigger problem in cities than in rural areas; however, many places share a single water source, and wind can carry pollution over a large distance. I visited China this past summer. With large population and poor environmental laws, pollution is an ever growing problem. After climbing a historic hill in Beijing, when I look down at the city, the first thing I noticed was how hazy everything appeared to be. Health problems are growing issues to; cancer is more and more rampant.

Nice work on your blogs.

Your campus looks beautiful. What happened to the old campus that you guys left in downtown Cairo? If pollution is such a problem in downtown Cairo why does the government not do anything about it? In California, you are required to buy cars that don't pollute as much as regular cars and which cost far more. Violators of this policy face serious fines. Is pollution not a pressing government issue in Cairo? It sounds that this pollution could be causing serious health problems as well. I hope the air quality improves in Cairo for the benefit of everyone there.

I like how you put up beautiful pictures of AUC and contrasted them with rather dark, polluted side of Cairo. I would not be able to imagine black rain drops and grey skies of Cairo with the latter two pictures! Although the Earth have been polluted gradually for a long time, it suddenly became a big issue around the world, and there seemed to be a lot of projects and movements going on that try to reduce our energy use. Even in Stanford, there are Green Dorm project, Y2E2 building which significantly reduces natural resource use, recycling, and so on. It will be sad to lose all those beautiful sceneries because of pollution, and once dominated by pollution, it will be too late to restore them back.

I'm glad your university has been able to move to a cleaner, more enjoyable part of Cairo, but I'm also curious if the university is helping to alleviate pollution in Cairo. If organizations simply move out of the center of the city to escape unpleasant pollution, that doesn't solve the problem. In fact, this might even worsen it since the groups that can afford to move out of the polluted areas could probably also afford to help clean up the city, but once they move out, they no longer see the pollution in their daily life and thus have less incentive to help. At Stanford, I am taking a class that writes papers to point out ways that university buildings can reduce energy use and pollution.

I used to fly into Los Angeles at night and be mesmerized by the lights, the vastness, and (at the time) seeming grandeur of the city. This blog struck a core with me, as I believe it did with many, as I've become more aware of the heat inversion effect that traps the smog in a layer above the city. As a child I don't think I payed any notice to this, assuming it was just the way L.A. looked. Now, even at night, you look up at the sky and see not a star, but light reflecting off the dense layer of harmful chemicals above the city. Clearly, harmful emissions must be reduced and I think this requires us to look at how we live and actively change our perspectives of what is a valid lifestyle. Moving the location of the AUC seems like a great move (for your health especially) and I think much more needs to be done by all of us to save our respective metropolis'.

That is great that your campus was moved to a less polluted area, but terrible that the pollution in Cairo is so severe! It is troubling and heartbreaking that much of the pollution in Egypt, and in other places all over the world, is caused by people who do not understand what implications their actions have on our environment. I hope steps are being taken in Egypt to educate the public on environmental awareness, with regards to burning trash, and similar sorts of actions. It is also an issue, though, that many people living in poor areas, not just in Egypt, do not have the luxury to make environmentally responsible choices. Therefore, it is up to those of us who can make alterations in our live styles to be more environmentally responsible, to do so and educate others!

It is absolutely incredible how pollution is universal now in our time. You cannot run away from pollution it is something that is part of us and it seems that things are still normal and sadly things cannot go normal when you know that you are breathing all the smog from the cars and many other chemicals that surrounds all. Unfortunately, around the world we not only experience air pollution, but also water and even noise pollution. I am glad that now you all can enjoy a much fresher and healthier air and the less pollution in this new site. I believe that the right thing to do is to reduce, reuse and recycle everything that we have. Today we are experiencing a climate crisis and I am sure that this is something that not only affects a certain part of the Earth it affects all...thank you for doing your part now is our turn to start creating changes and improvement in our daily life. If we cannot stop pollution at least we can reduce it. Every individual makes a difference. GO GREEN!!!

In Korea, where I originally came from, pollution and acid rain has emerged as a problem in recent decades. and Also in Bangkok where I recently lived, pollution is a major major environmental issue. However luckily, the schools I went to in Korea and Bangkok were both located in the outskirts of the city, where the air is fresh and stars visible at night. I remember wanting to stay in school cause sometimes I couldn't stand the pollution in the city. The major cause of pollution in bangkok were motorcycles and buses. But recently with the city's investment in the construction of skytrains and subways, the air has improved. I realized Personal efforts are important but also it is easier with financial backup in infrastructure of the city as a whole.

Pollution is a problem that has plagued, is plaguing, or will plague every country on Earth. Western Europe and the United States have been polluting the atmosphere for about two centuries now, and only in the last few decades or so have we begun to actively cut back on these practices. Now that other previously underdeveloped countries are rapidly developing industry (though much faster this time) and now catching up to the West infrastructurally, they are polluting the air in the same way. I'm not sure how much more our poor Earth's atmosphere can take. I hope that countries like Egypt can avoid the mistakes of the West, though it is a bit unfair to expect Egypt to meet the same standards as a country like the United States with a more developed economy. If Egypt can figure out how to develop in a more "green" way, they will definitely set an example for other emerging countries and even the United States, which itself still needs to make its economy more environmentally friendly.

Your blog post reminded me of just how connected the world is in both positive and negative ways. I think global pollution issues are one of the best reasons for improved communication and globalization. As your blog noted, education is the best way to cause people to effect change. At the same time, I know about pollution and still struggle to be an environmentally friendly consumer.
Air quality is one of the most direct and dramatic effects we see on our environment. My hometown, Boise, Idaho, is plagued by inversion and pollution-induced haze every year, and every year, some people are hospitalized or bed-ridden because of air quality-related illness. Even a young person like me can feel the negative symptoms of foul air on my entire body. To me, this signifies a much larger problem facing our world. How real are our perceptions of clean air versus polluted air? Your new campus sounds more sheltered from pollution, but to what extent is any problem of pollution the problem of everyone, no matter where they live?

In Egypt people are not aware that air pollution is a big deal and that in the future it will be the reason for a lot of natural disasters. our old campus in downtown is know used for graduate sudies.

Pollution is certainly a big deal in Egypt and it is an ongoing problem that will be very hard to solve due to the lack of proper education. The downtown AUC campus was quite unberable and it was an obstacle cource getting around from class to class.

Thanks for all your replies.

Pollution in egypt is a very big problem and currentley we do not have any fines on car pollution or environmentally friendly car. Cars are really expensive any way the import taxes are almost 100% on the price of the car. However the goverment is making an effort to make people more aware. I hope that cairo becomes a more healthy place in the near future.