Industrial smog is a direct result of the burning of coal for the purposes of creating energy.  The burning of coal releases many air pollutants, including sulfur and nitrogen oxides that both hang in the air around a coal plant and react with the atmosphere to form other products (i.e. sulfuric and nitric acids) [1].  When such pollutants are concentrated at a high density, to the point where they form a visible cloud, it is known as industrial smog.  The problem of industrial smog can be exacerbated by a process known as temperature inversion.  Temperature inversion occurs when a layer of cold air forms near the ground preventing the dissipation of pollutants [1].  Under normal circumstances, the warm air near the surface of the Earth would rise to a higher altitude, brining pollutants along with it.  Temperature inversion, however, allows these pollutants to concentrate near the surface and directly affect human life.  Prolonged exposure to smog leads to an increased risk of lung cancer or other respiratory diseases.  Once smog reacts with the environment, it can also cause acid rain in the surrounding area resulting in damage to drinking water sources as well as corrosion of buildings [1].

One country that particularly afflicted by industrial smog is Poland, due to their long history of coal use and wood burning for both energy and heating homes.  In 2019, Poland’s per capita energy consumption (15,823kWh) from coal was nearly 1.5 times the United States’ (9,573kWh) and 14 times the United Kingdom’s (1,079kWh) [2].  Poland is also overrepresented in the share of deaths due to outdoor air pollution.  In 2017 Poland had 5.71% of all deaths due to outdoor air pollution, despite only having 0.5% of the world’s population in the same year [2].  An effort to address this problem has begun in the Polish city of Krakow.  In 2019, a ban was placed on the burning of coal and wood within homes.  A study in 2019 has shown that the air quality in Krakow is improving at a faster rate than surrounding areas, but the root problem is still there.  The federal government of Poland is also contributing subsidies to a “Clean Air” initiative, which has replaced 70,000 of Poland’s 3 million domestic coal boilers with cleaner alternatives within 2 years [3].  While this change is needed, it is a noticeably small portion of total boilers replaced.  The air quality in Poland needs to be improved, and I believe that the ultimate coal to this end should be to replace all coal boilers and decrease reliance on coal for energy.

1. Molles, M. C., & Borrell, B. (2016). Air, Water, and Soil Pollution. In Environment: Science, issues, solutions (pp. 388-400). New York, NY: W. H. Freeman Macmillan Learning.
2. Outdoor Air Pollution. (n.d.). Retrieved February 05, 2021, from https://ourworldindata.org/country/outdoor-air-pollution
3. Wilczek, M. (2021, February 22). Poland’s public tries to clear the air. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://balkaninsight.com/2021/02/18/polands-public-tries-to-clear-the-air/

Andrew Tamis