Smoggy
After two weeks of sunshine I’m surprised to not see “hospital gown green” smog nestled into the corner of our view where Mt Baker peeks out from behind Belcarra’s trees. On this particular day, just a few days ago, Mt Baker is barely visible even in a close-up shot. That has been the case many evenings. Other evenings, as the sun is going down, the glaciers on it are lit up in subtle pink and it resonates against the sky. Sometimes on a clear day I cannot see it at all.
I look at this and consider the fact that I lived in the Valley for two years. Yes, I lived near farms, golf courses, a highway or two, major routes and truck-heavy routes, all of which contribute to pollution. (I think the farms used manure as fertilizer instead of chemicals, however, which is good though stinky.) No doubt I’m healthier living here in a heavily-forested area of North Vancouver. Pollution gets trapped in the Valley, but not all of it comes from elsewhere: the car takes up a greater proportion of transportation modes in Surrey and Langley (for example), than it does in Vancouver and New Westminster. No surprise there. This pollution builds up in the Valley and from here, with a direct view of Mt Baker and the communities in between, we can see it sitting on top of the area. A few weeks ago the smog was so bad I could tell it was creating a haze that muddied my view of the nearby mountains, and the view from Second Narrows Bridge to downtown was shockingly gritty. We had rain a couple of days after that but it offered little relief. The wind has picked up recently and the clouds have moved in so I suppose that helps a little.
Ten days earlier than the above image, roughly 45 minutes earlier in the evening. A visible, but less striking or powerful haze.
I wonder what would happen if we instituted a driving restriction like China’s and said personal vehicles can only be driven every other day? Surely some people wouldn’t mind… with the price of gas these days, carpooling looks pretty attractive.
