As with any community, Astoria faces many different environmental problems. One of the main problems it has is air pollution. Many communities with high density are often faced with the problem of air pollution. Because there are a lot of cars, businesses, residents, and mass transit in one condensed area, air pollution is quite common.  The pollution problem is evident to some residents as one resident remarked that in certain areas of the neighborhood “it just stinks”. He discusses that he is unsure of why there is such an odor in the area and made sure to note that he lived a block away from the smelliest part of town.  There are many things that may be a contributor to the problem. Some of these things may include the proximity to the airport, the outdated public transportation, and local factories and plants.
The closeness to LaGuardia Airport is definitely a factor to the poor air quality in Astoria. The constant flight of planes overhead is a pretty good indicator that the exhaust that comes from these planes has been detrimental to the air. It is unclear whether or not any new lower emission aircrafts will be made but I will be necessary in the future. There is no moving the airport and other communities near the airport also suffer.
Factories and plants in the area are also issues that contribute to the problems of air quality. As is the case with many neighborhoods with factories in close proximity there are pollutants that plague the air of the area. Though factories have been trying to change their ways and release less pollutants there has been little progress. It is clear that there is not going to be significant changes unless law enforcement officials take action. Other takes on pollutants and the odor in some areas are that there may be some kind of sewage problem but details of this are not really known. Recent concerns have been raised in regards to a new deal struck between Con Edison and FedEx to develop an unused piece of land that Con Edison is leasing to FedEx.
“The area adjacent to the FedEx site is locally known as “asthma alley” for a high rate of respiratory illness and is close to local manufacturing, the BQE, LaGuardia Airport, and multiple Con Ed power plants. Trucks represent a major source of dangerous pollutants, and could put Queens further out of compliance with federal air quality standards. The borough currently does not meet EPA standards for levels of carbon monoxide or nitrogen oxides.”
There was much debate and concern over this issue but both parties involved assured the public that the project would not have any detrimental effects on the current air pollution. But after months of debate the project was abandoned. According to the Environmental Protection Agency the top four polluters in New York have facilities in Astoria. This is definitely a very big problem that is hurting Astoria.
As the world now looks to find “greener” ways to do things it seems that Astoria needs to follow suit. There is a need to take more environmentally friendly measures. More regulations and more updated systems need to be put into place in order to prevent further pollution and to try and reverse the effects of air pollution. New York is trying to convert to “greener” practices but it seems that Astoria is a little bit behind. Another reason for the air pollution is the outdated public transportation. One resident stated that the buses in Astoria were very old and that they created “significant amounts of exhaust”. They complained about the fact that the public transportation has yet to be updated in while and that new cleaner, greener buses were needed. While many communities have been changing to these more environmentally friendly buses Astoria seems to be behind in changing over. All over New York, new hybrid buses are running and lower emission taxis have been replacing the older taxis in the city since 1996 but changing over the whole fleet of medallion cabs has been slow. Also a lot of businesses are required to report to the Environmental Protection Agency about their emissions and “toxic releases”. In Astoria there are approximately forty-five facilities are registered and reporting but the air quality is not in compliance with the regulations even with monitoring.
One of the complications of air pollution is certainly that it can have adverse effects of people’s health. Air pollution could very well be the possible cause of increased asthma and respiratory infections. There are unconfirmed rumors around the neighborhood that Astoria allegedly has the worst air quality in the New York area. This is very concerning for the locals. They worry that their children will develop asthma or other respiratory diseases because of the prolonged exposure to the pollutants.
Pollution will continue to be a problem for Astoria unless people start making positive change. While some problems will take a much greater effort in order to make change, there are smaller things that can be done. Astoria can take initiative to update their transit system and make it more environmentally friendly. There are few polluters that can be changed over night but the culture of the world is changing and environmental problems are being seen as a bigger and more important issue. The world has a whole is trying to be more conscientious and it is up to individuals to strive for change.