Environmental problems

Air pollution in Lima (fumes from cars and factories)

The large number of automobiles and factories in Lima cause the burning of fossil fuels,
such as oil, gas, and coal. The gases emitted by automobiles generate cancer, asthma
problems, heart disease, eye irritation, birth defects, etc.

Contamination of river and coastal water (mining and municipal waste)

The mining wastes known as tailings are expelled by mining companies in rivers, they
contain elements such as ground rock, minerals, water, heavy metals and chemicals such as
cyanide, arsenic, lead, cadmium, zinc, mercury, among others. On the other hand, the
municipalities due to their lack of organization, the garbage collected from homes is
transferred to an unsuitable place, thus contaminating the rivers and coasts, which bring
effects such as the disappearance of biodiversity and aquatic ecosystems. Also, the human
being is seriously affected when drinking or using contaminated water.

Depletion of fisheries (overfishing)

Overfishing of fish or shellfish is known as overfishing, one of the causes today is the high
demand for fish. Overfishing poses a great threat to marine biodiversity and ecological
balance.

What can you do to help solve the above 3 problems?

Propose bicycle use as an alternative to public transport, thus significantly reducing the
level of air pollution. In the contamination of rivers by mining waste, one solution would be
that the tailings can be reused or increased by planting eucalyptus trees close to these
mining waste, since research by the National University of Engineering ensures that the
root of this tree absorbs chemical components toxic to health.