Internal Assessment:

Environmental Systems and Societies

Research Question:

To what extent does the condition of a vehicle affect the quality of air in

Uganda?

Word count:

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Identifying the context

Research question

To what extent does the condition of a vehicle affect the quality of air in Uganda?

Environmental Issue

The contribution of vehicle emissions to the air pollution in Uganda.

Context

Air quality is a measure that gages to what degree air in a particular area is unpolluted or not. Air

quality is measured with the use of air quality meters. These meters monitor the amount of

pollution in a specific area and the readings are then compared to the indices of The World

Health Organization. The index consists of six levels with different colours representing each

that determine the quality of the air ranging from good to hazardous. The concentration of the

pollution determines the air quality of a geographical area.

In this report, I will be investigating “to what extent does the condition of a vehicle affect the

quality of air in Uganda?” According to the World Health Organization rules, Uganda’s air

quality is seen to be unsafe to the health of the living organisms (WHO, 2020). Some of the main

contributors to this includes vehicle emissions, manufacturing and waste burning. In this study, I

will specifically look at vehicle emissions as well as how the condition of a vehicle affects the

quality of air in Uganda.

There are three major pollutants that are produced from vehicle emissions which affect the

quality of air. Particulate matter is one of them which is a mixture of solid particles and liquid

droplets that are found in the air. Carbon monoxide and Nitrogen dioxide are gases that are given

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out when fuel burns. When the nitrogen reacts with the oxygen in the air nitrogen dioxide is

formed with high concentrations affecting the quality of air. When these pollutants are released

into the air, health issues arise such as cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and

many more. The ozone layer is also affected which further raises the rate of global warming

leading to damage on the environment.

Many vehicles in Uganda use low-quality fuels, which increases the quantity of harmful

chemicals and particulate mater discharged into the air. In addition, the age and quality of

vehicles contribute to the quantity of pollutants emitted into the air, Due to the country’s

economic state, numerous Ugandans are discovered driving in vehicles with bad conditions and

an exceeding age restriction of 15 years.

The purpose of this experiment is to determine whether the condition of a vehicle contributes to

the air quality in Uganda. According to studies, a vehicle in bad condition and using low-quality

fuels releases more hazardous pollutants than a vehicle in good condition and using a higher-

quality fuel.