Air Pollution in Monmouth County

As a native to central New Jersey, it is fair to say that there are multiple distinctions that could all work to describe where I live: a tiny urban center, the typical suburbs, a neighboring beach town, or even the beginning of the countryside. It is a beautiful liberty to drive to the heart of any of these terrains and go such a minimal distance. Although my area comes off as a diverse paradise, there is an evil that lingers in the air. This evil has grown at alarming rates and plagues the majority of the state. The malicious element that I am referring to is air pollution: an enemy that has become dominant in a modern world. With New Jersey as America’s most densely populated state, the concerns of poor air quality run very high.
With this large quantity of people packed into a relatively smaller state, roads are difficult to navigate in a timely manner; this holds true in my hometown where one of the major highways, Route 35, always has a line of disgruntled drivers trapped at half of the speed limit. The Garden State Parkway yields similar results of endless cars idling as noxious gases cough out of the exhaust pipes. However, this is not the only ingredient in New Jersey’s cocktail of atmospheric demise; there is also the concern of coal still being used in power plants. By still using coal, toxic products such as particulates pollute the air and the lungs of Jersey inhabitants. Human health is of a great concern, especially for those afflicted by chronic respiratory problems.
Thankfully, there have been improvements made and plans instilled to combat this. There have been speculations made that, by changing how the state receives energy, clean air could be obtained in 2050. A vital step towards this goal was taken in 2017 when two coal-fired plants were closed; one remains in operation in Cape May. Restrictions have also been made on emissions of larger vehicles by changing engines of old models. Additionally, organizations like the Radon Awareness Program have been established to help citizens check their homes for radon, another chemical that can cause lung cancer. Air Quality Indexes are also put to use to keep track of air composition.
Despite these improvements, there still remains a significant amount of work left. As evaluated by the American Lung Association, eleven counties recently received a failing grade for air quality - including my own, Monmouth. And, as long as global warming continues, higher temperatures bring more smog over the Garden State. While there still remains this chance to save our air, restrictions must be enforced to keep New Jersey from becoming entirely toxic. I hope each day that my community will stay as glorious as it currently appears and that the dismal gray of industrialization never gets the chance to block the view. Let us allow New Jersey to keep its nickname as “the Garden State” of America before it is too late.