Introduction
The impact of high air pollution levels differed across sectors, with the agricultural and construction sectors being the most severely affected. There was however, affects experienced in both rural and urban areas [16]. The findings suggest that much stronger air quality regulations can significantly contribute to economic growth and can usefully complement other mainstream structural policies.
1.7 Environmental Impacts Air pollution has a significant impact on the environment, for example, when washed out of the atmosphere by rain or otherwise, it can have immediate and longer term impacts on biodiversity, water quality and the wider ecosystems services that the environment provides. Historic reductions of sulphur emissions have reduced the threat from ‘acid rain’, though nitrogen deposition continues to affect plant communities, impacting on sensitive species and biodiversity. This can have knock-on consequences for example, on insect and birdlife and can create favourable conditions for plants and insects that cause allergies or disease, and can contribute to an increase in the occurrence of algal blooms. Ozone which is produced in the atmosphere from certain air pollutants is an aggressive gas which damages plants and can significantly reduce crop productivity yields.
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