{"id":34411,"date":"2019-09-27T10:36:12","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T14:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=34411"},"modified":"2021-05-20T20:56:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T00:56:17","slug":"greta-thunberg-tours-pollution-pods-at-the-u-n","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/greta-thunberg-tours-pollution-pods-at-the-u-n\/","title":{"rendered":"Greta Thunberg Tours \u2018Pollution Pods\u2019 at U.N."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was at the United Nations for the Youth Climate Summit, artist Michael Pinsky walked her through his \u201cpollution pods\u201d &#8212; an installation of five climate-controlled chambers meant to emulate the current air quality in five different cities around the world.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By pumping heat and various perfumes into 19-foot-wide plastic domes, Pinsky is able to mimic what breathing conditions are like in Tautra, London, New Delhi, Beijing and S\u00e3o Paulo.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, air pollution is responsible for 7 million deaths around the world each year. Pinsky\u2019s pollution pods are designed to bring attention to this pressing issue.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the last year or so, Pinsky\u2019s pollution pods have been traveling the globe, but this is the first time they\u2019ve made it to the United Nations. It was made possible through a partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO).&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pod 1: Tautra<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first pod on the tour mimics the air quality of Tautra, a small island in Norway with a population of less than 100. Understandably, the air in this pod is cool and easy to breathe in. If it weren\u2019t for the plastic cover designed to keep New York City air out, one could even imagine the feel of a brisk Scandinavian breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Tautra-pod-768x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-34424\"\/><figcaption><em>Michael Pinsky (left), Greta Thunberg (middle), and Maria Neira (right) standing in Tautra pod <br>Image: The University Network<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, Norway\u2019s air quality ranks <a href=\"https:\/\/epi.envirocenter.yale.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/2018-nor.pdf\">11th in the world<\/a>, according to the Environmental Performance Index.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the same can\u2019t be said about London, which is the next pod on the tour.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pod 2: London<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Thunberg, Pinsky and <a href=\"https:\/\/unfccc.int\/climate-action\/momentum-for-change\/advisory-panel-members\/maria-neira\">Maria Neira<\/a>, director of the Department of Public Health and Environment at the WHO, make their way through the plastic covered hallway connecting the Tautra pod to the London pod, it starts to feel a little bit warmer and hints of diesel fuel fill the air.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"743\" height=\"855\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/London-pod.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-34422\"\/><figcaption><em>Maria Neira speaking with Greta Thunberg while walking to London pod <br>Image: The University Network<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">London has a problem. One in five children living in the city currently have asthma, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sustainability-times.com\/clean-cities\/thunberg-tours-pollution-pods-with-artist-michael-pinsky\/\">Sustainability Times<\/a> reports.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are investing in our children\u2019s educations, and while they are waiting on the bus to go to school, they are breathing polluted air that is going to their brain and affecting their development,\u201d Neira said.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But luckily, it\u2019s a relatively solvable problem, Pinsky explains. Londoners just need to stop driving.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And compared to some of the other cities included in this installation, London\u2019s air is not all that bad.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Things get a lot worse at the next pod &#8212; New Delhi.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pod 3: New Delhi<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The air in the New Delhi pod is hot, thick and sticky, and it smells like diesel fuel and burnt trash. Visibly, it\u2019s hard to see. And physically, it\u2019s miserable to breathe in. It is by far the most suffocating pod in the instillation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNew Delhi has an enormous problem, but it\u2019s not a simple problem,\u201d Pinsky said.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are here for one minute, and we are already suffering,\u201d said Neira. \u201cImagine the millions of people living permanently in these conditions &#8230;. It&#8217;s absolutely unacceptable.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Artist <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PinskyMichael?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PinskyMichael<\/a> shows <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GretaThunberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GretaThunberg<\/a> his <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/pollutionpods?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#pollutionpods<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UNYouthClimateSummit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UNYouthClimateSummit<\/a> in NYC. This particular room demonstrates the current air quality in New Delhi.<br> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ClimateActionSummit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ClimateActionSummit<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SDGs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SDGs<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/climate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#climate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dwkPach72e\">pic.twitter.com\/dwkPach72e<\/a><\/p>&mdash; TheUniversityNetwork (@TUNforStudents) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TUNforStudents\/status\/1175552274640318464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 21, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, toxic air <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2019\/jan\/03\/delhi-air-pollution-surges-to-emergency-levels\">caused<\/a> 1.24 million deaths in India, alone. Children growing up in New Delhi are practically doomed from the day they\u2019re born.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, worldwide, one-third of deaths from heart disease, lung cancer and stroke are due to air pollution, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/air-pollution\/news-and-events\/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health\">WHO<\/a>.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tour continues with the Beijing pod.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pod 4: Beijing&nbsp;<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the air in the Beijing pod is still hot, smokey and hard to see through, it\u2019s a relief compared to New Delhi.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"518\" height=\"749\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Beijing-pod.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-34420\"\/><figcaption><em>Michael Pinsky talking to Greta Thunberg in Beijing pod<br>Image: The University Network<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The air quality in China\u2019s capital city hit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/artanddesign\/2018\/oct\/31\/beijings-skyline-with-and-without-air-pollution-in-pictures\">rock bottom<\/a> around 2012, with smog being a major concern. That year, 1 million people reportedly died in China due to air pollution.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent years, however, Beijing has done a lot to lower its air pollution, and has seen many more blue skies as a result. Yet, the city still has a lot of work to do. Currently, it still doesn\u2019t meet the air quality levels recommended by the WHO.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen it starts to get a little bit cold, (people in Beijing) are still using wood and coal to keep their houses warm,\u201d Pinsky said. \u201cAnd that can lead to quite low levels of visibility.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The last stop on the tour is the S\u00e3o Paulo pod.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pod 5: S\u00e3o Paulo<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coming from the Beijing pod, the visibility in the S\u00e3o Paulo pod first appears quite clear. However, Pinsky says he pumps ozone into the S\u00e3o Paulo pod to replicate the levels of industrial smog polluting the Brazilian city.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"565\" height=\"709\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/S\u00e3o-Paulo-Pod.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-34423\"\/><figcaption><em>Michael Pinsky talking to Greta Thunberg in S\u00e3o Paulo Pod <br>Image: The University Network<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to being detrimental to lung health, ozone can impair someone\u2019s ability to smell.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI bring people into this room last because it burns that fat on your nostril hairs, and then you can\u2019t smell so well afterwards,\u201d Pinsky said.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pinsky\u2019s path to the pods<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After escaping the final pod, Pinsky took a moment to describe his motivation behind this installation.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI came to this piece through making lots of work about climate change and struggling to engage people with climate change because it\u2019s such an epic sort of thing to deal with,\u201d Pinsky said. \u201cPeople are anxious about it, but they don\u2019t know what to do about it. So, in a way, this piece is an attempt to almost play more towards a selfish side. If we can deal with air pollution, which affects us straight away and affects our children straight away &#8212; not in the future &#8212; by dealing with that, you\u2019re also dealing with climate change.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pinsky has toured his pollution pods around various areas of the world, and has seen many different reactions.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt affects people in different ways,\u201d Pinsky said. \u201cSome people who come through here who are used to this type of pollution will come through here and say, \u2018Michael, that\u2019s really not that bad.\u2019 And I\u2019ve had people from the west of Ireland, and they can\u2019t get through. They just physically can\u2019t get through.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Greta\u2019s reaction<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the tour, Thunberg stayed quiet. Presumably, she was taking it all in.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the tour, however, she reacted with gratitude for Pinsky\u2019s efforts.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf people can experience this &#8212; how people around the world live every single day &#8212; I think that will bring lots of attention,\u201d Thunberg said. \u201cAnd I think people will be more encouraged to deal with this problem.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEverything is just so connected &#8212; the climate crisis and air pollution &#8212; it\u2019s just so connected, and we cannot solve one without solving the other.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was at the United Nations for the Youth Climate Summit, artist Michael Pinsky walked her through his \u201cpollution pods\u201d &#8212; an installation of five climate-controlled chambers meant to emulate the current air quality in five different cities around the world.&nbsp; By pumping heat and various perfumes into 19-foot-wide [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":34434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[641,639,230,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-change","category-pollution","category-news","category-lead-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1.png",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1-224x144.png",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1-300x193.png",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1.png",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1.png",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1.png",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1.png",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jackson Schroeder","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/jackson-schroeder\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"While 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was at the United Nations for the Youth Climate Summit, artist Michael Pinsky walked her through his \u201cpollution pods\u201d &#8212; an installation of five climate-controlled chambers meant to emulate the current air quality in five different cities around the world.&nbsp; By pumping heat and various perfumes into 19-foot-wide&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Greta-Thunberg-Tours-\u2018Pollution-Pods\u2019-At-The-U.N.-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}