Clean living on the Costa del Sol.
In recent weeks, reports from the UK have indicated a troubling decline in air quality, with London’s mayor advising anyone who has a respiratory disease, or is otherwise at risk, to avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary. By contrast, Andalucía’s Ministry of the Environment reports that the Costa del Sol has the lowest pollution levels in all of Spain. It’s good news for residents and visitors who want a cleaner lifestyle and who wish to avoid the levels of urban pollution that affect many parts of Europe. Although traffic levels have increased in Málaga province, lack of heavy industry, fresh air blowing in off the sea and the surrounding nature reserves help keep the air on the Costa del Sol clean. Indeed, records show that there were only three days in which ozone exceeded the permitted levels, and they were during July and August of 2015. The ‘calima’, which is suspended dust in the air that comes from the Sahara, is one of the factors that increases the levels of nitrogen oxide and particles in the coast’s environment, but the ministry has adjusted the data to take this naturally occurring phenomenon into account. This means that when particle levels are raised beyond permitted levels it is usually caused by dust from North Africa. Furthermore, the environmental ministry points out that it is only exceeded on rare occasions. However, there are other factors that counteract dust from the Sahara: the benevolent climate and low heat consumption thanks to all those days of sunshine. Another factor that contributes to the quality of life on the Costa del Sol is that most residents live close to the coast, where the constant easterly and westerly winds combined with proximity to the sea act as drains for the gases that normally cause pollution. In a world where air pollution is increasing, it is a wonderful bonus to know that living in Marbella, or anywhere on the Costa del Sol, offers an opportunity for cleaner living. We must do all we can to protect it.
