IntroductionNew York City has unique advantages in that there are huge amounts of people living close to each other. This has resulted in increased use of public transportation systems (such as subways and buses). On average, New York's total environmental footprint is 7.1 tons per capita per year. This is much lower than the national average of 24.5 tonnes. The city contributes 1% of the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere each year in the United States. (“Inventory Greenhouse of New York City,” 2007) (Jarvey, 2006) Despite these benefits and lower levels of carbon emissions, New York City was named the dirtiest city for 2012 by Travel and Leisure magazine. They cited poor air quality, water and large amounts of waste everywhere. This is problematic, as New York has been trying to steadily reduce the overall amount of pollution for many decades. These conclusions ignore the positive transformations and how they have affected New York. To fully understand what is happening it is necessary to study the history of pollution, its effects, causes, reasons and areas for improvement. Together, these elements will highlight the overall scope of these transformations and their impact on the quality of life within the city. (Brown, 2012) (“Inventory Greenhouse of New York City,” 2007) (Jarvey, 2006) A Timeline of Pollution New York began experiencing pollution problems during the late 18th century. This is when the city was becoming a major center for trade and commerce. What made it such an ideal location is that the area was surrounded by various freshwater ports. This made it easier for ships to access the port at any time of the year. (Waldman, 2013) (Jarvey, 2006) Like… middle of the paper… similar kind of approach. In the long term, this has improved the quality of life within cities, addressing some of the most common issues affecting large urban centres. In many ways, one could argue that this is what helps make New York such a popular destination. References Brown, R. (2012). Dirty truth! New York Daily News. Retrieved from: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/filthy-truth-new-york-named-dirtiest-us-city-tourists- report-article-1.1161800Inventory Greenhouse of New York City. (2007). New York Government. Retrieved from: http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/ccp_report041007.pdfJarvey, B. (2006). The Big Green Apple. New York, NY: Globe Pequot Press.Reitze, A. (2005). Law on air pollution from stationary sources. Washington DC: Environmental Law Institute. Waldman, J. (2013). Heartbeats in the mud. New York, NY: Empire State Publishing.