"In 2019, Williams released 41,403t of air pollutants, including 2,408t of hazardous pollutants."

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year, air pollution kills approx. 7 Mn people globally¹. The reports reveal that 9 out of 10 individuals inhale toxic air that is above the limit of WHO’s standards¹. Air pollution leads to rising global temperature and affects health severely².

In the US, the 2019 emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from power plants perched at 879,969 tonnes, 798,322 tonnes, and 1,614,788 tonnes, respectively³. Inhaling SO₂and NOx for 24 hours or even less could result in severe respirational effects such as bronchoconstriction, airway inflammation, emergency department visits, asthma symptoms, and hospital admissions⁶.

Williams is among the 30 topmost energy providers in the United States with a market capitalization of $25.5 Bn⁴.

In 2019, Williams was responsible for about 41,403 tonnes of air pollutants, including 2,408 tonnes of hazardous pollutants^5;p26. NOx remained the highest among the air pollutants with 29,207 tonnes in 2019^5;p26. The company was also served 18 environmental-based non-compliance notices in 2019^5;p67.

The company’s overall NOx emissions were equal to 3.65% of the US power plants' total NOx emissions in 2019^3,5;p26.

Williams aims to minimize its air emissions by 10% by 2020 against 2019 baseline^5;p26. The company implemented certain measures across its operations, like complying with regional and local guidelines, and taking part in industrial reasearch^5;p12. Williams also performs routine checkups on its equipment for optimum fuel efficiency and performance^5;p26.

Being an energy company, Williams must recognize its environmental impact and should implement stringent actions across its operations for the optimal reduction in its overall air emissions. The company’s goal to reduce 10% of pollutants by 2020 is not sufficient as even if the company achieves this goal, its environmental impact would still be huge.

Sources

• 1. https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1
• 2. https://www.tecamgroup.com/effects-air-pollution-environment/
• 3. https://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/power-plant-emission-trends
• 4. https://disfold.com/top-us-energy-companies/
• 5. https://www.williams.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/07/Williams_2019SustainabilityReport_pages.pdf
• 6. https://citizensclimatelobby.org/laser-talks/how-nox-and-so2-harm-health/#:~:text=Fossil%2Dfuel%2Dfired%20power%20plants,(NOx)%20that%20harm%20health.

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