Pollution in our Environment

Environment Pollution

what is Environment Pollution?

 Environmental pollution is the introduction of harmful pollutants into a certain environment that make an environment unhealthy to live in. The widespread pollutants are usually chemicals, garbage, and waste-water. Environmental pollution is happening in multiform parts of Earth usually in the form of air and water pollution. Environmental pollution is causing massive damage to the ecosystem that organisms depend upon the health of this environment to live in. Air and water pollution can cause death of myriad organisms in given ecosystem, including humans. In many developed countries laws have been introduced to regulate multifarious types of pollution and to palliate the adverse effects of pollution. Pollution levels must be controlled at all the time if we want to keep our environment safe and healthy. Without proper pollution control, the environment soon becomes unhealthy and nothing will be able to live in it. Preventing introduction of pollutants into the environment is the best way to protect the environment from pollution. To do this it is important to develop ecological conscience of nearby communities and manage waste by recycling. A healthy environment is prerequisite of healthy life and fighting pollution is definitely the best way to keep the environment healthy.

There are 4 (four) types of pollution that are going to be discussed in this site, namely air, water, soil and noise

underscoredThe major forms of pollution are listed below along with the particular contaminant relevant to each of them:

·         Air pollution:- the release of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere. Common gaseous pollutants include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) andnitrogen oxides produced by industry and motor vehicles. Photochemical ozone and smogare created as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons react to sunlight. Particulate matter, or fine dust is characterized by their micrometre size PM₁₀ to PM_2.5.

·         Light pollution:- includes light trespass, over-illumination and astronomical interference.

·         Littering:- the criminal throwing of inappropriate man-made objects, unremoved, onto public and private properties.

·         Noise pollution:- which encompasses roadway noise, aircraft noise, industrial noise as well as high-intensity sonar.

·         Soil contamination occurs when chemicals are released by spill or underground leakage. Among the most significant soil contaminants are hydrocarbons, heavy metals, MTBE,^[9]herbicides, pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

·         Radioactive contamination, resulting from 20th century activities in atomic physics, such as nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons research, manufacture and deployment. (See alpha emitters and actinides in the environment.)

·         Thermal pollution, is a temperature change in natural water bodies caused by human influence, such as use of water as coolant in a power plant.

·         Visual pollution, which can refer to the presence of overhead power lines, motorway billboards, scarred landforms (as from strip mining), open storage of trash, municipal solid waste or space debris.

·         Water pollution, by the discharge of wastewater from commercial and industrial waste (intentionally or through spills) into surface waters; discharges of untreated domestic sewage, and chemical contaminants, such as chlorine, from treated sewage; release of waste and contaminants into surface runoff flowing to surface waters (including urban runoff and agricultural runoff, which may contain chemical fertilizers and pesticides); waste disposal and leaching into groundwater; eutrophication and littering.

Climatic Effects

Greenhouse Effect :

During the past two centuries, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased dramatically. The probable cause is the burning of fossil fuels and burning of forests by farmers.

Scientists have been worrying that the growing burden of carbon dioxide and other gases may change the earth's climate. In normal circumstances, much of the solar radiation that penetrates the earths' atmosphere is re-radiated as heat from the earth's surface, and dissipates into space. But an increase of carbon dioxide allows most solar radiations to penetrate the atmosphere, but prevents part of the heat re-radiated by the land and water bodies from escaping into space. As carbon dioxide accumulates, enough heat may be trapped to gradually warm the atmosphere.

Other gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect are methane and chlorofluorocarbons. Methane is attributed to release- from livestock manure, additional rice fields, and digestion of termites proliferating on dead wood left by worldwide clearing of forests.

Most emissions from industrial plants and factories fall in the areas nearby. Some are carried away by winds to be washed from the sky by snow, rain, or mist. But some chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons, do not dissolve or recombine at lower levels. They rise to higher levels and contaminate the stratosphere. Chlorofluorocarbons are used as refrigerants and in some places, still used as 'spray-can propellants¹. They add to the greenhouse effect as they drift upwards.

Researchers estimate that the expected rise in atmospheric temperature. Would be 2°C by the end of the century if the greenhouse gases continue to increase at current rates. Higher global temperature would cause glaciers to melt, and also lead to an expansion of the oceans because warm water occupies larger volume than cold water. If the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere double, sea level will rise; estimates of the average rise vary between 0.5 to 2.5 metres. This is expected to occur gradually in the next century affecting coastal areas where about a billion people, a quarter of the world's population now live.

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