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Air pollution consists Of many types. Smog, acid rain, ozone layer, and the green house effect destruction all cause serious problems for people and the environment. Smog and acid rain are caused by the release of noxious gases, like carbon monoxide. The ozone layer is being destroyed by another form of air pollution, Chlorofluorocarbons, even though these were band in 1995 people now use hydro chlorofluorocarbons, which destroy the ozone more slowly (maybe take this out? ). Burning fossil fuels cause another type of air pollution that releases very small particles into the air.
The three main forms f fossil fuels are natural gas, coal, and oil. Fossil fuels take millions of years to form, and are made by layers of organic matter made into sediments over time. Eighty percent of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels (www. Schoolhouse. Com, 2/2/07). Crude oil is a dark sticky liquid made from hydrogen and carbon. Oil wells are used to dig deep into the earth’s crust to get the oil. “Oil provides about 40 percent of the energy Americans consume and 97 percent of U. S transportation fuels. ” (www. Schoolhouse. Com, 2/2/07). B. Impacts One of the major damages fossil fuels cause that is due to its combustion.
When fossil fuels are burned, like when we drive a car, the gases that it gives off are contributing to air pollution. These gases are: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and hydrocarbons. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that can cause respiratory problems. If breathed in, it can accumulate in the lungs making it harder to breathe or causing heart problems, or even death. Nitrogen oxides also cause lung problems, like bronchitis and pneumonia, and also are responsible for smog in the air. Sulfur oxides that mix with water vapor in clouds to make acid rain.
When the acid builds up it can make areas of land unlivable for plants and animals. Hydrocarbons also make smog. (http://maw. Cuscus. Org/clean_energy/fossil_fuels/the-hidden- cost-of-fossil-fuels. HTML, 2/05/07) Not only does burning of fossil fuels from transportation cause air pollution that results in respiratory problems for people, but this air pollution also increases the global temperature. Global warming is a serious problem in the world today. The “Greenhouse Effect” is when the Earths temperature rises, and certain gases in the atmosphere and trap energy from the sun.
Since the earth is getting hotter, more people are dying, and were using more electricity for air conditioning. Car Statistics Cars are the largest contributor to pollution in the world (site and date). Fossil fuels combustion, as it occurs in motor vehicles, has been identified as the largest contributor to air pollution in the world. Bay area is 51 % of CO that goes into the atmosphere comes from transportation. Plane Statistics Airplanes contribute to air pollution as well. Airplanes give off black carbon, sulfate, and many more air polluting substances into the atmosphere.
Studies have found that when an airplane is “taxiing’ it gives out hundreds of tons of greenhouse gases, and that does not include all of the 350 million pounds of Voss and Knox that are emitted from the aircraft during landing and takeoffs. (add more later.. ) An interesting fact that found was that a 747 Boeing uses one gallon of fuel every second. If the Boeing is traveling a ten-hour flight, it’s using 36,000 gallons of gas and burns five gallons of fuel per mile. But, realistically the aircraft carries 500 people, and its burning . 1 gallons per a errors, and the typical car gets twenty-five miles per gallon, so in the end the 747 is better than a car carrying one person. Not only does the air pollution affect the atmosphere but it also affects people. Since we live off of our own air, air pollution is causing health effects. It’s causing more people with asthma or even worsening asthma, or causing respiratory diseases. (Butterfingered. Com, 2007). We cannot live in our own environment, and worry about becoming sick. We need to change our everyday lifestyles, or else our earth won’t be safe for us anymore. Butterfingered. Mom, 2007) C. Solutions Though all these statistics are intimidating, there are some solutions to cut down on air pollution. Hybrid cars are one way to cut down on the amount of gasoline used, and therefore the amount of air pollution made by cars. Bio diesel cars that run on vegetable oil and instead of gas are even better because they don’t burn any fossil fuel, meaning there??s no pollution. Walking and biking would also help with health and global problems, but it’s also been a known fact that when students ride their bikes to school: grades go up, more alert, enhances creativity. (Aviva Joseph).