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You might wonder why the focus on man’s activities. Aren’t there also natural factors for land pollution, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and flood that tear down buildings, trees and leave the land polluted with debris and dead bodies? Well, natural events like volcanic eruptions and tsunamis can bring about land pollution. When the large amounts of sulfuric acid poured out into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions are precipitated in acid rain and soil acidification might take place where the acid rain falls on the soil. When tsunamis hit the coastal land, the flush of saline water onto soil can lead to salivation.
Nonetheless, these natural events are by far, few and uncommon. Some other natural events like soil erosion occurs more frequently in nature, but when it comes to the scale of land pollution, man’s impact often greatly out do that of nature. And if you think a bit more, you might realize that very often, the land pollution that takes place as a result of natural disasters, is actually exacerbated by the very presence of man-made infrastructure, objects, and chemicals etc. Water Pollution Over two thirds of earth’s surface is covered by water, less than a third is taken up by land.
As Earth’s populations continues to grow, people are putting ever-increasing pressure on the planets water resources. In a sense, our oceans, rivers, and other inland waters are being “squeezed,” by human activities not so they take up less room, but so their quality is reduced. Poorer water quality means water pollution. Around half of all ocean pollution is caused by sewage and waste waters. Each year, the world generates perhaps 5-10 billion tons of industrial waste, much of which is pumped untreated into fivers, oceans, and other waterways.
We know that pollution is a human problem because it is a relatively recent development in the planets history: before the 1 9th century industrial Revolution, people lived more in harmony with their immediate environment. As industrialization has spread around the globe, so the problem of pollution has spread with it. When earth’s population was smaller, no one believed pollution would ever present a serious problem. It was once popularly believed that the oceans were far too big to pollute.
Today, with around 7 billion people on the planet, it has come apparent that there are limits. Pollution is none of the signs that humans have exceeded those limits. Air Pollution We cause air pollution directly through our use of electricity, fuels, and transportation. We also cause air pollution indirectly, when we buy goods and services that use energy in their production and delivery. Most of this air pollution we cause results from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and gasoline to produce electricity and power our vehicles.
Carbon Dioxide (co) is a good of how much fossil fuel is burned and how such of other pollutants are emitted as a result. Using carbon dioxide as an example, the average family in the United States causes air pollution in the followings ways: An average family in the United States causes the following amounts of air pollution each year: And each year, the average individual in the United States causes the following amounts Of air pollution: Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmful to our health.
The level of effect usually depends on the length of time of exposure, as well the kind and concentration of chemicals and articles exposed to short term effects includes irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Others include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short term air pollution can aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema.
Long term health effects can include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. Continual exposure to air pollution affects the lungs of growing children and may aggravate or complicate medical conditions in the elderly. There is a food chain where each organism is in a producer, consumer, and predator and prey relationship; there is the oxygen cycle and the water cycle that sustains the organisms.
When an ecosystem gets polluted, the natural balance in the system is disturbed and this affects the organisms in different ways. It is important to know how a simple act like introducing sewage water or toxic waste into a lake can threaten several life species and plants in the area. In conclusion, be careful of how you treat your environment. Pollution is the worst thing you’ll ever have to experience.