Air pollution causes global warming through the greenhouse effect, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The greenhouse effect occurs when greenhouse gases trap and heat energy from the sun and prevent it from escaping Earth's atmosphere and entering space. ” (EPA, 2012) Atmospheric pollutions are caused by gasses and solid particulates released into the atmosphere. The most hazard atmospheric pollutions are man made by the production of products.
Pollutants are released into the air include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide. Side effects from global warming can be apperceived across the globe. Things such as polar ice caps melting and causing water levels to rise are one of the major most noticeable problems. Living organisms, plants, animals, and people all endure the consequences of rising water causing a chain reaction. For example, when water covers plants, it causes plants to perish.
When plants die, animals loose a source of food as well as their habitat, which in return causes loss of animals. Additionally, when plants and animals die, humans lose two main food groups. When the plants and animals die, people lose two sources of food, which causes a disjunction in the food continuity and, therefore causing a chain reaction. Global warming also affects the weather, and warmer water, in turn, is increasing hurricanes and other storms. As polar caps melt, water temperatures begin to rise.Researchers led by James Elsner, a meteorologist at Florida State University, analyzed satellite-derived data of tropical storms since 1981 and found that maximum wind speeds of the strongest storms have increased significantly in the years since, with the most notable increases found in the North Atlantic and the northern Indian oceans.
They believe that rising ocean temperatures, due to global warming, are one of the main causes behind that change. (Time, 2012) Although many things cause global warming, electrical pollution is the most prominent.Many things cause global warming. The burning of fossil fuels such as petroleum and oil are very harmful to the environment. In addition, many air pollutants such as chemicals not only pollute the air, but water and land as well. 1.
2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water, and industrial waste are discharged into US waters annually. Polluted drinking waters are a problem for about half of the world’s population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-based diseases, resulting in roughly 5 to 10 million deaths. (Do Something Now) Global warming will continue to worsen if pollution goes unprevented.
Global warming, in turn, will continual make the surface temperature melting the polar ice caps, leaving coastal cities worldwide underneath water. The human race as we know it could be destroyed along with most all living organisms. Air pollution greatly affects the health of humans. For example, ozone pollution causes repository disease, cardiovascular disease and inflammation of the throat. In addition, air pollution greatly impacts the environment as a whole.Not just humans, but all living organisms can experience and suffer from mild discomfort to deadly diseases such as cancer to physical deformities.
Human daily activities have an enormous effect on pollution, and the environment as a whole. For example, industrialization and agriculture release gasses into the air that greatly damage the ozone layer. “When man started to burn more fuels to sustain the energy needs for growing cities, carbon dioxide concentrations in the air increased. During this period, starting in the mid-1970s, the average surface temperature of the earth also inched upwards.
(Top Environmental Issues, 2012)Even though precautions have been put in place to attempt to reverse damage to the ozone layer, more must be done to stop the ozone layer from being damaged and stop global warming. Also, air born pollutants adversely affect wildlife. Animals commonly fall victim to acid rain which is created by sulfur in the air caused by the burning of coal. Sulfur is conducted in vesicles of rain poisoning streams, drinking water supplies, soil, and injuring wildlife.
Transportation modes, industrialization and power plants are also major sources of air pollutants from human activities.Furthermore, natural causes contribute to air pollution. For example, volcanic eruptions release large amounts of gases and particulate matter in the air, storms producing pollen grains, and methane gas from marshes. The US contains 4% of the world's population but produces about 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions.
By comparison, Britain emits 3% about the same as India, which has 15 times as many people. ” (BBC, 2009) We, as Americans, must have strategies and solutions for reducing and eliminating pollution and in turn global warming begin on an individual level. Each person must first be responsible for his or her own action.For example, disposing of household chemicals properly, recycling and living as energy as efficiently as possible are effective ways for individuals to reduce pollution.
Also, people should hold the federal government and local state governments accountable for monitoring and mandating industrial company’s actions. For example, the EPA is responsible for constituting unassailable and equalizes clean air levels. In 1967, Congress passed the Air Quality Act that set forth outlines for air quality standards (The Encyclopedia of Earth, 2012) on an individual state basis, air pollution controls are required to meet federally mandated laws.However, individual states can set forth their own clean air standards above and beyond federal requirements. California is an example of a state that has gone to great measures to reduce pollution.
For example, “in 1989, California adopted a radical air pollution reduction plan that essentially requires each region to drastically reduce current levels of air pollution. Even as early as 1970, California adopted more stringent standards for motor-vehicle emissions” (EPA, 2012). “Under the Protocol, the U. S. is supposed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by seven percent.
With four percent of the world's population, the country accounts for about 25 percent of the Earth's greenhouse gas emissions. European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom says 'But this ignorant, short sighted and selfish politician, long since firmly jammed into the pockets of the oil lobby, clearly couldn't care less. The talks in Bonn in July must now concentrate on world action independent of the U. S.
' ” (Lycos News 2001) Initiating environmental protection programs into our communities is a successful strategy for prevention.We as individuals cannot stop and prevent air pollution on our own. The most effective means of control would be through legislation. Although most countries have already passed air pollution prevention laws, those laws must be upheld and there must be companies that break the pollution laws must a democratic government's function is to protect people, its citizens, and the citizens of the world.In capitalist countries it is the Government's job to keep commercialism in check and protect people from the inequality, ppression and money-orientated practices of big business.
Some people have been forced to wonder if the American government can still be considered to be working for interests of people anywhere in the world, or if it is indeed simply the world's largest corporation. be held accountable. It might be easier to say if there were no pollutants, there would be no pollutions. However, in the age of convenience most people live in to create no pollutions is pretty well impossible.
Industrialization is entrenched in bad habits which concomitant burden of pollution.Worldwide, the cost to industrial company’s pollution ramifications makes the simple preventive measures complicated and more difficult to implement. Everyone must be educated and adopt practices that reduce pollution. In addition, it is also important that individually, promote and educate awareness pollution and global warming issues. If people are not aware of the dire consequences, people may not be as steadfast to change their habits. Every individual’s action causes a reaction to his or her surroundings.
Whether it a positive or a negative on the environment.Individually, if we all befriend the earth, the earth in return will provide us with all the resources we need to survive. Awareness and action are two main points to reaching sustainability. A plan for action most Americans could follow and would greatly increase pollution is: * Keep maintenance up on vehicles to avoid reducing emissions * Do not burn garbage or waste in open fires * Adopt the motto reduce, reuse and recycle (Known as the three R’S) * Use other means of power, such as solar or geothermal * Patronize local foods and goods.This will reduce transportation of goods and in return lower emissions. * Plant trees.
Trees provide clean oxygen. * Dispose of toxic waste properly. * Place litter in proper places in public. Waste might not be properly disposed of otherwise.
* All industrial company’s air emissions should be monitored to ensure pollutions prevention laws are being followed. * Whenever possible stay away from crops that are sprayed with large amount of pesticides which are very harmful to drinking water and living organisms. I believe there is hope.The seemingly difficult task to conserve energy and to not deplete all of our natural resources will in return protect our environment and stop global warming.
If individually, we do our part and hold industrial companies accountable for their actions, I feel strongly, we can reduce pollution and save the earth. However, if humanity continues to deplete the earth do resources and does not monitor and hold industrial companies accountable for properly disposing of hazard waste and chemicals. The earth will not be saved.If drastic steps are not taken within the next 5 years to stop and prevent pollution, it may be too late to reverse the effects of global warming and it will definitely be too late to stop global warming all together. Humanity does have a choice in whether to save the earth or not, it’s just a matter of if as a society the human race is willing to do so.
“One person alone cannot save the planet’s biodiversity, but each individual’s effort to encourage nature’s wealth must not be underestimated. ” (EPA, 2012)
