Air Pollution and the Environment
Although it is easy for people to forget about this issue, air pollution is a very real problem that threatens the environment as well as ourselves, each and every day. However, this not a problem that will go away on its own. The smog, factories, and millions of cars we see on the road are a constant reminder.
But air pollution is a problem that cannot be ignored forever, no matter how much we want to. Just smelling the exhaust of cars when standing next to a road, or seeing factories pump smoke into the sky, is a constant reminder that there is damage which is continuously being done to the environment by our modern society.
What is air pollution? Air pollution is a nasty side effect of our modern society, more specifically, the by product of vehicles and factories that release various types of gases and chemicals into the atmosphere. Perhaps surprisingly, the main cause of this pollution is vehicles.
Why is air pollution dangerous?
1. Health reasons: it has been scientifically demonstrated that air pollution is associated with countless types of illnesses, including: strokes, breathing problems and heart issues.
2. Global warming: air pollution is responsible for global warming. This phenomena leads to the gradual but persistent increase of the temperature of our planet. It has already started affecting entire ecosystems, and unless it is stopped, it will melt the polar ice caps which will raise sea levels. This will cause flooding in coastal cities such as New York and London.
3. Ozone layer: the ozone layer shields us from ultraviolet radiation, and has been doing for millions of years. However, as a result of air pollution, it is shrinking: this causes an increase in the number of skin cancers and also damages wildlife and plants.
4. Acid rain: certain chemical that are air pollution is made of can cause acid rain. This has an enormous impact on fish, animals and plants, and also affects the ground, making the soil toxic to countless plants and animals.
How can we fight air pollution?
1. Hybrid vehicles: One way would be to use Hybrid vehicles. These vehicles produce about a fourth of the pollution of the average vehicle. Just imagine the global effects if everyone started driving such vehicles.
2. Using renewable energy sources such as wind power, solar power, hydroelectric power and geothermal power can significantly decrease air pollution. Unfortunately, our main source of energy, fossil fuels, has a very negative impact on air pollution.
Since this problem seems to only get worse in time, and we may reach the point where we damage the environment irrevocably, the only logical solution is that everybody embrace ways that reduce air pollution in the hope that it will eventually, some day, be eliminated.
Perhaps the only way this can be achieved is through education: although most people are familiar with air pollution and how it occurs, and are generally aware of its effects, many would rather turn their heads the other way rather than deal with this ever growing problem. The only way to truly overcome this problem is to start with the young: if we, collectively, can get our descendants to permanently change their ways by learning from our mistakes, then perhaps there is still hope for our planet - and ourselves.
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