Essay on Pollution
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- July 20, 2023
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Essay on Pollution: ‘Pollution’ is the introduction of substances that are harmful, and hazardous to the life-sustaining in the atmosphere of our planet. Pollution is cannot be controlled by any man-made boundaries and almost every living organism on the planet is affected by it. Though pollution has been an issue for a long time in the 21st century, its harmful effects are causing severe damage to the planet and that too at a rapid speed. It has been observed that several natural processes and cycles are disturbed. Many species of animals are losing their natural habitats and have either gone extinct or, are endangered.
These negative impacts are becoming more and more noticeable with each passing year, be it the depletion of the Ozone layer which protects us from the harmful UV rays or, the rise in the global temperature in other words ‘Global warming’. These are caused mostly due to human activities which are harmful to the environment in more ways than one.
Major forms of pollutions are – air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution.
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Air pollution
Air pollution could be defined as contamination of air with some harmful mixture of particles in the atmosphere, the air is essential to almost every living creature in the globe.
The most common substances that cause air pollution include harmful gases and smokes from factories and industries, harmful gases such as CFCs and other forms of oxides produced by automobiles, burning solid wastes such as plastic, Sulphur oxides, smoke produced by radioactive particles, etc. that are being released into the atmosphere. Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions can also cause air pollution, which occurs rarely. In February 2020, a volcano eruption was observed in Indonesia’s Mt. Merapi which reportedly spewed gas and ash up to 6km into the sky. More than 300 people were killed in the last eruption on Mt. Merapi in 2019.
Due to the depleted inhalation of oxygen, it is again giving birth to several severe diseases such as respiratory issues, asthma, lungs and heart diseases, etc. Moreover, it also affects the cardiovascular system depending on the exposure to the pollutants. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 4.2 million people die every year as a result of exposure to outdoor pollution.
Water pollution
Water is a natural resource and is a basic essential for life to sustain on the earth. The addition of harmful substances in water making it unusable and adversely affecting the lives associated with it is commonly referred to, as water pollution. Some of these pollutants include industrial wastes, sewage wastes that are being dumped directly into seas or, rivers as well as agricultural wastes, which is resulting in the rise in the fatal rate of aquatic species.
This results in loss of habitat to marine life and also reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. It affects the flora and fauna of the sea organisms and when these organisms are consumed by humans, cause harmful diseases. Also, the drinking water which is produced from these polluted natural water resources can cause diseases such as cholera, jaundice, typhoid, etc. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 3.5 million people die from a water-related disease every year.
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Soil pollution
Soil pollution is also known as land pollution, is the process of degradation of the earth’s surface by improper industrial, commercial, agricultural, and domestic activities. This is mostly caused due to the dumping of industrial wastes into the land. Besides that, the usage of insecticides, pesticides, and other similar chemical compounds play a major role in soil pollution. Mining and oil refineries constructions also are key soil pollutants.
These in turn make the soil toxic, making it infertile and unusable for agricultural purposes. This is a major issue, especially in those countries where a major part of the population depends on agriculture.
Besides these, there are many other forms of pollutions such as noise pollution, plastic pollution, light pollution, thermal pollution, etc.
One of the most devastating effects of the pollution that’s being caused to the planet is Global Warming. It is the gradual increase in Earth’s average atmospheric temperature over the past century, primarily due to the increased levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.
Burning of fossil fuels, emission of harmful gases from automobile combustion and deforestation are the major contributors to this. Once entered into the atmosphere, these gases can remain there for several years to come. On top of that, the emission of these gases has increased alarmingly which makes it a major reason for concern. Global warming is expected to have its effect on every living being on the planet including man, some as far as the extinction of the whole species.
Seven hints on how to decrease pollution
When possible, use buses and trains or share rides with others. Also try riding a bike or walking instead of driving if you can. This will help the environment by reducing pollution from cars. Choose cars that use less fuel or change to electric vehicles so air pollution from car emissions is lower.
Help and put money into new energy ways like sun, wind, or water power. Using less fossil fuels lowers the pollution in air and water that comes from old energy sources.
Do right to throw out trash, recycle and make compost. Cut down on single-use plastics, use reusable things instead and join in with local recycling groups. This will help lower landfill trash plus water dirtiness too.
Save water at home and in businesses to stop making the water dirty. Stop leaks, use gadgets that use less water and stay away from things like chemicals or plastic items which can make our drinking water dirty.
Push companies to use green practices. Using cleaner ways to make things, lowering emissions and putting money into pollution control technologies can greatly cut down industrial dirtiness.
Help grow tree planting efforts and save green areas. Trees take in carbon dioxide and dirt, making air cleaner and less polluted in city places.
Teach people in the community and push for rules that help protect nature. Spread knowledge about how pollution affects health and the environment. Help plans and rules that try to cut down dirt on local, countrywide, and worldwide levels.
Actions taken to prevent pollution
Pollution and its effects are not limited by the national boundaries. Therefore, various countries around the globe have started spreading awareness and initiated several steps to curb pollution and its impacts.
Keeping these in mind the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) came into existence to address these pollution-related issues at an international scale. In the year of 1972, UNEP was founded, after the Conference on the Human Environment of the United Nations. It has addressed several issues such as climate change, disaster, and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, harmful substances, etc.
It has registered several successes such as the Montreal Protocol in 1987, for limiting the emission of gases that were reportedly thinning the planet’s ozone layer and the Minamata Convention in 2012 to limit the use of toxic mercury. UNEP has sponsored the development of solar loan programs, financing 100,000 people for solar power systems in India and other developing countries around the world. They also sponsor the Marshland project in the Middle East, to manage the marshland area in an environmentally sound manner.
UNEP’s goal is to provide leadership and encourage caring for the environment and allowing people to improve their quality of life without putting the safe survival of future generations at risk.
Besides these, it is also very important that citizens are well aware and are willing to make the necessary changes, to make an impact worldwide. These can be actions such as limiting the use of vehicles or, use fuel-efficient vehicles, consider electric vehicles, keeping the surroundings clean, encouraging, and practicing the habit of recycling and reuse and planting more trees.
What is pollution and what are its primary kinds?
Pollution means putting bad stuff into the environment, causing problems for animals and nature. The big kinds of pollution include air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution as well light pollution.
What are the main reasons for bad air quality?
Air pollution happens when people put bad stuff into the air. Usual causes! They are from car exhausts, work in factories, burning oil and coal like gasoline for vehicles food farming practices. Also when people build things they can make the air dirty too.
What effect does pollution have on our health?
Air pollution can harm people’s health, leading to breathing issues and heart disease. It also causes other sicknesses. Breathing gas and heavy metals can cause both quick health problems as well as long-lasting issues.
How can people reduce pollution?
People can help lessen pollution by using green things, tossing trash in the right way, saving energy and taking buses. They should also back practices that have a light impact on nature. These actions help reduce personal carbon output and harm to the environment.
How can governments deal with pollution on a bigger scale?
Governments can put in place and strictly follow rules for the environment, spend money on clean technology, support sources of renewable energy like wind or sun power. They also make rules to cut down harmful things coming out from factories and cars. Working together across borders is also important to solve problems caused by pollution that goes from one place to another.
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Conclusion
To sum it up, it’d be safe to say that all types of pollution are hazardous and come with severe consequences. Therefore, the pollution must be controlled otherwise it puts the survival of every living being on the planet at risk. It may be different in form but if the masses are properly informed, educated, and inspired, with joint efforts pollution can be controlled. So, we must take a stand and work as one united force in tackling this issue and create a better, safer, and more sustainable planet for future generations.