What’s the Pollution Solution?

What’s the Pollution Solution?

Simply put, pollution is the contamination of soil, water, or air by discharging harmful substances.  There are a few different types of pollution, each with its own causes, problems, and way of reduction.  The three basic types of pollution are: environmental (land), marine (water), and atmospheric (air).

Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution affects the land.  Litter, soil contamination, deforestation,  and consumption of non-renewable resources are all forms of environmental pollution. Environmental pollution affects every living creature, even those found in the oceans and in the air.

As far as scientists know, humans are the only creatures to create pollution.  Take a walk outside.  Everywhere you go there are signs of human impact on their surroundings. Environmental pollution can come in the form of an empty Mountain Dew bottle on the side of the road, a clear-cut forest, or tires in a landfill.  Humans have had a significant impact (often negative) on their environment.

Air Pollution 

The air we breathe is important for obvious reasons.  The average human breathes about 3,400 gallons of air each day!  What would happen if the air became too polluted for us to breathe?  All of Earth’s living organisms would die.  The air we breathe is made up of a variety of gasses and compounds, though primarily oxygen and nitrogen.

So how does the air we breathe become polluted?  What causes air pollution?  Again the answer to the causes of air pollution is simple:  humans cause air pollution.  Factories, power plants, automobiles, and industrial emissions change the air’s composition by creating ground level ozone.

“Bad” ozone creates a variety of health problems in people.  People who are repeatedly exposed to breathing contaminated air have an increased chance of suffering from respiratory problems.  Children and older people are the most affected.

Ground level ozone also interferes with the ability of plants to produce and store food.  It damages the leaves of trees and other plants, and contributes to a reduction in crop productivity, because the plants are more vulnerable to disease, pests, and harsh weather.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is also a threat to the air we breathe.  CO is formed when the carbon in fuel is not burned properly.  The largest factor of CO emissions is automobiles. Carbon Monoxide is toxic to humans.  Even healthy people can be affected by carbon monoxide.  People who breathe high levels of CO can develop vision problems, redued ability to work or learn, or have difficulty performing complex tasks.  People who have heart disease may cause chest pains or other more serious cardiovascular effects.

Water Pollution

Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.  This alone makes water a very important issue.  However, the Earth’s water resources and potable water supply is in danger of becoming contaminated.  When water becomes contaminated, it is considered polluted.

What’s the Pollution Solution?

For a long time we’ve been told of the consequences of polluting our land, water and air.  But, how do we reverse the trend?  The best way to combat pollution is through education.  When we learn what causes pollution, what its effects are, we can think of solutions and think help prevent it.

Yet we need to consume responsibly. There are a ton of ways you can help the environment and reduce pollution. By reducing the amount of resources we use and making simple, environmentally friendly decisions, we can help to reverse the global trends of pollution.

Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling are the simplest ways of combating pollution! After all the easiest way to reduce pollution is to reduce consumption.  By reducing the amount of resources we use and making simple, environmentally friendly decisions, we can help to reverse the global trends of pollution.