Essay Example on Air Pollution: Effects on Environment & Health

Introduction

Air pollution consists of particle mixtures and gases that penetrate harmful concentrations both indoors and outdoors (Nunez). Air pollutants can be in varied forms ranging from liquid droplets, solid particles, and gases. Air pollution has diverse effects ranging from higher disease risks to a rise in temperatures. Common pollutants include mold, pollen, methane, carbon dioxide, among others (Stanley). Air pollution, directly and indirectly, affects the environment in both social and economic realms. The release of humanmade compounds like hydrofluorocarbons and halons used as coolants, pesticides, solvents, aerosol propellants, foaming agents, and fire extinguishers are responsible for depleting the ozone layer. The ozone layer in the stratosphere forms a protective layer that reflects harmful ultraviolet rays to space that would have destroyed animal and plant life (Renewable Sources Co.). Air pollution, therefore, causes a vast majority of environmental effects like the depletion of the ozone layer, toxic algae blooms, and acid rain caused by high levels of sulphuric and nitric acids created by oxides and sulfur oxides released by burning of the fossil fuels.

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Discussion on the Effects of Air Pollution on the Environment

Climate change owing to air pollution is likely to make it harder to meet the standards of infection in the future. Air pollution primarily impacts the plant evolution processes through the prevention of synthesis, which results in severe consequences to the purification of air. Additionally, it may also result in acid rain couples with atmospheric precipitation in the form of frost, rain, smog, and snow which are usually released during fossil fuel combustion and are transferred to the atmosphere by water steam. Air pollution is similarly a significant contributor to global warming and climate change through the abundance of carbon dioxide in the air that results in the greenhouse effect. The excesses release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere results in the current climate change. Air pollution, therefore, has severe consequences, penalties, and costs on the natural bio network and the ecosystem ranging from global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, and smog. Our ecosystem is under stress of climate change and air pollution; hence there is a need for research in understanding the ecological impacts of air pollution, especially on the vulnerabilities of the ecosystem and on climate change.

Common Pollutants

Common pollutants include carbon dioxide, which plays a role in the greenhouse gas and is portrayed to be the leading pollutant and the worst pollutant to the climate. Sulpher dioxide is another prevalent pollutant that is produced by volcanoes and during the industrial processes. Its major components are petroleum and coal, whose combustion produces sulfur compounds. It further oxidation in the presence of a catalyst produces acid rain. Another common pollutant underlies nitrogen oxides that are expelled from combustion under high temperatures or produced during thunderstorms by electric charge. It appears in the form of a brown haze, and it is considered as one of the most pollutant gas owing to its reddish-brown toxic nature coupled with a sharp, biting odor. Carbon monoxide is another prevalent pollutant that occurs in the form of a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas, and it is a product of combustion of coal, natural gas, or wood. The major contributor to carbon monoxide is vehicle exhaust when letting out of the atmosphere. It is responsible for the creation of smog to the atmosphere and causes significant disruptions to the natural environment.

Effects of Air Pollution on the Environment

Air pollution impacts the environment in the following ways; Global Warming, which underscores the rising air and temperatures worldwide. Global warming is caused by anthropogenic air pollution, thereby increasing the number of greenhouse gases. In the atmosphere. It is estimated that the annual rate in global temperature is likely to rise from 30 C to 80C in the next 100 years (Ashfaq & Sharma). That is likely to affect different climatic regions, plants, and animal distributions, coupled with both Agricultural and food distribution disturbances.

Additionally, the melting of snow caps associated with global warming may lead to an increase in sea levels that would ultimately submerge significant cities like New York, London, and Calcutta, among other cities. The greenhouse gas in the form of carbon dioxide is a primary effect in global warming when emitted to the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuel like coal, gasoline, and natural gas (Stanley). Besides, carbon dioxide as a prevalent gas in the greenhouse gases traps atmospheric heat and results in climate change.

Similarly, air pollution may result in the formation of acid rain as a result of the sulfur dioxide reaction and nitrogen reaction with water in the atmosphere resulting in sulphuric acid and nitric acid that comes along with the shower. Acid rain, whose pH varies from 3-6, is composed of sulphuric acid, nitric acid, and weak carbonic acid (Ashfaq & Sharma). It leads to adverse environmental effects that cause respiratory and skin disorders, effects on plant productivity by damaging the leaves, entering the soul, and affecting the soil pH resulting in leaching. Additionally, the acid rain comes the ground and rivers, thereby harming the aquatic life, damaging the marble, monuments, and buildings. Acid rain also destroys trees and leads to soil acidification, coupled with altering bodies destroying marine life. The air pollutants, especially from coal, pored fire plants and motor vehicles when they mix with water and falls on earth damage plant by changing the composition of soil besides degrading the quality of water in rivers, streams, and lakes, causing damage on crops and decaying monuments and buildings to collapse. Moreover, volcanic eruptions emit sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere that produces a cooling effect that may last for years that may cause a direct impact on climate change through the depletion of soil nutrients, harm on crops and forests, and damage on cultural icons like statues and monuments (Nunez).

Moreover, air pollution damages the ozone layer that is constituted in the stratosphere of the atmosphere. The ozone layer is supposed to absorb the ultraviolet rays from the sun's radiation and is responsible for protecting the organism s from the UV rays. Hydrocarbons like chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs s) cause destructions on the ozone molecules that deplete the ozone layer. The harmful effects of ozone depletion have been prevalent in countries like New Zealand and Australia that experiences higher rates of skin cancer than other world regions (Ashfaq & Sharma). Besides, methane, emitted from natural gas industries, landfills, and land emitted by livestock, affects the earth's ozone layer.

Besides, air pollution results in the formation of photochemical smog, especially during the combination of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the presence of sunlight and fog. That results in an accumulation of yellowish-brown haze during winter that hinders visibility and results in respiratory disorders and allergies from the pollutant gas. Worse still, it results in aerosol formation through the dispersion of solid, liquid matter in the atmosphere forming a thick layer in the troposphere hence affecting the weather conditions by blocking solar radiation. Some aerosols are also deposited on the leaves, thereby affecting photosynthesis through their dispersion of metallic pollutants. Additionally, According to the Department of Environmental Protection, there is an effect of eutrophication caused by air pollution. That underlies a high concentration of nutrients on the water body like nitrogen that reacts to the stimulation of algae blooms, which results in the death of aquatic life and the loss of plant and animal diversity.

Similarly, air pollution affects wildlife through toxic pollutants that are deposited on alter surface and soil. The impact on wildlife through health problems, especially in animals when exposed to sufficient concentrations of toxins of air over a long period such as pollutants, has resulted in defecting in birth, reproduction failure, and disease in animals. When the toxic pollutants persist, it causes adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystem. Whenever the contaminants accumulate in the elements, it may biomagnify in animal tissues of animals from the top of the food chain to other concentrations. Similarly, air pollution may result in crop and animal damage leading to both reductions in the commercial forest and agricultural crop yield. That subsequently leads to reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings and increased plant susceptibility to pests, disease, and trees on the environment like harsh weather.

Furthermore, air pollution on the environment may result in the haze that underscores sunlight's encounter with tiny pollution particles in the air leading to obscurity to clarity, color, form, and texture. Some pollutants that cause haze are emitted directly to the atmosphere by automobile, power plant, industrial facilities, and construction activities. Other results through gas emotions in the air like sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides hence obscuring visibility. Moreover, there is an aspect of smog and soot as an effect of air pollution in the environment. Haze occurs when the combustion of fossil fuels react with sunlight as soot underscores tiny particles of soil, chemicals, allergies, smoke and dust in the form of solids or gases (Mackenzie). Such pollutants reduce the aspect of distance and clarity of view. The contaminant, especially soot, can penetrate the bloodstreams, lungs, or bronchitis, leading to a heart attack or death on both animals and humans.

Prevention of Air Pollution

Air pollution can, however, be prevented to curb the effect that it was bringing to the environment. For instance, the use of renewable fuel and clean energy as an alternative to the use of fossil fuels and replacing them with alternative energies like wind, solar, and geothermal. Additionally, there should be advocating of energy conservation and efficiency through the production of clean energy, which is crucial that could also be vita in the reduction of power by adopting responsible habits and using more efficient devices. Similarly, there should be devised ways of eco-friendly transportation through a shift to electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles and promoting shared mobility like public transport and carpooling in the quest for reduction of air pollution. Finally, there should be an initiative in the building of green buildings that are aimed at creating environmentally responsible and structure that is resource-efficient to reduce the footprint of their carbon.

Conclusion

Air pollution involves the release of pollutants in the air that may not only affect the human health abut also cause various environmental effects on the planet as a whole. It is majorly caused by human activities, which involved the burning of foil fuel that is released on the atmosphere gas and chemical. Air pollution is not only a major contributor to climate change but its accelerator. Its effect can range from the release of methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, smoke, and mold pollen among others. Air pollution has a vast majority of effects on the environment, ranging from the formation of acid rain, aerosol formation, eutrophication, and have, effect on the wildlife, one depletion, and global climate change and crop and forest damage. Air pollution, therefore, needs to be reduced owing to its environmental effect through the responsible living and championing for the use of renewable energy to replace pollutant like fossil fuel...