Air Pollution Causes
The earth has been locked to many environmental problems and dilemmas. The planet has been suffering from the many things that people do and from those that are naturally happening around. Pollution has been acknowledged to have existed for many centuries, yet it has become an issue of serious concern only in the last 200 years or so, customarily due to the Industrial Revolution.
One of the problems that our planet faces is the air pollution. Do you know that an average person will inhale about 20,000 liters of air? Every time he breathes, he takes the risk of inhaling hazardous chemicals that have found their way into the air.
Air pollution contains all contaminants that can be found in the environment, especially in the atmosphere. These hazardous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Furthermore, air pollution is a discharge into the atmosphere of any substances like chemicals or airborne particles, which are destructive both to human and animal health as well as the well-being of the larger environment.
Pollution in the air takes place because the release of air impurities occurs at a rate that is much faster than they can be accommodated by the environment and removed from the atmosphere without instigating severe harm.
Atmospheric pollution stems from all parts of the world and travels around without recognizing boundaries or restrictions.
Whenever people think about air pollution, they usually associate the idea with smog, acid rain, CFCs, and other forms of outdoor air pollution. What they do not know is that air pollution can be set up both outdoors and indoors. The contaminants and pollutants can be confined inside buildings, causing indoor pollution that persists for a long time.
The sources of air pollution are both biological or natural and human-based. As one might expect, humans have been yielding increasing amounts of pollution as time progresses, and they now account for the majority of pollutants being discharged into the air.
The effects of air pollution are diverse and copious or many. Air pollution can have serious costs, penalties, or consequences for the health of human beings, and also ruthlessly distress natural networks or ecosystems.
Since it is positioned in the atmosphere, air pollution is capable of traveling very effortlessly. Thus, air pollution is a global crisis and has been the subject of worldwide cooperation and divergence.
Some areas are now suffering more than others from air pollution. Cities that have large numbers of automobiles or those that use great quantities of petroleum, coal, or gas often put up with the most severe harms of air pollution.
What are the causes of air pollution?
Here are the fundamental causes of air pollution.
GLOBALIZATION
The increasing association and alliance of the world’s economic order through the diminution of such obstructions and barriers to international trade as tariffs, export fees, and import quotas is globalization. The objective is to flourish and increase material wealth, goods, and services using an international division of labor by competent catalyzed by international relations, specialization, and battle.
Globalization has in a way become a catalyst of air pollution because of its aim of improving the industry and economy. Big industry takes benefit of lenient and careless environmental controls in developing nations and moves its manufacturing facilities to such “pollution havens” from where air pollution passes through around the world without any impediment.
POPULATION GROWTH
While air pollution causes may be both natural and human-made, it is indisputably human activity that is the largest source of atmospheric pollution. The constant growth of population also increases the demand for food and other goods, which also results in expanded production and utilization of natural resources. This then leads to higher levels of atmospheric pollution. Population growth is the instant ultimate pollution grounds. The demand for food and other goods goes up with population numbers factually blowing up around the world, This demand is met by expanded production and use of natural resources, which leads to higher levels of ecological pollution in general, and air pollution in particular.
INDUSTRIALIZATION
This refers to the process of a social and economic revolution that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one. It is indeed a part of a wider modernization process, where social change and economic development are directly linked with technological and industrial innovation, particularly with the development of large-scale energy and metallurgy construction. The wide-ranging organization of an economy for manufacturing is industrialization.
Industrialization has produced and led to health problems, and has become a major medical issue worldwide. Industrialization set in motion the prevalent use of fossil fuels which are now the major drivers of pollution as we know it.
More countries begin to develop; consequently, the pollution only gets larger. It is making it harder to improve the air. As the economy rises, the amount of fossil fuels being burned daily also increases. There is still the question of whether or not financial development could even be possible while we try to protect the atmosphere. That developed countries are competing instead of working together is one big problem. Even though the countries work together, there is still insufficient participation among other countries to do any far-reaching, harsh change.
AIR POLLUTANTS
These are the launch of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that trigger harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms or initiate damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere.
These are some of the air pollutants.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which is a colorless gas with a pungent, suffocating odor, is corrosive to organic materials SO2 irritates the eyes, nose, and lungs; hence, it is quite an unsafe air pollutant.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are created by the combustion of all fossil fuels together with coal- and gas-fired power stations and motor vehicles.
Carbon monoxide is an extremely lethal or toxic gas that has no color, odor, or taste. Fossil fuel combustion generally produces carbon dioxide (CO2) but at times, when such combustion is curtailed it also becomes a source of carbon monoxide.
