Understanding Pollution: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

Pollution

What is contamination? Where does it come from?

The causes of this decline in environmental quality are due to the economic growth model, the growth of the population, and the lack of control over ecological damage. Pollution is any substance or energy that causes loss or damage to property of any kind. Contamination may have different origins: natural sources of pollution and contamination from artificial sources. Man-made pollution is the most common, and we can further control it. It can affect the soil, water, and air, and therefore all living beings.

Air Pollution

We speak of air pollution when certain substances or forms of energy reach above-normal concentrations in the air.

Contamination is emitted into the atmosphere. Control of air pollution is very important since this contamination can jeopardize the health and welfare of humans, plants, and animals, attack different materials, reduce visibility, and cause unpleasant odors. Most of these substances are oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, etc., from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, power generation at thermal plants, the smoke from trash incinerators, refineries, and chemical industries. The effects of these substances include local effects and global effects on the planet, such as the enhanced greenhouse effect, acid rain, and the destruction of the ozone layer.

Greenhouse Effect

It is a natural effect that makes life on Earth possible. Certain gases in the atmosphere, such as water vapor and others that are in smaller quantities, like methane or carbon dioxide, absorb some of the heat reflected from the Earth's surface that it receives from the sun. If these gases did not retain the heat, the Earth would be 30 degrees colder, and life would be impossible. If the current rate of fuel use continues, we would experience global effects such as the melting of polar ice, increasing sea levels, and local changes in climates.

Acid Rain

Acid rain is formed when gaseous pollutants, such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, mix with sunlight and moisture, producing acids that fall to Earth as rain, snow, or dust. Rain causes corrosion to forests, buildings, and metals, and acidifies rivers, lakes, etc., which poses a serious threat to species living in these environments.

The Destruction of the Ozone Layer

The atmosphere, the outermost layer of Earth, consists of several layers:

• Troposphere: Where most weather phenomena occur, and where clouds are found and airplanes fly.
• Stratosphere: At the top level of the stratosphere, ozone (O₃) is generated.

Ozone absorbs some of the potentially dangerous ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Over Antarctica, and recently over the Arctic, stratospheric ozone has decreased in the last 15 years during certain times of the year. This is mainly due to emissions of chemicals that contain chlorine, such as CFCs, and nitrogen oxides. CFCs are used in cooling systems of refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosols, solvents, and the production of certain types of packaging.

The solution would be to eliminate existing forms of fossil fuels for energy, that is, to produce all energy with renewable sources. Some alternatives are now being put in place, such as using filters on smokestacks and improving combustion processes in power plants and vehicles. An international agreement to this effect is essential, as air pollutants know no borders.