Air pollution - the damage it does to our planet

 

In today’s society it’s common knowledge that our planet is getting polluted 24/7, mostly with carbon dioxide better known as CO₂. This happens just by the way we live, which includes needing food and clothes, travelling by car and using our electronic devices. It seems like there is no way not producing any CO₂. However - what is even so bad about the air pollution?

 

Damage on the planet

Air pollution has some serious effects on the environment and some common environmental impacts include: 

·         Acid rain

·         Glaciers melting

·         Poisoning of animals and plants

·         Ozone depletion in the stratosphere

·         Sea levels Increasing

·         Climate change

The most known and also biggest environmental problem would be the climate change or global warming, which is caused by the increasing level of greenhouse gases. Such greenhouse gases again cause greenhouse effects.

 

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons.

The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth. This process maintains the Earth’s temperature at around 33 degrees Celsius warmer than it would otherwise be, allowing life on Earth to exist.

The problem we now face is that human activities – particularly burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), agriculture and land clearing – are increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases. This is the enhanced greenhouse effect, which is contributing to warming of the Earth.

To keep it simple, here is the process in 6 steps:

Step 1: 

Solar radiation reaches the Earth's atmosphere - some of this is reflected back into space.

Step 2: 

The rest of the sun's energy is absorbed by the land and the oceans, heating the Earth.

Step 3: 

Heat radiates from Earth towards space.

Step 4: 

Some of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, keeping the Earth warm enough to sustain life.

Step 5: 

Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and land clearing are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Step 6: 

This is trapping extra heat and causing the Earth's temperature to rise.

 

Therefore, it should be a global interest to keep track of pollutants and work to minimize the release as much as possible. Otherwise, the consequences could be fatal and in the worst case even won’t allow human life on this Earth anymore.