Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the atmosphere that pose
serious health and environmental threats. But what causes air pollution and
what does it mean for our planet?
Some air pollution comes from natural sources like volcanic eruptions,
wildfires or allergens but most air pollution results from human activities such
as energy use and agriculture. There are different types of human made air
pollution.
When we burn fossil fuels to produce energy, they release greenhouse gasses
into the air. These emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
and fluorinated gasses trap heat from the sun in earth’s atmosphere, leading
to a rise in global temperatures. This creates a cycle where air pollution
contributes to climate change and climate change creates higher
temperatures. In turn, higher temperatures intensify some types of air
pollution. For example, climate change increases smog because it forms in the
presence of high heat and increased levels of ultraviolet radiation. More
frequent extreme weather such as flooding contributes to damp conditions
and therefore to arise in mold. Warmer weather also leads to longer pollen
seasons and therefore more pollen production.
Smog is a type of air pollution that reduces visibility and has serious health
effects. Smog is divided into two categories: sulfurous and photochemical.
Sulfurous smog is made up of chemical compounds called sulfur oxide. It
occurs when burning sulfur bearing fossil fuels, such as coal. Photochemical
smog also called ground level ozone is a result of the reaction between
sunlight, nitrogen oxide, and volatile organic compounds. Nitrogen oxide
comes from car exhaust, coal power plants, and factory emissions. Volatile
organic compounds are released from gasoline, paints, and many cleaning
solvents. Smog not only creates a brown haze that reduces visibility but also
harms plants, irritates the eyes and causes respiratory distress.
Another category of air pollution is toxic pollutants. These are chemicals such
as mercury, lead, dioxins and benzene that are released during gas or cold
combustion, waste incineration or burning of gasoline. In addition to adverse
environmental effects, toxic air pollution can cause serious health problems
such as cancer, reproductive complications and birth defects.
While air pollution has many consequences for our planet, there are solutions.
We can limit toxic pollutes, smog and greenhouse gasses by decreasing the
use of fossil fuels such as in transportation manufacturing and electricity
generation. Reducing air pollution not only contributes to a cleaner
environment and better human health but can also slow the rate of global
warming
