Human beings depend on air to survive. However, many human beings on many occasions take air for granted. They fail to realize that without the oxygen component of air that human beings breathe in, they would die in a few minutes. By definition, air refers to a mixture of gases that freely roams in the atmosphere. The air circles the earth and is held in place by gravity. The air mixture is comprised of gases such nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, rare gases like argon and water vapor. These gases are in different proportions with nitrogen having the highest proportion (78%).
Air pollution is actually the largest problem facing the world today. Since the industrial revolution, things have not gotten any better and they have in fact gotten worse. The industrial revolution was responsible for bringing a lot of positive things to the world including cheaper merchandise and better transportation that have essentially made our lives significantly better. Before the emergence of the industrial revolution, the pollution problem was virtually unheard of. However, as science continued to evolve, the pollution problem started to become more conspicuous. The problem of air pollution has continued to rise since then and it has become the primary subject of discussion in many environmental science circles.
The impact of air pollution in relation to the environment is visible across all corners of the world today.
Air pollution causes the damage of vegetation. When small particles in the air settle on some vegetation, they inhibit the growth and development of these vegetation for example, shrubs, farm crops, forests and flowers. Flowers and plant crops are in fact the most affected of these. Pollutants such as ground level ozone interfere with the ability of the plant to produce as well as store the food that it has produced. They also make the plant susceptible to pests, diseases together with other environmental stresses.
Chemical pollutants such as sulphur oxides and nitrogen dioxides can develop into acidic particulates or gases and can accelerate the soiling and corrosion of materials. They are also precursors of the destructive acid rain. This type of rain affects water bodies and soils and also stresses both animals and vegetation.
Air pollution has a lot of repercussions to the economical sector. Some of the losses that are accrued as a result of environmental pollution of air range from human health, plants and livestock.
Losses are also realized to the corrosion of different materials including their protective coverings. In addition, huge maintained costs are required both inside and outside of houses and buildings. There is also a high rate of depreciation for materials that have been exposed to air pollution. There is also a high level of expenditure that is incurred directly by the adoption if technological measures aimed at suppressing smoke or other emissions from factories. Dust removal from nuclear and power stations also calls for high costs. These costs are directly passed on to the consumer with the price of power therefore rising to ernomous levels. Another economical aspect of environmental pollution relates to the administrative organization of air pollution control. Finally, high costs are accrued in agricultural, chemical and medical research that is aimed at establishing the techniques for measuring pollution as well as the investigation of how pollution affects the environment, human beings, plants and animals as well as studying the installations and appliances required for the suppression and reduction of various emanations and dusts.
On one of the global effects of air pollution is the green house effect also referred to as global warming. This is caused by the release of ernomous amount of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse” gases in the environment that absorbs the sun’s thermal radiation and re-radiates in all directions of the earth. This consequently results in the elevation of the earth’s temperature, higher than it would normally be in the absence of the green house gases.
Air pollution combines with other types of environmental pollution to bring about massive ramifications for all of humanity. It is relatively establish the connection that exists between bad air and other pollution vices. For example, air pollution results in the release of gases such as sulphur dioxide and trioxide and nitrogen oxides. The presence of these gases is not only harmful because of the fact that if it is breathed in by humans, they can cause health problems. Rather these gases are also responsible for the creation of acid rain which is a form of water pollution once it reaches earth’s surface. This acid rain causes a lot of environmental pollution ranging from the destruction of vegetation and the soil.
Therefore, it is very clear that air pollution is a very destructive vice that only pollutes the air literally but whose effects are also translated across other environmental areas.
Another sustainable option is the use of pollution controllers. These can find use in transportation and industry devices. They can be used to either destroy the pollutants and contaminants or to remove them from industrial and vehicle exhaust streams before they are released into the atmosphere where they are most likely to reduce the quality of air.
The final sustainable option for the air pollution has been the production of green materials especially when it comes to fuels, green fuels are fuels that when burned or when they undergo combustion in the reaction chambers in industries or motor vehicles, the products of combustion are harmless substances such as water. In relation to this, there should be the initiation of wide advocacy for the use of environmentally friendly and sustainable fuels such as biogas, biodiesel and bioethanol.
In conclusion, the topic of air pollution is very important in the environmental circle. As seen from the discussion above, its impact transcends across a variety of circles including social, political, economical, ecological and environmental. It would be therefore be unwise to allow this vice to continue degrading the environment that we essentially depend on for our survival. Sustainable measures like the ones mentioned above should be taken immediately.
