Pollution

Pollution is the act of making natural resources contaminated or unusable. It can take many forms, including air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Unchecked pollution can have extremely negative effects on the environment itself and on the people and animals who inhabit that environment. In some cases, these effects may be irreversible.

Background

Pollution existed long before modern times. Tens of thousands of years ago, humans started making tools and left scraps from this process in the wilderness. Lead from the forges of Roman blacksmiths spread into the environment and can still be traced today. While these pollutants undoubtedly had an effect on the immediate area, their effects were largely contained to those localities. As the number of humans grew, technology advanced and the impact of pollution on the environment increased.

These changes began to accelerate in the eighteenth century at the start of the Industrial Revolution. During this time, humanity made huge leaps forward in technology and medicine, allowing people to live longer. Additionally, more people lived together in larger cities, drastically altering the surrounding environment. Human populations rose worldwide, totaling more than one billion at the start of the nineteenth century. With this growth came an increased need for energy resources.

Soon, humanity began relying on fossil fuels, like coal and oil, in addition to renewable resources like wood, wind, and water. Huge factories produced iron and textiles on a scale that had never been seen before. The industrial runoff from these factories polluted rivers, streams, and oceans. In many cases, people would simply dump the waste into a river, assuming it would just flow away with the water. Smoke, gasses, and carbon dioxide produced by factories also polluted the air, creating a heavy layer of smog in London, England, and other major cities.

During the Industrial Revolution, people had no scientific knowledge of fossil fuels. They never thought that supplies of coal or oil would run low or that overusing these resources would have long-term negative effects on the environment. From that point forward, use of fossil fuels only increased. In the twenty-first century, fossil fuels power most forms of transportation, including automobiles, causing a great deal of air pollution. They also release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, accelerating the pace of global warming, which is the gradual increase in the earth's overall temperature.

Overview

Generally, there are three forms of pollution—air pollution, land pollution, and water pollution. Air pollution, the releasing of unnatural or harmful gasses into the atmosphere, has been a problem since the early part of the Industrial Revolution. Smog, a thick cloud of pollutants, is still a problem in many major cities. These clouds can have a serious impact on the health of city residents. In severe cases, such as in London in 1952, smog can even suffocate people to death. However, even in lesser quantities, smog can cause health problems. Breathing smog, even for a short period, can irritate the lungs, causing painful coughing, chest pressure, and decreased lung function. Prolonged exposure to smog may cause inflammation of the lining of the lungs, reduced lung capacity, and reduce resistance to emphysema, bronchitis, and similar diseases.

Land pollution involves the contamination of soil. Contamination can happen in a variety of ways. These include illegal dumping of chemicals, improper application of pesticides, litter dissolving into the ground, industrial runoff, acid rain, and any number of other factors. Land pollution can be deadly to local vegetation, sometimes making it impossible for plants to grow. Some poisons used in pest control can be absorbed by the soil and may cause cancer or birth defects in anyone who is routinely exposed to the contaminated earth. Additionally, as land pollutants decay, they may seep into groundwater or evaporate into the atmosphere, further contributing to water and air pollution. Purifying contaminated soil is prohibitively expensive. Land pollution is also difficult to police, as enforcement agencies may not have regular access to private properties. Modern strategies for dealing with land pollution involve increasing the enforcement of existing regulations, increasing the fines for violating regulations, and raising public awareness to prevent future pollution.

Freshwater pollution is the contamination of the world's drinkable water supplies. Human-made chemicals, sewage, chemically enriched rainwater runoff, and illegal dumping can all contaminate water. Because all living things rely on water, these pollutants can affect the entire ecosystem. Most developed nations have protocols in place to ensure a supply of clean drinking water. They have complex filtering and water recycling plants; they heavily restrict dumping into freshwater reservoirs, rivers, and streams; and they levy heavy fines on anyone who violates those regulations. However, much of this infrastructure does not exist in the developing world. Many developing or poor nations have water supplies that are heavily contaminated with fertilizer runoff, industrial waste, and raw sewage. While much of that water is unsafe to drink, the people of developing nations may have few other options.

In the early twenty-first century, marine pollution has become a growing problem. Marine pollution is the destruction and contamination of ocean environments. More than 80 percent of marine pollution comes from land. Litter and chemicals make their way through rivers and streams to the ocean. While these pollutants may not be visible in the ocean, they do cause significant damage. Large masses of solid garbage—including plastic bags, bottles, metals, and rubber products—can seriously endanger ocean wildlife. Untreated sewage dumped into the ocean can start a chain reaction, eventually causing massive wildlife die-offs and the collapse of local ecosystems. Fertilizer runoff, washed into the ocean by rainfall in coastal areas, often has a similar effect. While difficult to enforce, experts believe that greater regulation is required to preserve Earth's marine environments.

Bibliography

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