How does air pollution
contribute to Global Warming???
Air Pollution is the addition of harmful substances to the environment,
human health, and quality of life.
How does the Green House effect contribute to Global Warming???
Green House effect is the warming near the Earth's surface that results
when the Earth's atmosphere traps the sun's heat.
What effects does air pollution have on the Earth???
As sun radiation is let in, breathing problems, health
hazards, and skin problems occur.
What effects does the greenhouse effect have on our
Earth???
It increases the amount of Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor,
and ozone gases, causing unpredictable global problems in the future.
_____________________________________________________________________
AIR POLLUTION
Air pollution is an increasing global
problem. It occurs inside homes, schools, offices cities, across continents,
and worldwide. Air pollution causes acid rain and snow, it corrodes statues
and buildings, and damage to crops, forests, lakes and streams. Air
pollution lets in harmful sun radiation, insulating heat, and causing global
average temperatures to rise. It also causes breathing problems, cancer,
harm to plants, animals, and the ecosystems they inhabit. Scientific
Predictions say global warming as a result of air pollution will affect
world food supply, alter the sea level, extreme weather, and tropical disease
will spread more rapidly.
Air pollution also occurs
inside the home. This is known as indoor air pollution.
Tobacco smoke; radon( invisible radioactive gas that enters the home from
the ground in some regions) ; chemicals released from carpet, furniture,
pesticides and household cleaners are all examples of indoor air pollutants.
Inefficient, or poorly vented heaters, are dangerous and also cause air
pollution.
Air pollution also has many other sources. The human activity of
burning fossil fuels is used to power industrial processes and vehicles;
putting carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides,
and tiny solid particles into the atmosphere. In 1900-1970, motor
vehicles were used up to 690% more. Decomposing garbage in landfills
and solid waste disposal sites let off methane gas. Household products
are also a problem because they release VOC's, a type of chemical, in the
air. Things that occur in the natural world also cause air pollution. Soil
erosion causes ultra fine dust particles to be dislodged and released
into the air. Another example are volcanoes. They release sulfur
dioxide and lots of pulverized lava rock, which is also known as volcanic
ash. The fortunate thing about naturally occurring pollutants is that they
don't stay in the atmosphere as long as human pollutants do, which lead
to permanent atmospheric change. Pollutants in the atmosphere create
harmful compounds, which are dangerous. Air pollution can get caught in
weather patterns, which can be dragged into valleys or blow it across the
globe and damage the environment.
Another form
of air pollution is local and regional pollution. The lowest layer of the
atmosphere is known as the troposphere, which is where most weather occurs.
If loads of pollutants were added to the troposphere were equally distributed
, pollutants would be spread over vast areas and go un-noticed. Pollution
sources are mostly found in concentrated areas, such as cities. Local topography,
or the shape of the land, can be hazardous because they can trap pollutants.
Another problem that exists within the environment concerning air pollution
is smog ad acid precipitation. Smog is intense local pollution usually
trapped by thermal inversion (a layer of cool air trapped near the ground
by a layer of warmer air above.) Before vehicles came along, smog
came from burning coal. Burning gasoline in cars is the main source
of smog in most regions today. Photochemical smog is also a problem,
and it is he oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds powered
by sunlight react in the atmosphere. Smog contains ozone, which is a form
of oxygen gas made up of molecules with 3 three oxygen atoms rather
than two. Ozone in the lower atmosphere is poisonous and damages vegetation,
kills trees, irritates lung tissues, and attacks rubber. Atmospheric pressure
is also an issue, and it is sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen turn
into droplets of pure acid floating in smog. This is bad for people's lungs
and attack limestone, marble, and metal. Smog acids erode precious artifacts.
Acid precipitation is carried by the wind and can reach places far from
where they were originally released into the air. This burns plants and
leaves, which causes lakes to be unsuitable for life. And, smog, causes
health problems, leading to fatal illness from carbon monoxide poisoning.
This is how air pollution causes so many problems within our earth due
to indoor air pollution, pollutants, and local and regional pollution.
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Greenhouse
effect is the result of global warming, which is an increase in the earth's
temperature due to the use of fossil fuels and to reflect industrial and
agricultural processes leading to a buildup of "greenhouse gases" in the
atmosphere. Elevated global temperatures could result in coastal flooding
and the shifting of major climatic zones and may cause serious problems
for agricultural productivity.
The difficulty
of distinguishing between emissions caused by humans and those caused by
natural sources, and a number of other uncertainties, in 1995, the United
Nations convened a panel of leading scientists to evaluate the causes and
probable effects of global warming. Global warming is thought to further
warm and rise the sea level. These pose as such great threats that top
scientists have urged immediate action and have called for international
cooperation on the problem. Various international efforts have been
succeeded to lessen greenhouse-gas emissions.
The greenhouse
effect got it's name because when sunlight enters a greenhouse, the roof
and walls slow the escape of the heat. In comparison the earth's atmosphere
allows sunlight to pass through and be trapped within the earth. Then the
earth sends the heat energy back into the atmosphere as infrared radiation.
These gases that are trapped within the earth include, carbon dioxide,
ozone, and water vapor. They become warm and send infrared radiation back
toward the earth adding to the warmth at the surface. The variation in
global temperature may have other causes than the greenhouse effect. Scientists
find it hard to predict the specific consequences of future warming because
the atmosphere, land, and oceans interact in complex ways. Some believe
an intensified greenhouse effect could shift rainfall patterns, raise the
sea level and alter the ecological balance.
The greenhouse
effect works in complex ways. First, gases admit the sun's light, but appear
to reflect back downward the heat that is radiated from the ground below,
trapping heat in the atmosphere. Next, carbon dioxide (the most significant
gas), methane, nitrous oxide, and CFCs are all trapped in the earth, known
as greenhouse gases. Scientists predict that gases in the atmosphere
will cause global average temperatures to rise. The greenhouse effect began
because the climate naturally varies year to year. In the future, our warmer
world will cause extreme weather, according to scientists. These warmer
temperatures are expected to melt polar ice caps and raise
the global sea level. And so, the greenhouse effect is a world problem
which causes many global conflicts because of the poor future it promise
our world.
What is Being Done to Solve This Problem???
One thing
that is being done to solve global warming was the Clean Air Act of 1970,
which protested against local and regional air pollution. Also, modern
law requires that the air contain certain levels of chemicals. And, pollution
control authorities measure pollutants in the atmosphere and ones that
are entering it. Global warming is also being controlled in two other specific
ways. One way is that devices which capture present pollutants, and limiting
the quantity of pollutants produced. Also, other solutions such as building
and car updates to keep air clean are being built. Something you can do
on your part is to use public transportation. If that is not available
to you, then carpooling is another great solution. the improvement upon
ventilation in buildings is also being done. Pollution controls are being
accomplished in other countries as well. In addition, in 1998, the United
States and 24 other nations created a Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
Agreement. And, in December of 1997, 160 nations adopted the Kyoto Protocol.
The United States itself releases more greenhouse gases than any other
country. And, finally, the Clean Air Act from 1970 to 1995 causes air pollutants
to be decreased by 30 percent. In addition to these acts and precautions,
many other measurements are being taken. Although global warming is a large
global problem, there are things being done, and things to be done to lessen
this earth altering disaster.