The Controversy: The Role Of Pollution In The 19th Century

Since the beginnings of the Industrial Age in the mid 19th century, the earth has experienced a very rapid increase in the amount of pollutants in the air and the water, due to emissions from automobiles, factories, chemical plants and other manufacturing methods which use fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, to create power. But within the last thirty years or so, the amount of pollution in our air and water has reached what some consider as a tipping point, meaning that pollution is slowly yet surely poisoning not only our air and water but also living environments all over the planet. Many proposals have been put forward concerning ways to decrease pollution and to help slow down global warming, yet the causes and effects of air and
Regarding air pollution, this type of contamination can occur either naturally or by the actions of human beings, much like with water pollution. Generally, there are three main sources of air pollution-stationary and area sources, mobile sources, agricultural sources and natural sources. The first type "refers to an emission source that does not move," such as utilities (i.e., those that generate electricity and gas), chemical and manufacturing industries/factories which are mostly "large emitters of pollutants that release relatively consistent qualities and quantities of pollutants." The second type "refers to a source that is capable of moving under its own power," such as automobiles, trucks, buses and aircraft. This also includes "non-road and off-road" sources like gas-powered lawnmowers, farm and construction equipment, recreational vehicles (snowmobiles, jet skis) and boats ("Air Pollution," Internet). The third type is agricultural operations, such as those found on farms that raise food crops or animals for human consumption, which generate "emissions of gases, particulate matter and chemical
This form of air pollution also increases the acidic levels in lakes, streams and rivers and can adversely affect fish and other aquatic life in their ability to "grow, reproduce and survive." Also, acid rain affects the ability of plants like trees to grow and resist disease ("Air Pollution," Internet). Other adverse effects of air pollution include smog, generated by automobiles and other fossil-fuel burning vehicles, eutrophication, based on "excess nitrogen which causes the accelerated growth of algae, bioaccumulation, or an increase in chemical contaminants in the food chain which can often "change a plant species composition and make species more susceptible to disease, changes in the weather and insect damage" ("Air Pollution," Internet). Thus, the effects of air and water pollution on our planet and its ecosystems is now considered as a major global problem and much needs to be done in order to curtail their negative