Pollution

Pollution
Human beings have always caused some environmental pollution. Since prehistoric times, people have created waste. Like garbage today, this waste was either burned, tossed into waterways, buried, or dumped aboveground. However, the waste of early peoples was mostly food scraps and other substances that broke down easily by natural decay processes. Prehistoric populations were also much smaller and were spread out over large areas. As a result, pollution was less concentrated and caused few problems.

The growth of pollution started during ancient times when large numbers of people began living together in cities. As cities grew, pollution grew with them. Poor sanitation practices and contaminated water supplies unleashed massive epidemics in early cities.
Environmental problems became even more serious and widespread during a period called the Industrial Revolution. This period was characterized by the development of factories and the overcrowding of cities with factory workers.
By the 1800s, people began to understand that unsanitary living conditions and water contamination contributed to disease epidemics. This new awareness prompted major cities to take measures to control waste and garbage. First major sewage systems were built in this period to treat wastewater.
As cities became more populated towards the end of the 19th century, industrialized cities across Europe and the United States were experiencing a new kind of pollution: waste from industries and factories. In 1897, a report to the Royal Commission on River Pollution detailed the gross industrial contamination of the Tawe River in Wales, noting that it was polluted by "alkali works, copper works, sulfuric acid liquid, sulfate of iron from tin-plate works, and by slag, cinders and small coal"
During the Industrial Revolution, coal powered most factories. Most city homes also relied on coal as a heating fuel. The burning of coal filled the air of London and other industrial cities with smoke and soot. So it was the industrial revolution that gave birth to environmental pollution as we know it today. We need to notice that pollution can be natural, such as from volcanic eruptions, and human in origin. It can be deliberate or accidental. Pollution is also a quantitative phenomenon – the levels that constitute pollution can vary. Decomposition is much slower in cold regions than in warm.
Environmental pollution consists of five basic types of pollution: air, water, soil, noise and light.
Air pollution is the most harmful form of pollution in our environment. Air pollution is cause by the injurious smoke emitted by cars, buses, trucks, trains, and factories, namely sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. The emergence of great factories and consumption of immense quantities of coal and other fossil fuels gave rise to air pollution. Even smoke from burning leaves and cigarettes are harmful to the environment causing a lot of damage to man and the atmosphere.
Evidence of increasing air pollution is seen in lung cancer, asthma, allergies, and various breathing problems along with severe and irreparable damage to flora and fauna. Even the most natural phenomenon of migratory birds has been hampered, with severe air pollution preventing them from reaching their seasonal metropolitan destinations of centuries.
The gas released from refrigerators, air-conditioners, deodorants and insect repellents cause severe damage to the Earth’s environment. This gas has slowly damaged the atmosphere and depleted the ozone layer leading to global warming.
Water pollution caused industrial waste products released into lakes, rivers, and other water bodies, has made marine life no longer hospitable. Humans pollute water with large scale disposal of garbage, ashes and other household waste. In many rural areas one can still find people bathing and cooking in the same water, making it incredibly filthy. Acid rain plays its part in water pollution. In addition to these, thermal pollution and the depletion of dissolved oxygen aggravate the already worsened condition of the water bodies. Water pollution can also indirectly occur as an offshoot of soil pollution – through surface runoff and leaching to groundwater.
Soil pollution, which can also be called soil contamination, is a result of acid rain, polluted water, fertilizers etc., which leads to bad crops. Soil contamination occurs when chemicals are released by spill or underground storage tank leakage which releases heavy contaminants into the soil. These may include hydrocarbons, heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides ect.
Noise pollution comes from such machines as airplanes, motor vehicles, construction machinery, and industrial equipment. Poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential area. High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans, a rise in blood pressure, and an increased incidence of coronary artery disease. In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection and avoidance, interfere with reproduction and navigation, and contribute to permanent hearing loss.
Light pollution is a side effect of industrial civilization. Light pollution is a broad term that refers to multiple problems, all of which are caused by inefficient, unappealing, or unnecessary use of artificial light.
It is most severe in highly industrialized, densely populated areas of North America, Europe, and Japan and in major cities in the Middle East and North Africa. Like other forms of pollution light pollution causes damage to the environment.
Excessive night lighting leads to overuse of electricity and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Light environment pollution affect the growth cycle of many plants. There may be variations in hormonal balance of human body, which is closely related to the perceived cycle of day and night.
Environment pollution leads to deforestation and greenhouse effect. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use. Acid rains produce deforestation too.
Deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography. It can result in arid land and wastelands. It is a contributor to global warming, and is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Tropical deforestation (rainforest) is responsible for approximately 20% of world greenhouse gas emissions.
Deforestation causes carbon dioxide to stay in the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide accrues, it produces a layer in the atmosphere that absorbs radiation from the sun. The radiation converts to heat which causes global warming. The effect of global warming may have different outcomes: sea levels will rise, causing flooding in low-lying areas. There will be different distribution of rainfall. Agricultural practice will change. There will be an increase in storm activity.
The other problem is genetically modified food.
Genetically modified foods or biotech foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Genetically Modified foods (GM foods) were first put on the market in 1996. Typically, genetically modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, rice, and cotton seed oil.
An anxiety is focused on the long-term health effect for anyone eating such food. Since genetically modified food has been introduced into supermarkets, there has been much controversy as to whether it is actually safe. Corporations and governments engaged in the genetic engineering of food claim the technology to be a boon for the human race but many people believe it to be a actual disaster.
Pollution is a very complicated and a serious problem. But pollution can be reduced. Scientists and engineers can find the ways to reduce pollution from automobiles and factories. Government can pass the laws that would make enterprises take measures for reducing of pollution. Individuals and groups of people can work together to persuade enterprises to stop polluting environment. There numerous public organizations such as Greenpeace that are doing much to preserve environment. Greenpeace is a famous pressure group. It has an expressed worldwide presence with national and regional offices in many countries. Its policies include nonviolent direct action, lobbying and research to achieve its targets. There is another organization named Friends of the Earth. Since 1971 this pressure group has been performing to achieve their goals in struggling against GM food, fighting for recycling, protecting environment – land, water, soil, air, wildlife and habitat, getting a grip on climate change.
Thus, people would have to stop using many useful things if they wanted to end pollution immediately. Most people don’t agree to do that. But pollution can be reduced gradually.