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Endangered Environments

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Causes, Effects and Solutions of Air Pollution. Share 1602Share Pollution is now a common place term, that our ears are attuned to.

Causes, Effects and Solutions of Air Pollution

We hear about the various forms of pollution and read about it through the mass media. Air pollution is one such form that refers to the contamination of the air, irrespective of indoors or outside. A physical, biological or chemical alteration to the air in the atmosphere can be termed as pollution. It occurs when any harmful gases, dust, smoke enters into the atmosphere and makes it difficult for plants, animals and humans to survive as the air becomes dirty. Air pollution can further be classified into two sections- Visible air pollution and invisible air pollution. The Ozone layer considered crucial for the existence of the ecosystems on the planet is depleting due to increased pollution.

Types of Pollutants In order to understand the causes of Air pollution, several divisions can be made. Largest organization for teens and social cause. 1.

Largest organization for teens and social cause

Pollution is one of the biggest global killers, affecting over 100 million people. That’s comparable to global diseases like malaria and HIV. 2. According to a 2012 study from Unicef, 2,200 children die every day as a result of dirty drinking water. 3. 14 billion pounds of garbage are dumped into the ocean every year. Pollution. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.[1] Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light.

Pollution

Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution. Ancient cultures Air pollution has always accompanied civilizations. Pollution started from prehistoric times when man created the first fires. Official acknowledgement King Edward I of England banned the burning of sea-coal by proclamation in London in 1272, after its smoke became a problem.[4][5] But the fuel was so common in England that this earliest of names for it was acquired because it could be carted away from some shores by the wheelbarrow. It was the industrial revolution that gave birth to environmental pollution as we know it today. Modern awareness. Effects of global warming. Summary of climate change impacts.

Effects of global warming

The effects of global warming are the ecological and social changes caused (directly or indirectly) by human emissions of greenhouse gases. There is a scientific consensus that climate change is occurring, and that human activities are the primary driver.[1] Evidence of climate change includes the instrumental temperature record, rising sea levels, and decreased snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere.[2] According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in human greenhouse gas concentrations.[3] Definitions Also, the term "anthropogenic forcing" refers to the influence exerted on a habitat or chemical environment by humans, as opposed to a natural process.[9] Temperature changes Global mean surface temperature difference from the average for 1880–2009.

SRES emissions scenarios Projected warming in context Oceans. Off-shore drilling. Below: The case against oil drilling off-shore.Some of the dangers with drillingBP's Deepwater Horizon spill & Gulf newsDrilling in the ArcticAlberta's tar sands oilOil reservesSubsidies to oil industry March 2013: Two miles of sea covers big oil’s next-generation field.

Off-shore drilling

As explorers search for energy in ever-greater depths offshore, the technical challenges of ferrying oil and natural gas more than 10,000 feet through the ocean is spurring a drive to relocate production operations to the sea floor. Spending on subsea valves, pipelines and cables that will help build these underwater oilfields will grow to a record $13.9 billion in 2013. “If a typical deep-water well is like going to the moon, then the Gulf of Mexico ultra-deepwater frontier is like going to Mars,” said Baker Hughes’ CEO Martin Craighead. link November 2012: BP & Chevron singled out as risky oil companies for investment. More on offshore oil and gas in the United States here.

July 2011: Is oil drilling inherently flawed?

Rainforests in danger

Oceans endangered.