Pollution

What is pollution? Some people may ask. Well pollution is the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects. There's a lot of polluting going on right now in the world. As a matter of fact, so much pollution goes on that we could fill another Earth with it. Pollution is also causing some animals numbers to go down in size. Say for instance, a fishing net got lost in the water and a seal got tangled in it and couldn't get free. It would die, right? Yes, it would because, depending on where the seal got tangled, it would either suffocate and die, or starve to death. Well, we kill animals by polluting EVERYDAY of our lives.

How does pollution impact the environment?

  • The many different kinds of pollution that have a major impact on the environment are water, air, soil, light, and noise. Many parts of the world are pouring tons of chemicals into drinking water and there is an increasing rate of cancer due to this.

  • Water pollution is everywhere. Even in the middle of the Pacific ocean many of the sea animals mistake it for food and they end up dying because they either can't chew it or they choke on it. Fish and other animals are decreasing in population size because of pollution.
  • Air pollution has a huge impact on the environment, because of exhaust. Exhaust from engines has a chemical that will cause several things to happen to the environment, like acid rain, cardiovascular and respiratory problems.
  • Soil pollution (contamination) has the same affect as water and air pollution, but it's stronger. It's stronger because contaminated soil cannot grow plants or crops without that pollution getting into it. 

  • Light pollution impacts the environment more than water, air, and soil pollution. It actually blows the cover for many nocturnal animals making it hard for them to find food, mates, and shelter. It even affects how we see the stars, like in Las Vegas, we can go outside at night look up into the sky and it's like the stars are behind this huge brown cloud, which is light pollution. We need to go green and start saving our non-renewable resources because sooner or later we aren't going to have any more of them left.

  • Noise pollution affects the environment by drowning out mating calls for animals and it causes hearing loss for many animals, if the noise is above 85 dB (decibel). Its also causes an increase in heart rate, respiration, and general stress reactions.


What are some solutions to help clean up pollutionthat are currently being used or may be used in the future?

  • Some of the solutions consist of going green or starting to use less of our non-renewable resources, and even our renewable resources. There are six ways to help solve pollution. They are bioenergy, wind turbines, hydroelectricity, and solar power.

  • Bioenergy is produced by living organisms like plants and trees. Some crops, like soybeans and corn, are harvested to produce energy in the form of biofuel.
  • Wind turbines convert kinetic energy into mechanical energy which is later converted into electricity. We can use wind to help stop pollution because no solid wastes are being produced. It can have a negative impact on noise pollution though.
  • Hydroelectricity is produced b a gravitational force of flowing or falling water. It's the most common use of renewable sources being used right now.
  • Solar power is another form of renewable electricity, because it uses the heat and light from the sun.