Air pollution

-

 

What Is Air Pollution?



Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air—pollutants which are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year air pollution is responsible for nearly seven million deaths around the globe. Nine out of ten human beings currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO’s guideline limits for pollutants, with those living in low- and middle-income countries suffering the most. In the United States, the Clean Air Act, established in 1970, authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to safeguard public health by regulating the emissions of these harmful air pollutants.

What Causes Air Pollution?

“Most air pollution comes from energy use and production,” says John Walke, director of the Clean Air Project, part of the Climate and Clean Energy program at NRDC. “Burning fossil fuels releases gases and chemicals into the air.” And in an especially destructive feedback loop, air pollution not only contributes to climate change but is also exacerbated by it. “Air pollution in the form of carbon dioxide and methane raises the earth’s temperature,” Walke says. “Another type of air pollution, smog, is then worsened by that increased heat, forming when the weather is warmer and there’s more ultraviolet radiation.” Climate change also increases the production of allergenic air pollutants, including mold (thanks to damp conditions caused by extreme weather and increased flooding) and pollen (due to a longer pollen season).

“We’ve made progress over the last 50 years improving air quality in the United States thanks to the Clean Air Act,” says Kim Knowlton, senior scientist and deputy director of the NRDC Science Center. “But climate change will make it harder in the future to meet pollution standards, which are designed to protect health.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My first👌Blog

-
Image
Seal   commonly known as seals,are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walrus), Otariidae (the eared seals: sea lions and fur seals), and Phocidae (the earless seals, or true seals). There are 34 extant species of pinnipeds, and more than 50 extinct species have been described from fossils. While seals were historically thought to have descended from two ancestral lines, molecular evidence supports them as a monophyletic lineage (descended from one ancestral line). Pinnipeds belong to the order Carnivora; their closest living relatives are musteloids (weasels, raccoons, skunks, and red pandas), having diverged about 50 million years ago. 👌
Read more

E-waste

-
Image
  Electronic waste , also known as e-waste, is a growing problem in today's society. With the rapid advancement of technology, electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, and televisions are becoming obsolete at an alarming rate. As a result, a large amount of electronic waste is generated every year, which poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. One of the main reasons why e-waste is a concern is that it contains harmful chemicals and heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, which can leach into the soil and groundwater if not properly disposed of. This can lead to serious health problems for people and animals who come into contact with contaminated soil or water. Moreover, e-waste can also have a significant impact on the environment by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere during the production and disposal process. The energy and resources required to produce new electronic devices are also significant, making e-waste a major contribu...
Read more

Global warming

-
Image
Global Warming: Understanding the Crisis and its Impacts Global warming is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and it is critical that we understand what it is, what causes it, and what its effects are. The purpose of this blog is to provide a comprehensive overview of global warming, so that we can all make informed decisions about how to protect our planet and future generations. What is Global Warming? Global warming is the gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans. This increase is primarily caused by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and agriculture. As a result of these activities, the amount of greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere has increased dramatically. These gases trap heat from the sun, causing the Earth's temperature to rise. What Causes Global Warming?  The primary cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2), ...
Read more