Pollution’s Causes, and its Effects on Global Climate
Pollution’s Causes, and its Effects on Global Climate
Miyengi Cosmas Magigi- Global Sustainability Advisor
Pollution is among of the biggest killer worldwide, approximately 7000 -10000 die everyday as result of drinking unclean water. Pollution introduce harmful substances into the environment and researchers link air pollution to green house gas emissions, climate change and numerous human health problems. The following are some of statistics and fact about the air pollution.
Noise pollution is most neglected form of pollution worldwide, for it can affect children’s developing brains. Noise pollution can cause health problems for people and wildlife, both on land and in the sea. From traffic to concerts, loud or inescapable sounds can cause hearing loss, stress, and high blood pressure. Noise from ships and human activities in the ocean is harmful to whales and dolphins that depend on echolocation to survive. The most common health problem it causes is Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Exposure to loud noise can also cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress. These health problems can affect all age groups, especially children. Many children who live near noisy airports or streets have been found to suffer from stress and other problems, such as impairments in memory, attention level, and reading skill.
Antarctica is one of the cleanest places on Earth, for it is protected by anti pollution laws. This makes it an ideal location to measure the spread of global pollutants. It is also one of the first places where the effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide are seen. Because of this, Antarctica has a central role in global climate change research. The levels of pollutants in Antarctica are in general, lower than elsewhere in the world. This applies to those in the air, water, sediments, animals and plants, and is primarily because there is less industry and farming in the Southern Hemisphere.
Asia has the highest number of polluted rivers in the world. India is the world’s most polluted country and, as such, its most important river is no less so. The Ganges has become a major waste dump in which animals and human bodies are incinerated, and thousands upon thousands of pilgrims bathe to cleanse their sins. One of its tributaries, the Yamuna, is the most polluted urban river in the world. Its water is anoxic, i.e. it has zero oxygen, is pure feces, and cannot support any kind of aquatic, plant or bird life. Only when you get 200 km downstream does it start to recover. 40% of China water bodies are polluted and around 700 million , Chinese citizens drinks contaminated water in regular basis for every 1 million tons of oil shipped about 1 ton is spilled. Worldwide, about 210 million gallons of petroleum enter the sea each year from the extraction, transportation, and consumption of crude oil and the products refined from it, with an additional 180 million gallons coming from natural seepage. Major oil spills like those in the Gulf of Mexico, is the worst type of pollution due to consistent oil spills in the water body, which spreads everywhere else.
China’s air pollution could be intensifying storms over the Pacific ocean and altering weather patterns in north America, according to scientists in the US.team from Texas, California and Washington State has found that pollution from Asia, much of which arising in China, is leading to more intense cyclones, increased precipitation and more warm air in the mid-Pacific moving towards the north pole. According to the team’s findings, which were released earlier this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these changes could ultimately contribute to erratic weather in the US.
In cities, where there are huge traffic and vehicles run bumper-to-bumper, the pollutants in the air can seep into your car, making the air you breathe inside your car up to 10 times more polluted than typical city. International research shows that your exposure to potentially dangerous nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from car traffic is the same inside a car as outside a car. Where a car does offer some protection is with particulate matter and a few other contaminants, which can be partially filtered by the car's ventilation system.
The United States produces 30% of the world’s waste and uses 25 % of the worlds natural resources.The U.S. produces more than 30 percent of the planet’s total waste, though it is home to only 4 percent of the world’s population. In 2014 alone, the U.S. threw out over 258 million tons of “municipal solid waste,” or trash discarded by homes, businesses and institutions, such as universities and libraries. A Columbia University study estimates that Americans throw out 7 pounds of materials per person every day – that’s 2,555 pounds of materials per American every year. Those materials make up only 3 percent of all solid waste in America – the vast majority is generated by industrial processes such as mining, manufacturing and agriculture.
Americans buy more than 29 million bottles of water every year. Only 13% of these bottles are recycled every year. For every six bottles people buy, only one is recycled. That leads to a big problem given the fact that water bottles do not biodegrade, but rather photodegrade. This means that it takes at least up to 1,000 years for every single bottle to decompose, leaking pollutants into our soil and water along the way.
Glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20% and related water pollution by 50%.Recycling glass reduces the space in landfills that would otherwise be taken up by used bottles and jars.Using glass for recycling means there are less glass objects lying around in he landfill or bin
Air Pollution is a Greater Threat to Life Expectancy Than Smoking, HIV or War. Air pollution is literally cutting years from the lives of billions of people around the world. According to a 2021 report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, residents in India, which is home to the highest levels of air pollution on the planet, lose an average of 5.9 years from their lives as a result of poor air quality. Though all top five countries with the worst air pollution are located in Asia, air pollution is a rapidly rising threat in Central and West Africa, where average life expectancy has dropped by two to five years, making it a larger threat to human health than “well-known killers like HIV/AIDS and malaria.”
Additionally, air pollution contributes to the Spread of COVID-19 A recent preliminary study from Harvard University found a positive correlation between COVID-19-related mortalities and air pollution, adding that there is a plausible association of airborne particles assisting the viral spread. Based on studies observing COVID-19 related deaths and air pollution – noting that Northern Italy is one of the most polluted areas in Europe – the investigation discovered even a small increase of 1 µg/m3 in PM2.5 levels was associated with an 8% increase in COVID-19-related fatality.
References
https://healthyhumanlife.com/blogs/news/plastic-water-bottle-pollution-plastic-bottles-end https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/teacher_resources/project_ideas/recycling_gl ass.cfm https://earth.org/10-facts-about-air-pollution/ https://borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-water-pollution/ https://www.activesustainability.com/water/ranking-worlds-most-polluted-rivers/?_adin=1155 1547647 https://www.npolar.no/en/themes/pollutants-in-antarctica/ https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1485843/chinas-pollution-altering-us-weather-claim -scientists https://www.activesustainability.com/water/ranking-worlds-most-polluted-rivers/