Air Pollution
By Margaret Behner
What is Air Pollution
Air pollution is the condition when air is contaminated by another substance or is the substance itself. It can be harmful for the human body or for the environment in many different ways.
Things that produce air pollution
Factories
This is a photo of sulfur dioxide, or smog, coming from a factory. This air pollution is one of the most visible and goes straight to the atmosphere and not only makes the air harmful to breathe, but also contributes to global warming.
Vehicles
People use transportation everyday to get where they need to be. Even though we think of it as a good thing, it produces a lot of bad things for our bodies. When we drive a car or ride the bus we are letting of a ton of pollution that is bad for our bodies and the environment.
Natural Disaster
Natural disasters are bad enough by themselves, but when you add the damage fires and earth quakes, the effects are devastating. The release of harmful smoke or quakes rupturing factories and nuclear power plants have all caused massive air pollution in the past.
Air pollution is a problem
Air pollution is a problem because it can cause damage to the human body, animals, and the air that we breathe everyday. It can also damage buildings and other objects. It sends very harmful contents into the air that no one can benefit from. Air pollution is very bad but there are ways to stop it.
SOLUTIONS
Saving Energy and Electricity
It may not seem like a big deal, but electricity and energy do affect air pollution. Energy powers cars, light, ovens, stoves and a lot more. All of these are necessary, but we can reduce it by turning off the lights when we don't need them, and using less electricity with stoves and ovens. You can also make a big change by using solar panels or wind energy to power your home. When doing this we reduce pollution from fossil fuels.
Pros and Cons
PROS
Saving electricity can start to stop pollution and it doesn't cost much to use stuff from home. It also saves money and uses less fossil fuels. Wind energy is a clean fuel source that doesn't further pollute the air, unlike power plants. Solar panels are renewable, abundant, and sustainable.
CONS
Solar panels and wind turbines are expensive. Wind turbines and solar panels both take up space. Solar panels are made with materials that are hard find. Wind and sunlight is not always guaranteed so it will not always be successful.
Saving electricity can start to stop pollution and it doesn't cost much to use stuff from home. It also saves money and uses less fossil fuels. Wind energy is a clean fuel source that doesn't further pollute the air, unlike power plants. Solar panels are renewable, abundant, and sustainable.
CONS
Solar panels and wind turbines are expensive. Wind turbines and solar panels both take up space. Solar panels are made with materials that are hard find. Wind and sunlight is not always guaranteed so it will not always be successful.
Transportation
Cars, buses, trains and planes are all efficient ways of transportation, but they come with a catch. They all produce air pollution, called carbon dioxide, through the burning of fossil fuels like gas or oil. If the option is available, walking or riding a bike are great pollution-free alternatives. Although they don't get you places any faster, it is a better option for closer areas.
Pros and Cons
PROS
When riding a bike or walking you are doing nothing to harm the environment. Riding a bike or walking gives you good exercise. A bike is much cheaper then a car. If you ride a carpool, train, or bus it gets more people to the same place at once.
CONS
If walking or riding a bike there is not always good weather. It also takes longer to get to a destination instead of driving. You can also be easily injured because you are not inside a vehicle. Also if riding a train or bus you can miss your stop.
When riding a bike or walking you are doing nothing to harm the environment. Riding a bike or walking gives you good exercise. A bike is much cheaper then a car. If you ride a carpool, train, or bus it gets more people to the same place at once.
CONS
If walking or riding a bike there is not always good weather. It also takes longer to get to a destination instead of driving. You can also be easily injured because you are not inside a vehicle. Also if riding a train or bus you can miss your stop.
My Solution
I think that a better idea is to try and save electricity. Solar panels and wind energy are really great ideas for trying to save energy and electricity. Solar panels give a lot of power when there is sunlight to power your whole house. The same goes for wind power too! Even though they don't work all the time they still have a lot of potential and can influences other ideas in a big way. I think we should spend more time on making wind energy and solar panels widely used by others and try to research to find more ways to save energy.