Conserving Our Earth
Showing you what YOU are affected by every day!
Pollution contaminates the surface of the Earth's with materials that interfere with human health, the quality of life, or the natural functioning of ecosystems (living organisms and their physical surroundings). Although some environmental pollution is a result of natural causes such as volcanic eruptions, most is caused by human activities. Americans and other nations across the world are affected by the decisions made by billion dollar industries. These industries add impurity to this Earth that it never saw before. Some surprising facts include:
- 40% of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.
- 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water, and industrial waste are discharged into US waters annually.
- Polluted drinking waters are a problem for about half of the world’s population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-based diseases, resulting in roughly 5 to 10 million deaths.
- Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not.
- Each year, U.S. factories spew 3 million tons of toxic chemicals into the air, land, and water.
Vehicle exhaust contributes roughly 60% of all carbon monoxide emissions nationwide, and up to 95% in cities.
Pollution Free vs. Today
This shows the vast difference between our present day world and a representation of a pollution free world.
Red Tides
These tides occur when major meat companies dump waste in the water and a chemical reaction causes the water to turn red. This has been seen on the gulf of mexico and continues on being a negative component of our oceans.
Pollution in the City
This shows the layer of pollution that has been set over our heads. This layer affects what we breathe, eat, and even drink.