Air Pollution

by Rachel Yu

What is Air Pollution?

Air pollution is considered the worst pollution by far. It is caused by many man-made objects. But, pollution can also be caused in many different ways.


What causes air pollution?

As mentioned earlier, air pollution can be caused in many different ways. For example cars, planes, factories and other objects. However, pollution can also be caused in ways like wildfires and heat waves. Nevertheless, burning fossil fuels, industry sources and power plants contribute the most to pollution. The continuous burning of fossil fuels releases air pollutants and chemicals into the air. Another reason could be weather conditions. To give you an idea: Dust storms in China would carry loads of industrial pollutants to Korea and Japan.


Effects of Pollution.

Air pollution is responsible for approximately five to seven million deaths a year, which is about 6% of the population. In 2016 outdoor air pollution killed around 42 million citizens. If one makes constant contact with polluted spaces, this could eventually lead to health issues and possibly death. Also, studies have identified the connection between air pollution and Covid-19.

You might remember last year, June 7-8 2023, New York’s air was completely blanketed with yellow and orange. The hideous air quality was from Canada’s wildfires, as hundreds of fires continued to burn, dust was pushed to the United States by the wind.

Just like humans, plants and trees can also suffer from pollution. The pollution particles eventually find their way back onto earth, which can contaminate the plant's surface. Air pollution can also kill crops or small trees.

According to a 2020 investigation, the sixth mass extinction of wildlife on Earth is speeding up. More than 500 species of land animals are on the verge of extinction and have a very high chance of being lost within 20 years. Scientists say that without human destruction of nature, this loss rate would have taken way longer than this, about thousands of years.


Indoor air pollution

Heating your house by burning materials such as kerosene, wood, and coal can contaminate the air inside the house. Ash and smoke make breathing difficult and can stick to food, clothing, and walls.


Long-term effects on the human body

Constant contact with polluted air will lead to some long-term effects. Long-term effects can be from a couple of years to your whole life. The effects are Heart diseases, Lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. The long-term effects can also affect people's nerves, brain, kidneys, liver and other organs in the body.

Children and older adults who have a weaker immune system are generally more sensitive to pollution. This can also worsen any case of asthma, lung disease, and heart disease.


Short-term effects

Short-term effects are temporary, for example: different illnesses like pneumonia or bronchitis. It can also cause physical discomfort such as irritation towards the nose, throat, eyes, or skin. Air pollution can also cause dizziness, nausea, and headaches.


How can we help the environment?

First, we have to reduce greenhouse gas outbursts rapidly for the planet to reach climate goals. It is up to the governments to ensure that citizens stop releasing harmful greenhouse gasses.

Next, we can switch to a plant-based diet. The UN predicts that there will be approximately 10 billion people worldwide by 2050. To meet this extremely high demand, we must raise food production by 50%, which will impact the ecosystem. Switching to a plant-based diet is one of the simplest obtainable climate change solutions, and it will reduce deforestation.

Additionally, we can also reduce the use of single-use plastic. Although plastic has made our lives so much easier, it has an enormous negative impact on our environment. You can start off by avoiding plastic straws, plates and utensils, buying in bulk to use less packaging, using reusable containers, doing your grocery shopping at a farmer’s market, recycling the plastic you use, buying less clothing and making sure that the clothing you buy is made from natural material like cotton, linen and hemp and composting your food to use less plastic bags.

Lastly, we could use renewable and clean energy. Mining fossil fuels burn carbon dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gasses pushing climate change. Switching to clean energy is one of the most efficient climate change solutions. Believe it or not, it is cheaper than burning fossil fuels! Solar, wind and other renewable energies are nearly two-thirds -62%- cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel.

Therefore, we can all work together to help the earth be its best self. All this damage done by human beings left me dumbfounded. However, this still leaves me with one unanswered question; Have we reached the point of no return?