Smog hanging over cities is the most familiar and obvious form of air pollution.

But there are different kinds of pollutionsome visible, some invisiblethat contri
bute to global warming. Generally any substance that people introduce into the a
tmosphere that has damaging effects on living things and the environment is cons
idered air pollution.
Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that is warming Earth. T
hough living things emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, carbon dioxide is wid
ely considered to be a pollutant when associated with cars, planes, power plants
, and other human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels such as ga
soline and natural gas. In the past 150 years, such activities have pumped enoug
h carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher than they have b
een for hundreds of thousands of years.
Other greenhouse gases include methanewhich comes from such sources as swamps and
gas emitted by livestockand chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refri
gerants and aerosol propellants until they were banned because of their deterior
ating effect on Earth's ozone layer.
Another pollutant associated with climate change is sulfur dioxide, a component
of smog. Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a c
ause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere,
which keeps sunlight out and causes Earth to cool. Volcanic eruptions can spew m
assive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling
that lasts for years. In fact, volcanoes used to be the main source of atmospher
ic sulfur dioxide; today people are.
Industrialized countries have worked to reduce levels of sulfur dioxide, smog, a
nd smoke in order to improve people's health. But a result, not predicted until
recently, is that the lower sulfur dioxide levels may actually make global warmi
ng worse. Just as sulfur dioxide from volcanoes can cool the planet by blocking
sunlight, cutting the amount of the compound in the atmosphere lets more sunligh
t through, warming the Earth. This effect is exaggerated when elevated levels of
other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap the additional heat.
Most people agree that to curb global warming, a variety of measures need to be
taken. On a personal level, driving and flying less, recycling, and conservation
reduces a persons "carbon footprint"the amount of carbon dioxide a person is resp
onsible for putting into the atmosphere.
On a larger scale, governments are taking measures to limit emissions of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases. One way is through the Kyoto Protocol, an ag
reement between countries that they will cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. A
nother method is to put taxes on carbon emissions or higher taxes on gasoline, s
o that people and companies will have greater incentives to conserve energy and
pollute less.

What are the effects of air pollution?
Acidification:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds which ca
n cause harm to vegetation and buildings. Sometimes, when an air pollutant, such
as sulfuric acid combines with the water droplets that make up clouds, the wate
r droplets become acidic, forming acid rain. When acid rain falls over an area,
it can kill trees and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife.
acid rain acidification for children
Acid rain destroys the leaves of plants.
When acid rain infiltrates into soils, it changes the chemistry of the soil maki
ng it unfit for many living things that rely on soil as a habitat or for nutriti
on. Acid rain also changes the chemistry of the lakes and streams that the rainw
ater flows into, harming fish and other aquatic life.
Eutrophication:
Rain can carry and deposit the Nitrogen in some pollutants on rivers and soils.
This will adversely affect the nutrients in the soil and water bodies. This can
result in algae growth in lakes and water bodies, and make conditions for other
living organism harmful.
Ground-level ozone:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants create a poisonous gas ozone (O3). G
as Ozone can affect peoples health and can damage vegetation types and some anima
l life too.
Particulate matter:
Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmfu
l to our health. The level of effect usually depends on the length of time of ex
posure, as well the kind and concentration of chemicals and particles exposed to
. Short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper
respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Others include headache
s, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can aggravate the me
dical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema. Long-term health effe
cts can include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and eve
n damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. Continual exposure to air poll
ution affects the lungs of growing children and may aggravate or complicate medi
cal conditions in the elderly.
Weather
On 4 December 1952, an anticyclone settled over a windless London, causing a tem
perature inversion with cold, stagnant air trapped under a layer (or "lid") of w
arm air.[5][6] The resultant fog, mixed with chimney smoke, particulates such as
those from vehicle exhausts, and other pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, form
ed a persistent smog, which blanketed the capital the following day. The presenc
e of tarry particles of soot gave the smog its yellow-black colour, hence the ni
ckname "peasouper".[4] The absence of significant wind prevented its dispersal a
nd allowed an unprecedented accumulation of pollutants.
Although London was accustomed to heavy fogs, this one was denser and longer-las
ting than any previous fog.[7] Visibility was reduced to a few yards ("It's like
you were blind"[8]) making driving difficult or impossible.