the pollution

Introduction:
According to the United Nations Organization, pollution-related diseases kill millions
of children a year. In fact, even if many nations worldwide have decided respect
environmental legislations in order to reduce the adverse effects of pollution, new
polluters, developing countries, make the situation worse. Thats why we must
intensify our efforts to control and treat pollution
We can wonder what we can do to reduce pollution. We will begin by a short
presentation of pollution, and then we will speak about causes, effects and regulation
and monitoring pollution.

I) Presentation:
- Pollution can come from a natural event, for example with volcanic eruptions, or can
be the result of human activities. It isnt a new phenomenon, it is the industrial
revolution and the consumer society that gave birth to pollution as we know it today.
One of the most serious events was The Great Smog that affected London in
December 1952. The smog killed at least 12 000 people.
- Pollution is defined as the contamination by substances that are harmful to living
organisms. So it can appear under several forms:
air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, radioactive contamination, noise
pollution, light pollution, visual pollution, thermal pollution

II) Mains causes of pollution

- Pollution comes from both natural and man made sources but according to the
report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007, humans
have been the primary cause of global warming since 1950.

Sources of air, water and soil pollution are more or less the same. Thus the leading
causes are:
- First in agriculture:
Intensive farming with pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers
Burning of natural vegetation/ slash and burn practices and deforestation which
increase gas and prevent the absorption of oxygen
Intensive husbandry which increases gases during the digestion of ruminants and soil
contamination by excrements
-Then in industry:
There are industrial wastes, dusts and smokes from factories
Pollution caused by goods transport
Authorized landfill sites which eliminate wastes by burial
- And to finish, domestic pollution with cleaning products, heating, paint, hair spray,
aerosol sprays, solvents, waste and detergent spilled into wastewater

III) Effects of pollution

Heath effects of pollution:
- Pollution effects are many and various. Indeed, pollution causes diseases more or
less serious on humans health. Thus pollution can cause respiratory diseases,
cardiovascular diseases or cancer but also death. For example, the World Health
Organization states that 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly
attributable to air pollution. As for water pollution, it causes approximately 14,000
deaths per day, mostly due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage in
developing countries.

Environmental effects of pollution:

- Pollution affects also animal and vegetable species. Thus, pollution can cause acid
rain which lowers the pH value of soil and puts in jeopardy plants and fish life. Soil
can become infertile and unsuitable (improper) for plants and trees and, lakes and
streams can kill aquatic species.
- Smog can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out
photosynthesis and damage plants but also cause pulmonary diseases.
-To finish, the emission of greenhouse gases leads to global warming and the rise in
the water level.

IV) Regulation, monitoring

At national level:
- To protect the environment from the adverse effects of pollution, many nations
worldwide have enacted legislation. Regulations consist in a first time in controlling
emissions and effluents into air, water or soil thanks to pollution control devices and a
second time, in cleaning and eliminating pollutants by sewage treatment, waste
treatment by centralized sewage treatment plants and the cleanup of soil pollution by
aeration of soils at the contaminated site, thermal remediation by introduction of heat,
bioremediation.
Moreover, 141 countries ratified an international environmental treaty, the Kyoto
protocol, in order to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other
greenhouse gases. Then, a carbon tax in Europe is envisaged.

At individual level:
- People can also contribute to reduce pollution with simple measures. For example,
Taking public transport, carpool, cycle
Respecting the speed limit
Adding plants and trees to the surrounding environment
Eating local food
Eating organic food without pesticide
Reducing your packaging, plastic bags and waste
Reducing the use of aerosols, solvents

To conclude, we can say that most countries become aware of damages caused by
human activities even if the measures are almost insufficient. Thats why we should
change our habits.