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molecules are introduced into Earth's atmosphere. It may cause diseases, allergies or
death in humans; it may also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals
and food crops, and may damage the natural or built environment. Human activity and
natural processes can both generate air pollution.
Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst
toxic pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted
Places report.[2] According to the 2014 WHO report, air pollution in 2012 caused the
deaths of around 7 million people worldwide,[3] an estimate roughly matched by the
International Energy Agency.[4][5]
Sources
Play media
This video provides an overview of a NASA study on the human
fingerprint on global air quality.
There are various locations, activities or factors which are responsible for releasing
pollutants into the atmosphere. These sources can be classified into two major
categories.
Fumes from paint, hair spray, varnish, aerosol sprays and other solvents
Natural sources:
Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or no
vegetation
Radon gas from radioactive decay within the Earth's crust. Radon is a
colorless, odorless, naturally occurring, radioactive noble gas that is
formed from the decay of radium. It is considered to be a health hazard.
Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in buildings, especially in
confined areas such as the basement and it is the second most frequent
cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking.
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Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans,
aquifers and groundwater). This form of environmental degradation occurs when
pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate
treatment to remove harmful compounds.
Water pollution affects the entire biosphere plants and organisms living in these
bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual
species and population, but also to the natural biological communities.
Causes
The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of
chemicals, pathogens, and physical changes such as elevated temperature and
discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be
naturally occurring (calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration is often
the key in determining what is a natural component of water and what is a
contaminant. High concentrations of naturally occurring substances can have negative
impacts on aquatic flora and fauna.
Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne
diseases in either human or animal hosts.[13] Alteration of water's physical chemistry
includes acidity (change in pH), electrical conductivity, temperature, and
eutrophication. Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical
nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases the primary productivity of the
ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative
environmental effects such as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe reductions in
water quality may occur, affecting fish and other animal populations.
Point sources
Non-point sources
Nonpoint source pollution refers to diffuse contamination that does not originate from
a single discrete source. NPS pollution is often the cumulative effect of small amounts
of contaminants gathered from a large area. A common example is the leaching out of
nitrogen compounds from fertilized agricultural lands.[11] Nutrient runoff in storm
water from "sheet flow" over an agricultural field or a forest are also cited as
examples of NPS pollution.
Blue drain and yellow fish symbol used by the UK Environment Agency
to raise awareness of the ecological impacts of contaminating surface
drainage
Contaminated storm water washed off of parking lots, roads and highways, called
urban runoff, is sometimes included under the category of NPS pollution. However,
because this runoff is typically channeled into storm drain systems and discharged
through pipes to local surface waters, it becomes a point source.
Point sources
Non-point sources
Nonpoint source pollution refers to diffuse contamination that does not originate from
a single discrete source. NPS pollution is often the cumulative effect of small amounts
of contaminants gathered from a large area. A common example is the leaching out of
nitrogen compounds from fertilized agricultural lands.[11] Nutrient runoff in storm
water from "sheet flow" over an agricultural field or a forest are also cited as
examples of NPS pollution.
Blue drain and yellow fish symbol used by the UK Environment Agency
to raise awareness of the ecological impacts of contaminating surface
drainage
Contaminated storm water washed off of parking lots, roads and highways, called
urban runoff, is sometimes included under the category of NPS pollution. However,
because this runoff is typically channeled into storm drain systems and discharged
through pipes to local surface waters, it becomes a point source.
1. Deforestation and soil erosion: Deforestation carried out to create dry lands is one
of the major concerns. Land that is once converted into a dry or barren land, can never
be made fertile again, whatever the magnitude of measures to redeem it are. Land
conversion, meaning the alteration or modification of the original properties of the
land to make it use-worthy for a specific purpose is another major cause. This
hampers the land immensely. Also there is a constant waste of land. Unused available
land over the years turns barren; this land then cannot be used. So in search of more
land, potent land is hunted and its indigenous state is compromised with.
2. Agricultural activities: With growing human population, demand for food has
increased considerably. Farmers often use highly toxic fertilizers and pesticides to get
rid off insects, fungi and bacteria from their crops. However with the overuse of these
chemicals, they result in contamination and poisoning of soil.
3. Mining activities: During extraction and mining activities, several land spaces are
created beneath the surface. We constant hear about land caving in; this is nothing but
natures way of filling the spaces left out after mining or extraction activity.
5. Industrialization: Due to increase in demand for food, shelter and house, more
goods are produced. This resulted in creation of more waste that needs to be disposed
of. To meet the demand of the growing population, more industries were developed
which led to deforestation. Research and development paved the way for modern
fertilizers and chemicals that were highly toxic and led to soil contamination.
7. Nuclear waste: Nuclear plants can produce huge amount of energy through nuclear
fission and fusion. The left over radioactive material contains harmful and toxic
chemicals that can affect human health. They are dumped beneath the earth to avoid
any casualty.
2. Change in climate patterns: The effects of land pollution are very hazardous and
can lead to the loss of ecosystems. When land is polluted, it directly or indirectly
affects the climate patterns.
4. Effect on human health: The land when contaminated with toxic chemicals and
pesticides lead to problem of skin cancer and human respiratory system. The toxic
chemicals can reach our body through foods and vegetables that we eat as they are
grown in polluted soil.
The Go Green Initiative is all about helping schools create a campus-wide culture of
conservation. We believe in a teamwork approach that includes students, teachers,
parents, custodians
ur Mission is:
To provide schools with the tools, training and ongoing support they need to create a
culture of conservation and natural resource stewardship within their community.