Monday, March 9, 2009

Air Pollution by Samuel Fung 4Loyalty



Traffic jam at road peak hours (5.00-6.00 PM) in USA, releasing many gases from trucks’ and automobiles’ exhaust.
This is relevant because use of gasoline releases nitrogen oxides, gaseous hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, as well as large quantities of particulates, chiefly lead.
Automobiles and trucks waiting to enter another state in USA
This shows how many cars are used daily!
This is relevant to the problem of too much combustion of gasoline and other hydrocarbon fuels.
Smokestacks releasing the smoke and soot after garbage incineration.
This is relevant as the massive combustion results in tons of soot, dust, and ash released into the air.
Factories releasing smoke, soot and ash into the air, polluting it with many poisonous gases
This is relevant as it is responsible for smog and unnatural fog in cities around the world.
This could be our fate in the future!
We would have hazy, thick air that could not be inhaled without being poisoned.
The environmental issue I will be discussing is Air Pollution. I chose this issue as I feel very deeply that if we humans do not stop this, we will not be the only ones suffering. Animals and plants will die, they will cause food shortages to us, and this will lead to a polluted, stinky, deadly, life! We would breathe poisoned air every day, and will very easily get Lung Cancer, Asthma, and many other deadly diseases. The Earth will also become hazy, the air will be thick, and we will eventually become extinct due to loss of food, dirty water, and many other terrible things unthinkable of.

There are a few main forms of air pollution. Firstly, there is vehicles’ combustion of gasoline and other hydrocarbon fuels. This releases nitrogen oxides, gaseous hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, as well as large quantities of particulates, chiefly lead. In the presence of sunlight, nitrogen oxides will mix with the other hydrocarbon fuels and gases and will result in a secondary class of pollutants such as ozone and Peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN). The second would be burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil in generating stations, factories, office buildings, and by the incineration of garbage. The terribly dangerous and massive combustion results in tons of soot, dust, and ash. Not to mention the many chemicals too! This is responsible for smog and unnatural fog in cities around the world. This also can kill birds in the sky by poisoning them when they breathe in all the soot and chemicals. Ultimately, who is responsible? US!!! This is the result of all the dirty work by the Human Race! If you didn’t know, this isn’t just going to poison our air and everything. It is also going to play a large factor in Global Warming, which can and if we don’t do anything, will destroy not only all Humans, but also the Earth. If this happens, there is nobody for us to blame. It would be entirely our fault.

There is a lot we can do to save our precious air. For the very basics, we can reduce the amount of time we spend on vehicles. We can walk to places if they are not too far away. We also can turn to environmentally-friendly fuels to replace fossil fuels, such as hydroelectricity.

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