Fossil Fuels: The Air Pollution Problem

There are many things that affect our planet, some being good ways and some being bad. One of the major bad things that affect this planet is air pollution. Air pollution causes so many issues for our planet, and for us as well. Air pollution can cause health issues such as respiratory issues as well as environmental damage. What we put in the environment is important because it can make the world hard to live in and can cause some serious issues.

Most of the pollution we make is due to the consumer demand since the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution was good for us but had some major effects on our environment. It leads to an increase in pollution across England which influenced other countries to start using bad methods such as burning fossil fuels and making new machines that were damaging the environment.

A study performed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed that in 2013 more than 200,000 people died from air pollution. Air pollution exposure can cause new cases of asthma, worsen a person exacerbate a previously-existing respiratory illness, and start development or progression of chronic illnesses such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and emphysema. The awareness of this issue is not as big as it needs to be. It can even lead to death.

Most of the air pollution in the United States is due to fossil fuels. Those fossil fuels are burned for energy creation. In the United States, 85% of the energy comes from carbon emitted fossil fuels. When burned, these fossil fuels release harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Those fuels we burn increase the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which, as a result, causes, global warming.

A lot of people in the world are not worried about global warming, but it hurts everyone. Some people think global warming is a myth. It is a real issue that we shouldn’t ignore. Due to global warming glaciers are melting which leads to sea levels rising. Cloud forests are also dying and wildlife are losing their homes. The levels of global warming are higher than the last 650,000 years. It’s no secret that humans have caused most of the warming by releasing heat- reaping gases as we power modern life.

Air pollution causes some nasty health effects as well as global warming. Air pollution causes immediate health problems as well as long-term health problems. Some of the short-term problems include: Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, damaged cells in the respiratory system, and added stress to the heart and lungs. Short-term problems are just the beginning the long-term health effects can cause: loss of lung capacity, accelerated aging of lungs, and even a short lifespan. The most susceptible to severe health problems are Pregnant women, Outdoor workers, Children under the age of 14 years old, and older adults and the elderly.

There are a few specific sources for air pollution. One of them being wildfires. Wildfires not only hurts our health, but it hurts animals by forcing them out of their natural environments. It creates smoke that has bad effects on our health. Wildfire smoke can cause irregular heartbeat, nonfatal heart attacks, and premature death in people with an existing heart or lung disease. Most the wildfires that happen are due to irresponsible people or companies.

One of the biggest pollution sources in the United States is coal-burning power plants. In today’s society, roughly 30% of the power we use is from coal burning. The coal we burn releases many harmful elements into the air such as mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and other heavy metals. A study made in 2017 stated that reducing fine particle pollution even slightly could save 12,000 lives annually.

Another big air pollution source is gasoline. Vehicles powered by fossil fuels are major contributors to air pollution. Transportation lets off more than half of nitrogen oxides in air. It is a major source of global warming in the United States. Studies have linked pollutants from vehicle exhaust to cause impacts on nearly every organ system in the body.

The world has identified the sources of air pollution. Yet we’re not trying to change how we treat our planet. We have little to no concern to what our children or our future grandchildren are going to live in. This world needs to start changing, even if it is a little bit at a time. A little change can go a long way. There are many easy ways that you can help out with air pollution.

One of the small ways you can help out with air pollution is public transportation or call pulling. Moving more people with fewer vehicles reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The fewer vehicles on the road goes a long way. Air quality is often the worst in urban and suburban areas where traffic congestion is the worst. If you don’t want to use public transportation you can always limit how much you use your car. You could walk to some places that are close enough or you can wait till you absolutely need to go to your destination.

Power is a major part of today’s society. There are many possibilities to get power without burning harmful fossil fuels. Solar panels are one of the passive ways that use the sun to create energy. Another passive way to create energy is wind turbines that create energy from the wind. As well as nuclear power plants, one of the cleanest ways to create energy that uses steam to create energy.

Air pollution causes so many issues for our planet, and for us as well. Air pollution can cause health issues such as respiratory issues as well as environmental damage. We need to take into consideration the damage we’re doing the planet so future generations can enjoy what we have currently. What we put in the environment is important because it can make the world hard to live in and can cause some serious issues. We don’t want a world where everyone has some sort of bad health effect or even a shorter lifespan. We need to do something about air pollution before we get too care less about what we do to our life source.

Cite this page