¶ … ring of haze surrounding modern cities looms ominously and the hole in the ozone layer grows, but people rarely understand that air pollution is within our control. The causes of air pollution are many, and save for natural contributions to temporarily poor air quality, the bulk of air pollution problems are results of human technological advances. Since the Industrial Revolution, massive amounts of fossil fuels like coal and oil have been and continue to be consumed. The benefits of industry may indeed outweigh the detriments, but it is finally time for technology to solve its own problems. Until the past few decades, the spoils of industrialization were taken for granted. We can forgive our forebears for their ignorance in developing technologies with unforeseen consequences. Who could have known how human life would benefit by burning coal for electricity or oil for automobiles? However, the burning of these fuels has caused an These problems include acid rain, domestically produced smoke, smog, the greenhouse effect, particulates, radionuclides, and the depletion of the ozone layer. By far the biggest contributor to air pollution in general is the burning of fossil fuels, by both automobiles and factories. Power stations and road vehicles are boons to civilization but are also at the root of environmental and health disasters. Acid rain is one of the fallouts of the Industrial Revolution; before the proliferation of factories, the pH level of rain tended to be slightly acidic, but rarely below pH 5. Since the Industrial Revolution, sulphuric acid and nitrogen gases that evaporate and combine with airborne water cause rain to have a pH level of 5 or lower. Cars are also the most major contributor to smog. Cities with huge transportation networks…
Acid Rain and Geology Acid rain is a term that refers to a mixture of dry and wet deposited materials that falls in precipitation from the atmosphere, containing "higher then normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids" (Environmental Protection Agency). Some of the "precursors, or chemical forerunners" of acid rain are from natural sources like volcanoes and rotting vegetation; other precursors are from man-made sources like nitrogen oxides (NOX) and sulfur
Acid Rain Should Acid Rain Be Made a Political Issue? After studying several researches on how acid rain can cause economic losses, I chose a thesis proposal. I collected information from researches conducted in different countries and analyzed data using Microsoft Excel. Acid rain is a problem that does not respect political barriers, thus, making it a global issue. The world's population is currently around 7 billion and is still dramatically increasing. This increase
Materials and Methods Because sulfur dioxide is converted into sulfuric acid, which bonds with water vapor in the atmosphere and results in acid rain, one of the best ways to look for the effects of that acid rain is to look to see how sulfuric acid directly affects specific items. That can be done by placing a few drops of sulfuric acid onto the selected items and waiting a few days
It was discovered that a nearby factory was releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. The resulting acid rain had deposited on the surface of the marble (CaCO3) converting it into the dull gypsum (CaSO4.1/2 H2O). Calcium sulfate also has twice the molar volume of calcium carbonate. (Lambert, 1997) This expansion had resulted in added stress resulting in cracks. The relevant chemical reaction is: CaCO3 + H2SO4 CaSO4 + H2CO3 Many such instances
Acid Rain Be Made a Political Issue? Acid rain spares nothing. Its effects are vast. It affects plants by destroying its roots, causing stunting or even death. Increased acidity in the soil, resulting from acidic rain, causes destruction of its nutrients which dissolve or decay in the acidic medium. Saprophytic microorganisms present are also destroyed. Acid rain falling on leaves dissolves its waxy layer. Damage to this layer makes the
Political Economy of Global Environmental Problems: With the increasing globalization measures, there are various environmental problems that have continued to affect the entire world. These global environmental problems have affected almost every society in the world because of their impact on the earth's natural processes. Some of these environmental problems include climate change, acid rain, water pollution, depletion of the Ozone layer, destruction of rain forest, overpopulation, and sustainable development. One
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