Joyce Ko
Professor Michelle Laporte
Sustainable Systems
January 30, 2016
Air Pollution
Will future generations have the luxury of looking up into the skies and seeing the
beautiful stars? Will they even have the luxury of walking outside without some kind of
protective mask to save their lungs? Even today, stars are non existent at some parts of the world,
and millions today already suffer from illnesses caused by air pollution. This is a serious topic no
one should disregard as it not only directly affects us, but also the earth we live on.
We often see the Industrial Revolution being the genesis to air pollution, but there has
been evidence found to show that our earth has been undergoing damage since beginning of
times. Besides the tons of emissions, we pour out daily, there have always been natural causes
producing pollution. Some of which are: forest fires, erupting volcanoes, and gases released from
decaying rocks inside earth. This means natural causes have been starting our crisis before we
even erupted it further. There have also been evidence of greenhouse gases found tracing all the
way back 2,000 years. 15 Scientists from Utrecht University in the Netherlands discovered traces
of greenhouse gas in Greenland’s ice. It was hypothesized that the air pollution 2,000 years back
may have possibly came from the ancient Romans in around 100 B.C. who would domesticate
livestock. As shown, air pollution is a crucial concern which has been cultivating since the
beginning.
The Industrial Revolution may not have exactly been the start to air pollution, but is what
started churning our crisis at full speed. Today, most of the air pollution is created by us through
emissions from cars, planes, factories, and even the smallest of things such as cigarettes. In
essence, everything we do which involves burning produces amounts of harmful gases and
particles which quickly disperse into the air we breath. Some of most common pollutants are
sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Sulfur may be found in many of our fuel
resources such as coal and petroleum. When it is burned with oxygen from the air, sulfur dioxide
is produced. Coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of sulfur dioxide air pollution.
Carbon monoxide is formed when fuels are short in oxygen. A common example would be car
exhaustion. Carbon monoxide may even be found inside homes from poorly maintained gas
boilers or appliances. Carbon dioxide is a main factor as it is central to all of our everyday lives.
The cars we ride daily, the thousands of planes which take off all around the world, and
especially the tons of emissions produced by manufacturing factories which make everything
from our clothes to food.
Perhaps there are no immediate signs of effect, but air pollution gradually has and
continues to effect us all. According to a late CNN article and the World Health Organization,
more than 6 million people die from air pollution every year and is claimed to be one of the
world’s biggest killers. On estimate, about 10% to 20% of cancers are caused by air pollution.
Because air pollution kills quietly and slowly, not enough attention is carried to this issue. The
air pollution also tampers with our agriculture as the chemicals in the air seriously affects the
growth of crops. On a larger scale, the exposure of pollutants in the air cause acidic rain which,
when poured down, affects the water we drink and the life residing in these waters. Hundreds of
sea life are harmed by acidic waters and often wash on, dead. These are only some of many
effects the air pollution has a hold on.
This affects us all as a globe. Particularly, developed countries are seeing the
consequences even worse. According to recent statistics posted by Numbeo, today Macedonia is
leading in air pollution with a Pollution Index of 99.2. The air quality index (AQI) is a number
issued by the government which communicates to the public how polluted the air is. Following
are Egypt, Nepal, Ghana, Philippines, India, China, and Vietnam. Los Angeles, CA, United
States lands #66 on this list. With this being such a world concern, it is our responsibility as a
globe to take actions and risks in trying to recover the damage we have imposed on our Earth.
With anything, it is crucial to become educated on the topic before taking any action. I
was recently shocked as my younger cousins who are around 5-12 years of age did not have a
clear understanding of what air pollution is, was caused by, and, or is doing to them. They held
very vague ideas of it having to do with gases “or something like that.” as they would say. I
believe it’s important to educate the children with facts to what air pollution really is, and how it
can be reduced. Just because they are young does not mean they are also too young to understand
basic concepts of air pollution. Exposing children to this topic at an early may age also liberate
them into imagining of solutions at an early age. I propose a children’s book, as this simple
action will fortify and foster the future generations to become aware of our problems at an earlier
age.