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B7 L) Pollution & Waste
B7 L) Pollution & Waste
Another negative of human activity is pollution, which can affect the air, the land and the sea.
Air Pollution
Human activity can pollute the air by gases and particles entering the air.
These gases can be greenhouse gases that cause the enhanced greenhouse effect, which leads to climate change/ global warming (we will be looking at the greenhouse gases and global warming in the next section).
Also, some of the gases produced by human activities cause acid rain, which is where rain becomes acidic. Acid rain causes the acidification of lakes, rivers and the soil, which can kill plants, animals and fish. Acid rain also causes some buildings to dissolve if they are made from limestone, sandstone and marble. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the gases responsible for acid rain.
The burning of certain substances releases little particles into the atmosphere, which are known as particulates. These particulates block out light from the sun, which can lead to an effect known as global dimming. These particulates can also cause respiratory issues if they are breathed in.
Human activity can pollute the air by gases and particles entering the air.
These gases can be greenhouse gases that cause the enhanced greenhouse effect, which leads to climate change/ global warming (we will be looking at the greenhouse gases and global warming in the next section).
Also, some of the gases produced by human activities cause acid rain, which is where rain becomes acidic. Acid rain causes the acidification of lakes, rivers and the soil, which can kill plants, animals and fish. Acid rain also causes some buildings to dissolve if they are made from limestone, sandstone and marble. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the gases responsible for acid rain.
The burning of certain substances releases little particles into the atmosphere, which are known as particulates. These particulates block out light from the sun, which can lead to an effect known as global dimming. These particulates can also cause respiratory issues if they are breathed in.
Land Pollution
The waste that humans produce has to go somewhere. Most of the waste from households and industry in the UK goes to landfill sites where the waste is buried under ground. In the UK, more waste is now being recycled, but large quantities of waste are still going to landfill sites. The recycling of waste has three main benefits for the environment:
The waste that humans produce has to go somewhere. Most of the waste from households and industry in the UK goes to landfill sites where the waste is buried under ground. In the UK, more waste is now being recycled, but large quantities of waste are still going to landfill sites. The recycling of waste has three main benefits for the environment:
- The first benefit is that recycling the waste means that less waste goes to landfill. This means that less land is needed for landfill sites and therefore less habitats have to be destroyed for landfill sites.
- The second benefit is that the recycled materials can be used to make new products, such as new plastic or glass bottles. This means that fewer new raw materials are needed, which means that these raw materials can stay in the earth. This is a positive because for most resources, there is a finite (fixed) quantity of them on earth, so by recycling, we keep the raw materials in the ground, which means that the resource/ material will be available for future generations.
- The third benefit is that recycling materials rather than using new materials saves energy, which reduces the amount of greenhouse gases produced (if the energy is obtained from fossil fuels); fewer greenhouse gases produced is good as greenhouse gases are linked to climate change/ global warming. The amount of energy saved depends on the material that we are recycling; recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy compared with obtaining new aluminium.
Sometimes the waste that humans produce is littered or dumped. The littered waste (usually plastic) can be washed into the sea where sea currents transport the waste around the world. This has led to what we call plastic islands in the sea. The plastic in the sea can have huge negative effects on the organisms living there, such as ingestion, suffocation and entailment.
Humans also have to deal with nuclear waste that comes from nuclear power stations when nuclear fuels are used to generate electricity. Nuclear waste is radioactive, which means that it has to be disposed of carefully. Usually radioactive waste is placed into glass containers that are then placed inside stainless steel containers, which in then buried under ground.
Humans also have to deal with nuclear waste that comes from nuclear power stations when nuclear fuels are used to generate electricity. Nuclear waste is radioactive, which means that it has to be disposed of carefully. Usually radioactive waste is placed into glass containers that are then placed inside stainless steel containers, which in then buried under ground.
Water Pollution
Humans produce sewage, which is wet waste from households and industry. Sewage from industry usually contains more toxic chemicals than sewage from households. All sewage needs to be treated properly before it enters waterways (rivers, lakes or the sea). We need to treat sewage before it enters waterways so that organic matter is broken down, harmful chemicals are removed, and pathogens/ microorganisms are killed.
Humans produce sewage, which is wet waste from households and industry. Sewage from industry usually contains more toxic chemicals than sewage from households. All sewage needs to be treated properly before it enters waterways (rivers, lakes or the sea). We need to treat sewage before it enters waterways so that organic matter is broken down, harmful chemicals are removed, and pathogens/ microorganisms are killed.
Also, chemicals that farmers use on their land to either increase growth or kill insects/ weeds can be washed off of fields into rivers and lakes when it rains. This can have a huge effect on the ecosystems that the chemicals are washed into. Examples of some of the chemicals that farmers use are fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.