Introduction
The media has been putting much concentration and spending most of its time on the issue of global warming and yet this issue is so controversial. It has tried to overlook the issue of global pollution forgetting that this issue is quite factual and no one can raise views to debate about it. Concentrating on the problem of global pollution and seeking to find out ways to solve it will play a major role in solving the problem of global warming. In this paper, a detailed discussion is going to be carried out on the problem of global pollution. The main causes of global pollution are going to be looked at. These causes include industries, transportation, and human waste.
Pollution from Industries
Industries are the main cause of global pollution. In the United States of America, industrial pollution accounts for 50 percent of the total pollution in this country. And because of the large size of this country, the pollution from the industries becomes a very big problem for the entire world. Each year, the United States of America industries give out poisonous substances that are approximated to be three million tons, and these chemicals are let in the water, land, and air. This brings about a loss of land every year estimated to be fifteen million acres.
More so, according to Grandia (1), “A typical-sized 500-megawatt coal-fired electricity plant in the United States” gives out every year 3.7 million tons of carbon (IV) oxide which is the number one global warming cause. No regulations do exist regarding emissions in this country. Also, there is the emission of 10,000 tons of sulfur (IV) oxide and this is the main cause of acid rain that brings about damage to forests, water sources, and buildings. There is the emission of 720 tons of carbon monoxide which is a very poisonous gas and also contributes to global warming. 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxides are emitted and this is the main cause of smog and also forms acid rain. On the other hand, China is currently the number one consumer of coal with this consumption going up by 10 percent every year Anonymous (Air pollution rises with China’s growth, 10). In the United States of America, there is the discharge of 1.2 gallons of sewage that is not treated, industrial waste, and stormwater in the water sources (Jeantheau, 10).
These toxic substances bring about health problems such as respiratory complications and cause the water sources such as rivers and lakes to be so much polluted hindering such activities as swimming and drinking of the water. More so, this water pollution may bring about damage to the health of the aquatic living organisms that can, in turn, bring about damage to the health of those organisms including human beings who may feed on them. These toxic substances can as well bring about complications in the reproductive systems of the animals, people included, can cause damage to the immune system and cause very intense poisoning.
Transportation Pollution
The second main source of pollution is transportation. This pollution is caused mainly by cars, planes, and ships. According to Anonymous, (A guide to air quality and your health, 8) in the United States of America, vehicle exhausts contribute approximately sixty percent of the total carbon monoxide emissions in the whole country and about 95 percent in the major cities. According to Anonymous, (How much pollution do airplanes create? 1), Airplanes produce about 12 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation source of pollution and up to about three percent of the overall carbon dioxide emissions in the United States of America. On the other hand, cruise ships generate about 25,000 gallons of sewage that come from the toilets and about 143,000 gallons of that sewage that originates from the sinks, showers, and galleys every day (Anonymous, Cruise ship pollution, 1). In general terms, 16 ships generate much more air pollution than all the cars in the world put together.
Transport pollution poses a major problem especially when it is considered that it is one of the major sources of air pollution. The emission of carbon dioxide in the air accelerates global warming. The emission of other gases like carbon monoxide is a big threat to human life since this gas is very much poisonous.
Human waste pollution
This is the third source of global pollution. These wastes include untreated sewage, runoff from farms, sewage dumped by boats, wastes from septic tanks, and storm drains. These wastes cause water pollution. This kind of water pollution is a problem that is currently facing newly industrialized countries like India, Mexico, China, Thailand, and Brazil (Krantz & Kifferstein 20).
According to statistics, each year an American produces more than 3285 pounds of hazardous waste. The Americans generate up to 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires, and 1.8 billion diapers that are disposable each year. Much trash is thrown each day enough to fill sixty-three thousand garbage trucks. Land pollution brings about the loss of about twenty-four tons of topsoil on land each year. Unfortunately, there is a possibility of recycling more than eighty percent of items in the landfills but they are not recycled (Anonymous, Pollution).
Following this, it is quite vital to realize that the soil that has been polluted is not supposed to be utilized in the growing of food crops because there is a likelihood of these chemicals in the soil finding their way into the food produced and in turn bring about health problems to the people who can consume this food.
Conclusion
The problem of global pollution needs to be addressed with urgency since it is bringing in many negative effects to life on earth. If this problem is not dealt with, in the future, the problem of global warming will be intensified; there will be more cases of air pollution-related infections together with infections related to water contamination. Fortunately, measures are currently being taken to handle this problem like coming up with fuel-efficient cars that do not give out many emissions into the air. More so there are proposals that an effective way of dealing with pollution from industries is to introduce cleaner production which involves various practices that are market-oriented ranging from avoiding pollution, managing the environment structures, and reducing wastage to cleaner technology.
Works cited
Anonymous. “A guide to air quality and your health”. US EPA. Web.
Anonymous. “Air pollution rises with China’s growth”, International Herald Tribune. Web.
Anonymous. “Cruise ship pollution”. Oceana. Web.
Anonymous. “How much pollution do airplanes create?” GreenAnswers.com. Web.
Anonymous. “Pollution”, Green studentu. Web.
Grandia Kevin. “10 harsh realities of the U.S coal industry”. Energy boom. Web.
Jeantheau Mark. “Water Pollution Facts”. Grinning Planet. Web.
Krantz David & Kifferstein Brad. “Water pollution and society”. Unpublished. Web.