One of the most widely spoken environmental issues is air pollution where hazardous chemicals escape into the air through natural or anthropogenic means. Smog hanging over a city or an industrial center is one of the most common ways of identifying poor air quality. However, it is not always visible to the naked eye. Air pollution has adverse effects on the environment as it is one of the main contributors to global warming. As a result, it comes as no surprise that poor quality of air will also have a negative impact on the health of living things. The following paper takes a closer look at the occurrence of air pollution and possible solution to reduce or eradicate it completely. Though industrial activities are the primary causes of depleted air quality, daily anthropogenic activities are conflating in contributing to global warming. In light of this, there is no one solution that will help reduce the amount of unhealthy air supply. Therefore, a number of practices should be incorporated to ensure a decrease in reduced pollution. The most effective solution where the majority of the people can be involved is through reduced emissions of greenhouse gases from domestic activities. In this case, there are tips on transportation and household activities that could ensure that every individual participates in keeping the air cleaner than currently is the case. The involvement of the majority of the population is a means of sharing the problem and simplifying efforts to realize the desired outcome. These transportation and household activities are incorporated into the daily chores and practices of each home and hence could go a long way toward cleaning up the air. For instance, in transportation, individuals are advised to choose a cleaner commute either for the purpose of going to work and back home or when running errands for home. One of the highest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions is the burning of fossil fuels. The majority of cars available for purchase will usually consume high levels of fuel. Hundreds of millions of vehicles are sold each day further increasing the number of contaminants in the air when in use. Through carpooling, the use of green vehicles, or public transportation, individuals can reduce the number of emissions that are harmful both to living things and the environment at large. In the case of household activities, it is recommended that a person should use products that are environmentally friendly whenever possible. Such practices should be employed when using paints and other chemical products. Some of them may evaporate into the air causing further depletion in their quality. As previously mentioned, the primary cause for atmospheric change is due to combustion of fossil fuel through transportation and the creation of energy. When fossil fuels are burnt, they release carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) which is the main cause of reduced quality of air. However, there are many other ways through which human activities can increase the occurrence of air pollution. For instance, indoor activities may increase the occurrence of contamination. Tobacco smoking, using wood-burning stoves, building materials, and burning gases are among the most common activities that could aggravate the problem. Nevertheless, majority of the modern society particularly those who are well aware of this information continue to act against the preservation of the environment. Rather than conserve what is left of the clean air, they act inconsiderately towards the crisis. There are many who believe that the occurrence of air pollution and other global warming events is a hoax from the government. There are multiple cases that demonstrate the importance of air quality to human health both for this generation and the next. Research has shown that increased exposure to biomass and traffic air pollutants could lead to high risks of poor health. The effects may range from minor upper respiratory irritation to chronic irritation and cardiovascular illnesses. Furthermore, an individual who has spent an extended period in an area where there is the high level of contaminants in the air could also exacerbate pre-existing health conditions such as lung disease, heart conditions, and asthma among others. The numerous cases of respiratory infections taking place in China are a good example of the effects of poor air quality. Both short-and long-term exposure to contaminated air could influence a reduced life expectancy and high levels of premature mortality. In this regard, it is essential that the issue of air quality receives the utmost urgent attention it preserve to preserve the environment for future generations. Following the numerous reports of global warming, it is important to identify the extent of the problem, the current solutions, and possible interventions for the future. Therefore, the following study attempts to solve the following: What is the extent of depleted air quality in the world, and the current solutions in place to help in rectifying the issue? There is a multitude of research showing the hazardous impact of air pollution on human health. The increase in pollutants in the atmosphere has caused a high level of risk to human health and plant life as well. The most destructive information received from continuous studies of the environment shows that contamination of air will not only cause a change in climate but is also exacerbated by it. In this regard, the emission of greenhouse gases forms a smog layer of cloud that prevents heat from being released from the earth's surface. As a result, the atmosphere becomes warmer and in turn, these higher temperatures also cause air pollution. A study by Kampa and Castanas (2008) has shown that there is more gaseous compound that worsens the infection of the air including sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), ozone (O 3 ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals. These compounds are noted as primary factors in the increased cases of respiratory and allergic diseases. Research conducted by Laumbach and Kipen (2012) has shown that cases like asthma and pneumonia among other respiratory infections are primarily caused by air pollution. However, the association between poor air quality and illnesses is sometimes complex. Epidemiological studies have noted the importance of traffic pollution and household emissions as some of the main sources of pollution. Therefore, the process of reducing the effect of these pollutants is down to human action (McKenzie, Witter, Newman, & Adgate, 2012). Through increased awareness of the problem particularly in less developed countries, individual and community-level practices can be employed as a technique of increasing efforts to improve the quality of air. Each of the sources of pollution is preventable from causing the chronic illnesses mentioned above. One of the most important interventions is identifying means of transitioning to a carbon-free or low-carbon future. This practice will help the community to prevent further depletion of air quality. The reduction of air quality has been a critical issue that not only affects the individuals in a given area but also the rest of the world. According to the study conducted by West et al., (2013) the efforts made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have the effect of achieving co-benefits in terms of the quality of the atmosphere and the health of human beings. Failure to take similar actions will result in premature deaths among other infectious respiratory illnesses. The research showed that the co-benefits realized of avoided mortality could be $50-380 by far exceeding the estimates for 2030 and 2050. The co-benefits that could be realized by East Asian countries are approximately 10-70 times more. This means that the more people involved in reducing air pollution or slowing down climate change the more impact it has on other individuals across the world. Additionally, trees and other plant life have been involved in the process of reducing contamination of air through the absorption of gases and interception of particulate matter. According to a study by Nowak, Hirabayashi, Bodine, and Greenfield (2014), the magnitude of forest cover in reducing air pollution in the US and consequently improving human health remains unknown. Therefore, the research incorporates computer simulations and revealed that forests and trees eradicated nearly 17.4 million tonnes of air pollution in 2010. In this regard, the human value in terms of health costs was estimated at $6.8 billion with a range between $1.5 and $13.0 billion. The impact of trees in the quest to achieve a better quality of air is recognized as an important factor in adding to the efforts made by human beings. The pollution removal efforts took place mostly in rural areas. However, as described by the research done by West et al., (2013) co-benefits are realized in every effort of pollution removal. In light of this, the urban areas were the most beneficial to these impacts on air quality. Nearly 850 deaths were avoided while a further 670,000 cases of acute respiratory symptoms were prevented. In the quest to increase the efforts for the removal of pollutants from the air, it is apparent that there is a need to increase the number of involved parties. However, the level of awareness of the global effects of air pollution remains low in various populations. Particularly in less developed countries, many of the people in these areas have little information on the occurrence of air pollution or ways in which they can undertake to reduce the effects. For the purpose of future research, it is important that the magnitude of the lack of knowledge is described in the efforts of reducing global warming. This research will also help in describing possible solutions for improving the quality of air. For instance, many people are aware that they are discouraged from cutting down trees but do not know exactly why. The report provided above serves as an important tool for increasing education for the numerous persons who do not have a broad knowledge of this critical issue. The above discussion is an important warning about the number of people who blatantly disagree with research estimates of air quality degradation. In this case, many individuals in developed countries identify the data on global warming and its significant effects as largely exaggerated. This study shows that there are high levels of pollutant particulate in the air that continue to impact the health of human beings posing a major threat to current life and that of future generations. As a result, populations from across the world are compelled to take part in decreasing this effect. Future research should identify survey data on individuals who are aware of the occurrence of air pollution and those who are taking steps to reduce it.
References
Kampa, M., & Castanas, E. (2008). Human health effects of air pollution. Environmental pollution, 151(2), 362-367.
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Laumbach, R. J., & Kipen, H. M. (2012). Respiratory health effects of air pollution: update on biomass smoke and traffic pollution. Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 129(1), 3-11.
McKenzie, L. M., Witter, R. Z., Newman, L. S., & Adgate, J. L. (2012). Human health risk assessment of air emissions from development of unconventional natural gas resources. Science of the Total Environment, 424, 79-87.
Nowak, D. J., Hirabayashi, S., Bodine, A., & Greenfield, E. (2014). Tree and forest effects on air quality and human health in the United States. Environmental Pollution, 193, 119-129.
West, J. J., Smith, S. J., Silva, R. A., Naik, V., Zhang, Y., Adelman, Z., ... & Lamarque, J. F. (2013). Co-benefits of mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions for future air quality and human health. Nature climate change, 3(10), 885-889.
