Over the years environmental pollution has been the primary concern in many countries around the globe. Whereas it has been in existent from prehistoric times, environmental pollution got significance in the 19 th century after the industrial revolution. Environmental pollution occurs when foreign objects are introduced to the environment, yet it cannot destroy them without harming itself. Some of the harms include a high concentration of substances within a unit area and material that cannot decompose or take a very long time to decompose. There are many forms of environmental pollution with each being named following the environmental section they affects (Demidov & Bonnet, 2009). This essay discusses environmental pollution by focusing on six human behaviors that contribute to air pollution and how they can be controlled.
Air pollution refers to the release of substances in excess or harmful to the human being and the Earth into the air. Air pollution is mainly caused by Human causes (Anthropogenic) and natural causes. One of the categories of the human causes is human behavior. Through an audit of the day-to-day activities, lists of six activities were identified to be contributors to air pollution. They included; 1) The usage of private transport, 2) Application of pesticides to flowers in the garden, 3) Not switching of lights when in use, 4) Painting part of the house, 5) The use of use of air freshener in the toilet, and 6) Burning of waste.
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The audit revealed that the use of private transport is a contributor to air pollution. The usage of the vehicle emits exhaust fumes. The fumes contain gases such as sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and particulates. Whereas transportation is an integral part of the day to day activities, the usage of public transport, usage of shared transport or hybrid vehicle that have a more reduced carbon footprint reduces the degree of air pollution (Demidov & Bonnet, 2009). The application of pesticides to flowers in the garden is another activity that contributed to air pollution. The pesticides used were in spray form. Therefore, contain particulate and volatile substances which to some degrees drifted to the unintended area. The usage or organic pesticides which can be broken down by the environment would reduce the degree of air pollution caused by the activity. It was also noted that at some instances lights were left on unnecessarily. The activity contributes to air pollution because it increases the amount of fossil fuel that is burned during the generation of electric energy. The fossil fuel contributes particulates and gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the environment.
The painting of parts of the house is another activity that was identified to contribute to air pollution. The paint contains volatile and particulates substances which evaporate and suspend in the air as the paint dries. The choice of paint formulated with less harmful substances like heavy metals such as lead is one of the ways to reduce the effect of air pollution. Furthermore, the painting works should be restricted to avoid spillages. The remaining and waste paint can be taken to the suppliers that have recycle programs. The use of air freshener contributes to air pollution. The air freshener contains volatile and particulate substances that are detrimental to the air. The reduction or even total abstinence from the usage of air fresheners is the prudent way of reducing the air pollution. Lastly, the burning of domestic waste contributed to air pollution. The burning produces smoke and particulates into the air. Recycling reusable items reduce the pollution caused by burning wastes. It can be achieved by giving the waste to waste management programs run by the local government (Gardner & Stern, 2002) .
From the discussion above it can be observed that the six human behaviors contribute significantly to air pollution. The wastage of electrical energy and usage of a private vehicle increases the amount of fossil fuel burned to generate energy. Energy saving mechanisms such as the usage of public transport and switching off lights when not in demand reduce air pollution. On the other hand, the application of pesticides, air fresheners, and carrying out painting works adds volatile substance and particulates into the air. The reduced frequency of application and avoidance of heavy metal formulated paints reduces air pollution. Finally, the burning of waste contributes to air pollution. It can be reduced by embracing recycling of reusable items. The analysis of human behavior and formulation of strategies to reduce their degree of environmental pollution promotes a sustainable world.
References
Demidov, S., & Bonnet, J. (2009). Traffic-related air pollution and internal combustion engines. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Gardner, G. T., & Stern, P. C. (2002). Environmental problems and human behavior. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Pub.
