In the US alone, about 46% of lakes are too polluted to allow the survival of aquatic life or recreational activities. This may not be a surprise in a country that releases billions of gallons of untreated waste and industrial waste per month. Besides water pollution, discharging waste to the environment has degraded the topsoil, reducing agricultural productivity, and destroying the atmosphere. Pollution, often caused by carbon emissions and discharging waste to the environment, has polluted water bodies, air, and soil; it can be reduced by reducing the use of fossil fuels and treating waste before releasing it into the environment. There are many causes of pollution, with carbon emissions and improper discharge of untreated wastes beings the major ones. Pollution can be classified into the air, water, land, soil, noise, and light pollution. Each of these categories has a common pollutant. Starting with air pollution, the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is the main source of this pollution. Often, when fossil fuels are burned, they produce carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxide, which rise to the atmosphere to cause air pollution (Manisalidis et al., 2020). Another type is water pollution. It is caused by untreated industrial waste, untreated sewage, and the washing of agricultural chemicals in water bodies (Ahmed & Ismail, 2018). Water pollution has adverse impacts on aquatic life. Other forms of pollution are land and soil, and noise and light pollution. Land and soil pollution destroys land and soil, reducing its productivity. The major causes of land and soil pollution are leaking septic tanks and sewage systems whose harmful substances leach into the soil. Additionally, agricultural chemicals, untreated industrial waste, and over-farming degrade the soil. Besides soil pollution, there is noise and light pollution, which are caused by human activities. It is often caused by using artificial light excessively at night and loud music. The effects of pollution are evident every day. Pollution has destroyed ecosystems and has adversely affected human and environmental health. Air pollution increases the chances of cardiovascular problems like asthma, heart problems, and coughing (Manisalidis, 2020). It also causes birth defects and diseases in animals. Additionally, it destroys the ozone layer, increasing global warming, which destroys humans, animals, and plants lives. Water pollution threatens humans, animals, and aquatic life. Untreated waste in water sources causes water to be toxic and unsafe for consumption. In case polluted water is taken, an individual may experience health problems, such as typhoid. Additionally, water pollution causes the death of aquatic life (Bashir et al., 2020); this disrupts the food chain, causing a problem for both humans and animals. Finally, land and soil pollution adversely affects human health. Crops grown using polluted soil pose a health threat to human health and may cause diseases like cancer. Also, land degradation disrupts animals' natural habitat and often causes an imbalance in atmospheric conditions. For example, deforestation increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as trees absorb it for photosynthesis. This poses a serious threat, especially because most pollution is caused by carbon. Various techniques could be applied to reduce pollution. The first strategy is to reduce the use of fossil fuels and instead shift to green energy. Fossil fuels are the major sources of carbon emission, which is a major environmental pollutant. Using alternative means of energy, such as solar, could reduce carbon emissions by industries and vehicles (EPA, n.d.). Also, all industries should treat their waste before releasing it into the environment (Elleuch et al., 2018). Treating sewage waste would reduce soil and water pollution, thereby conserving aquatic life. Land and soil pollution could be reduced by using organic fertilizers, treating sewage waste, and planting more trees to reduce environmental degradation (Ranieri et al., 2016). Applying these techniques would reduce the exposure of the soil to harmful chemicals and reduce land degradation. All these techniques could be instrumental in reducing pollution.
Conclusion
Environmental pollution is a major problem worldwide that should be addressed as it causes diseases, and global warming, among other effects. Pollution is often caused by the burning of fossil fuels, which increases carbon emissions. Also, releasing of untreated industrial and sewage waste, overgrazing, and over-farming cause environmental pollution. This pollution has increased diseases in humans, such as breathing problems and cancers, and the death of aquatic life. In order to reduce pollution, individuals should normalize using renewable energy sources, using organic fertilizers, and treating industrial and sewage waste. It is the responsibility of everyone to protect the environment to make the world a better place.
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References
Bashir, I., Lone, F. A., Bhat, R. A., Mir, S. A., Dar, Z. A., & Dar, S. A. (2020). Concerns and Threats of Contamination on Aquatic Ecosystems. Bioremediation and Biotechnology: Sustainable Approaches to Pollution Degradation , 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35691-0_1
Elleuch, B., Bouhamed, F., Elloussaief, M. et al. Environmental sustainability, and pollution prevention. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 18223–18225 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0619-5
Manisalidis, I., Stavropoulou, E., Stavropoulos, A., & Bezirtzoglou, E. (2020). Environmental and Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A Review. Frontiers in public health , 8 , 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014
Ranieri, E., Bombadelli, F., Gikas, P., & Chiaia, B. (2016). Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation. Applied and Environmental Soil Science, 2016 . https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9415175
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Actions You Can Take to Reduce Air Pollution . https://www3.epa.gov/region1/airquality/reducepollution.html
Ahmed, S. & Ismail, S. (2018). Water Pollution and its Sources, Effects & Management: A Case Study of Delhi. International Journal of Current Advanced Research , 07(2), 10436-10442.
