Opposed to Air Pollution
Crystal Rowley
SCI/275
March 11, 2012
Rosemarie Rowe

Opposed to Air Pollution
Atmospheric issues have become increasingly worse throughout the years. One issue, such as air pollution, needs to be addressed in a serious and timely manner. All citizens of the world need to take accountability for their contribution to air pollution. It is time to reverse and reduce the amount of pollutants currently being released into the atmosphere.
Air pollution is caused from many actions. Such actions include the burning of coal and agricultural or prescribed burning, power plants, cars and planes. Keep in mind these are just a few sources that are contributors to the pollution of the atmosphere. When these sources are being used, they release harmful gasses (e.g. carbon dioxide) into the very air that keeps all living organisms alive.
The atmosphere is composed of many gasses naturally. Ozone is one of these gasses and helps protect life from the harmful ultraviolet rays produced by the sun. The “good” ozone is located in the stratosphere. However, there lies a different ozone layer closer to the earth’s surface. This ozone is caused from pollution and is not beneficial to plants or humans. In fact this layer of pollution can actually be seen “hovering” over entire cities. This ozone is considered to be the “bad” ozone.
The “hovering” of this pollution is a result of temperature inversion. Temperature inversion is when there is an abnormal increase in temperature with height in the troposphere. (Edition, 2009) These inversions are similar to a blanket covering the earth’s surface, commonly found over cities. This “blanket” holds all the pollution down. Atmospheric pollution is strongly influenced by inversions. The inversions limit vertical mixing, cloud formation and precipitation. (Stewart, 2008) Without these important factors, the atmosphere cannot naturally cleanse itself.
There are living and nonliving factors which are affected by the very important problem of air pollution. The living factors that are affected by poor air quality today are fairly obvious. People suffer every day from asthma and other respiratory illnesses because of the pollutants that are in the air they are breathing. The effect on plants and animals are becoming evident as well. There are many plant and animal species that are declining in number because they too rely on the polluted air that is being provided to them. The evidence is significant and proves there is a tremendous need to reverse and reduce major air pollution contributors.
Some research suggests there are some affects to nonliving factors as well. One of the largest nonliving factors that are affected by air pollution is the air itself. When the air is polluted the pollution is absorbed into the moisture in the air which turns into droplets of rain. This rain then becomes contaminated (acid rain) and falls to the earth contaminating everything that absorbs it. Acid rain is an example of another nonliving factor affected by air pollution. There are more factors that need to be considered as well.
The human factor may be the most important factor that needs to be addressed. Humans have made some extensive impacts on the atmosphere. Considering previous examples given on the topic of air pollution, the majority of the human impacts on the atmosphere appear to be negative. Believe it or not, there can be positive human impacts as well. An important way of making a positive impact is for humans to become educated, aware, and accountable about air pollution. Education about why it is important to reverse and reduce the amount of pollutants that are released into the air will open minds. As humans become more aware of the impacts of their contribution to air pollution they can then teach future generations about new ways to use cleaner resources (e.g. renewable energy). These actions would promote a cleaner way of life. Humans contribute to a great percentage of the quality of the atmosphere and are accountable for their contributions, in both positive and negative ways.
Currently there are many strategies and possible solutions to enhance the sustainability of the atmosphere. One strategy that is in place is the emissions check at the local DMV on all vehicles. In certain areas if your car doesn’t pass the “smog” test, you cannot drive it on the roads. More extensive strategies include the manufacturing of electric generated automobiles, recycling, and the use of renewable energies. There are also strict rules and guidelines put in place to stop or reduce the production of hazardous materials. Although these are all beneficial methods, there is still so much work to do.
One plan that could be implemented, with the cooperation of everyone, would be to replace all gas, diesel, and propane powered vehicles with electric powered automobiles. There would require many steps in order for this plan to be executed. The first step would be to educate the population of the entire world of the importance of taking such an extreme and drastic move towards cleaning the air. “Atmospheric pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in modern societies, with severe impact on human health and ecosystem stability”. (Mavrotas, 2006) This statement could be utilized as the motivation for all people to come together and make the world a cleaner place for themselves and generations to come.
There would also have to be certain laws put into place prohibiting the manufacturing or use of any automobiles that omit high quantities of pollution. The governments from all around the world would have to be in agreement in supporting every aspect of this plan to ensure the sustainability of the world’s atmosphere. This feat alone could take decades, but it would be in the world’s best interest to address it as quickly as possible.
All automobile manufacturers around the world would have to mass produce electric cars in order to replace all existing vehicles that are currently polluting the air. The manufacturers will also need to recycle the previously used vehicles in an environmentally friendly way. The execution of this step needs to be an immediate one. It is detrimental to the future of the environment and every living thing in the environment.
Perhaps the most important step would be to have an international vehicle exchange. Although this idea seems a bit drastic and unrealistic, it is essential to the sustainability of the environment that all living organisms depend on. This would require every person owning an automobile that runs on gas, diesel or propane would take their vehicles to a designated “trade in” area where they will trade in their car for an electric car. This step requires everyone to commit to the effort of reversing and reducing the amount of air pollution that is being released into the atmosphere every day.
There are some challenges to the proposed mitigation strategy, however, many challenges have been overcome in the past and there are many more to be overcome. It is a matter of attitude, accountability, and respect. The biggest challenge that needs to be overcome is that not all people will be willing to give up the vehicles they have become so reliant on and attached to. This challenge deals with the individual’s emotional resistance to change. Another example of a possible challenge is that some people might find the plan to be too extreme and refuse to report it. Overcoming this challenge would have to be done through aggressive education showing the realities of the air pollution problem being faced. It would be difficult to persuade every human on the planet to conform to a cleaner way of life. These challenges can be overcome with proper motivation, education, and belief. Remember, providing a cleaner place to live and breathe for today’s generations and many future generations is the main concept in reversing and reducing the amount of air pollution. In contrast, the benefits of such an extreme maneuver are where the main focus should be.
By removing the millions of automobiles across the world, that are major contributors to air pollution, people would be taking one huge step towards providing a cleaner environment for many generations to come. One by one, each polluting vehicle would be taken off the streets and would immediately stop contributing to the pollution of the atmosphere. This extreme movement would also demonstrate that humans have a tremendous power to do good things in numbers. Meaning that when people come together, they can make great things happen. There are too many benefits to list from the people of the world coming together to help sustain this environment for themselves and so many generations to come. One thing is certain, that is, that all the benefits that are possible from the proposed plan, clearly outweighs the challenges.
There needs to be an immense support from governments all around the world just to put this plan in motion. Society and global support are the two biggest contributors in making this plan work. If there is not 100% support from ALL of the people of the world, then the air they breathe will always cause problems. Everyone participates in contributing to the pollution of the atmosphere and holding themselves accountable for participating is the attitude that is necessary in order to make this change happen.
In the end, it all comes down to the fact that the atmosphere has become too polluted, and the power to change the situation lies solely on humans. There needs to be drastic and time sensitive measures taken. One day there could be a clean, clear, bright future for all humans of future generations, or there could be a bleak, polluted, and deadly future. The choice is there and needs to be made. The following statement reveals the true first step in reversing and reducing the air pollution factor that all humans face. “ACKNOWLEDGMENT that humans are SEVERLY abusing the environment, that the earth is like a spaceship with limited resources, and that we are approaching the limits of RESOURCE EHAUSTION and may soon face a major ecological crisis, ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY should seem like a necessary response to help avert disaster”. (Shafer, 2006)

References

Edition, C. E.-C. (2009). temperature inversion. Retrieved March 9, 2012, from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/temperature+inversion
Mavrotas, G. Z. (2006). A Combined MOIP-MCDA Approach to Building and Screening Atmospheric Pollution Control Strateegies in Urban Regions. Environmental Management, 38, 149-160.
Shafer, W. E. (2006). Social Paradigms and Attitudes Toward Environmental Accountability. Journal of Business Ethics, 65, 121-147.
Stewart, R. (2008). Atmospheric Structure and Pollution Sources. Retrieved March 9, 2012, from Our Ocean Planet: http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/atmosphere.html