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Environmental Pollution Essay

Essay on Environmental Pollution

The environment is the surrounding of an organism. The environment in which an organism lives is made up of various components like air, water, land, etc. These components are found in fixed proportions to create a harmonious balance in the environment for the organism to live in. Any kind of undesirable and unwanted change in the proportions of these components can be termed as pollution. This issue is increasing with every passing year. It is an issue that creates economic, physical, and social troubles. The environmental problem that is worsening with each day needs to be addressed so that its harmful effects on humans as well as the planet can be discarded.

Causes of Environmental Pollution

With the rise of the industries and the migration of people from villages to cities in search of employment, there has been a regular increase in the problem of proper housing and unhygienic living conditions. These reasons have given rise to factors that cause pollution.

Environmental pollution is of five basic types namely, Air, Water, Soil, and Noise pollution.

Air Pollution: Air pollution is a major issue in today’s world. The smoke pouring out of factory chimneys and automobiles pollute the air that we breathe in. Gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulphur dioxide are emitted with this smoke which mixes with air and causes great harm to the human body, flora, and fauna. The dry-farm waste, dry grass, leaves, and coal used as domestic fuels in our villages also produce harmful gases. Acid rain occurs due to an excess of sulphur dioxide in the air.

The Main Sources of Air Pollution are as Follows:

Automobile pollution

Industrial air pollution

Burning garbage

Brick kilns

Indoor air pollution

Decomposed animals and plants

Radioactive elements

Water Pollution: Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental issues. The waste products from the growing industries and sewage water are not treated properly before disposing of the wastewater into the rivers and other water bodies, thus leading to water pollution. Agricultural processes with excess fertilizers and pesticides also pollute the water bodies.

The Main Sources of Water Pollution as Follows:

Marine commerce.

Industrial effluents joining seas and oceans.

Dumping of radioactive substances into seawater.

Sewage is disposed of into the sea by rivers.

Offshore oil rigs.

Recreational activities.

Agricultural pollutants are disposed of into the water bodies.

Soil or Land Pollution: Soil pollution or land pollution results from the deposition of solid waste, accumulation of biodegradable material, deposition of chemicals with poisonous chemical compositions, etc on the open land. Waste materials such as plastics, polythene, and bottles, cause land pollution and render the soil infertile. Moreover, the dumping of dead bodies of animals adds to this issue. Soil pollution causes several diseases in man and animals like Cholera, Dysentery, Typhoid, etc.

The Main Causes of Soil Pollution are as Follows:

Industrial waste

Urban commercial and domestic waste

Chemical fertilizers

Biomedical waste

Noise Pollution: With an increasing population, urbanization, and industrialization, noise pollution is becoming a serious form of pollution affecting human life, health, and comfort in daily life. Horns of vehicles, loudspeakers, music systems, and industrial activities contribute to noise pollution.

The Main Sources of Noise Pollution as Follows:

The machines in the factories and industries produce whistling sounds, crushing noise, and thundering sounds.

Loudspeakers, horns of vehicles.

Blasting of rocks and earth, drilling tube wells, ventilation fans, and heavy earth-moving machinery at construction sites.

How Pollution Harms Health and Environment

The lives of people and other creatures are affected by environmental pollution, both directly and indirectly. For centuries, these living organisms have coexisted with humans on the planet.

1. Effect on the Environment

Smog is formed when carbon and dust particles bind together in the air, causing respiratory problems, haze, and smoke. These are created by the combustion of fossil fuels in industrial and manufacturing facilities and vehicle combustion of carbon fumes.

Furthermore, these factors impact the immune systems of birds, making them carriers of viruses and diseases. It also has an impact on the body's system and organs.

2. Land, Soil, and Food Effects

The degradation of human organic and chemical waste harms the land and soil. It also releases chemicals into the land and water. Pesticides, fertilisers, soil erosion, and crop residues are the main causes of land and soil pollution.

3. Effects on water

Water is easily contaminated by any pollutant, whether it be human waste or factory chemical discharge. We also use this water for crop irrigation and drinking. They, too, get polluted as a result of infection. Furthermore, an animal dies as a result of drinking the same tainted water.

Furthermore, approximately 80% of land-based pollutants such as chemical, industrial, and agricultural waste wind up in water bodies.

Furthermore, because these water basins eventually link to the sea, they contaminate the sea's biodiversity indirectly.

4. Food Reaction

Crops and agricultural produce become poisonous as a result of contaminated soil and water. These crops are laced with chemical components from the start of their lives until harvest when they reach a mass level. Due to this, tainted food has an impact on our health and organs.

5. Climate Change Impact

Climate change is also a source of pollution in the environment. It also has an impact on the ecosystem's physical and biological components.

Ozone depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming are all examples of environmental pollution. Because these water basins eventually link to the sea, they contaminate the sea's biodiversity indirectly. Furthermore, their consequences may be fatal for future generations. The unpredictably cold and hot climate impacts the earth’s natural system.

Furthermore, earthquakes, starvation, smog, carbon particles, shallow rain or snow, thunderstorms, volcanic eruptions, and avalanches are all caused by climate change, caused entirely by environmental pollution.

How to Minimise Environmental Pollution?

To minimise this issue, some preventive measures need to be taken.

Principle of 3R’s: To save the environment, use the principle of 3 R’s; Reuse, Reduce and Recycle.

Reuse products again and again. Instead of throwing away things after one use, find a way to use them again. Reduce the generation of waste products.

Recycle: Paper, plastics, glass, and electronic items can be processed into new products while using fewer natural resources and lesser energy.

To prevent and control air pollution, better-designed equipment, and smokeless fuels should be used in homes and industries. More and more trees should be planted to balance the ecosystem and control greenhouse effects.

Noise pollution can be minimised by better design and proper maintenance of vehicles. Industrial noise can be reduced by soundproofing equipment like generators, etc.

To control soil pollution, we must stop the usage of plastic. Sewage should be treated properly before using it as fertilizers and as landfills. Encourage organic farming as this process involves the use of biological materials and avoiding synthetic substances to maintain soil fertility and ecological balance.

Several measures can be adopted to control water pollution. Some of them are water consumption and usage that can be minimized by altering the techniques involved. Water should be reused with treatment.

The melting icebergs in Antarctica resulted in rising sea levels due to the world's environmental pollution, which had become a serious problem due to global warming, which had become a significant concern. Rising carbon pollution poses a risk for causing natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, and other natural disasters.

The Hiroshima-Nagasaki and Chernobyl disasters in Russia have irreversibly harmed humanity. Different countries around the world are responding to these calamities in the most effective way possible.

Different countries around the world are responding to these calamities in the most effective way possible. More public awareness campaigns are being established to educate people about the hazards of pollution and the importance of protecting our environment. Greener lifestyles are becoming more popular; for example, energy-efficient lighting, new climate-friendly autos, and the usage of wind and solar power are just a few examples.

Governments emphasise the need to plant more trees, minimise the use of plastics, improve natural waste recovery, and reduce pesticide use. This ecological way of living has helped humanity save other creatures from extinction while making the Earth a greener and safer ecology.

Conclusion

It is the responsibility of every individual to save our planet from these environmental contamination agents. If preventive measures are not taken then our future generation will have to face major repercussions. The government is also taking steps to create public awareness. Every individual should be involved in helping to reduce and control pollution.

FAQs on Environmental Pollution Essay

1. What do you understand by ‘Environmental Pollution’?

Environmental pollution is the contamination of the environment and surroundings like air, water, soil by the discharge of harmful substances.

2. What preventive measures should be taken to save our environment?

Some of the preventive measures that should be taken to save our environment are discussed below.

We can save our environment by adopting the concept of carpooling and promoting public transport to save fuel. Smoking bars are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations that prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and other public places.

The use of Fossil fuels should be restricted because it causes major environmental issues like global warming.

Encourage organic farming to maintain the fertility of the soil.

3. What are the main sources of soil pollution?

The main sources of soil pollution as follows:

Industrial waste

Urban commercial and domestic waste

Chemical fertilizers

Biomedical waste

4. What is organic farming?

It is a farming method that involves growing and nurturing crops without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

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Essay on Environmental Pollution: 100 Words, 200 Words

Updated on
Apr 1, 2024

One of the biggest risks to life as we know it is environmental degradation. The water we drink, the air we breathe, and the ecosystems on which we depend are all impacted by pollution. People, animals, and plants will decline if pollution levels continue to rise since they won’t be able to adapt to a significantly altered environment. Are you struggling to write an essay on environmental pollution? If the answer is yes, then this blog will help you get some ideas to write an effective essay. Keep reading further to know more!

Table of Contents

1 What is Environmental Pollution?
2 Essay on Environmental Pollution – 100 Words
3 Essay on Environmental Pollution – 250 Words
4 Essay on Environmental Pollution – 500 Words

What is Environmental Pollution?

The phenomenon of undesirable changes in the surroundings that are harmful to animals and plants, and leads to environmental degradation is known as environmental pollution. These changes can occur because of the solid, liquid or gaseous pollutants. For example, DDT, plastic, and heavy materials take more time to degrade and are known as notable pollutants. For the determination of risk assessment of public health, concentration of pollutants is measured.

Essay on Environmental Pollution – 100 Words

The presence of contaminants in the environment is referred to as pollution. Gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO), among others; solid pollutants like plastic, sewage, etc.; and chemicals like fertilisers, as well as those produced as byproducts in manufacturing, transportation, etc., are a few examples of polluting substances.

The immediate result of pollution is that it makes the world’s natural resources useless or toxic to use, as well as leads to the extinction of species and ecological imbalance. To stop more harm from occurring to the earth and its inhabitants due to environmental pollution, it is imperative to take proactive precautions.

Essay on Environmental Pollution – 250 Words

When undesired elements, or pollutants, are present in the environment, it is said to be polluted. The environment is severely harmed by pollution, which poses a direct threat to it. Although the world has begun to understand the importance of addressing pollution if the planet and its biodiversity are to be conserved there is still a long way to go.

Everything that makes up the environment, including the air, water bodies, flora, and wildlife, is impacted by pollution in one way or another. There are four main types of pollution – Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Noise Pollution and Soil or Land Pollution . Additionally, pollution contributes to global issues including acid rain, global warming, and greenhouse gas consequences. A rise in the planet’s average surface temperature is referred to as global warming, and it causes starvation, floods, and droughts.

Environmental pollution has a wide-ranging impact. In addition to the current effects of pollution, a lack of effective pollution prevention measures also imperils the future of various species. The pollution is causing harm at a far faster rate than it can be healed. Reversing the environmental harm we have caused could take generations, and even then, it won’t be simple. It will require tight discipline and commitment to stop pollution.

The best ways feasible are being used by various nations to respond to these catastrophes. More efforts are being launched to raise public awareness about the dangers of pollution and the importance of preserving our ecosystem. Greener lifestyles are gaining popularity; examples include using wind and solar energy, new climate-friendly cars, and energy-efficient lighting.

Essay on Environmental Pollution – 500 Words

Pollution is the term used to describe the entry of pollutants into the environment. Noise, water, and air pollution are only a few of the several types of pollution. There is a direct relationship between the rise of pollution levels and illnesses among people. Therefore, it is important for everyone to be knowledgeable about pollution, its impacts, and effective ways to eliminate it. Our environment needs a balanced combination of all components, just like our body requires a balanced diet. The environment is polluted by any substance that is present above that limit for example rise in the levels of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes harm to human health due to poor air quality.

All forms of pollution, whether in the air, water, soil, or noise, have a negative impact on living things. Deadly diseases that are brought on by the contamination of soil, water, air, or sound affect organisms.

Among the most common disorders brought on by air pollution are acute lower respiratory infections in children, ischemic heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. Air pollution is a major contributor to a number of ailments in India, including strokes, bronchitis, heart attacks, lung diseases, cancer, and early mortality from heart disorders. The most pressing issue in the world now is global warming, which is caused by air pollution.

Around the world, poor drinking water quality is the reason behind 50% of child deaths and 80% of illnesses, including more than 50 different diseases. Water pollution causes diarrhoea, skin diseases, malnutrition, and even cancer, as well as other issues that are related to it.

Every day, noise pollution has an effect on millions of people. The most frequent result of this is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Loud noises have the potential to cause stress, high blood pressure, heart disease, and sleep difficulties. Children in particular are prone to these health issues across the board in terms of age groups. Noise pollution is extremely harmful, and it’s especially deadlier for people with heart issues.

Use of the 3Rs, or reduce, reuse, and recycle, is the first step in reducing pollution. People should use air conditioners less since they generate noxious gases, such as ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, which will minimise air pollution.

Reducing the number of vehicles on the road will also help to clean up the planet’s air. The more often cars are used, the more dangerous chemicals like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons that contribute to major air pollution are released into the atmosphere.

Increasing public awareness is a further means of reducing pollution on Earth. Through programmes like the “Go Green” campaign, which urges people to plant more trees and use recyclable materials in their daily lives, awareness can be raised about the significance of eliminating pollution on Earth. The “Earth Hour” is another globally recognised event that calls for everyone to turn off all lights for one hour in order to raise awareness of the significance of reducing electricity usage in order to minimise pollution on Earth.

The government’s obligation to maintain national laws is one way to reduce pollution on Earth. Offenders should be subject to harsh penalties, such as increased fines and longer prison terms, which will force them to reconsider their influence on the environment and serve as a message to those who are not currently involved but who might be in the future.

Must Read: Essay on Pollution: Elements, Type, Format & Samples

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Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences Essay

To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
As a template for you assignment

Environmental pollution is the unwarranted discharge of mass or energy into the planet’s natural resource pools, such as land, air, or water, which detriments the environment’s ecological stability and the health of the living things that inhabit it. There is an intensified health risk and pollution in middle and low-income countries due to the increased use of pesticides, industrialization, the introduction of nitrogen-based fertilizers, forest fires, urbanization, and inadequate waste management (Appannagari, 2017). Air pollution, lead and chemicals exposure, hazardous waste exposure, and inappropriate e-waste disposal all result in unfavorable living conditions, fatal illnesses, and ecosystem destruction. The essay will provide an overview of pollution and proffer solutions to combating pollution for a sustainable environment and health.

In addition to hindering economic development and considerably accelerating climate change, pollution exacerbates poverty and inequality in urban and rural areas. The most pain is always experienced by the poor, who cannot afford to protect themselves against pollution’s harmful effects. The main environmental factor contributing to sickness and early mortality is pollution due to premature deaths resulting from pollution (Appannagari, 2017). Due to the unacceptably high cost to human capital and health, as well as the resulting GDP losses, pollution must be addressed. Through initiatives like reducing black carbon and methane emissions, which are responsible for air pollution and climate change, pollution management can also significantly contribute to climate change mitigation (Appannagari, 2017). Additionally, pollution control can promote competitiveness through, for instance, job growth, increased energy efficiency, better transportation, and sustainable urban and rural development. Below are the various approaches for solutions to health and pollution problems.

First, governments should evaluate pollution as a national and international priority and integrate it into the city and country planning process. Pollution affects the health and well-being of societies and, as such, cannot be solely viewed as an environmental issue (The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, 2017). All levels of government should give pollution prevention a high priority, incorporate it into development planning, and tie it to commitments regarding climate change, SDGs, and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Some options are both affordable and offer good returns on investment.

Secondly, governments should increase funding for pollution control and prioritize it by health impacts. There should be a significant increase in the financing for pollution management in low- and middle-income nations, both from national budgets and international development organizations (The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, 2017). The most effective international support for pollution reduction is when it mobilizes additional actions and funding from others. Examples include helping towns and nations that are quickly industrializing concerning technical capacity building, regulatory and enforcement support, and support for direct actions to save lives. Monitoring financing initiatives are necessary to determine their cost-effectiveness and to raise accountability.

Thirdly, organizations should work to build multicultural partnerships for pollution control. Public-private partnerships and interagency cooperation can be powerful tools in creating clean technology and energy sources that will ultimately prevent pollution at its source (The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, 2017). Collaborations between ministries that include the ministries of finance, energy, development, agriculture, and transport, as well as the ministries of health and the environment, are crucial in pollution control. Governments should promote monitoring systems that could identify and apportion pollution sources, measure pollution levels, guide enforcement, and assess progress toward goals. The use of new technology in pollution monitoring, such as data mining and satellite images, can boost effectiveness, broaden the monitoring area, and cut costs.

One of the main issues facing the world in the current period is pollution. Natural resources are depleting daily due to car emissions, new technologies, factories, and chemicals added to food. All of these factors seriously harm the world. However, the problems caused by pollution can be prevented by building multicultural partnerships, increasing funding for pollution control, integrating it into the country’s planning process, and adopting new technology for monitoring pollution. Preventing pollution lowers the cost to the environment and the economy.

Appannagari, R. R. (2017). Environmental pollution causes and consequences: A study . North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science and Humanities , 3 (8), 151-161. Web.

Excell High School. (2018). Environmental Science . Excel Education Systems, Inc. Web.

The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. (2017). Pollution and health: Six problems and six solutions. Knowledge, Evidence, and Learning for Development.

Environment in the Novel “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn
The Article "Where the Water Goes" by David Owen
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IvyPanda. (2023, December 18). Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences. https://ivypanda.com/essays/environmental-pollution-causes-and-consequences/

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Encyclopedia of Humanities

The most comprehensive and reliable Encyclopedia of Humanities

Environmental pollution

We explain what environmental pollution is, and explore its causes and effects. In addition, we discuss its characteristics and types.

What is environmental pollution?

Pollution is the presence of substances or materials in the environment that cause direct or indirect adverse effects on human health and living beings in general. This phenomenon occurs when ecosystems are unable to absorb and eliminate the toxic substances introduced into them , resulting in their accumulation and subsequent environmental degradation.

The effects of environmental pollution may be severe and long-lasting , impacting not only humans but also plant and animal life, as well as soil and water quality. These effects may be observed either directly or indirectly, and may vary in magnitude—from minor environmental issues to the death of plant and animal species.

Moreover, pollution may have negative economic impacts such as reduced agricultural production, lower tourism activity, and the degradation of natural resources.

See also: Atmospheric pollution

Water pollution

Water pollution is an environmental issue that has negative consequences on human health, aquatic life, and the natural environment in general. It occurs when substances or materials are introduced into water affecting its quality and making it unfit for human or animal consumption.

Factories often use rivers and other bodies of water to dispose of the waste generated by their activities. The absence of adequate regulation and pollution control measures has led to a significant increase in water pollution levels worldwide.

Likewise, a large number of communities discharge raw sewage into water without adequate treatment. Wastewater not properly treated contains bacteria, viruses, and other hazardous chemicals that may have adverse effects on human and animal health.

Water pollution also has a significant impact on the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems . Chemical substances present in water can kill aquatic organisms and alter natural ecosystems. Furthermore, water pollution may affect food chains and biological processes, which in turn will impact both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Air pollution

Air pollution is linked to the burning of fossil fuels, industry, agriculture, transportation, and energy production . It is caused by the accumulation of gaseous pollutants in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbon, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide.

The main effect of air pollution is climate change . Most gas emissions come from greenhouse gases (GHGs), which increase the amount of heat retained in the atmosphere, causing the planet's global temperature to rise. This rise in temperature has intensified other severe weather phenomena such as droughts , floods , and hurricanes .

See also: Air pollution

Land pollution

The health and life of all living beings depend on the balance between organic and inorganic matter in soils. Plants, being the base of the food chain, extract nutrients and water from the soil, meaning that any source of pollution in this medium may have negative effects on the health of animals and humans.

The discharge of toxic waste like chemicals, metals, and oils may seriously contaminate soils . They may even seep, accumulate, and remain there for long periods of time, negatively affecting soil quality and all the biodiversity depending on it.

The inadequate use of chemicals in agriculture (such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers) is also a major cause of soil pollution. These substances are used to increase production and protect crops, though if used excessively or inappropriately, they can alter the natural balance of the soil and cause serious environmental issues.

Causes of pollution

Pollutants can be classified into:

Industrial chemicals . These are waste materials or by-products of industrial and materials transformation processes which, when dumped into the soil or water, alter their chemical balance.
Greenhouse gases . These are gases that contribute to the rise in the temperature of the planet. The major greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide and methane.
Radioactive materials . These are toxic radioactive elements capable of causing diseases and genetic mutations.
Non-biodegradable waste . It includes plastics and petroleum by-products with long biodegradation cycles. They are abundant in the garbage produced daily, degrade plant and animal life, and unbalance ecosystems.

Types of pollution

According to the extent of its source, pollution can be classified into:

Point source . The pollution source is easily defined and is located at a specific point.
Linear source . The source of pollution extends along a line or sequence.
Diffuse . Pollutants are introduced into the environment in a dispersed, multiple, or varied way.

According to the natural environment where it occurs:

Water or hydric . It occurs when foreign or harmful substances are introduced into the waters of seas, rivers, lakes and lagoons, or into groundwater reservoirs.
Soil or land . It takes place when foreign or toxic substances spread through soils altering their physical and chemical properties.
Air or atmospheric . It occurs when gases and suspended solids are dispersed in the atmosphere, degrading air quality.

According to the type of contaminant:

Chemical pollution. Produced by industrial waste, toxic substances or compounds that alter the chemical and biological properties of the environment.
Radioactive contamination. Caused by the presence of radioactive materials that can damage the genetic material of living beings.
Thermal pollution. Caused by air or water temperature rise as a result of human activities.
Noise pollution. Produced by constant high noise levels that negatively affect living beings.
Electromagnetic pollution. Produced by electromagnetic waves emitted by telephone antennas, high-voltage towers, radio and television stations, and satellite communication systems that may have negative effects on human health.
Light pollution. Caused by the excess of artificial light in the environment, which is harmful to human and animal health.
Visual pollution. Occurs due to the presence of disturbing elements in the urban landscape which impair its visual perception and which, in excess, may generate discomfort and stress, affecting the quality of life.

Degradability

Degradability is a material’s capacity to be decomposed and return to its original state in nature . A material is degradable when it is capable of being broken down by living organisms or by natural processes and is reintroduced into the environment without causing environmental damage or degradation.

Nowadays, degradability has become a major issue due to the negative impact that a large number of materials have on the environment. Most materials used in everyday life (such as plastic or glass) are non-biodegradable , taking hundreds of years to decompose.

This means that once they are discarded, they remain in the natural environment for a long time, generating long-term pollution and ecosystem degradation.

Effects of pollution

Pollution has consequences on life and the balance of ecosystems. Among the most important effects are species extinction, loss of biodiversity, the emergence of diseases (in humans, animals, and plants), increased acid rain , and the worsening of climate change.

Explore next:

Environmental impact
Greenhouse effect
Water cycle
Academia Mexicana de Ciencias (2007) Los efectos de la contaminación ambiental sobre nuestra salud . https://www.amc.edu.mx/
DKV (2022) La contaminación radiactiva: qué es, por qué se produce, cuáles son sus consecuencias . https://dkv.es/
Instituto para la Salud Geoambiental (s.f) La contaminación atmosférica provoca unas 400.000 muertes prematuras en Europa . https://www.saludgeoambiental.org/
Ecolec (2021) ¿Qué es la contaminación hídrica? https://ecolec.es/
FAO (2018) La contaminación de los suelos está contaminando nuestro futuro . https://www.fao.org/
Martín, E (2022) La contaminación térmica. Causas y consecuencias . https://www.narasolar.com/
Organización de Naciones Unidas (s.f) ¿Qué es el cambio climático? https://www.un.org/
UNAM (s.f) Contaminación lumínica . http://www2.astroscu.unam.mx/

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Essay On Environmental Pollution

Table of Contents

Short Essay On Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution refers to the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment. It is a major problem in today’s world and has a profound impact on both the natural world and human lives.

The sources of environmental pollution are numerous and varied, including industrial activities, transportation, and household waste. One of the most significant contributors to environmental pollution is the burning of fossil fuels, which releases toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This not only contributes to air pollution, but it also has a significant impact on climate change, causing rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and melting of polar ice caps.

Another major source of environmental pollution is the disposal of hazardous waste. This includes chemicals, batteries, and electronic waste, which contain toxic substances that can contaminate soil and groundwater, leading to serious health problems for both humans and wildlife.

The effects of environmental pollution are far-reaching and often devastating. It can cause serious health problems for humans, including respiratory problems, heart disease, and cancer. Additionally, environmental pollution can have a significant impact on wildlife, causing a decline in biodiversity and threatening species with extinction.

To address environmental pollution, it is essential that we take a multi-faceted approach, addressing both the causes and consequences of pollution. This may involve reducing the use of fossil fuels and implementing clean energy technologies, as well as improving waste management and increasing public awareness about the impact of pollution.

In conclusion, environmental pollution is a serious problem that has a profound impact on both the natural world and human lives. To address this problem, it is essential that we take a comprehensive approach, addressing the causes and consequences of pollution and working to reduce its impact on the environment. By taking action now, we can protect the future of our planet and ensure a healthy and sustainable future for generations to come.

Long Essay On Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution is one of the biggest threats to our planet today. It affects both the environment and human health, and it’s becoming more and more pervasive in our daily lives. In this essay, we’ll explore what environmental pollution is, how it affects us, and what the most effective solutions are to reduce its impact on people and the planet.

Introduction

There are many different types of environmental pollution. Some of the most common include air pollution, water pollution, and soil contamination. Each type of pollution has different causes and effects. Air pollution is typically caused by emissions from factories and automobiles. These emissions can contain harmful chemicals that can cause respiratory problems, heart disease, and cancer. Water pollution is often caused by sewage or agricultural runoff. This pollution can contaminate drinking water supplies and make people sick. Soil contamination can be caused by hazardous waste disposal or mining operations. This contamination can make crops unsafe to eat and cause health problems in people who come into contact with it.

Causes of Environmental Pollution

There are many causes of environmental pollution. The most common cause is the release of harmful chemicals into the environment. These chemicals can come from factories, power plants, cars, and other sources. They can pollute the air, water, and soil. They can also cause health problems for people and animals.

Other causes of environmental pollution include sewage, agricultural runoff, and mining. Sewage can contain harmful bacteria and viruses that can pollute water supplies. Agricultural runoff can contain pesticides and fertilizers that can pollute rivers and lakes. Mining can release harmful metals and minerals into the environment.

Types of Pollutants and Their Impact on the Environment

There are many different types of pollutants that can have an adverse impact on the environment. Some of the most common pollutants include:

• Air pollution – This is one of the most visible forms of pollution and can cause a range of health problems, including respiratory illnesses.

• Water pollution – This can lead to contamination of drinking water supplies and also harm marine life.

• Soil pollution – This can contaminate crops and lead to soil erosion.

• Light pollution – This can disrupt the natural circadian rhythms of animals and cause light-sensitive species to suffer.

All of these pollutants can have a serious impact on the environment, both in terms of the immediate damage they cause and also the long-term effects. It is therefore important to be aware of the different types of pollutants and their potential impacts.

Effects Of Environmental Pollution

There are many effects of environmental pollution. Some of the most common include air pollution, water pollution, and soil contamination.

Air pollution is one of the most harmful forms of environmental pollution. It is a major contributor to respiratory problems, heart disease, and cancer. Air pollution is also a leading cause of climate change.

Water pollution is another major problem caused by environmental pollution. It can contaminate drinking water supplies, damage aquatic ecosystems, and make recreation in waterways unsafe.

Soil contamination can occur when pollutants such as chemicals or oil spills enter the ground. This can make crops difficult to grow and can contaminate food supplies. Soil contamination can also cause health problems if people come into contact with contaminated soil or eat contaminated food.

Prevention and Control Measures

There are a number of things that individuals can do to help prevent and reduce environmental pollution. One of the most important things is to educate yourself and others about the issue and its causes. This can help raise awareness and create a demand for change. Another key prevention measure is to support businesses and industries that are working to reduce their pollution output. This includes voting with your wallet by patronizing companies that have green policies in place, and investing in cleaner energy sources. Finally, you can take action in your own life to reduce your impact on the environment. This includes conserving energy, recycling, driving less, and composting.

In conclusion, environmental pollution has become a major global concern and it is important for us to take proactive steps to reduce the amount of pollutants that are entering our environment. We can start by reducing our consumption of single-use products, switching to renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power, and engaging in conscientious recycling habits. By taking these actions we can help protect our planet from further harm caused by environmental pollution.

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Essay on Pollution for Students and Children

500+ words essay on pollution.

Pollution is a term which even kids are aware of these days. It has become so common that almost everyone acknowledges the fact that pollution is rising continuously. The term ‘pollution’ means the manifestation of any unsolicited foreign substance in something. When we talk about pollution on earth, we refer to the contamination that is happening of the natural resources by various pollutants . All this is mainly caused by human activities which harm the environment in ways more than one. Therefore, an urgent need has arisen to tackle this issue straightaway. That is to say, pollution is damaging our earth severely and we need to realize its effects and prevent this damage. In this essay on pollution, we will see what are the effects of pollution and how to reduce it.

Effects of Pollution

Pollution affects the quality of life more than one can imagine. It works in mysterious ways, sometimes which cannot be seen by the naked eye. However, it is very much present in the environment. For instance, you might not be able to see the natural gases present in the air, but they are still there. Similarly, the pollutants which are messing up the air and increasing the levels of carbon dioxide is very dangerous for humans. Increased level of carbon dioxide will lead to global warming .

Further, the water is polluted in the name of industrial development, religious practices and more will cause a shortage of drinking water. Without water, human life is not possible. Moreover, the way waste is dumped on the land eventually ends up in the soil and turns toxic. If land pollution keeps on happening at this rate, we won’t have fertile soil to grow our crops on. Therefore, serious measures must be taken to reduce pollution to the core.

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Types of Pollution

Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Soil Pollution

How to Reduce Pollution?

After learning the harmful effects of pollution, one must get on the task of preventing or reducing pollution as soon as possible. To reduce air pollution, people should take public transport or carpool to reduce vehicular smoke. While it may be hard, avoiding firecrackers at festivals and celebrations can also cut down on air and noise pollution. Above all, we must adopt the habit of recycling. All the used plastic ends up in the oceans and land, which pollutes them.

So, remember to not dispose of them off after use, rather reuse them as long as you can. We must also encourage everyone to plant more trees which will absorb the harmful gases and make the air cleaner. When talking on a bigger level, the government must limit the usage of fertilizers to maintain the soil’s fertility. In addition, industries must be banned from dumping their waste into oceans and rivers, causing water pollution.

To sum it up, all types of pollution is hazardous and comes with grave consequences. Everyone must take a step towards change ranging from individuals to the industries. As tackling this problem calls for a joint effort, so we must join hands now. Moreover, the innocent lives of animals are being lost because of such human activities. So, all of us must take a stand and become a voice for the unheard in order to make this earth pollution-free.

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FAQs on Pollution

Q.1 What are the effects of pollution?

A.1 Pollution essentially affects the quality of human life. It degrades almost everything from the water we drink to the air we breathe. It damages the natural resources needed for a healthy life.

Q.2 How can one reduce pollution?

A.2 We must take individual steps to reduce pollution. People should decompose their waster mindfully, they should plant more trees. Further, one must always recycle what they can and make the earth greener.

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Essay on Environmental Pollution – Short & Long Essay Examples

Essay on Environmental Pollution: Environmental pollution is a pressing issue that affects the health and well-being of both humans and the planet. In this essay, we will explore the various forms of pollution, such as air, water, and soil pollution, and their impacts on the environment. We will also discuss the causes of pollution, including industrial activities, transportation, and waste disposal. Finally, we will examine potential solutions to mitigate and prevent further environmental degradation.

Table of Contents

Environmental Pollution Essay Writing Tips

1. Introduction: Start your essay with an introduction that provides an overview of environmental pollution and its impact on the planet. You can also include a thesis statement that outlines the main points you will be discussing in the essay.

2. Define environmental pollution: Define what environmental pollution is and the different types of pollution that exist, such as air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution. Explain how human activities contribute to pollution and the consequences of these actions on the environment.

3. Discuss the causes of environmental pollution: Explore the various factors that contribute to environmental pollution, such as industrialization, deforestation, and the use of fossil fuels. Highlight how these activities release harmful pollutants into the air, water, and soil, leading to environmental degradation.

4. Impact on human health: Explain how environmental pollution can have a detrimental impact on human health, causing respiratory problems, skin diseases, and other health issues. Discuss the importance of reducing pollution to protect human health and well-being.

5. Impact on wildlife: Describe how environmental pollution affects wildlife and ecosystems, leading to habitat destruction, species extinction, and biodiversity loss. Provide examples of how pollution disrupts the natural balance of ecosystems and threatens the survival of various species.

6. Solutions to environmental pollution: Discuss possible solutions to combat environmental pollution, such as implementing stricter environmental regulations, promoting sustainable practices, and investing in clean energy technologies. Highlight the importance of individual and collective action in reducing pollution and protecting the environment.

7. Conclusion: Summarize the main points discussed in the essay and reiterate the importance of addressing environmental pollution to safeguard the planet for future generations. End your essay with a call to action, encouraging readers to take steps to reduce pollution and preserve the environment.

8. Proofread and revise: Before submitting your essay, make sure to proofread it for any grammatical or spelling errors. Revise the content to ensure clarity and coherence in your arguments. Consider seeking feedback from peers or instructors to improve the quality of your essay.

Essay on Environmental Pollution in 10 Lines – Examples

1. Environmental pollution refers to the contamination of the natural environment by harmful substances. 2. It can be caused by various sources such as industrial activities, transportation, agriculture, and waste disposal. 3. Air pollution is one of the most common types of environmental pollution, caused by emissions from vehicles, factories, and burning of fossil fuels. 4. Water pollution occurs when harmful chemicals and waste products are discharged into rivers, lakes, and oceans. 5. Soil pollution is another form of environmental pollution, caused by the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and improper waste disposal. 6. Noise pollution is the excessive noise that disrupts the environment and affects human health. 7. Pollution can have detrimental effects on human health, wildlife, and ecosystems. 8. It can lead to respiratory problems, waterborne diseases, and loss of biodiversity. 9. Measures such as recycling, using renewable energy sources, and reducing waste can help mitigate environmental pollution. 10. It is important for individuals, industries, and governments to work together to address and prevent environmental pollution for a sustainable future.

Sample Essay on Environmental Pollution in 100-180 Words

Environmental pollution is a pressing issue that is affecting our planet in various ways. Pollution of air, water, and land is causing harm to the environment and ultimately to human health. The release of harmful chemicals and gases into the atmosphere is leading to air pollution, which is causing respiratory problems and other health issues. Water pollution is contaminating our rivers, lakes, and oceans, affecting aquatic life and making water unsafe for consumption. Land pollution, caused by improper waste disposal and industrial activities, is degrading the soil and harming plant and animal life.

To combat environmental pollution, we need to take collective action by reducing our carbon footprint, recycling and reusing materials, and adopting sustainable practices. Governments, industries, and individuals all have a role to play in protecting our environment for future generations. By taking steps to reduce pollution, we can create a cleaner and healthier planet for all living beings.

Short Essay on Environmental Pollution in 200-500 Words

Environmental pollution is a major issue that is affecting our planet and its inhabitants. Pollution can come in many forms, including air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution. These pollutants are released into the environment by human activities such as industrial processes, transportation, and agriculture.

One of the most common forms of environmental pollution is air pollution. This is caused by the release of harmful gases and particles into the atmosphere, which can have serious health effects on humans and animals. These pollutants can come from sources such as vehicle emissions, industrial processes, and the burning of fossil fuels. Air pollution can lead to respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and even premature death.

Water pollution is another significant issue that is affecting our environment. This occurs when harmful substances are released into bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. These pollutants can come from sources such as industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and sewage. Water pollution can have devastating effects on aquatic life, as well as on humans who rely on these water sources for drinking, fishing, and recreation.

Soil pollution is also a major concern, as it can have long-lasting effects on the environment. This occurs when harmful chemicals and pollutants are released into the soil, either through direct contamination or through the deposition of air pollutants. Soil pollution can lead to decreased soil fertility, reduced crop yields, and the contamination of food sources.

The effects of environmental pollution are far-reaching and can have serious consequences for both the environment and human health. Pollution can lead to a variety of health problems, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. It can also have negative impacts on ecosystems, leading to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of habitats.

In order to address the issue of environmental pollution, it is important for individuals, communities, and governments to take action. This can include implementing stricter regulations on industrial processes, reducing the use of fossil fuels, and promoting sustainable practices such as recycling and conservation. It is also important for individuals to be mindful of their own actions and to make choices that will help reduce pollution in their daily lives.

Overall, environmental pollution is a serious issue that requires immediate attention and action. By working together to reduce pollution and protect our planet, we can help ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for generations to come.

Essay on Environmental Pollution in 1000-1500 Words

Environmental pollution is a pressing issue that has become a major concern for our planet in recent years. It refers to the contamination of the environment with harmful substances and pollutants, which can have a detrimental impact on the health of living organisms and the ecosystem as a whole. Pollution can take many forms, including air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution, and can be caused by a variety of human activities, such as industrial processes, transportation, and agriculture.

One of the most common forms of environmental pollution is air pollution, which is caused by the release of harmful gases and particles into the atmosphere. These pollutants can come from a variety of sources, including vehicle emissions, industrial processes, and the burning of fossil fuels. The effects of air pollution can be seen in the form of smog, acid rain, and respiratory problems in humans and animals. In addition, air pollution can also contribute to climate change by increasing the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Another major form of environmental pollution is water pollution, which occurs when harmful substances are released into bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. This can be caused by industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and sewage discharge. Water pollution can have a devastating impact on aquatic ecosystems, as it can harm fish and other aquatic organisms, disrupt the food chain, and contaminate drinking water sources. In addition, water pollution can also have serious health effects on humans, as contaminated water can cause diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

Soil pollution is another significant form of environmental pollution, which occurs when harmful chemicals and pollutants are released into the soil. This can be caused by the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, industrial waste disposal, and mining activities. Soil pollution can have a negative impact on plant growth, as it can reduce soil fertility and contaminate crops. In addition, soil pollution can also affect human health, as contaminated soil can lead to the ingestion of harmful chemicals through food crops.

The effects of environmental pollution are far-reaching and can have serious consequences for the health of living organisms and the ecosystem as a whole. For example, air pollution can cause respiratory problems, such as asthma and bronchitis, in humans and animals. Water pollution can lead to the contamination of drinking water sources, which can cause diseases and illnesses in humans. Soil pollution can reduce soil fertility and crop yields, leading to food shortages and hunger in some regions.

In addition to the health effects, environmental pollution can also have a negative impact on biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Pollution can disrupt the balance of ecosystems, leading to the decline of certain species and the loss of biodiversity. This can have a cascading effect on the ecosystem, as the loss of one species can impact the entire food chain. In addition, pollution can also lead to the degradation of natural habitats, such as forests and wetlands, which can further exacerbate the loss of biodiversity.

One of the main causes of environmental pollution is human activities, such as industrial processes, transportation, and agriculture. The rapid industrialization and urbanization of the past century have led to an increase in the release of pollutants into the environment. For example, the burning of fossil fuels for energy production has led to a rise in air pollution levels, while the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture has contributed to soil and water pollution. In addition, the increase in the number of vehicles on the roads has led to higher levels of air pollution in urban areas.

In order to address the issue of environmental pollution, it is important for governments, industries, and individuals to take action to reduce their impact on the environment. This can be done through the implementation of regulations and policies that limit the release of pollutants into the environment. For example, governments can set emissions standards for industries and vehicles, and enforce regulations that require the proper disposal of waste and chemicals. Industries can also take steps to reduce their environmental footprint by implementing cleaner production processes and using alternative energy sources.

Individuals can also play a role in reducing environmental pollution by making small changes in their daily lives. For example, individuals can reduce their energy consumption by using energy-efficient appliances and vehicles, and by conserving water and recycling waste. In addition, individuals can also support environmentally-friendly practices, such as buying organic and locally-grown food, and reducing their use of plastic and other disposable products.

In conclusion, environmental pollution is a serious issue that requires immediate attention and action. The release of harmful substances and pollutants into the environment can have a devastating impact on the health of living organisms and the ecosystem as a whole. In order to address this issue, it is important for governments, industries, and individuals to take steps to reduce their impact on the environment and promote sustainable practices. By working together to reduce pollution and protect the environment, we can ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for our planet.

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Combating Environmental Pollution: Key Causes and Solutions

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Published: Jun 13, 2024

Words: 698 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Industrial emissions and chemical wastes, vehicular emissions and urbanization, agricultural practices and pesticides, deforestation and habitat destruction.

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Essay on Environmental Pollution

Updated February 16, 2023

Environmental Pollution

Essay on Environmental Pollution explains that Pollution, also known as environmental pollution, is the addition of any substance, whether it’s solid, liquid, or gas, or a form of energy (such as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate greater than it disperses, dilutes, decomposes, recycles or stored in an innocuous form. Pollution can adversely affect the environment, flora, and fauna and often impacts human health and well-being.

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Now that you know what environmental pollution is, let’s look at what causes it:

An imbalance occurs when the environment contains too many physical, chemical, or biological agents.

Chemical Contaminants: Plastics, acids, solvents, pesticides, and petroleum derivatives.
Physical Contaminants: Heat, electromagnetic energy, noise, and radioactivity.
Biological Contaminants: Excrement, factory waste, and sewers decompose and ferment to produce them.

Different types of pollution have their reason their causes. But now the question arises what these different types of environmental pollution are?

1. Air Pollution

Any chemical, physical, or biological agent that alters the atmosphere’s natural characteristics consider air pollution.

Burning of Fossil Fuel
Combustion of Fuel (transportation)
Microbial Activity in Sewage Water
Burning of Tropical Forest

2. Water Pollution

The release of substances into water bodies that make the water unfit for human consumption and disrupt aquatic ecosystems is well-known as water pollution. Numerous contaminants, including petroleum, harmful microorganisms, and toxic waste, can pollute water.

Sewage Discharge
Deforestation
Phytosanitary Product (Pesticides)

3. Soil Contamination

The accumulation of solid or liquid waste materials on land or underground in a manner that has the potential to contaminate groundwater and soil, pose a threat to public health, and result in unsightly conditions and nuisances.

Urban Waste
Industrial Waste
Underground storage Tank

4. Thermal Pollution

Thermal pollution is when industries or factories extract water from natural resources for various purposes and return the high-temperature water to those resources.

Coal-fired Power Plant
Soil Erosion

Effect of Pollution

There are so many negative effects of environmental pollution.

1. Effect on Human

People are mostly affected physically by environmental pollution, but it can also cause neuro-affections over time. We are most familiar with respiratory issues like asthma, allergies, irritation of the eyes and nasal passages, and other respiratory infections. It has also shown that environmental pollution significantly contributes to cancer development.

2. Effect on Animals

Animals are primarily affected by environmental pollution because it harms their living conditions and makes them toxic. Acid rains can change the composition of rivers and seas, making them toxic to fish. Eventually, soil pollution will kill microorganisms, which can destroy the first layers of the primary food chain dramatically.

3. Effect on Plant

In terms of animals, acid rain can kill plants, particularly trees (which will also harm animals because it will change their natural environment), ozone in the lower atmosphere prevents plants from breathing, and harmful pollutants can absorb water or soil.

4. Effect on Ecosystem

Pollution of the environment, almost entirely caused by human activity, hurts the ecosystem, destroying essential layers and harming the ecosystem’s upper layers.

How to Resolve Environmental Pollution?

Our lives, planet, climate, and civilization’s future are at risk. Even though the idea of that thought can be overwhelming, you shouldn’t let yourself feel helpless because you don’t know where to start.

Here’s a list of things to do to prevent environmental pollution:

1. Replace Disposable with Reusable

If you use something and throw it away, it could be there for centuries. The following is a list of easy changes you can make to reduce the number of things you need to throw away daily.

Bring your reusable cups or water bottle.
Use rechargeable batteries and carry your utensils, napkin, and containers in a reusable lunch bag.

2. Conserve Water and Electricity

The suggestions listed below will appear straightforward; Having said that, it might take some time to become more aware of your unconscious and uncertain habits.

While brushing your teeth, turn off the water in the sink.
When possible, unplug devices; even if any appliance at home or other places turns off, it might still consume power.

One of the most effective methods for assisting in preserving natural resources, conserving habitats, reducing pollution, and slowing global warming is to incorporate recycling practices into your daily routine.

Recycle plastic bottles.
Separate non-recyclable and recyclable products from each other.

4. Transport Choice

Air pollution can be significantly reduced by choosing a less polluting mode of transportation. Even one can help in controlling noise pollution too. Here are a few ways to do so.

Using eco-friendly vehicles like bicycles and e-bikes.
Opting for CNG.

Conclusion – Essay on Environmental Pollution

All in all, Essay on Environmental pollution explains that Environmental pollution is degrading our lifestyle and affecting everything worldwide. The types mentioned above are only a few types of environmental pollution, but to one’s disbelief, there are more than one can count on their fingers. Moving toward a developed technological world, you should remember your values and duty towards the environment for the future or our present.

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Essay on Pollution

Table of Contents

Environmental pollution is a global problem that affects people all over the world, and it is one of our planet’s most pressing issues today. And it is for this reason that we frequently encounter this essay within the writing area. This blog attempts to assist you in drafting a pollution essay by providing all of the relevant facts.

What is Pollution?

The term pollution is defined as the presence of any harmful substance in something. When we talk about pollution we mean the contamination of natural resources by these harmful substances called pollutants.. The pollution causes imbalance in the environment, this threatens the very survival of all forms of life. The effects of pollution are humongous and it is severely damaging our earth.

Pollution is a major issue in industrialized societies. The development of industry and the green revolution have had a negative impact on the environment. The natural ecological system has been disrupted by the conversion of natural resources to human resources. Therefore we need to take this matter seriously and tackle this issue straightaway. We need to realize its effects and serious measures must be taken to reduce pollution to the core.

Types of Pollution

Air Pollution: When dangerous or excessive quantities of pollutants such as smoke and harmful gases from industry, CFCs and oxides created by automobiles, the burning of solid wastes, and so on are introduced into the environment, air pollution occurs.

Water Pollution : The contamination of water bodies such as the ocean, seas, lakes, rivers and groundwater, mainly because of human activities. Chemical fertilisers, industrial waste, sewage and wastewater, mining activities, and marine dumping are all examples of harmful substances that contribute to water pollution.

Soil Pollution: Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, industrial waste etc resulted in the contamination of soil. One of the rare types of soil pollution occurs because of radioactive waste.

Noise Pollution: It occurs when the level of noise exceeds the normal level due to the usage of machines, loudspeakers, microphones, loud music, noises from industries etc.

Causes and health effects of Pollution


Burning of fossil fuels, emissions from the industry, construction and agricultural activities, emissions from vehicles.
Emphysema, Bronchitis, Asthma, Lung damage and other respiratory diseases

: Disease-causing bacteria and viruses from human and animal waste are a primary cause of illness from contaminated drinking water. Oil spill, radioactive and chemical waste dumping.
: Cholera, Giardia, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, polio, Dysentry and Diarrhea.

: Excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, waste disposal, industrial and agricultural activities
Fertility loss, cancer, nervous system damage, and kidney and liver failure are all possibilities.

Construction, loudspeakers, and other man-made noises, as well as natural noises such as thunderstorms and animals.
headaches, high blood pressure, loss of hearing, problem in reasoning and behavioural changes

Format of essay on Pollution

When writing a pollution essay, you must adhere to the standard format for essay writing.

Introduction, body of content, and conclusion are the three most important elements of an essay format. Flexibility, on the other hand, is critical to essay writing. Allow the topic and specific word limit to guide the writing while keeping this basic essay format in mind.

Introduction : You can begin your pollution essay by defining its meaning and giving a brief overview of how and when it happened.

Body of content: Now describe your topic in detail, however, keep your word limit in your mind. If you are writing for a word limit of 200 to 350 then write a body of 120 to 100 words.

Conclusion: A conclusion is more than just “the last paragraph”; it’s an integral aspect of the paper’s structure. This is the part to encourage your reader to consider the wider implications of your issue.

Sample essay on Pollution in 250-300 Words

Environmental pollution is a global issue that plagues people all over the world, and it is one of the most critical problems of our planet today. It occurs in several ways, like contaminating the air we breathe or the water we use for various purposes.

The earth is in continuous motion and the one thing that the principle of nature teaches us is that we should never disrupt the harmony in which the ecosystem is working. Interfering with natural processes can have long-term consequences that can bring Earth towards mass destruction. Pollutants must be recognized and dealt with efficiently in order to pull off a last effort for the benefit of our fellow co-habitants as the exposure of pollution is worse than it was ever before. No matter the type of pollution it will affect the things necessary for human survival, e.g. water, air, soil. and we can see its effects in the form of global warming and air pollution is the root cost behind it. Air pollution is one of the key challenges that have arisen as a result of increased carbon-dioxide level in the atmosphere, as well as the increase in pollutants that are polluting the air and causing various diseases and climate warming.

The concept of three R’s which means to reduce, reuse and recycle is good to implement in our daily lives. People throughout the world should work together to reduce pollution’s effects so that future generations can live in a healthy, pollution-free environment

Sample Essay on Pollution in 300-350 Words

Pollution is an intermixing of harmful substances known as pollutants in the natural resources and natural environmental components. There are multiple forms of pollution like air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution. No matter what kind of pollution we are dealing with. It can have devastating effects. Pollution has disrupted the natural order of our ecosystem, wreaking havoc on the earth’s inhabitants. Unchecked and unlawful activities that exploit natural resources and do not follow criteria set by pollution control boards in the country are the main causes of pollution. If a pollutant is allowed unregulated it can have serious harmful effects on our ecosystem, regardless of its status.

Water pollution is the major concern of many countries in the world. Without clean and drinkable water, we can’t survive. So if and when all water bodies in the world will get contaminated the human race will perish. Air pollution is the next major concern; many cities in the world are facing severe problems because of air pollution which mainly happens because of the emission of toxic exhumes from vehicles and the burning of coal energy.

World leaders are coming up with various initiatives and schemes to fight pollution however the help of individuals are needed. Start by using cloth bags instead of plastic shopping bags, stop littering on the roadways and stop wasting clean water. These are just a few simple steps to follow to make a great difference in the environment. Moreover, to reduce pollution and achieve a healthy and pollution-free environment, we must work together.

Tips on how to write an essay on Pollution

Make an outline first and foremost. And write all the sub-headings there so that you will be able to reorganize and remember all the information you want to include
Remember to use all types of pollution: air, soil, water and noise.
Add factual information
Write all the causes and effects you know
Write precisely
Make sure that everything in the three parts of your pollution essay is connected.

Tips on Reducing Pollution

Embrace the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle
Say no to plastic! Reduce the use of non-biodegradable things
Plant more trees
Use public transportation
Avoid burning leaves, trash and other material.
Less use of chemicals: food should be produced without the use of pesticides.

As it is one of the most pressing issues of the world today, it has a high chance of appearing as an essay in your next examination (with one or two different choices). We hope with the essay help of this blog you will be able to understand what a pollution essay must include.

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air pollution

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United States Environment Protection Agency - Air Pollution: Current and Future Challenges
Natural Resources Defense Council - Air Pollution: Everything You Need to Know
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - Air Pollution
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Air pollution: Impact and prevention
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air pollution , release into the atmosphere of various gases , finely divided solids, or finely dispersed liquid aerosols at rates that exceed the natural capacity of the environment to dissipate and dilute or absorb them. These substances may reach concentrations in the air that cause undesirable health, economic, or aesthetic effects.

Major air pollutants

Criteria pollutants.

Clean, dry air consists primarily of nitrogen and oxygen —78 percent and 21 percent respectively, by volume. The remaining 1 percent is a mixture of other gases, mostly argon (0.9 percent), along with trace (very small) amounts of carbon dioxide , methane , hydrogen , helium , and more. Water vapour is also a normal, though quite variable, component of the atmosphere, normally ranging from 0.01 to 4 percent by volume; under very humid conditions the moisture content of air may be as high as 5 percent.

There are six major air pollutants that have been designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as “criteria” pollutants — criteria meaning that the concentrations of these pollutants in the atmosphere are useful as indicators of overall air quality. The sources, acceptable concentrations, and effects of the criteria pollutants are summarized in the table.

Criteria air pollutants
pollutant	common sources	maximum acceptable concentration in the atmosphere	environmental risks	human health risks
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
carbon monoxide (CO)	automobile emissions, fires, industrial processes	35 ppm (1-hour period); 9 ppm (8-hour period)	contributes to smog formation	exacerbates symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain; may cause vision problems and reduce physical and mental capabilities in healthy people
nitrogen oxides (NO and NO )	automobile emissions, electricity generation, industrial processes	0.053 ppm (1-year period)	damage to foliage; contributes to smog formation	inflammation and irritation of breathing passages
sulfur dioxide (SO )	electricity generation, fossil-fuel combustion, industrial processes, automobile emissions	0.03 ppm (1-year period); 0.14 ppm (24-hour period)	major cause of haze; contributes to acid rain formation, which subsequently damages foliage, buildings, and monuments; reacts to form particulate matter	breathing difficulties, particularly for people with asthma and heart disease
ozone (O )	nitrogen oxides (NO ) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from industrial and automobile emissions, gasoline vapours, chemical solvents, and electrical utilities	0.075 ppm (8-hour period)	interferes with the ability of certain plants to respire, leading to increased susceptibility to other environmental stressors (e.g., disease, harsh weather)	reduced lung function; irritation and inflammation of breathing passages
particulate matter	sources of primary particles include fires, smokestacks, construction sites, and unpaved roads; sources of secondary particles include reactions between gaseous chemicals emitted by power plants and automobiles	150 μg/m (24-hour period for particles <10 μm); 35 μg/m (24-hour period for particles <2.5 μm)	contributes to formation of haze as well as acid rain, which changes the pH balance of waterways and damages foliage, buildings, and monuments	irritation of breathing passages, aggravation of asthma, irregular heartbeat
lead (Pb)	metal processing, waste incineration, fossil-fuel combustion	0.15 μg/m (rolling three-month average); 1.5 μg/m (quarterly average)	loss of biodiversity, decreased reproduction, neurological problems in vertebrates	adverse effects upon multiple bodily systems; may contribute to learning disabilities when young children are exposed; cardiovascular effects in adults

The gaseous criteria air pollutants of primary concern in urban settings include sulfur dioxide , nitrogen dioxide , and carbon monoxide ; these are emitted directly into the air from fossil fuels such as fuel oil , gasoline , and natural gas that are burned in power plants, automobiles, and other combustion sources. Ozone (a key component of smog ) is also a gaseous pollutant; it forms in the atmosphere via complex chemical reactions occurring between nitrogen dioxide and various volatile organic compounds (e.g., gasoline vapours).

Airborne suspensions of extremely small solid or liquid particles called “particulates” (e.g., soot, dust, smokes, fumes, mists), especially those less than 10 micrometres (μm; millionths of a metre) in size, are significant air pollutants because of their very harmful effects on human health. They are emitted by various industrial processes, coal- or oil-burning power plants, residential heating systems, and automobiles. Lead fumes (airborne particulates less than 0.5 μm in size) are particularly toxic and are an important pollutant of many diesel fuels .

Except for lead, criteria pollutants are emitted in industrialized countries at very high rates, typically measured in millions of tons per year. All except ozone are discharged directly into the atmosphere from a wide variety of sources. They are regulated primarily by establishing ambient air quality standards, which are maximum acceptable concentrations of each criteria pollutant in the atmosphere, regardless of its origin. The six criteria pollutants are described in turn below.

Environmental Pollution Essay

The essay on environmental pollution explains how the earth and its natural resources are under the ever-increasing threat of pollution. All life on earth is threatened by this vicious process initiated by human intervention. The pollutants released from all kinds of human activity, including industrial processes, have had devastating effects on the delicate balance of nature. The most common forms of environmental pollution are air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution. Environmental pollution has to be addressed as the most pressing problem facing humanity now, and solutions have to be implemented before it is too late. Pollution has been causing damage to natural resources in every corner of the world for decades, but it seems that we have been running away from taking any positive measures to mitigate its impact on the environment. This environmental pollution essay in English will help children realise these factors and instruct them to conserve the environment and handle natural resources with the care they deserve.

Reasons for Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution is a significant problem in the world today. Some industries release chemicals into the air, which cause harm to the ozone layer that shields us from UV radiation. Some industries release harmful chemicals into water resources. These emissions will be carried by wind and rain and deposited on land or ocean surfaces.

Overpopulation is one of the primary reasons for massive environmental pollution. Besides, it has resulted due to improper waste disposal, hazardous chemical emissions, an increase in the number of factories, and overuse of natural resources.

Suggested Article: Causes of Environmental Pollution

Measures to Avoid Environmental Pollution

With the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, it is possible to limit global warming and reduce pollution at the same time. One of the leading causes of environmental pollution is the production, transportation and disposal of electronic waste. Companies should install recycling systems for computers and cell phones to reduce their need for landfills.

One of the measures to avoid pollution is to reduce the use of plastics. This includes using fewer disposable containers, choosing reusable bags, and reducing the use of plastics. Another way to avoid pollution is by recycling and disposing of waste responsibly.

Help kids learn how to write an essay on environmental pollution by asking them to read this essay.

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Essay on Environmental Pollution: Meaning, Causes and Solution of Environmental Pollution

Essay on Environmental Pollution : All types of pollution are growing day by day and so environmental pollution also. An essay on environmental pollution is one of the most important essays for all students. Here, we have written an essay on environmental pollution for all the students. This essay on environmental pollution is about 500 to 1000 words .

Essay on Environmental Pollution

The surroundings where all living and non-living components are residing is called environment. The growing demand for urbanization, industrialization, mining, exploration, etc. has disrupted the harmonious balance of the natural environment. Many unwanted man-made components are polluting the environment and so environmental pollution has now become a serious cause of concern.

Environmental Pollution Meaning

Naturally, for a healthy environment, everything in the environment should be in proper ratio as per the natural occurrence. When something is pairs or impairs in the environment this changes the natural ratio of components in the environment and thus environment becomes contaminated. This contamination in the natural environment is called environmental pollution.

Causes of environmental pollution

The main cause of environmental pollution is contamination in the natural environment which is mostly caused by human activities without caring for the environment. The situation has now reached at such a dangerous level that air and water without which we can't live, has been become polluted in a great extent. The most prevalent causes of environmental pollution are as under:

Transportation
Urbanization
Agricultural Activities
Growing population
Natural Causes

Industries and environmental pollution

Industries have been polluting our environment since the beginning of the industrial revolution. The increasing use of fossil fuels in industries is one of the major causes of environmental pollution. Industries mainly cause air pollution, however, soil and water contamination also occur which results in soil and water pollution . Smoke from industries pollutes the environment and affects air quality badly. Waste material and garbage from industries and leakage of oils during transportation are major causes of water pollution .

Transportation and environmental pollution

With the advancement of technology, human abandoned animal power to travel. Pollution of the environment is growing day by day due to the prevalent transport system which is basically based on fossil fuels. As a medium of transport, we are using, scooters, cars, buses, trains, airplanes. These all modes of transport use fossil fuels as fuel and the smoke that comes from these modes of transports pollutes the environment.

Urbanization and environmental pollution

Urbanization is a process of development of a place in such a way that converts a place into a city. In urban areas more and more people come for employment and residence. During the process of urbanization to convert a place into a city many industries are established that emits pollutants. Due to high population in the urban areas garbage has also become one of the major causes of pollution . Proper garbage and waste management system can be helpful in preventing environmental pollution in large extent.

Agricultural and environmental pollution

Agricultural activities are mainly responsible for the contamination of water and soil. This is caused by the increased use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers for intensive production of crops. Initially, the chemicals used in pesticides and fertilizers go into the soil and make it polluted. During the irrigation, these chemicals are mixed up with water and make it contaminated.

To feed the growing population agricultural activities are extending day by day. More environments and ecosystems are destroyed to make space for the production of the crops to feed the entire world. Thus, water and soil which are components of environment become polluted by agricultural activities.

Essay on Environmental Pollution | Environmental Pollution Essay in English

Need of the Hour: Environmental Pollution

The growing level of environmental pollution is devastative for all human beings as well as all living creatures on the earth. It is time to understand the importance of healthy environment for living a happy and healthy life. We all should unitedly work together to protect our environment and stop environmental pollution.

Hope you like this essay on environmental pollution . Feel free to share your important feedback regarding this essay on environmental pollution in the comment box.

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Environment Pollution: Classification, Causes and Its Types

What is Environmental Pollution?

Environmental Pollution refers to any addition of unwanted material in the environment due to human activities that lead to undesirable changes in the environment and ecology. For example, sewage water being released in clean water sources like tanks, rivers, etc. is an example of water pollution.

What are Pollutants?

The different agents that cause environmental pollution are called pollutants . Pollutants can be chemicals, biological materials, or physical things that get added into the environment by accident that are directly or indirectly harmful to people and other living things.

Classification of the Pollution

	: – They persist in the form in which they are added to the environment e.g. DDT, plastic. : – Formed by interaction among the primary pollutants e.g. is formed by interaction of and .
	– Occur in and become when concentration reaches beyond a threshold level. E.g. . – These are man-made and do not occur in nature. E.g. fungicides, herbicides, DDT etc.
	: – Waste products or the pollutants which are decomposed/ degraded by natural processes microbial action. E.g. sewage. : – The pollutants which don’t decompose naturally or decompose slowly e.g. DDT, Aluminium cans.
	– These pollutants are released during natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires, grass fires, etc. : – These pollutants are released during anthropogenic activities, such as CO emission from the burning of fossil fuels.

Effects of Environmental Pollution

Pollution affects the very factors which support life on the ear, such as the air we breathe, the water we drink and, at large, the ecosystems we depend upon. Thus, it poses a threat to life on the earth.
Pollution poses one of the greatest challenges to the health of humans and other living beings .
Though it affects the overall well-being of the entire society, vulnerable sections like the poor, the children, the women etc are affected disproportionately by it.
Pollution has its negative impacts on the economy as well. For example, as per a study, water pollution would cause a loss of around 6% of India’s GDP by 2050 due to loss in sectors like fishing, agriculture, water intensive industries etc.
Other socio-economic impacts of pollution include food insecurity due to decreased agricultural yield, forced migration due to water crisis etc.

Causes of Environmental Pollution

Rapid increase in human population has increased anthropogenic activities by manifold. Most of these activities, in some way or the other, add some unwanted things to the environment.
Rapid urbanization in recent times has led to increased construction activities. This, in turn, is causing environmental pollution through different ways, such as release of dust in air, generation of waste materials etc.
Increased population and urbanization have meant increased transportation activities. This, in itself, is a major source of pollution.
An increased focus on industrialization of late is leading to rapid generation of industrial wastes and emissions, and hence environmental pollution.
Some agricultural activities also lead to environmental pollution. For example, excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides not only pollutes the soil but also nearby water bodies due to spill over.
There are many other causes of environmental pollution, such as Burning of fossil fuels, increased use of chemicals, etc.

Types of Pollution

Depending on the source as well as destination of the pollutants, there are various types of pollution. Some major of them can be seen as follows:

Air Pollution

As per WHO, Air Pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
According to WHO data , 99 percent of the world’s population breathes air that contains high levels of pollutants and exceeds WHO guideline limits, with low and middle-income countries experiencing the highest exposures.

Causes of Air Pollution

Industrial emissions, household emissions , motor vehicles emissions, forest fires etc are some common sources of air pollution.
Pollutants of major public health concern include Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Sulphur Dioxide .

Measures Taken to Control Air Pollution

The Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1981
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS )
Green Crackers developed by CSIR-NEERI
The Great Green Wall of Aravalli
Some states like Delhi has built Smog Towers to tackle air pollution.

Water Pollution

Water pollution refers to release of unwanted substances into subsurface groundwater or into water bodies like lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, and oceans to a level which negatively impacts the beneficial use of the water or natural functioning of ecosystems.

When harmful chemicals or microorganisms contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, the water’s quality deteriorates and it becomes toxic for both humans and the environment.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels drop, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) rises, aquatic species perish, eutrophication occurs, etc. as a result of water pollution.

Causes of Water Pollution

Agriculture is one of the primary sources of water pollution. Animal waste from farms and livestock operations, pesticides, and fertilizers wash nutrients and pathogens like bacteria and viruses into our waterways.
More than 80 percent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations.
Nearly half of the estimated 1 million tons of oil spills over into marine environments.
Radioactive substances generated by uranium mining, nuclear power plants and the hospitals that use radioactive materials for research and medicine. These waste can persist in the environment for thousands of years, making disposal a major challenge.

Measures Taken to Control Water Pollution

International measures to tackle water pollution.

International Conventions to Mitigate Marine Pollution
Convention on Dumping Wastes at Sea or London Convention (1972)
The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by the Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, also known as “LC ’72” or the “London Convention,”
United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLoS).

Measures Taken in India to Tackle Water Pollution

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974:
Initiatives to rejuvenate rivers, like Ganga Action Plan, Yamuna Action Plan etc.
Initiatives taken by the Central Pollution Control Board to tackle contamination and over-exploitation of groundwater.

Noise Pollution

Noise Pollution is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as noise that is louder than 65 decibels (dB).
Precisely speaking, noise becomes harmful above 75 dB and painful above 120 dB Thus, it is advised to keep noise level below 65 dB during the day.
An ambient noise level advisable for the nighttime is 30 dBas restful sleep cannot be achieved with noise levels above this.
The current status of noise pollution all over the world can be seen through the United Nations Environment Programme’s report titled ‘Frontiers 2022: Noise, Blazes and Mismatches’ which enlist the noisiest cities in the world.


1	Dhaka	Bangladesh	119dB
2	Moradabad	India	114dB
3	Islamabad	Pakistan	105dB
4	Rajshahi	Bangladesh	103dB
5	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	103dB

Suggested Measures to Control Noise Pollution

Suppression of noise at the source
Acoustic zoning
Sound insulation at construction sites
Planting trees
Strict legislative measures.

Soil Pollution

The contamination of soil with abnormally high concentrations of toxic substances is referred to as soil pollution .
Given the numerous health risks it contains, it is a serious environmental concern. For instance, exposure to soil with high Benzene concentrations increases the risk of developing Leukaemia.

Causes of Soil Pollution

Phenomena such as loss of organic carbon, erosion, increased salt content, acidification, compacting, and chemical pollution are the major causes of current soil degradation .

Suggested Measures to Tackle Soil Pollution

Promote eco-friendly practices in business, agriculture , and stock breeding and other sectors of the economy.
Ensure an efficient transportation and treatment of wastewater through proper urban planning.
Increase topsoil conservation, landscape restoration,
Mining waste management .

Radioactive Pollution

When radioactive elements are accidentally present in the environment or atmosphere and pose a risk to the ecosystem owing to radioactive decay , this is known as radioactive pollution .
The radioactive materials create damage by releasing potentially harmful ionizing radiation into the environment, such as Alpha or Beta particles , gamma rays , or neutrons.

Causes of Radioactive Pollution

Nuclear Accidents from Nuclear Energy Generation Plants
Use of Nuclear Weapons as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Use of Radioisotopes in Health and other sectors.
Mining
Spillage of Radioactive Chemicals
Cosmic Rays and Other Natural Sources
Nuclear Waste Handling and Disposal

Light Pollution

Light pollution is the presence of inappropriate, unwanted and excessive artificial lighting .
Too much light pollution has negative impacts on the environment and human health, obstructs astronomical research , disturbs ecosystems, and wastes energy.
Specific categories of light pollution include light clutter, light trespass, over-illumination, glare and sky glow .
To overcome these challenges , use of Led lights, reduce the use of decorative lighting, minimise the use of light etc.

Nitrogen Pollution

Nitrogen pollution results from an overabundance of nitrogen compounds, such as ammonia and nitrous oxide . Sometimes, the usage of synthetic fertilizers causes this pollution.
Another possible cause is the breakdown of large quantities of animal manures and slurry , which are frequently present in intensive livestock units.
It may have detrimental effects on our climate, the ecosystem , and health .

Suggested Measures to Tackle Nitrogen Pollution

Use climate and nature-friendly growing methods and avoid using synthetic fertilisers.
Support organic and agro-ecological farmers in order to promote farmers to transition to a future with less nitrogen.

Thus, various types of pollutions being caused by different anthropogenic activities have the potential to cause damage to the existence of life on the earth. India and the world must adopt a “green vision” as part of the development agenda. The time has come to add “clean environment” to the list of basic necessities – “roti-kapada-makaan”.

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Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the air that can harm the health of humans, animals, and plants. It also damages buildings. Pollutants in the air take many forms. They can be gases , solid particles, or liquid droplets. Sources of Air Pollution Pollution enters the Earth's atmosphere in many different ways. Most air pollution is created by people, taking the form of emissions from factories, cars, planes, or aerosol cans . Second-hand cigarette smoke is also considered air pollution. These man-made sources of pollution are called anthropogenic sources . Some types of air pollution, such as smoke from wildfires or ash from volcanoes , occur naturally. These are called natural sources . Air pollution is most common in large cities where emissions from many different sources are concentrated . Sometimes, mountains or tall buildings prevent air pollution from spreading out. This air pollution often appears as a cloud making the air murky. It is called smog . The word "smog" comes from combining the words "smoke" and " fog ." Large cities in poor and developing nations tend to have more air pollution than cities in developed nations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , some of the worlds most polluted cities are Karachi, Pakistan; New Delhi, India; Beijing, China; Lima, Peru; and Cairo, Egypt. However, many developed nations also have air pollution problems. Los Angeles, California, is nicknamed Smog City. Indoor Air Pollution Air pollution is usually thought of as smoke from large factories or exhaust from vehicles. But there are many types of indoor air pollution as well. Heating a house by burning substances such as kerosene , wood, and coal can contaminate the air inside the house. Ash and smoke make breathing difficult, and they can stick to walls, food, and clothing. Naturally-occurring radon gas, a cancer -causing material, can also build up in homes. Radon is released through the surface of the Earth. Inexpensive systems installed by professionals can reduce radon levels. Some construction materials, including insulation , are also dangerous to people's health. In addition, ventilation , or air movement, in homes and rooms can lead to the spread of toxic mold . A single colony of mold may exist in a damp, cool place in a house, such as between walls. The mold's spores enter the air and spread throughout the house. People can become sick from breathing in the spores. Effects On Humans People experience a wide range of health effects from being exposed to air pollution. Effects can be broken down into short-term effects and long-term effects . Short-term effects, which are temporary , include illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis . They also include discomfort such as irritation to the nose, throat, eyes, or skin. Air pollution can also cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea . Bad smells made by factories, garbage , or sewer systems are considered air pollution, too. These odors are less serious but still unpleasant . Long-term effects of air pollution can last for years or for an entire lifetime. They can even lead to a person's death. Long-term health effects from air pollution include heart disease , lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema . Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people's nerves , brain, kidneys , liver , and other organs. Some scientists suspect air pollutants cause birth defects . Nearly 2.5 million people die worldwide each year from the effects of outdoor or indoor air pollution. People react differently to different types of air pollution. Young children and older adults, whose immune systems tend to be weaker, are often more sensitive to pollution. Conditions such as asthma , heart disease, and lung disease can be made worse by exposure to air pollution. The length of exposure and amount and type of pollutants are also factors. Effects On The Environment Like people, animals, and plants, entire ecosystems can suffer effects from air pollution. Haze , like smog, is a visible type of air pollution that obscures shapes and colors. Hazy air pollution can even muffle sounds. Air pollution particles eventually fall back to Earth. Air pollution can directly contaminate the surface of bodies of water and soil . This can kill crops or reduce their yield . It can kill young trees and other plants. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide particles in the air, can create acid rain when they mix with water and oxygen in the atmosphere. These air pollutants come mostly from coal-fired power plants and motor vehicles . When acid rain falls to Earth, it damages plants by changing soil composition ; degrades water quality in rivers, lakes and streams; damages crops; and can cause buildings and monuments to decay . Like humans, animals can suffer health effects from exposure to air pollution. Birth defects, diseases, and lower reproductive rates have all been attributed to air pollution. Global Warming Global warming is an environmental phenomenon caused by natural and anthropogenic air pollution. It refers to rising air and ocean temperatures around the world. This temperature rise is at least partially caused by an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases trap heat energy in the Earths atmosphere. (Usually, more of Earths heat escapes into space.) Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that has had the biggest effect on global warming. Carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels (coal, gasoline , and natural gas ). Humans have come to rely on fossil fuels to power cars and planes, heat homes, and run factories. Doing these things pollutes the air with carbon dioxide. Other greenhouse gases emitted by natural and artificial sources also include methane , nitrous oxide , and fluorinated gases. Methane is a major emission from coal plants and agricultural processes. Nitrous oxide is a common emission from industrial factories, agriculture, and the burning of fossil fuels in cars. Fluorinated gases, such as hydrofluorocarbons , are emitted by industry. Fluorinated gases are often used instead of gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFCs have been outlawed in many places because they deplete the ozone layer . Worldwide, many countries have taken steps to reduce or limit greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming. The Kyoto Protocol , first adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, is an agreement between 183 countries that they will work to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. The United States has not signed that treaty . Regulation In addition to the international Kyoto Protocol, most developed nations have adopted laws to regulate emissions and reduce air pollution. In the United States, debate is under way about a system called cap and trade to limit emissions. This system would cap, or place a limit, on the amount of pollution a company is allowed. Companies that exceeded their cap would have to pay. Companies that polluted less than their cap could trade or sell their remaining pollution allowance to other companies. Cap and trade would essentially pay companies to limit pollution. In 2006 the World Health Organization issued new Air Quality Guidelines. The WHOs guidelines are tougher than most individual countries existing guidelines. The WHO guidelines aim to reduce air pollution-related deaths by 15 percent a year. Reduction Anybody can take steps to reduce air pollution. Millions of people every day make simple changes in their lives to do this. Taking public transportation instead of driving a car, or riding a bike instead of traveling in carbon dioxide-emitting vehicles are a couple of ways to reduce air pollution. Avoiding aerosol cans, recycling yard trimmings instead of burning them, and not smoking cigarettes are others.

Downwinders The United States conducted tests of nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site in southern Nevada in the 1950s. These tests sent invisible radioactive particles into the atmosphere. These air pollution particles traveled with wind currents, eventually falling to Earth, sometimes hundreds of miles away in states including Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and Washington. These areas were considered to be "downwind" from the Nevada Test Site. Decades later, people living in those downwind areascalled "downwinders"began developing cancer at above-normal rates. In 1990, the U.S. government passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. This law entitles some downwinders to payments of $50,000.

Greenhouse Gases There are five major greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere.

water vapor
carbon dioxide
nitrous oxide

London Smog What has come to be known as the London Smog of 1952, or the Great Smog of 1952, was a four-day incident that sickened 100,000 people and caused as many as 12,000 deaths. Very cold weather in December 1952 led residents of London, England, to burn more coal to keep warm. Smoke and other pollutants became trapped by a thick fog that settled over the city. The polluted fog became so thick that people could only see a few meters in front of them.

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Photo of a spider in darkness under artificial light

City light pollution is shrinking spiders’ brains

Professor in Evolution and Behaviour, The University of Melbourne

PhD Researcher, Urban Light Lab, The University of Melbourne

Disclosure statement

Therésa Jones receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Nikolas Willmott received funding from the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, Ecological Society of Australia, and the Environmental Microbiology Research Initiative.

University of Melbourne provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU.

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As darkness falls, the nocturnal half of the animal kingdom starts its day. Nocturnal species are perfectly adapted to navigate and survive the dark of night that has existed for countless millions of years.

What happens to these creatures when the darkness they call home is transformed by streetlights and other artificial night lighting?

In new research published in Biology Letters, we studied how light pollution affects the development of Australian garden orb weaving spiders. We discovered it makes their brains smaller, particularly in the regions devoted to vision – with unknown effects on their behaviour.

What light pollution means for animals

Artificial light is one of the fastest-growing ways humans are polluting the world, and it has a huge range of effects on animals, plants and ecosystems. Recent evidence suggests the stress of living with light pollution may impair the growth and development of the brain in some birds and mammals.

This may be catastrophic. To survive in novel environments where light pollution is most common, such as cities, animals may actually need larger and more complex brains.

But what about insects and spiders and other, smaller creatures that inhabit the night? Could light pollution similarly affect the growth and development of their brains?

Our study on the nocturnal Australian garden orb weaving spider suggests it does.

More insects, but fewer offspring

The Australian garden orb weaving spider is a perfect species to explore this question. It lives happily in cities and rural areas where it constructs its webs each night in wide open areas (even under streetlights).

In previous studies we found urban spiders that build webs under streetlights catch more insect prey . We also showed that light at night has a cost because it accelerates juvenile development resulting in smaller adults that produce fewer offspring .

In this current study we investigated whether developing under light at night also affects brain size in males and females.

To explore this question, we took late-juvenile spiders from relatively dark parks in Melbourne, Australia and reared them in the laboratory until they were adults.

During rearing we kept half the spiders under darkness at night and exposed the other half to nocturnal lighting equivalent to the brightness of a streetlight.

Smaller brains, but why?

A few weeks after the spiders were fully grown we assessed whether light at night had affected the development of their brains. As a spider brain is around the size of the nib of a ballpoint pen (less than a cubic millimetre) we used micro-CT imaging technology to visualise what was inside.

We found that short-term exposure to light at night resulted in overall smaller spider brain volumes. The strongest effects were seen in the area of the brain linked to vision in the spider’s primary eyes.

These results are a first for invertebrates (animals with no backbone, such as insects and spiders), but they mirror what has been described in vertebrates. We can only speculate how these differences came about.

It is possible that the presence of light at night created a stressful environment that disrupted hormonal processes related to growth and development. However, if this was the case we might expect to see all parts of the brain affected, which was not the case.

An alternative explanation is that spiders forced to develop under light at night changed their “investment” in different parts of the brain. Proper brain function is essential for an animal to navigate its environment, so under stressful conditions, limited resources may be directed to the more important parts of the brain. For spiders that don’t rely on vision, like orb-weavers, they may compensate by reducing investment in the visual parts of the brain, as we found here.

Other invertebrates such as desert ants ( Cataglyphis fortis ) show similar “ neuroplastic shifts ” in the visual centre of their brain when they move from subterranean nest-tending to above-ground, vision-based foraging.

Why spiders – and their brains – matter

All this is quite interesting, but you might be wondering why we should care about light pollution affecting the size of a spider’s brain.

Well, spiders are very important in an ecosystem. They eat other invertebrates, including many pest species such as flies and mosquitoes. Spiders are also important prey for other predators, such as birds and lizards.

If spiders’ brains get smaller, it may affect their cognitive function and ability to perform these vital roles. We know from other species of birds and mammals that larger brains can help individuals survive in novel city environments and it is likely the same may be true for spiders.

This research also shows that the effects of light pollution on brain development extend to invertebrates as well as birds and mammals. The full effects of humanity’s love of artificial lighting are likely much bigger than we yet understand.

Light pollution
Urban wildlife
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Open access
Published: 04 September 2024

A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution

Joshua W. Cottom ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3480-3982 1 ,
Ed Cook ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3902-7705 1 &
Costas A. Velis ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1906-726X 1

Nature volume 633 , pages 101–108 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Engineering
Environmental sciences

Negotiations for a global treaty on plastic pollution 1 will shape future policies on plastics production, use and waste management. Its parties will benefit from a high-resolution baseline of waste flows and plastic emission sources to enable identification of pollution hotspots and their causes 2 . Nationally aggregated waste management data can be distributed to smaller scales to identify generalized points of plastic accumulation and source phenomena 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 . However, it is challenging to use this type of spatial allocation to assess the conditions under which emissions take place 12 , 13 . Here we develop a global macroplastic pollution emissions inventory by combining conceptual modelling of emission mechanisms with measurable activity data. We define emissions as materials that have moved from the managed or mismanaged system (controlled or contained state) to the unmanaged system (uncontrolled or uncontained state—the environment). Using machine learning and probabilistic material flow analysis, we identify emission hotspots across 50,702 municipalities worldwide from five land-based plastic waste emission sources. We estimate global plastic waste emissions at 52.1 [48.3–56.3] million metric tonnes (Mt) per year, with approximately 57% wt. and 43% wt. open burned and unburned debris, respectively. Littering is the largest emission source in the Global North, whereas uncollected waste is the dominant emissions source across the Global South. We suggest that our findings can help inform treaty negotiations and develop national and sub-national waste management action plans and source inventories.

Plastic pollution is a global challenge requiring immediate action owing its environmental persistence and negative impact on ecosystems 14 , infrastructure 15 , society and the economy 16 . The importance of this burgeoning issue has recently been recognized by the ratification of a United Nations draft resolution to create an internationally legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution 1 , hereafter the ‘Plastics Treaty’. A global plastic pollution emissions inventory has been suggested as being critical to the success of the Plastics Treaty 17 and such inventories have already been applied in the climate change field 18 and as early evidence for a global legally binding agreement on mercury 19 , 20 —eventually the Minamata Convention 21 .

Previous efforts to model global plastic waste emissions and movement through the environment have demonstrated the scale of the issue, highlighting large macroplastic emissions from countries with extensive coastlines, large populations and insufficient waste management 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 . Yet there is a growing understanding that a much higher (sub-national) resolution is required, which identifies plastic pollution hotspots and accounts for specific local solid waste management, behavioural, cultural and socio-economic conditions 12 , 17 . We believe that the very concept of ‘emissions’ also requires clarification, owing to the complexity of the phenomena ( Methods and Extended Data Fig. 1 ). We use it here for clarity rather than the loosely defined terms of ‘leakage’ and ‘mismanaged waste’ described elsewhere 22 and we deliberately avoid the term ‘release’ suggested by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) 23 , which could imply deliberate activity. We define plastic emissions as material that has moved from the managed or mismanaged systems (in which waste is subject to a form of control, however basic; contained state) to the unmanaged system (the environment; uncontained state) with no control. We further classify emissions according to two categories: (1) debris (physical particles >5 mm) and (2) open burning (mass combusted in open uncontrolled fires). For clarification, open burning emissions relate to the mass of material that is subjected to the practice, rather than the gaseous, liquid or solid matter emitted by the process. Further definitions and scope are in Supplementary Information Section S.2 .

Mapping and quantification of plastic waste material flows is hindered by the lack of sufficiently detailed and up-to-date records of waste management practices and quantities at a local level 24 , which prevents the complete assessment of emissions from human systems 25 . Although coordinated work is underway to remedy this data paucity 24 , a measurable baseline is urgently required to inform Plastics Treaty obligations 17 . As with greenhouse gas 18 or mercury 19 , 20 emissions inventories, this baseline would enable a more rational distribution of overseas development assistance, empower policymakers with scarce resources to develop evidence-based specialized national and sub-national strategies, action plans and targets 25 , and create a strong evidential basis for the reorganization of material systems that have been the focus of Plastics Treaty proposals 26 and negotiations 27 . Therefore, we created a macroplastic emissions inventory using a new methodology to quantify emissions for 50,702 municipality-level administrations from five land-based sources: (1) uncollected waste; (2) littering; (3) collection system; (4) uncontrolled disposal; and (5) rejects from sorting and reprocessing (Fig. 1 ). Unmeasured data were predicted using machine learning and flows were mapped using probabilistic material flow analysis (MFA) for the year 2020. See Methods and Supplementary Information for detailed methodology.

Key plastic pollution sources and generalized waste management and circular economy flows are shown in this explanatory framework. Detailed materials and methods are available in the Supplementary Information .

Global emissions of plastic waste

We estimate that 52.1 Mt year −1 [48.3–56.3] of macroplastic waste were emitted into the unmanaged system in 2020, representing 21% (wt.) of all the municipal plastic waste generated (251.7 Mt year −1 [233.1–272.4]) globally (statistics reported are the arithmetic mean of all iterations—simulation runs; the 5th and 95th percentiles are in square brackets). Approximately 43% (wt.) (22.2 Mt year −1 [20.6–24.0]) is unburned ‘debris’, meaning that it is no longer subject to any form of management or direct control and is at risk of transport across land and into the aquatic environment.

Most plastic pollution models do not report emissions in a way that is comparable with the present work, instead reporting emissions to ‘the aquatic environment’ 3 , ‘aquatic ecosystems’ 6 , ‘the ocean’ 8 , 28 , ‘mismanaged plastic waste’ 5 and ‘riverine outflows’ 29 . However, two studies report comparable data. Ryberg et al. 11 estimated macroplastic debris emissions to the environment at 6.2 Mt year −1 (confidence interval (CI): 2.0–20.4) in 2015. The upper end of the CI is within the range of our 5th percentile for debris emissions but the central estimate is approximately 3.5 times lower than our mean. The categories reported by Ryberg et al. 11 include sea-based, industrial and construction sources, which are all outside the scope of our model. Removing these would reduce their central estimate to 4.9 Mt year −1 , 4.5 times lower than our mean estimate. The sum of ‘terrestrial’ and ‘aquatic’ emissions estimated by Lau et al. 9 for 2016 was 29 Mt (95% CI: 22–39). This estimate includes microplastics and material emitted at sea but is otherwise congruent with our debris emissions category. Although the average reported by Lau et al. 9 is approximately 23% higher than our mean estimate, the lower CI is approximately the same as our mean debris emissions.

Our model improves on earlier works and provides new information in five ways: (1) in this model, we used a bottom-up approach rather than regional 10 and archetypal 9 averages distributed to finer resolution (top-down approach); (2) our finer resolution accounts for spatial heterogeneity in sub-national waste management data; (3) we modelled emissions from five separate downstream sources rather than the single homogenous source used in other models 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 28 —‘mismanaged (plastic) waste’ 22 , an umbrella term that encompasses a range of insufficiencies in waste management 12 ; (4) our definition of ‘emission’ includes waste that escapes from ‘dumpsites’ 24 (defined in Methods ) but excludes that retained within them because it is mostly buried beneath the waste mass 30 and poses a low risk of being blown or washed into the unmanaged system 31 . Only the ‘working face’ of these sites contains material at risk of transmission through the action of wind and surface water runoff 32 (Supplementary Information Section S.8.9 ). Conversely, it is self-evident that waste that is uncollected, scattered on land or accumulated in smaller ‘informal dumps’ has a much higher probability of being mobilized and transported across the terrestrial surface and into the aquatic environment; and 5) We account for the open burning of waste (Supplementary Information Section S.8.11 ), which is not specifically considered in most plastic pollution models 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 11 , 28 and which our results indicate contributes to 57% (29.9 Mt year −1 [27.6–32.4]) of all plastic waste emitted, resulting in widespread risk to human health and the environment 33 . As far as we are aware, only Lau et al. 9 report a comparable estimate of open burning of municipal solid waste plastic of 49 Mt year −1 (95% CI: 40–60) for 2016, two-thirds more than our estimate. The reason for this difference is the method of calculation. Whereas Lau et al. 9 used emission factors derived from expert assumptions published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 18 and extrapolated from Wiedinmyer et al. 34 , our study uses census and survey activity data from 44 countries (Supplementary Information Section S.8.11 ).

Plastic emission hotspots outlook

On an absolute basis, we find that plastic pollution emissions are highest across countries in Southern Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and South-eastern Asia (Fig. 2a–c ), with the largest amount (9.3 Mt year −1 [6.5–12.7]) emitted by India, equivalent to nearly one-fifth of global plastic emissions. In contrast to previous plastic pollution models that positioned China as the world’s highest plastic polluter 5 , 8 , it is ranked fourth in our results, with emissions of 2.8 Mt year −1 [2.1–3.7], less than Nigeria (3.5 Mt year −1 [2.6–4.6]) and Indonesia (3.4 Mt year −1 [2.5–4.3]). This lower contribution to plastic emissions from China reflects our use of more up-to-date data 35 that shows its substantial progress in adopting waste incineration and controlled landfill 36 . Conversely, India reports that its dumpsites (uncontrolled land disposal) outnumber sanitary landfills by 10:1 (ref. 37 ) and, despite the claim that there is a national collection coverage of 95%, there is evidence that official statistics do not include rural areas, open burning of uncollected waste or waste recycled by the informal sector 38 . This means that India’s official waste generation rate (approximately 0.12 kilograms per capita per day (kg cap −1 day −1 )) is probably underestimated and waste collection overestimated. Our model corrects for flows missing in officially reported statistics, resulting in a waste generation rate for India of 0.54 kg cap −1 day −1 [0.39–0.73], which is similar to and between other comparable estimates 38 , 39 , 40 .

a , Mean macroplastic emissions by country. Inset illustrates mean municipal-level emissions for India, from which the national results are calculated. Box plots show distribution of probabilistic material flow analysis results for the three highest macroplastic emitting countries in each United Nations sub-region. Box plot statistics: lower and upper hinges correspond to the first and third quartiles and the central line is the median. Whiskers extend to the data point no further than 1.5 times the interquartile range from the hinge, with outlier values beyond this denoted as dots. b , Emissions by United Nations sub-region and settlement typology 54 . Two groups of United Nations sub-regions are merged for simplicity into ‘Rest of Europe’ (Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe) and ‘Oceania’ (Polynesia, Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia). c , Mean emissions by United Nations sub-region and emission type. d , Mean proportion of macroplastic emissions by plastic format for the income categories of HIC and low-income or middle-income countries (LMIC).

Our data for India indicate a collection coverage of 81% [80–82], meaning that nearly 53% (wt.) [51–56] of the country’s plastic waste emissions (30% wt. [29–32] debris and 23% wt. [22–25] open burning) come from the 255 [241–270] million people (18% [17–19] of the population) whose waste is uncollected. Most of the remaining emissions (38% wt. [36–40]) are as a result of open burning on dumpsites, in which fires are reported to be common 38 . Overall, we estimate that 56.8 Mt year −1 [40.0–77.7] of municipal solid waste is open burned in India, of which 5.8 Mt year −1 [4.1–7.9] is plastic. This is within the lower end of the ranges modelled by Chaudhary et al. 38 of 74.0 Mt year −1 (uncertainty: 30–92) and Sharma et al. 39 of 68 Mt year −1 (range: 45–105).

Open burning rather than intact items (debris) is the predominant emission type across most United Nations sub-regions, except for those which are predominantly in the Global North (Northern America, Northern Europe, Western Europe and Australia and New Zealand) and Sub-Saharan Africa, in which debris emissions (7.4 Mt year −1 [6.7–8.2]) are slightly higher than open burning emissions (5.9 Mt year −1 [5.2–6.6]) (Fig. 2c ). This result is driven by data that indicate lower levels of open burning in the rural areas of low-income countries (LICs), of which there are many in the Sub-Saharan Africa region (Supplementary Fig. S.24d,f ).

Approximately 69% (35.7 Mt year −1 ) of the world’s plastic waste emissions come from 20 countries, of which four are LICs, nine are lower middle-income countries (LMCs) and seven are upper middle-income countries (UMCs). Despite high-income countries (HICs) having higher plastic waste generation rates (0.17 kg cap −1 day −1 [0.15–0.20]), none are ranked in the top 90 polluters, because most have 100% collection coverage and controlled disposal. Furthermore, our modelling accounts for the mitigating impact of street sweeping activity on emissions, which is greater in HICs (Supplementary Information Section S.8.5 ). We acknowledge that we may have underestimated plastic waste emissions from some HICs because we deliberately excluded plastic waste exports from our analysis. As explained in Supplementary Information Section S.2 , plastic waste exports from the top ten Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) exporters to non-OECD countries and Turkey have substantially decreased from nearly 5.4 Mt year −1 in 2017 to less than 1.7 Mt year −1 in 2022 (ref. 41 ), contributing approximately 0.03 Mt year −1 of emissions. Although this might affect some individual country results, the overall effect would be negligible in comparison with other sources.

Countries in low-income and middle-income categories have much lower plastic waste generation (LICs: 0.04 kg cap −1 day −1 ; LMCs: 0.07 kg cap −1 day −1 ; UMCs: 0.10 kg cap −1 day −1 ). However, in contrast to HICs, a large proportion of it is either uncollected (LICs: 55% wt.; LMCs: 26% wt.; UMCs: 11% wt.) or disposed of in dumpsites (uncontrolled disposal) (LICs: 36% wt.; LMCs: 57% wt.; UMCs: 19% wt.). The nine countries that make up the Southern Asia region emit a similar amount of plastic waste (15.1 Mt year −1 [12.1–18.7]) to the 51 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (13.3 Mt year −1 [12.0–14.7]) (Fig. 2b,c ), with Nigeria contributing to approximately one-quarter (3.5 Mt year −1 [2.7–4.6]) of the Sub-Saharan African burden. Urban areas (cities, towns and semi-densely populated areas) account for most emissions in all regions (Fig. 2b ) because of low rural populations (Supplementary Information Section 7.1 ) and much lower plastic waste generation. However, we acknowledge that notable data gaps on solid waste management in rural communities exist and future efforts to address plastic pollution must include these often overlooked communities 42 .

Flexible plastic debris has a higher probability of being emitted into the environment in the Global South compared with rigid debris (mean ratio 56:44), driven by its greater prevalence (waste composition) and its propensity for mobilization under the action of wind and surface water (Fig. 2d ). In the Global North (for example, Northern America), the opposite is true (mean ratio 33:67) because rigid plastics are more prevalent in the waste and because emissions are driven by littering rather than meteorological forcing.

Per-capita emission hotspots

The contrast between absolute plastic waste emissions from the Global North and the Global South is stark (Fig. 3a,c ). However, on a per-capita basis, insufficiencies in local and national waste management systems are more apparent (Extended Data Figs. 2 – 6 ). For example, China, the world’s fourth largest absolute emitter, is one of the least polluting UMCs, ranked 153 of all countries on a per-capita basis (1.97 kg cap −1 year −1 [1.48–2.61]), and India, the world’s largest absolute emitter, is ranked 127 on a per-capita basis (6.64 kg cap −1 year −1 [4.66–9.08]). Conversely, Russia, the world’s fifth largest emitter on an absolute basis, also has high emissions on a per-capita basis (11.71 kg cap −1 year −1 [7.80–16.17]) because it is reported to have very low levels of controlled disposal 43 , 44 . Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that show low absolute plastic emissions are hotspots on a per-capita basis (Extended Data Fig. 4 ). Given the anticipated population boom in the region 45 , it is conceivable that, with an average emission rate of 12.01 kg cap −1 year −1 [10.83–13.25], Sub-Saharan Africa will become the world’s largest absolute source of plastic pollution within the next few decades.

a , Mean macroplastic emissions by country. b , Probability distributions of macroplastic emissions for six global cities >1 million population. c , Country-level macroplastic emissions by income category. Black dots are individual country results in each income category. The lower and upper hinges of the box plots correspond to the first and third quartiles and the central line is the median. Whiskers extend to the data point no further than 1.5 times the interquartile range from the hinge.

Municipal-scale probability distributions indicate substantial uncertainty within municipalities for some of our model outputs (Fig. 3b ). For example, the 5th and 95th percentiles of plastic emissions are 0.77–11.87 kg cap −1 year −1 (median 3.62 kg cap −1 year −1 ) for Agra (India) and 0.11–4.72 kg cap −1 year −1 (median 0.34 kg cap −1 year −1 ) for Maracaibo (Venezuela). The large ranges within many municipalities and relatively high kurtosis, for example, Shenzhen (42.3) and Maracaibo (19.9), are a consequence of our conservative application of probability density functions for many of the model’s input data, which have propagated through to the results.

Despite the wide uncertainty within each municipality, there are very large differences between many of them, enough to differentiate the most challenging locations from the least (Fig. 3b ). For example, median plastic emissions for Hamburg (Germany) are estimated at 0.02 kg cap −1 year −1 [0.01–0.06] compared with Mogadishu (Somalia), which has almost 680 times more (13.63 kg cap −1 year −1 [4.05–36.70]). Such large differences demonstrate that substantial reductions in plastic emissions are feasible, reiterating the importance of measuring sound solid waste management activity data. Continuing efforts to gather more reliable municipal-scale information 24 for SDG indicator 11.6.1 will gradually improve the accuracy of our model. However, much more comprehensive measurement and monitoring is required to improve the accuracy of flows that are rarely measured and that have been populated here using our conceptual sub-models.

Sources of plastic emissions

Uncollected waste is the largest contributor to plastic pollution in the Global South, accounting for 68% (35.6 Mt year −1 ) of all plastic waste emissions and 85% (18.7 Mt year −1 ) of all debris emissions. On a per-capita basis, uncollected waste represents 69%, 66% and 80% (wt.) of emissions in UMCs, LMCs and LICs, respectively (Fig. 4b ). Approximately 56% (19.9 Mt year −1 [17.8–22.3]) of emissions from uncollected waste come from LMCs, in which the mean collection coverage is 74% [72–75] (Fig. 4a ). Uncollected waste in LMCs accounts for 38% of total global plastic emissions and 51% (11.3 Mt year −1 ) of debris emissions. As far as we are aware, none of the other global plastic pollution models 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 11 , 28 has explicitly highlighted uncollected waste as the main source of plastic pollution, instead grouping it in the ‘mismanaged waste’ category or, in one case 9 , together with disposal site debris emissions. Here we show that plastic waste emissions from uncontrolled land disposal sites (dumpsites), although important, contribute 25% (12.8 Mt year −1 [11.5–14.3]) of global plastic waste emissions, of which 98% (wt.) is open burned. This means that just 0.25 Mt year −1 is emitted from land disposal sites as debris, approximately 0.4% (wt.) of plastics deposited in uncontrolled disposal sites worldwide. This is substantially less than has been inferred elsewhere. For example, Lau et al. 9 estimated that between 1% and 1.5% of rigid plastics and 8% and 13% of flexible and multimaterial plastics deposited in uncontrolled disposal sites would reach the aquatic environment each year. The difference is that Lau et al. 9 used expert judgement to derive their transfer coefficients, whereas this work used a more detailed sub-model based on the surface area and runoff characteristics of dumpsites detailed in Supplementary Information Section S. 8.9 .

Shown by: a , absolute mass and income category; b , per capita and income category; c , absolute mass and United Nations sub-region; and d , per capita and United Nations sub-region. Absolute mass of emissions ( a , c ) has unit Mt year −1 , whereas per-capita emissions ( b , d ) has unit kg cap −1 year −1 . Two groups of United Nations sub-regions are merged for simplicity into ‘Rest of Europe’ (Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe) and ‘Oceania’ (Polynesia, Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia). LIC, low-income country; LMC, lower middle income country; UMC, upper middle income country; HIC, high-income country.

HICs contribute 0.3% (0.16 Mt year −1 [0.14–0.19]) of global plastic waste emissions. Among HICs, uncollected waste is the source of 21% [15–27] (0.03 Mt year −1 [0.02–0.05]) of plastic waste emissions, just 0.06% of the global emissions burden, largely because collection coverage is nearly 100%. The largest source of debris emissions in HICs is littering (see ‘Uncollected litter’ defined in Supplementary Table S.3 ), accounting for 53% of debris emissions and 49% (0.08 Mt year −1 , 0.06 kg cap year −1 ) of all plastic emissions in the Global North (Fig. 4a,b ). Of this, 0.03 Mt year −1 takes place in Northern America and 0.03 Mt year −1 in the Rest of Europe region (Fig. 4c ), representing 0.09 kg cap year −1 and 0.07 kg cap year −1 , respectively (Fig. 4d ). The behavioural nature of littering 46 contrasts with the underlying drivers of other emission sources, especially those in the Global South. This is because, although littering is negatively correlated with waste receptacle provision 47 , it is largely driven by the decisions of individuals 46 . By contrast, the 1.5 billion individuals whose waste is uncollected in the Global South have little choice but to self-manage it (defined in Supplementary Information Section S.4.1 ).

The mismanagement of rejects from plastics sorting and reprocessing (recycling system) in both the Global North and the Global South results in 1.0 Mt year −1 [0.9–1.1] of plastic waste emissions to the environment. These emissions have often been the focus of attention, particularly in relation to the transboundary trade (exports) in waste plastics 48 . However, here we show that the emissions burden from recycling macroplastic rejects is comparatively very small.

An inventory to support the treaty

The purpose of our study was to create a macroplastic pollution inventory method for baselining and monitoring emissions at the local scale, at which on-the-ground actions can be applied. Such an emissions inventory, explaining the mechanisms for emission from the waste management and societal systems, could form a basis for a more detailed and comprehensive assessment of possible interventions. Once macroplastics have entered the environment, they are technically and economically challenging to remove 49 and, over time, will inevitably fragment into innumerable microplastics 50 , making clean-up efforts even more challenging. Minimizing plastic pollution at source by preventing the emission event in the first place must be a priority of the Plastics Treaty 17 and our insight indicates that tackling uncollected waste would have a bigger impact than mitigating all other land-based macroplastic sources combined. Notably, we already have a large global workforce of informal recyclers, entrepreneurs who our model shows collect more than 49.8 Mt year −1 [45.1–54.9] of waste plastics annually, much of which would otherwise be mismanaged.

We suggest that interventions to reduce uncollected plastic waste would focus on upstream material reduction to reduce waste generation and/or substantial improvement of waste collection services and infrastructure, and our emissions inventory sets a detailed basis for this. As highlighted elsewhere 9 , 51 , mitigating plastic waste emissions will require a multisectoral approach that includes addressing insufficiencies across the lifecycle, including redesign of product systems, source reduction and improving recycling systems worldwide. The plausibility of timely and at-scale deployment of such interventions needs to be carefully reassessed in the context of our new results.

The large mass of waste that is burned in open uncontrolled fires has not formed a central part of discussions at Plastics Treaty negotiations 26 , 27 . Yet, according to our model, more plastic waste is burned than is emitted as debris worldwide, releasing a cocktail of potentially hazardous substances and climate forcing emissions, which may have a substantial impact on human health and ecological systems 33 . An unintended consequence of interventions to mitigate the release of debris could result in an increase in emissions from open burning and vice versa 52 . Therefore, we propose that the inclusion of this phenomenon is a critical component of the forthcoming negotiations: clearly, choosing between two main forms of plastic pollution should not be an option.

We acknowledge that there is a dearth of robust, quality-controlled and verifiable waste management activity data. We have tediously screened, assessed, harmonized and corrected relevant data, incorporating uncertainty using a probabilistic approach. We have designed a conceptual framework that allows the model’s input data and structure to be continuously updated. As more quality-controlled locally obtained measurements from across the waste and resources system become available, and our understanding of release mechanisms improves, the model’s precision and accuracy can be ameliorated.

As with international climate change agreements 53 , signatories to the Plastics Treaty will require a method to calculate and baseline their plastic waste emissions so that they can compare them with others. Our emissions inventory enables them to carry out these estimates at high resolution by conceptualizing the mechanisms of emission, providing insights into the nature, extent and causes of plastic pollution and, therefore, enabling development of evidence-based national and sub-national action plans to eliminate plastic in our environment.

We created a macroplastic emissions inventory using a new methodology to quantify emissions from land-based sources for 50,702 municipality-level administrations 55 (see Supplementary Information for details on the method). We define plastic emissions as material that has moved from the managed or mismanaged systems (in which waste is subject to a form of control, however basic) to the unmanaged system (the environment) with no control. For example, open dumpsites, defined here as structures that contain concentrations of collected waste with only basic control to prevent its interaction with the environment, are a form of control, because most of the material buried beneath the waste mass is unlikely to undergo further movement into the environment.

Material was mapped through 81 downstream (after-use phase) processes to simulate the flow of municipal solid waste through globally diverse waste management systems (Fig. 1 and Supplementary Information Section 4 ). Emissions of land-based macroplastic debris (physical particles >5 mm) and open burning (combustion in open uncontrolled fires) from municipal solid waste (defined in Supplementary Information Section S.2 ) were quantified for flexible and rigid plastics (format). Activity data (the intensity of waste and resources recovery management activity) were obtained from four global 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 and two national 35 , 60 waste management databases. These were checked for errors, harmonized to a consistent basis and corrected if necessary, creating the first comprehensively quality controlled city-level solid waste management database with worldwide coverage (Supplementary Data 1 ). Our primary input data represent 12.2% of the 2015 global population, spanning each of the World Bank income categories (LICs: 12.0%; LMCs: 11.4%; UMCs: 13.5%; HICs: 11.2%). Further discussion on the representativeness of our input data is presented in Supplementary Information Section S.6.7 .

Quantile regression random forest models 61 predicted data for all global municipalities using national and sub-national socio-economic indicators. Waste management, circular economy and plastic waste emission characteristics, variables that are not commonly measured or reported, were estimated using data from the literature or through the creation of new conceptual models. These newly developed ‘sub-models’ (Supplementary Information Sections S.8.2 , S.8.3 , S.8.3.4 , S.8.5 , S.8.5.2 , S.8.8 , S.8.9 , S.8.11.1 and S.9.1.2 ) used data on human behaviour, material value, socio-economic development, population density and solid waste management performance, creating an explanatory framework through which to estimate unmeasured system characteristics. The use of ‘process-level sub-models’ to describe larger systems has recently been advocated for plastic pollution modelling 13 .

Probabilistic (Monte Carlo simulation) MFA mapped flows of municipal solid waste (5,000 iterations) throughout the system (Supplementary Information Section S.4 ), resulting in detailed information on municipal solid waste and plastic waste management for each global municipality (Supplementary Data 5 ). Emissions into the unmanaged system, defined here as uncontained waste that is no longer subject to any form of management or control, were estimated for five key sources: (1) uncollected waste; (2) littering; (3) collection system; (4) uncontrolled disposal; and (5) rejects from sorting and reprocessing (Extended Data Fig. 1 ). The probabilistic MFA used probability density functions from two sources: (1) the results of the machine learning predictions and (2) from the secondary data collection and processing step detailed in Supplementary Information Section S.8 . A full list of probability density functions used in our model is available in Supplementary Data 6 and the MFA equations are shown in Supplementary Data 2 .

These flows and their associated uncertainty were aggregated to the national scale (Supplementary Data 3 ) to align with reporting for SDG indicator 11.6.1 (ref. 24 ) and to the regional and global scales (Supplementary Data 4 ) to create a multiresolution global plastic emissions inventory (Fig. 1 and Extended Data Fig. 7 ). This inventory is the first-stage prerequisite for a second terrestrial transport model (not discussed further here), collectively named the ‘Spatio-temporal quantification of plastic pollution origins and transport’ model (SPOT). Although we acknowledge that upstream processes during the production, conversion and use phases result in a range of emissions from plastics, they are outside the scope of our modelling. We also exclude textiles, sea-based sources of plastic pollution and waste electrical and electronic equipment. To improve comprehension of proportionality, the results are reported as the mean of all iterations (simulation runs). Numbers in square brackets are the 5th and 95th percentiles of all iterations. As there are no datasets with which to validate our model outputs, we took the same approach as Lau et al. 9 and carried out global sensitivity analysis to assess the influence of the model inputs and structure on its results (Supplementary Information Section S.10 ).

We warn readers to consider the full uncertainty in our MFA results, particularly for municipal-scale outputs at which the ranges are generally much larger than national-scale or regional-scale aggregations. The origins of uncertainty in our model are discussed at length in Supplementary Information Section S.9.2.2 . We also explain in Supplementary Information Section S.9.1.1 a specific circumstance in which we decided not to quantify uncertainty for the uncontrolled disposal coefficient (tC3) owing to limitations of the quantile regression random forest predictive capability for that particular aspect of the system.

Data availability

Supplementary Data 1 – 6 are freely available as part of the Supplementary Information and are available from Dryad: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8cz8w9gxb . Administrative boundaries used for the maps were sourced from GADM version 3.6 and are available from https://gadm.org/ .

Code availability

All code, model inputs and outputs are available from Dryad: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8cz8w9gxb .

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Y. Gavish, data analyst, for comments on modelling uncertainty and machine learning; A. Savvantoglou for illustrations and graphic design; C. Gonzales and M. Harkness for data cleaning; K. Terzidis for collection and analysis of incineration data. For assistance in securing access to municipality-related primary data and assisting with comprehension of data collection and reporting methods used by the main international datasets: N. Takeuchi (UN-Habitat), A. Whiteman (Wasteaware), M. Newbury (United Nations Statistics Division) and S. Kaza (World Bank Group). Funding: this work was partly supported by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), with further in-kind support by the University of Leeds. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors’ alone and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of UN-Habitat.

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Joshua W. Cottom, Ed Cook & Costas A. Velis

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Contributions

J.W.C.: conceptualization; methodology; software; validation; formal analysis; investigation; data curation; writing – original draft; writing – review and editing; visualization. E.C.: conceptualization; methodology; validation; formal analysis; investigation; data curation; writing – original draft; writing – review and editing; visualization. C.A.V.: conceptualization; methodology; validation; formal analysis; investigation; data curation; writing – original draft; writing – review and editing; visualization; supervision; resources; funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Costas A. Velis .

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C.A.V. consults for organizations active in the waste, resources and circular economy sphere. He receives funding from UKRI, GCRF, NERC, ESRC, BBSRC, Royal Academy of Engineering, British Council, Innovate UK, EC H2020, World Bank Group, OECD, GIZ, UN-Habitat, UNESCAP, UNOPS, The Pew Charitable Trusts, IGES, ISWA, GRID-Arendal, Swedish EPA and SYSTEMIQ. He is affiliated with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the Scientist’s Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty and the Innovation Alliance for a Global Plastics Treaty. The University of Leeds has memorandums of understanding with the Alliance To End Plastic Waste and the United Nations Environment Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML), which refer to plastic pollution databases. E.C. has consulted for Tearfund.

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Extended data figures and tables

Extended data fig. 1 the point at which material passes from a contained to an uncontained state across the emission boundary is described here as an emission..

Emissions originate from five core emission sources and from three system parts (generated, managed and mismanaged), each of which exhibit different containment characteristics.

Extended Data Fig. 2 Macroplastic emissions into the environment (debris and open burned) by municipality in mean kg cap −1 year −1 for the year 2020.

Countries in the Global South have high per-capita emissions compared with those in the Global North.

Extended Data Fig. 3 Macroplastic emissions into the environment (debris and open burned) by municipality for Latin America and the Caribbean in mean kg cap −1 year −1 for the year 2020.

Hotspots for per-capita emissions include municipalities in Paraguay, Belize and Haiti, whereas municipalities in Uruguay and Chile have comparably lower emissions.

Extended Data Fig. 4 Macroplastic emissions into the environment (debris and open burned) by municipality for Africa in mean kg cap −1 year −1 for the year 2020.

Per-capita emissions are high throughout the continent, with notable hotspots including municipalities in South Sudan, Angola and Namibia. Several megacities stand out as key hotspots, including Lagos (Nigeria), Juba (South Sudan) and Nouakchott (Mauritania).

Extended Data Fig. 5 Macroplastic emissions into the environment (debris and open burned) by municipality for Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia in mean kg cap −1 year −1 for the year 2020.

Emissions on a per-capita basis are low for municipalities in HICs, such as Japan and South Korea, but high throughout much of South-eastern Asia, particularly Cambodia. Eastern China has low per-capita emissions owing to recent progress in solid waste management. However, emissions are marginally higher in Western China.

Extended Data Fig. 6 Macroplastic emissions into the environment (debris and open burned) by municipality for Central Asia, Western Asia and Southern Asia in mean kg cap −1 year −1 for the year 2020.

Per-capita emissions are high throughout the region, with the exception of municipalities in HICs on the Arabian Peninsula, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. Municipalities in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Jordan and Syria have relatively high per-capita emissions. Although India has the highest absolute emissions of all countries, on a per-capita basis, most of its municipalities have between 5 and 10 kg cap −1 year −1 .

Extended Data Fig. 7 Graphical abstract for a local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution.

Municipal level data were cleaned, harmonized and used to train a quantile regression random forest machine learning model, which was used to generate core material flow data for 50,702 municipalities worldwide. These data, combined with explanatory conceptual submodels, were used to populate and define flows in a probabilistic material flow analysis model (Monte Carlo) with 81 processes. The results are presented at municipal level, which showed a large variations in emissions, and then as aggregations at national, income category and global levels. The majority of emissions come from uncollected waste, whereas litter accounts for a comparatively small proportion worldwide. Of the 52.1 Mt year -1 (mean) of emissions produced, approximately 57% wt. are burned in open uncontrolled fires.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information.

This file contains Supplementary Methods, including Supplementary Figs. 1–30, Supplementary Tables 1–40 and Supplementary References. Further Supplementary Data for this article are available from Dryad at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8cz8w9gxb .

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Cottom, J.W., Cook, E. & Velis, C.A. A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution. Nature 633 , 101–108 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07758-6

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Received : 22 September 2023

Accepted : 26 June 2024

Published : 04 September 2024

Issue Date : 05 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07758-6

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Environmental Pollution Essay for Students in English
Essay on Environmental Pollution. The environment is the surrounding of an organism. The environment in which an organism lives is made up of various components like air, water, land, etc. These components are found in fixed proportions to create a harmonious balance in the environment for the organism to live in.
Pollution
Pollution, addition of any substance or form of energy to the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed or stored in a harmless form. The major kinds of pollution are usually classified by environment and include air, water, and land pollution. Learn more about the history of pollution.
Essay on Environmental Pollution: 100 Words, 200 Words
Also Read: Environmental Conservation. Essay on Environmental Pollution - 500 Words . Pollution is the term used to describe the entry of pollutants into the environment. Noise, water, and air pollution are only a few of the several types of pollution. There is a direct relationship between the rise of pollution levels and illnesses among people.
Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences Essay
Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences Essay. Environmental pollution is the unwarranted discharge of mass or energy into the planet's natural resource pools, such as land, air, or water, which detriments the environment's ecological stability and the health of the living things that inhabit it. There is an intensified health risk ...
Essay on Environmental Pollution for Students and Children
Essay on Environmental Pollution - Environment is the surroundings in which we live. But the contamination of our environment by pollutants is environmental pollution. The current stage of the earth that we are seeing is the cause of centuries of exploitation of earth and its resources. Moreover, the earth cannot restore its balance because ...
Environmental pollution: concept, causes, types and effects
Air pollution is linked to the burning of fossil fuels, industry, agriculture, transportation, and energy production. It is caused by the accumulation of gaseous pollutants in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbon, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide. The main effect of air pollution is climate change.
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land.
Essay On Environmental Pollution (Short & Long)
Environmental pollution refers to the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment. It is a major problem in today's world and has a profound impact on both the natural world and human lives. The sources of environmental pollution are numerous and varied, including industrial activities, transportation, and household waste.
Essay on Environmental Pollution for Students
Essay on Environmental Pollution for Students - 100, 200 and 500 Words. Pollution is the presence and inclusion of unwanted items in the environment. The state of the environment is altered when it has become contaminated with potentially dangerous compounds as a result of human activity. Water, air, and land are dangerously affected by the ...
Essay on Pollution in 500 Words
Effects of Pollution. Pollution affects the quality of life more than one can imagine. It works in mysterious ways, sometimes which cannot be seen by the naked eye. However, it is very much present in the environment. For instance, you might not be able to see the natural gases present in the air, but they are still there.
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Essay on Environmental Pollution: Environmental pollution is a pressing issue that affects the health and well-being of both humans and the planet. ... You can also include a thesis statement that outlines the main points you will be discussing in the essay. 2. Define environmental pollution: Define what environmental pollution is and the ...
Combating Environmental Pollution: Key Causes and Solutions
Get custom essay. In conclusion, the causes of environmental pollution are diverse and interconnected, involving industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, agricultural practices, and deforestation. Each of these factors contributes to the degradation of the natural environment, posing significant risks to ecosystems and human health.
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History of pollution. Although environmental pollution can be caused by natural events such as forest fires and active volcanoes, use of the word pollution generally implies that the contaminants have an anthropogenic source—that is, a source created by human activities. Pollution has accompanied humankind ever since groups of people first congregated and remained for a long time in any one ...
Essay on Environmental Pollution
Essay on Environmental Pollution explains that Pollution, also known as environmental pollution, is the addition of any substance, whether it's solid, liquid, or gas, or a form of energy (such as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate greater than it disperses, dilutes, decomposes, recycles or stored in an innocuous form. ...
Essay on Pollution
Sample essay on Pollution in 250-300 Words. Environmental pollution is a global issue that plagues people all over the world, and it is one of the most critical problems of our planet today. It occurs in several ways, like contaminating the air we breathe or the water we use for various purposes. The earth is in continuous motion and the one ...
Air pollution
Air pollution, release into the atmosphere of various gases, finely divided solids, or finely dispersed liquid aerosols at rates that exceed the natural capacity of the environment to dissipate and dilute or absorb them. High concentrations can cause undesirable health, economic, or aesthetic effects.
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. [1] Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. ...
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The essay on environmental pollution explains how the earth and its natural resources are under the ever-increasing threat of pollution. All life on earth is threatened by this vicious process initiated by human intervention. The pollutants released from all kinds of human activity, including industrial processes, have had devastating effects ...
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Essay on Environmental Pollution: All types of pollution are growing day by day and so environmental pollution also. An essay on environmental pollution is one of the most important essays for all students. Here, we have written an essay on environmental pollution for all the students. This essay on environmental pollution is about 500 to 1000 ...
Environment Pollution: Classification, Causes and Its Types
What is Environmental Pollution? Environmental Pollution refers to any addition of unwanted material in the environment due to human activities that lead to undesirable changes in the environment and ecology. For example, sewage water being released in clean water sources like tanks, rivers, etc. is an example of water pollution.
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Rotation of Earth: Impact on Day and Night, Time Zones, and Climate. The Formation of Earth: Geological History and Mass Extinctions. Examine the causes, consequences, and remedies for environmental pollution, encompassing soil, water, and air pollution.
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Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the air that can harm the health of humans, animals, and plants. It also damages buildings. Pollutants in the air take many forms. They can be gases, solid particles, or liquid droplets. Sources of Air Pollution Pollution enters the Earth's atmosphere in many different ways. Most air pollution is created by people, taking the form of ...
Environmental Pollution Essay
Environmental pollution is mostly of 4 types: Types of Pollution. Air Pollution. Water Pollution. Soil Pollution. Noise Pollution. Air Pollution. Air Pollution is one of the major sources of pollution in the present scenario. The smoke which comes out of the chimneys of factories and the automobiles pollute the air we breathe rapidly.
City light pollution is shrinking spiders' brains
This may be catastrophic. To survive in novel environments where light pollution is most common, such as cities, animals may actually need larger and more complex brains.
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Plastic pollution is a global challenge requiring immediate action owing its environmental persistence and negative impact on ecosystems 14, infrastructure 15, society and the economy 16.The ...

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Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences Essay

Environmental pollution

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Environmental Pollution

1. Air Pollution

2. Water Pollution

3. Soil Contamination

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Effect of Pollution

1. Effect on Human

2. Effect on Animals

3. Effect on Plant

4. Effect on Ecosystem

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1. Replace Disposable with Reusable