What is Pollution?
Pollution involves the introduction of harmful substances or materials that are typically dirty and lethal. These are what we call pollutants and are things that we see on a daily basis. Pollution can occur in many forms, such as smoke from exhaust pipes or even pesticides, which not only reduces the quality of the surrounding environment but also harms the animals, plants, and microorganisms living in the environment.
Water Pollution
Water pollution is a release of harmful materials to bodies of water which causes harm towards the environment and the marine life within the body of water. Water pollution can be easily differentiated from that of clean water. We could tell if the water is polluted by looking if the water is clean, how the water smells, or by the taste, although not recommended. Fertilizers have been used for approximately a century.
Although fertilizers are beneficial, the overuse of these fertilizers can lead to an excess of nutrients and minerals in the soil and leach into nearby waterways when it rains. Chemicals and waste used from gardening may run off to other areas, mainly coastal areas, near oceans and bodies of water. Through these types of wastes in which pollutants are transferred through water, aquatic ecosystems will decrease and the environment will be very unhygienic; thus, the livelihoods of the people that rely on water, especially as drinking water, will suffer the most. They are prone to waterborne diseases, which can be lethal. Acidic rain can also cause water pollution. It will devastate landscapes, and the pH of the oceans will decrease significantly. To solve water pollution, we need to stop the use harmful substances so the water still clean will not get hazardous in the near future. Another solution is to reduce the use of plastic, which could harm marine life and doesn’t degrade easily.
Soil Pollution
Soil pollution occurs when chemicals or physical disruptions cause soil contamination. Again, human activity is never a leading cause of soil pollution. In the mining industry, military farming activities, and the building of urban and transport infrastructure, soil pollution poses a major threat to soil health. Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides is also a significant factor in the destruction of soil health. Because soil health is significantly degrading, agricultural industries would be most affected as they require fertile soils to grow quality crops. Soil pollution could also play a role as a poison to kill livestock that eat pastures. This damage to agricultural industries also affects the economy of the country. Soil pollution also plays a major role in the greenhouse effect, as less carbon dioxide is taken up from the process of photosynthesis. To stop soil pollution, we could use eco-friendly products which don’t harm the soil we use and to minimize the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
Sound Pollution
Noise pollution is an increase in the amount of noise away from the norm that annoys or distracts the daily life of other organisms. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that noise above the decibel (dB) of 65 is considered noise pollution. Noise that is above the decibel of 75 is harmful and could be painful if it reaches higher amounts of decibels. The stems of the pollution may come from a variety of types of noises from booming speakers, throttling vehicles, and heavy machinery that produce huge amounts of sounds that are too much for living organisms nearby. Elderly people will be the most affected, causing ear damage and headaches, while normal working citizens will struggle with sleeping. Not only will it affect humans, but also animals. Animals tend to stay clear of cities, as they have the highest amount of sound produced, and migrate to softer, more rural places. Therefore, to solve sound pollution, we must lower the volume of our devices when they are in public places, shut the door when using machines that create a lot of sound, and plant trees because they cut sound and help in the reduction of sound.
Air Pollution
Air pollution is the release of gas molecules that alters the composition of the atmosphere. It is directly harmful to humans, plants, and animals and is one of the reasons why the greenhouse effect is harmful. These gaseous products originate from nature but mainly from human activity. Similar to the burning of fossil fuels, the use of transportation allows us to go to work to have other orderly manners and industrial emissions. In 2019, 99% of the world’s population was living in places where the WHO’s strictest 2021 air quality guideline levels were not met. (UNEP, 2021).
