Global Environmental Problems

A variety of environmental problems now affect our entire world.

As globalization continues and the earth's natural processes transform local problems into international issues, few societies are being left untouched by major environmental problems.

Some of the largest problems now affecting the world are: Acid Rain Global warming Air Pollution Hazardous waste Ozone depletion Radiation Water Pollution Rain forest destruction(deforestation) Over population Climate change

1. Acid Rain

 Also called acid deposition.

Acid rain is caused by emissions of Co2, So2 and

NO2 which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. It is caused by airborne acidic pollutants and has highly destructive results. Acid rain, one of the most important environmental problems of all, cannot be seen. The invisible gases that cause acid rain usually come from automobiles or coal-burning power plants.

"Acid rain" is a popular term referring to the deposition of wet (rain, snow, sleet, fog, cloud water, and dew) and dry (acidifying particles and gases) acidic components.

Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic nature.

It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure.

Causes

 Natural causes:

Fires,
Volcanic eruptions, Bacterial decomposition, and

Lightening also greatly increase the amount of nitrogen

oxide on the planet. Gigantic explosion of Mt. St. Helens released only about what one coal power plant emits in a year. Human Causes: The principal cause of acid rain is sulfur and

nitrogen compounds from human sources, such as electricity generation, factories, and motor venicles. Coal power plants are one of the most

 Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted from

certain industries. Most sulfur dioxide comes from power plants that use coal as their fuel. These plants emit 100 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 70% of that in the world. Automobiles produce about half of the world's nitrogen oxide. As the number of automobiles in use increases, so does the amount of acid rain. Power plants that burn fossil fuels also contribute significantly to nitrogen oxide emission.

70 Tg(S) per year in the form of SO2comes from fossil fuel combustion and industry, 2.8 Tg(S) from Widfires and 7-8 Tg(S) per year from Volcanoes (Tg =Teragram: 1Tg=1012gram)
Acid rain comes down to the earth in the form

of rain, snow, hail, fog, frost, or dew. Once it reaches the ground, the acidity in the substance can harm and even destroy both natural ecosystems and man-made products, such as car finishes.

Main Emission Sources

Sources of Acid Rain

The coal-fired Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire, Ohio

The main sources of emissions contributing to acid rain are:

For sulphur dioxide (SO2):

Base metal smelters Fossil Fuelled power Industrial fossil-fuel combustion sources (Natural gas plant, paper mills, petroleum refineries, cement plants upstream oil and gas etc.)

 For nitrous oxide (NOx): The transportation sectors(automobiles,

trucks, off-road engines) and fossil fuel power plants.

Industrial fossil-fuel combustion sources

(natural gas plants, pulp and paper mills, petroleum refineries, cement plants, upstream oil and gas, etc.)

Types of acid Rain

Wet Deposition.
Wet deposition of acids occurs when any form of precipitation (rain, snow, and so on.) removes acids from the atmosphere and delivers it to the Earth's surface. This can result from the deposition of acids produced in the raindrops (see aqueous phase chemistry above) or by the precipitation removing the acids either in clouds or below clouds. Wet removal of both gases and aerosols are both of importance for wet deposition.

Dry Deposition. Acid deposition also occurs via dry deposition in the absence of precipitation. This can be responsible for as much as 20 to 60% of total acid deposition. This occurs when particles and gases stick to the ground, plants or other surfaces.

Effects of Acid Rain

Trees killed by acid rain

Since 1998, Harvard University wraps some of the bronze and marble statues on its campus, such as this "Chinese stele", with waterproof covers every winter, in order to protect them from erosion caused by acid rain (or, actually,

Effect of acid rain on a forest, Effect of acid rain on statues

 Acid rain is having harmful effects both on people

and on the natural ecosystems of the world.

Effects on ecosystem Effects on water bodies:

Many ecosystems are affected by acid rain.

Bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers, see

many of their inhabitants die off due to rising acidity levels. Acidic water also ruins plant nutrients, hurting plants' ability to survive and to give life to other organisms.
Effects on human-made products are also

experiencing degradation from acid rain.

 Both the lower pH and higher aluminum

concentrations in surface water that occur as a result of acid rain can cause damage to fish and other aquatic animals. At pHs lower than 5, most fish eggs will not hatch and lower pHs can kill adult fish. As lakes and rivers become more acidic biodiversity is reduced. Acid rain has eliminated insect life and some fish species. Acid rain's effects are destructive and long lasting

 Human health effects Acid rain does not directly affect human health. The acid in the rainwater is too dilute to have

direct adverse effects. Increased amounts of fine particulate matter in the air do contribute to heart and lung problems including asthma and bronchitis.

A large body of epidemiological evidence indicated that serious health effects were associated with PM at levels even below the then-current air quality standards. These health effects include: Premature death and increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits, especially for heart and lung diseases, primarily in the elderly and individuals with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease. Increased respiratory symptoms and disease, primarily in children and individuals with cardiopulmonary disease such as asthma. Decreased lung function, particularly in children and individuals with asthma. Alterations in lung tissue and structure and in respiratory tract defense mechanisms.

 Damage buildings and historic monuments

and statues, especially those made of rocks, such as limestone and marble, that contain large amounts of calcium carbonate. Acids in the rain react with the calcium compounds in the stones to create gypsum, which then deteriorate.

Prevention

 There are a number of preventions,

including: Switching fuel sources to natural gas, oil, or renewable energy sources; Switching to low-sulphur coal; Removing the sulphur from the coal before burning; Using fluidized-bed combustion processes to burn the coal; removing the sulphur from the smoke stack after combustion through the installation of pollution control equipment.

Catalytic converters, road traffic restrictions, and equalizing acidity in affected water systems by using powdered limestone and reduction in the sulphur content of fuels. Protest against the use of coal fire in industry, walking more and driving less, Buy fuel efficient cars or alternative fuel powered vehicles and head community campaigns promoting awareness of the issue.

Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) is a set of technologies used to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants, and from the emissions of other sulfur oxide emitting processes.

Schematic design of the absorber of an FGD

 Use an alternative energy source such as

batteries, solar & wind power, electricity and the like. Fossil fuel emissions cause pollution and acid rain and are expensive and nonrenewable. Another great energy source is manpower; consider walking or biking to work or school.
Instead ask for nuclear or wind turbine power generation.
Educate other people. If you know any gas-

guzzler drivers, talk to them! One person really can make a difference; think about if other people thought that way, rather than just saying "Well, if they can do it, I can do it".

 Plant a tree. These are finally something we don't

seem to have enough of. The tree will absorb some of the polluted air and put out clean, fresh oxygen.
Don't leave lights on. Don't leave the lights on

after you leave a room or when you can get natural light.