Burning of fossil fuel in industries and transport sections, industrialization and urbanization have led to increase concentration of gaseous and particulate pollutants in the atmosphere leading to air pollution. The increased used to tall stacks for power plants and industries; atmospheric emissions are being transported regionally and even globally. Rain is one of the essential ingredients for human life. Although rain is naturally acidic, it is being increasingly acidified by pollution from homes, factories, power stations and cars. The term used to describe the problem is "acid rain". Acid rain has become a major environmental concern for several decades, it has broad economic, social and medical implications and has been called unseen plague of industrial age. The major components of acid rain is sulphur dioxide, sulphur trioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide dissolves in rain. These components deposited as dry and wet depositions. One obvious consequence of acid rain is corrosive effect on exposed stone and metal structures, but there are also many biological that are not obvious. However, like many environmental problems, acid deposition is caused by accumulative actions of millions of individual people. It may not been seem as though acid rain is much as an issue, but it can cause more than you can imagine.
Keywords: Air pollution, Environment, acid deposition
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Coopman , Stiffy B. , Acla, Hazel Jean I. , Garcia, Jessa M. Envi82- Environmental Ethics, Policies and Laws
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE Introduction 4 Policies, Legal and Socio-economic Issues 6 Aquatic System 6 Soil System 6 Plants 6 Conclusion 7 Recommendation 7 References 8
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Coopman , Stiffy B. , Acla, Hazel Jean I. , Garcia, Jessa M. Envi82- Environmental Ethics, Policies and Laws
INTRODUCTION
Since the beginning of civilization, human beings have used various natural resources for their benefit. To make our life easier, they have produced facilities that use many of the Earth’s energy resources.
On the other hand it results into pollution by release harmful substance into environment.
In the study of Singh and Agrawal (2008), as
When President Richard Nixon was in charge, the whole environmental policies started to properly rise in American. Back in 1989 when President Bush issued what would the following year be called the Clean Air of 1990, the United States was taking notice in world climate. Over the years, the country as a whole has strayed from putting emphasis on these issues. Graphs show us that we did better back in 1990 than we did in 2004. Compared to many other countries such as Germany, Japan, Canada, UK, Italy, France, and Australia, the United States releases an incredible amount of more greenhouse emissions. President Bush wanted to take care of three major issues of the time that would benefit every American, “The President proposed legislation designed to curb three major threats to the nation 's environment and to the health of millions of Americans: acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions.” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). Acid rain is something that harms plants, marine life, and humans, it has high levels of nitrate and sulfur dioxide. Too much of acid rain can begin to kill species because of its toxic chemicals. Professor Pecorella 2015 on a class lecture of public opinion said that,“public opinion reacts to action”,since this is true, then this would validate what EPA does because the majority of people do believe in global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency would help ensure a safer future for America, one that would allow
“North Americans have been smelting ore and burning fossil fuels for generations. In the past, the gases went up ordinary chimneys or small smoke stacks, to descend upon near by areas and pollute them,” states author, Robert Collins. Almost everyone knows what acid rain is and has a vague idea of the consequences that exist as a cause of it. Most people however do not realize the severity of acid rain. The essay “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” by Robert Collins was very effective in showing the true severity of acid rain. By using excellent developmental devices, Robert Collins was able to write an effective essay that is appealing to today’s society, as well as
Through the advancement of technology, the issue of the air surrounding the earth might have been one of the most often matters to be brought up and discussed among scientists and engineers. Acid rain is one of the more serious environmental problems and it is closely related to the air pollution. Nowadays, it has affected large part of US, Europe and Canada. People start to be concerned about acid rain since it is getting worse in the passed years. The effect of the acid rain most often leads to another bad effect. For example, the acid rain will cause the lake and streams to be acidic. Thus, it will also affect the ecosystem inside the water.
Acid rain has not been shown to be harmful to human health, but some of the particles, which can be formed from sulfate, and nitrate ions can affect respiration. They can be transported long distances by winds and inhaled deep into people's lungs. Fine particles can also penetrate indoors. Many scientific studies have identified a relationship between elevated levels of fine particles and increased illness and premature death from heart and lung disorders, such as asthma and bronchitis.
Acid rain has a large concentration of hydrogen ions mainly coming from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. It could kill living organisms, damage buildings, and monuments.
Acid rain affects thousands of people worldwide and is produced by factories and car fumes. It is the product of humanity and should not happen if we were careful of our carbon emissions. This phenomenon has contributed to many ruined water sources around the world. If acid rain was never a problem then places like Canada would have more forests and trees in Ontario. Also not as much coral would be dying in the ocean. Acid rain is a serious problem that needs to be addressed with caution and must be effectively dealt with before it is too
Acid Rain and acid deposition are pollutants that are very difficult to escape. It can reach every part of the US and many parts of the world. According to the EPA, Acid Rain is a term that tends to be broad. It’s when precipitation contains Acidic particles such as Sulfuric, or Nitric acid. These acidic particles can get carried all over by different means such as rain, wind, and even fog. Once it hits the ground it is then washed away into water systems. Acid Rain is something that many organizations are trying to have some control over due to the health issues it can cause in people and wildlife.
What is acid rain? Acid rain is rain that becomes acidified in the atmosphere. In this situation, acid rain can cause lots of damage, and we are going to have to pay for it.Our earth is getting destroyed by many things. These things can be air pollution, water pollution or even global warming. One main thing is acid rain. Acid rain destroys water, forest, and it kills wildlife. All of these damages affect ocean life and ecosystems.
Acid rain has been a problem dating back to the 1800s, but it was not until the 1960s that attention was finally brought to the forefront of this problem. Acid rain is not just rain, it is also snow, fog, hail, and mist. Rain itself contains acid because it mixes with naturally occurring oxides in the air. According to Fact Sheet, unpolluted rain would have a pH level of between 5 and 6. When the air becomes polluted with nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide the acidity can increase to a pH level of 4 (p. 1). Rain with a pH below 5.6 is called acid rain (Hill & McCreary, p. 208). This low level causes many problems for our environment. Power plants, factories, car exhaust fumes and even natural pollutants all contribute to
Bunker fuel is a type of liquid fuel, which is fractionally distilled from crude oil (Geek, 2015). According to the oil industry’s material data sheets, the oil is a complex blend of hydrocarbons derived from various refinery streams, usually residue from the oil refinery processes (Wagstaffe, 2015). In comparison with petroleum products, bunker fuel causes high pollution and is extremely rough. When bunker fuel is burned, it releases sulphur and nitrogen into the atmosphere. These oxides then combine with water in the atmosphere and form acids, which is classified as ‘acid rain’. Generally, acid rain has not been a problem in Australia, but issues have been raised with acidic rain in industrial areas (high levels of sulphur oxides and nitrogen).
Acid rain is polluted rain, snow, or fog. The burning of fossil fuels, base metal smelting, and fuel combustion in vehicles emits sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) (FAQ Acid Rain). These gases enter the atmosphere
It can react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. Air pollution like the sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides can cause respiratory diseases like asthma or chronic bronchitis. It can also harm forests because it seeps into the ground and can dissolve nutrients such as magnesium and calcium, that the trees need to be healthy. (E. (n.d.). Why is Acid Rain Harmful? Retrieved October 30, 2017)
Acid rain or acid deposition occurs when atmospheric pollutants, namely sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, combine with water vapour present in the atmosphere. (Morgan, 1999, p. 3) Acid deposition is a broad term which includes any precipitation that has a pH deemed to be acidic. When these pollutants, released from the burning of fossils fuels or the smelting of metal, enter into the atmosphere they combine with moisture before falling down to Earth. (National Geographic, n.d.) A chemical reaction then occurs converting these reactants into sulfuric and nitric acid which in turn will create rain that is acidic. (Petheram, 2003, p. 15)
The effects of acid rain greatly affect the environment. Some lakes become so acidic fish cannot survive in them. The degradation of minerals present in soil produces metal ions. These are subsequently washed away, causing the release of toxic substances, such as Al3+, into the water supply. This also causes the loss of important minerals, such as Ca2+, from the soil, killing trees and crops. Long-term effects from global warming include landslides and increased seismic and volcanic activities, due to land no longer being depressed by the weight of ice. Tsunamis could also be generated, landslides caused by warmer ocean water thawing ocean-floor permafrost or releasing gas hydrates. Some world regions already show an increase in landslides, such as the French Alps.
This report is written to explain about acid rain in detail which is one of the