Polllution caused by mankind.
Pollution is, “Physical impurity or contamination; (now) esp. the presence in or introduction into the environment (esp. as a result of human activity) of harmful or poisonous substances, or excessive levels of light, noise, organic waste, etc”(Oxford English dictionary). Pollution to most people involves the environment. The environment is everything surrounding where a person lives. People say that pollution is what is causing the phenomenon of global warming. Pollution is seen as being harmful, and it is bad and harmful to the environment, but one has to be careful of how he uses pollution. When someone says that the world is heating up because of pollution, everyone agrees, but does everyone know what the real meaning of Pollution is. Pollution may be harmful to the environment, but is not the cause of global warming. The main cause of pollution is the burning of fossil fuels and through human actions and activities, pollution is harmful to the environment.
The environment of the world is in bad shape and that may be caused by pollution. The world is not the way it was 200 years ago. The current condition of the earth may have permanent consequences. Humans and their activities cause pollution to have the effect it does on the environment. Humans being so intelligent about pollution still have a profound contribution to the amount of pollution there is. The human population has been increasing for a long time, and “As the world population increases rapidly, there is an increasing demand for food, materials and energy. The activities that produce these products tend to pollute the environment”(ThinkQuest). The human population is increasing at a very fast rate. With more and more people, there is a greater need for food, clothing, houses and power. The process of creating more homes, food, and more power, causes the pollution that destroys the environment. These activities are the pollution that everyone talks about. The activities of humans and their actions are what cause pollution and they are harmful to the environment.
Fossil fuels are the main sources of energy today, and the burning of these fuels cause pollution and harm to the environment. Fossil fuels are energy sources that include coal, petroleum and natural gas. Humans use petroleum in cars in form of oil, gas, and lubricants throughout the car. Coal is used to make electricity for all the homes in the U.S. and is burned off into the air. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide gas into the air and “Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the major pollutants in the atmosphere”(Socha 1). The burning of coal during the process of creating electricity and the release of carbon dioxide while driving are some of the main reasons why there is pollution. When they are used up, they release carbon dioxide into the air and carbon dioxide is one of the most common pollutants in the air. Fossil fuels are a major contributor to the pollution of the earth. They harm the environment in a tremendous amount. The burning of fossil fuels is one of the most common ways in which the world is polluted.
Although pollution is harmful to the environment, it is not the cause of global warming. So one of the main causes to pollution is carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Also, the world is heating up and it is predicted that pollution is the cause. It has been thought for a while that carbon dioxide has harmful effects to the atmosphere, but “CO2 does not cause catastrophic disasters – actually it would be beneficial to our environment and economy”(Dessler and Parson 3). Carbon dioxide has always been thought as bad to the environmentalists, but this green house gas is not the cause of global warming. Pollution has no effect on the warming of the earth. About a millennium ago, the world was warmer than it is now, and it is possible because the surface temperature of the earth can change for any reason. The term global warming is not true, but to use the word pollution in the same sentence as global warming just does not work. Pollution is harmful to the environment, but is not the cause of global warming.
Pollution, a word that many people do not understand because of its wide range and ambiguous topics. Pollution is harmful to the environment, but not to the earth as a whole. Pollution is caused by the release of carbon dioxide and by the burning of fossil fuels. Pollution is misused at times. Many people relate pollution to the belief in global warming, but these words should not be related. Pollution is a word that should be carefully used.
Works Cited
Dessler, Andrew and Parson, Edward. The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
“Introduction to Pollution.” 2001. How do humans contribute to pollution? 9 Feb.
2009
Oxford University Press. “Oxford English Dictionary.” 2008. Pollution. 9 Feb. 2009
