Environmental issues: air pollution, climate change, and ozone depletion

¶ … Air Pollution, Climate Change, Ozone Depletion Should 3 papers. First 2 due 27 Mar 2012. Last 1 due 3 April 2012. This essay set parts: Prewriting Research, Rough Draft Workshop, Final Draft Presentation.

Air pollution is presently one of the most divisive issues, considering that it continues to occur in spite of the fact that numerous environmental scientists have tried to raise public awareness concerning the concept. Smog clouds are present above most major cities from around the world, but people have gradually learned to ignore them. It is basically as if they simply want to improve their condition with no regard to the consequences that their actions have on the environment. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important pollutants in the air, considering that it is mainly responsible for the fact that the planet is experiencing a warming process.

Pollution actually goes back to the period when man first discovered fire, as it was then that humanity actually started to significantly affect the natural world. "The British Parliament passed an Act in 1273, forbidding the burning of coal in London because it was beginning to choke the atmosphere" (Rao 1). While most people consider air pollution to be a contemporary topic, it has been present in society for several centuries. The Industrial Revolution sparked a race for progress and while people then were unaware of the fact that they were damaging the environment, society today is suffering greatly as a result of the air pollution that has gathered through the centuries. Laws regarding air pollution started to be ignored during the recent centuries as people expressed interest in experiencing progress and making progress with no regard to the effects that their actions had on the environment.

Many individuals consider air pollution to be the direct effect of industrialization. This is reflected by the fact that the air in many first-world countries is particularly polluted. The increasing number of cars in these areas further contributes to this condition and it seems that evolution practically backfires on the world. Depending on the field that a person relates to, air pollution can be understood differently: "to the householder it may be an eye irritation and soiled clothing, to the farmer damaged vegetation, to the pilot dangerously reduced visibility and to industries problems of process control and public relations" (Rao 2). All things considered, it would be absurd to claim that air pollution does not affect everyone, taking into account the damaging effects that it has on a series of domains.

2. 'Climate change' is present on the lips of most individuals who look out the window and observe that the weather is changing. It is especially difficult to determine if climate change actually exists, considering that the planet has went through several cycles of temperature change through the ages. Even with this, the fact that climate change can now be associated with the large amounts of pollutants that have been introduced into the atmosphere during the recent centuries makes it possible for society to consider that humanity is actually responsible for this process.

The fact that society knows very little in regard to climate change is especially disturbing, as scientists are generally unable to devise projections with regard to the planet's future. Many major players have gotten actively involved in slowing down and even preventing climate change from happening by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that they previously generated. "However, too little attention has been paid to 'what works' in mitigating climate change, leaving the public and many politicians with the idea that we don't have the slightest idea how to solve the problem" (Pew Center on Global Climate Change 83).

In spite of the fact that many communities express interest in fighting climate change, the economic aspects of this fight makes it difficult for them to employ all of their efforts in the campaign. As a result, most of them end up using a limited amount of resources in this conflict and experience little to no results (Van Kooten 1).

3. The Ozone layer has experienced a constant decline in total volume during the recent years. Also, the layer typically experiences a significant springtime decrease over the polar areas. The ozone layer reflects some of the Sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays and it thus plays an essential role in protecting the planet and its inhabitants. "Increased radiation could result in an increase in skin cancers, suppression of the human immune system, and decreased productivity of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, including some commercially important crops" (Parker & Morrisey 1). Considering this, is it only safe to assume that the ozone layer plays an important role in assisting economic systems from around the world. A decrease in the amount of resources generated by the planet's crops would have devastating effects on society.

In spite of the fact that more and more communities have gotten actively engaged in reducing the amount of substances that enable ozone depletion, the process did not stop. The stratospheric ozone levels are presently at one of their lowest levels when considering them from the moment when measurements first began. This means that ultraviolet radiation is close to the maximum and that conditions are critical. "Reductions in atmospheric ozone are expected to result in higher amounts of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation reaching Earth's surface" (United Nations Environment Programme 1).

Similar to how conditions are when considering climate change and air pollution, it all comes down to profits and to the degree to which particular groups are willing to reduce their earnings. As long as individuals focus on improving their financial condition by exploiting concepts that generate large amounts of pollutants conditions are unlikely to improve and the environment is very probable to suffer even more.

Bibliography:

Parker Larry A. And Morrisey, Wayne A. "Stratospheric ozone depletion," (Nova Publishers, 2003)

Parker and Morrisey intend to raise public awareness concerning the imminent threat represented by ozone depletion. Their book relates to how people are generally inclined to ignore such threats as a result of their tendency to focus on the present.