Heavily-Increasing Industrialized World, Sulfur Oxide Emissions and

¶ … heavily-increasing industrialized world, sulfur oxide emissions and other oxidizing gases have become problematic within the planet's atmosphere. These emissions cause acid rain, which has become detrimental to both the atmosphere and the Earth's environment over the years. While there have been numerous instances in which the United States and Europe have attempted to curb industrial emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen dioxides, the environment's return to a less acidic pH will take longer than expected.

Acid precipitation has hit the lakes and streams the hardest, and even with the decrease of emissions, the acidity of said lakes and streams, for the most part, have remained the same. Cause of Acid Rain Acid rain, or "acid precipitation" as most scientists call it, is the "common name for [a] form of air pollution," which harms the environment ("Acid Rain"). This phenomenon is usually caused by a displacement of pollutants into the atmosphere, namely sulfur and nitrogen oxides.

When combined with the atmospheric moisture of the air, the chemical reaction between the oxides and the moisture cause the production of acids -- sulfur and nitric acids. These acids mingle into the air until they are displaced once more through snow or sleet ("Acid Rain"). Additionally, acid precipitation can also fall from the sky in dry form, usually in the form of gases or other non-liquid or non-solid particles. Scientists measure acidity using the pH scale.

The acidity scale falls around the range of 1-7, where the lower the number, the higher the acidity. A neutral base would be water, which holds a pH of 7. "Nonpolluted rain tends to be slightly acidic, [with a] pH of 5.6 due to the presence of carbonic acid from [the] carbon dioxide in [the] air" ("Acid Rain"). On the other hand, acid precipitation tends to have a pH below 5.

While the production of acid rain can be caused through natural means -- eruption in a volcano or the biodegradation of vegetation -- most acid precipitation can be pinpointed as a result of man-made inventions. Emissions of sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides are caused by the burning of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas. Cars, factories, even heating and electrical emissions are heavy causes of acid precipitation.

The Problem of Acid Rain in Asia In the West, the problem of acid rain has been taken seriously since the 1972 United Nations Conference on Human Environment held in Sweden first presented the scientific data documenting the issues (Crittenden & White, 2010; Shah, Nagpal, Johnson, et al., 2000). Further investigation continued throughout the next two decades and led to serious efforts to reduce SO2 and NOx emissions. However, Asia faces significant ecological and human health issues attributable to.