Essay: Environmental Pollution

Title: Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution is a term that refers to all the ways by which people pollute their surroundings. People dirty the air with gases and smoke, poison the water with chemicals and other substances, and damage the soil with too many fertilizers and pesticides: People also pollute their surroundings in various other ways. For example, they ruin natural beauty by scattering junk and litter on the land and in the water. They operate machines and motor vehicles that fill the air with disturbing noise. Nearly everyone causes pollution in some way.

Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems faced by humanity today. Air, water and soil-all harmed by pollution are necessary to the survival of all living things. Badly polluted air can cause illness, and even death. Polluted water kills fish and other marine life. Pollution of soil reduces the amount of land available for growing food. Environmental pollution brings ugliness to our naturally beautiful world.

Everyone wants to reduce pollution. But the pollution problem is as complicated as it is serious. It is complicated because much pollution is caused by things that benefit people. For example, exhaust from automobile causes a large percentage of all air pollution. But the automobile provides transportation for millions of people. Factories discharge much of the material that pollutes air and water, but factories provide jobs for people. Too much fertilizer or pesticide can ruin soil, but fertilizers and pesticides are important aids to the growing of crops.

Thus, to end or greatly reduce pollution immediately, people would have to stop using many things that benefit them Most people do not want to do that, of course. But pollution can be gradually reduced in several ways. Scientists and engineers can work to find ways to lessen the amount of pollution that such things as automobiles and factories cause.

Governments can pass and enforce laws that require businesses and individuals to stop or cut down on certain polluting activities. And perhaps most importantly individuals and groups of people can work to persuade their representatives in government, and also persuade businesses, to take action towards reducing pollution.

People have always polluted their surrounding. But throughout much of history, pollution was not a major problem. Most people lived in uncrowned rural areas, and the pollutants (waste products) they produced were widely scattered. People had no pollution causing machines or motor vehicles. The development of crowded industrial cities in the 1700‘s and 1800’s made pollution a major problem: People and factories in these cities put huge amounts of pollutants into small areas. During the 1900’s urban areas continued to develop and automobiles and other new inventions made pollution steadily worse. By the mid 1990’s, pollution had affected the water in every major lake and river and the air over every major city in the United States and other industrial countries. Since the late 1960’s, millions of people have become alarmed by the dangers of pollution. Large numbers of people are now working to reduce pollution.