Climate Change Issues
“Why should we be concerned about land pollution? If people plant crops in polluted soil, it will lead to contaminated produce that will get to our tables. In some cases, there may be no harvest at all. The pollutants from the soil may also come in contact with the underground water. This would lead to health issues of the living things that consume this water.”
The average carbon footprint for a single person in the US is about 16 tons per year, one of the highest rates around the globe. Humanity contributes to greenhouse gasses and air, water, and land pollution every day. Not only are these harmful to the environment, but they are also harmful to people, as well.
Greenhouse gasses
Greenhouse gasses trap heat and radiation in the earth’s atmosphere while allowing sunlight to continue to pass through. This is what causes global warming, which affects not only us but the earth around us, too. Deforestation, factories, and burning fossil fuels all contribute to the greenhouse effect. Everyday things such as road transport and waste/wastewater also contribute to this.
Effects
Greenhouse gasses are responsible for many harmful effects on the environment. These include the melting of glacial masses, flooding of cities and islands, migration of species, deforestation and desertion of fertile, impacting agriculture and livestock, food shortages, the spread of diseases, and many more. In the next ten years, it is suspected that many places on earth will begin to become uninhabitable. Already, in some of the hottest places in the world, summers reach around 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
The effects on humans include spreading diseases and creating drylands that harm farming and agriculture. In many places, people are starving and suffering through droughts because of the drylands. Global warming will also cause respiratory diseases, especially in children.
Solutions
Unfortunately, even if we cut back on spreading pollution and the production of greenhouse gasses, the atmosphere will never go back to how it once was years ago. We can, however, slow the process, and keep it from getting worse than it already is. We can do this by simply recycling, turning off lights, cutting down on time spent driving with gas-powered vehicles, using fans, switching to electricity, stopping overusing water, and just being mindful of the environment.
