Pollution

Pollution is a huge problem and is many times not taken as serious as it should. Pollution is more than littering; the definition of pollution is the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment (“Pollution”). Did you know that Americans use approximately 2.2 million pounds of pesticides every year (“Our Pollution.”)? Pollution can come from factory smoke, ocean dumping, and car emissions the list can go on and on. As inhabitants of this world we must all be aware of the dangers pollution has not only on ourselves but on the environment in which we live.

Emissions from ocean-going ships contribute to approximately 60,000 deaths each year, mostly from heart and lung-related cancers (“Ten”). The Co2 emissions from ships that transport goods are twice the amount of airlines, and can account for about four percent of the total Co2 output. Not only are these emissions harmful to the environment, they’re killing thousands of people. Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong rank within the world’s top 5 busiest ports, and experience a higher impact from emissions-related health issues such as cancer and heart attacks.

The air is not the only concern with pollution; water pollution gets worse every year. Water contamination could easily be fixed, but for some reason we as people seem to turn a blind eye to this issue. With oil spills, chemical dumping and trash pollution, marine life are being contaminated and killed by harmful things being put into the water. This problem can easily be fixed if we all just become more aware of the effects we all have on our environment. We wouldn’t want to contaminate the water or air in our homes, so why trash our planet?

Change is already far over due. If we all work together we could change our lifestyles to be more eco-friendly. How hard is it to pick up a piece of trash that’s about to fall into a sewer drain, or try to reduce pesticide use, or even travel a more green way. Simple changes on our behalf could make huge impacts on our environment.

Like many environmental problems, together we created them. If we created these Problems we can certainly help fix them. So I challenge you to think about the next time you throw that piece of trash on the side of the road, or buy that can of pesticide to think about the harm your doing to your environment, and research ways you can stop pollution. Change begins at home.

Works Cited

“Our pollution.” Web. Environmental Facts. July. 2010. 8. Feb. 2011

"Pollution." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 08 Feb. 2011.

“Ten pollution Fast Facts: Statistics to make you think.” CleanAir. 11 April 2008.Web. 8. Feb. 2011.