Sustainable Thoughts

By: Farah Al Taweel

Air is the most important part of the atmosphere because it supports life for human beings, animals and plants alike. It also provides warmth to our planet, preventing it from exceeding the average global temperature as well as allowing water to preserve its liquid state.
Recently, our globe has been under the threat of air pollution that has put planet earth and living creatures in severe danger. Air pollution poses four risks: declining air quality, acid rain, global warming and ozone depletion.

The issue of air quality has been growing ever since it started back in the 13th century, when it was detected that burning coal produces a harmful hybrid of smoke and fog. Smog is the collective term that was used to describe this hybrid. Ever since, this issue has gotten worse year after year, as industries as well as motor vehicle emissions all contribute immensely towards the production of smog. This is found to be harmful to the atmosphere.

Acid rain is the term most commonly used to describe all forms of acid precipitation (whether it is in the form of rain or snow). Atmospheric pollutants, particularly oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, can cause precipitation to become more acidic because they get converted into sulphuric and nitric acids. This is what gave rise to the term “acid rain”. Acid deposition, acid rain and acid precipitation all relate to the chemistry of air pollution and moisture in the atmosphere.

The Earth’s temperature has increased by an estimated 0.6°C in the last 100 years. During this period, man-made emissions of greenhouse gases have increased largely as a result of the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, which causes an increase in temperature. In the last 20 years, there is growing concern that these two phenomena are, at least in part, associated with each other. That is to say, global warming is now considered most probably to be due to the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Life on earth is supported by the existence of the ozone layer around it. Unfortunately, a hole in the ozone layer has been detected, which causes penetration of harmful ultraviolet waves brought into the planet’s surface. It is important that we take measures to reduce pollution by taking measures such as reducing our energy and waste consumption or even confining population growth.