The Issue Of Toxic Air Pollution

Humans are considered to be a big reason for this rise in temperatures over the last forty years. This is due to our extensive use of using fuels for energy that release carbon dioxide, also called the greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Every car driven on the road releases this substance as well as fuels used to heat homes and provide power to our everyday lives. There are also other factors that play a role into this explosion of rising temperatures. The EPA website states, “The majority of greenhouse gases come from burning fossil fuels to produce energy, although deforestation, industrial processes, and some agricultural practices also emit gases into the atmosphere” (EPA.gov, 2014). Trees are the atmospheres filter for carbon dioxide but when we continually dump more and more of this gas into the air and cut down more and more of the forests the balance of the Earth becomes skewed and the temperatures increase.

Arizona is on the rise as one of the fastest metropolitan areas in the United States of America. In fact, in 2015 Forbes Magazine ranks Phoenix, Arizona as the 11th fastest growing city in the U.S.1 This growth is due the unprecedented resources and growing opportunities in the state of Arizona. With all of these opportunities come more production, which means more emissions from various industries and cars, more fossil fuels burned, and household and farming chemicals added to the sky. All of these are examples of pollution; which is one the sacrifices that comes with being a large city that is emerging. Pollution is defined as the action or process of making land, water, air, etc., dirty and not safe or suitable to use.2 We understand that Phoenix is a rapidly growing city, but they should be able to grow without being a detriment to the environment and health of their citizens. The purpose of my report is to examine the problem of air pollution in Phoenix, Arizona and look at solutions to fix this problem.

Climate change has been in the news for years. Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4°F (0.8 degree Celsius) over the past century, and is projected to rise another 2 to 11.5°F (1.1-6.6 degree Celsius) over the next hundred years. The main cause of climate change is due to the increase of greenhouse gases. Since the beginning of industrial revolution in 1750s, human have released large amount of greenhouse gases mainly carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Scientific evidence suggests that human activity like agriculture, urbanization and industrialization have influenced climate change. Clearing land and building cities up for agriculture results in changing the climate. This is because the population is increasing rapidly and the demand to use fossil fuels in our everyday life is also increasing. Increasing use for fossil fuels, industrialization and deforestation has a huge impact on the climate. Enhanced greenhouse gases are an increase in natural greenhouse gases impacted by mankind. The major cause of greenhouse gases is the increase in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide being released in the atmosphere. If greenhouse gases continue to be produced at the same rate as it did in 2000, then there will be a 0.1-degree change in temperature per decade. This isn’t likely to happen though because of the dramatic need for fossil fuel.

In recent years, the controversial subject of global warming has been more predominantly brought to our attention. Is the threat of global warming real? Is it man-made or is this just a natural cycle of earth? Does it really affect earth’s inhabitants? Should action be taken against it? If so, what kind and to what extent? It cannot be only a coincidence that the alarmingly rapid climate change coincides perfectly with the increased amount of pollutants that humans release into the environment. The once stable climate has in recent years begun to skyrocket, thus altering the delicate structure of earthly life. This proves to be hazardous to the future of the planet; some people worry that many of the resources the environment provides that

Researches reveal that natural events as well as human related activities contribute to changes in average global temperatures. AtKisson affirms that global warming is basically a result of increased emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This atmospheric carbon dioxide (co2) comes from anthropogenic (caused by humans) sources. The concentration of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, nitrous gases, and methane in the atmosphere has increased evidently due to human activities since 1800. NASA’s article adds:

The earth’s climate is predicted to change because human activities are altering the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases –– primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The heat-trapping property of these gases is undisputed. Although uncertainty exists about exactly how earth’’s climate responds to these gases, global temperatures are rising. Go to the Emissions section for much more on greenhouse gases.

Global warming represents an immense threat to our planet. But first off, what is global warming? It is the significant increase in the Earth’s temperature over a short period time as a result of human activity. A congruous mix of organisms, people, and environments are being harmed by its effects. Ocean levels have risen, species are have become extinct, and the world is not what it used to be. This is a large risk for the earth, and the outcomes will be enormous, causing illnesses and financial decay. Because of global warming, many are beginning to invest in energy-efficient supplies and do a variety of other acts. For example, carbon dioxide is causing a warming impact on the world's surface. Since water vapor itself is an ozone damaging substance, this causes significant additional warming. Then, the warming causes more water vapor to be vanished. Different petroleum gases, for instance, C02, Sulfur, CFCs, and Methane also hurt the Earth. Industrialization, urbanization, and deforestation additionally expand and add on to the cause of global warming.

We as a society have reached one of the most crucial time periods in the history of our world. Due to the way we have used the resources on this earth we have created a situation in which our climate is drastically changing. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has caused gases like carbon dioxide to become trapped in the atmosphere causing a natural greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect has caused the earth’s average temperature to rise and has resulted in arctic glaciers melting. These glaciers had gases trapped inside them that are now being released into the atmosphere further raising the earth's temperature. Due to the way we are polluting our air we have caused global warming. This global warming has caused stronger natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires putting our society in more danger than ever before.

The last time our planet sustained temperatures as high as the present, was millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed Earth. Civilization has greatly progressed since then in areas such as technology and the arts, but with this development comes an increased standard of living for humans. In order to keep up with the industry and production of this age, our population releases environmentally harmful substances like greenhouse gases into the air every day. In recent decades’ findings, these substances have been found to trap heat in the atmosphere over time, contributing to global warming. To cut these emissions completely would bankrupt the world’s struggling, industry-dependent economy. Knowing that this isn’t a threat that will peak in our life time or even the next generation’s causes political progression to move slowly. If we misinterpret the climate change now when it’s shifting more noticeably, the time available to effectively respond to the issue could end. In order to react appropriately to the world’s changing climate, we must educate members of society in the distinct knowledge that humans have direct influence on the warming of the planet.

For the first time in planet earth’s history, one of its inhabitants has acquired the power to change the global climate. By releasing the huge amounts of carbon stored in fossil fuels over millions of years, mankind has disrupted the natural carbon cycle. We have intensified the natural greenhouse effect and turned it into a planetary menace that is melting our ice caps. In his award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore (2006) states, “human activities, if unchecked in the next decade, could destroy one of the earth’s principle mechanisms for cooling itself” (p.291). The world needs to address the potentially disastrous consequences of our earth’s rapidly changing climate by acknowledging the existence of global warming and

Temperatures are rising, natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent, and the lives of millions of people are going in completely different directions. Sounds like some post apocalyptic wasteland, right? Contrary to many people’s beliefs, this is becoming a reality, and it is happening now. At the moment, greenhouse gases are entering the atmosphere at an alarming rate, and global warming is more of a problem than most people could ever realize. Climate change, while being a natural occurrence, is happening at an alarming rate because of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions everyone emits in their everyday lives without even knowing it. Luckily, if enough people are aware of the consequences of

Earth is heading for ruin. Moreover, we all have a hand in taking it there, inadvertently though it may be. Humans are adding an abundance of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere that contribute directly to global warming; and we continue to do so every time we start our car, turn up the heat, turn on the lights or throw away trash. Global warming is a problem, caused in large part by human activity, and as it stands, poses a monumental threat to the planet and all of its occupants. While mega polluters do not have an incentive to stop greenhouse gas production, we can, as individuals work towards the solution, greenhouse gas reduction, by improving our awareness and implementing the day to day measures necessary in achieving this goal.

Earth rising global temperature is primarily the result of greenhouse gases which have been ‘mirroring’ back more heat than they have in the past, due to their larger concentration. The most dominant greenhouse gases which have contributed to this predicament are water vapour and CO2. The emission of carbon dioxide into the environment has resulted from burning fossil fuels which has led to this greater concentration in greenhouse gases.

Since last century, air pollution has become one of the most popular topics related to people’s healthy life. After the Second World War, the consumption of fossil energy increase sharply due to the rapid development of industry and transportation, however, there almost no relevant environmental regulations to control the negative effects caused by industrial emissions. Therefore, air pollution became a growing problem. This paper will compare the conditions of air pollution between Los Angeles and Beijing, and discuss both reason and measures of their pollution.