Why is Air Pollution Considered an Environmental Justice Problem

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Air Pollution
Air pollution entails releasing pollutants harmful to individuals' health and the planet in general into the air. Aerosols are solid and liquid pollutants that find their way into the air. They originate from multiple sources such as factories and car exhausts. Also, aerosols can come from other places such as ash and volcano eruptions. Further, air pollution can result from certain gases such as ozone. Ozone is a greenhouse gas that can either be helpful or dangerous to the environment depending on its position in the earth's atmosphere (NASA). Ozone located high in the atmosphere is beneficial to the environment due to its ability to prevent dangerous radiation from the sun. On the flip side, ozone closer to the ground is hazardous for individuals' health. It increases the rate of asthma infections, lung diseases and can lead to complete damage of the lungs when exposed for an extended period.
The World Health Organization stipulates that approximately seven million people worldwide die from air pollution annually (NASA). Many people, particularly in low and middle-level nations, breathe above WHO's limits regarding pollutants. Various air pollutants are dangerous to individuals' health and serious complications. They include mercury, dioxins, carbon dioxide, to mention a few. Most of the contaminants are emitted during gas or charcoal-burning or incinerating, and they have severe effects on the individuals' health. Also, greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution, increasing temperatures by trapping heat within the atmosphere. As a result, various environmental issues such as climate change and rising sea level emerges. The high ultraviolet radiation caused by air pollution results in multiple health and environmental impacts such as skin cancer and impaired defense system. They also reduce crop production, lessen the productivity of the ocean and facilitate the decline of the aquatic population.
Why Air Pollution should be considered an Environmental Justice Problem
Air pollution contributes to multiple environmental impacts that need to be addressed. Even though many creatures emit carbon dioxide when breathing, the gas is mainly considered a pollutant when connected with cars, power plants, and other human operations that entail burning fossil fuels like gasoline and natural gas. Scientist indicates that continuous carbon pollution and subsequent climate changes will contribute to hurricanes and storms, drought, floods, and wildfires (US EPA). Carbon dioxide is the most ordinary greenhouse gas that retains heat in the atmosphere leading to climate change. During the past 50 years, the level of carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere by humans has exceeded the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere for the last hundreds of thousands of years (NUNEZ). Methane is another greenhouse gas that comes from various sources such as natural gas companies, landfills, and gas from livestock. Methane also comes from chlorofluorocarbons, commonly used in refrigerants. However, they were abolished in the 1980s due to their adverse effects on the ozone layer.
Additionally, sulfur dioxide is connected to climate change. The gas is a component of smog and mainly causes acid rain formation. When released into the atmosphere, it also leads to light's reflection, keeping the sunlight out and forming a cooling effect. Volcanic eruptions release vast amounts of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere, contributing to a cooling effect for several years (NUNEZ). In the past, volcanoes were the primary causes of atmospheric sulfur dioxide compared to individuals in modern days. Besides climate changes, airborne particles directly impact their chemical formation. They can alter or drain nutrients in soil and waterways, destroy forests and plantations and impair cultural icons like statues and monuments.
Reducing Air Pollution
Various nations across the globe are introducing practices to eliminate different forms of air pollution. Folks can help in reducing air pollution by reducing industrial pollution. Pollutants exit from industrial plants before they are released into the atmosphere. Companies should filter out the particulate and allow catalysts to break down sulfur and nitric acid (US EPA). Eliminating the oxides eradicates pollutants attributable to acid rains. Also, particles can be removed for the emission by applying motions or electricity to detach the particles from the gasses. Gases such as nitrogen oxide ...