Essay On Causes Of Environmental Pollution

CHAPTER II

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

The problem of environmental pollution facing by present generations is a complex consequence of forces connected with various interrelating factors. There are clearly a number of divergent and conflicting views of what could be the basic factors underlying the environmental crisis. No single cause can be considered as the root cause of environmental impairment. However, the following causes could be pointed out as the generally underlying factors though each of these too could be operating simultaneously and their balance may vary from place to place and through time. They are:

A. Population Growth,

B. Increased general affluence and economic growth, and C. Nature of modem technology.

Fuels are primarily derived from fossilized plant materials and consist mainly of carbon or its compounds. Such as coal, coke, oil and natural gases.

The combustion of fuels give rise to gaseous products like carbon dioxide (on complete combustion) and carbon monoxide (on incomplete combustion) in addition to smoke particles, hydrocarbons, sulpherdioxide and oxides of nitrogen, depending upon nature of fuel and efficiency of combustion units.

The above mentioned emissions do not remain permanently in the atmosphere. They either after remaining suspended for some days in the air settle down or are washed away by rain. In large concentration they contaminate soil, property and water bodies. The sulphur dioxide contents give rise to acid rains. The large concentration of carbondioxide in the atmosphere produce green house gas and may eventually lead to global warming.

It is impossible to end using fossil fuels giving rise to smoke, especially in the developing countries in the absence of some viable alternative. Nuclear fuel is certainly an alternative. Nonetheless, its waste disposal problem makes it environmentally