Discuss the causes of air pollution.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. There are many reasons for air pollution, but four are among the most common. First, a major source of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels, substances obtained from the earth, including coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The exhaust gases of cars, trucks, and buses contain poisons-sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide. Power plants that produce electricity by burning coal or oil account for nearly 40 percent of U.S. CO2 emissions.Second, manufacturing plants that produce consumer goods pour pollutants into the air. Formaldehyde-based vapors that can lead to cancer and respiratory problems are emitted by many household and personal care products: pressed wood (often used in furniture), plastic grocery bags, waxed paper, latex paints, detergents, nail polish, cosmetics, and shampoos.Third, winds blow contaminants in the air across borders and oceans. Air pollution from Asia, particularly China, has affected the air quality in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks in California. Air pollution originating in Europe has been tracked to Asia, the Arctic, and even rural areas in the western United States where there is little industry or automobile traffic (Lamb, 2009; Cooper et al., 2010).A fourthreason for air pollution is that government policies and enforcement vary from one administration to another. Between 2002 and 2006, Justice Department lawsuits against polluters declined by 70 percent, and criminal and civil fines for polluting decreased by more than half compared with the period from 1996 to 2000.
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