Air pollution occurs when harmful substances including particulates and biological

molecules are introduced into Earth's atmosphere. It may cause diseases, allergies or
death in humans; it may also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals
and food crops, and may damage the natural or built environment. Human activity and
natural processes can both generate air pollution.

Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst
toxic pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted
Places report.[2] According to the 2014 WHO report, air pollution in 2012 caused the
deaths of around 7 million people worldwide,[3] an estimate roughly matched by the
International Energy Agency.[4][5]

Sources

Play media

This video provides an overview of a NASA study on the human fingerprint

on global air quality.

There are various locations, activities or factors which are responsible for releasing
pollutants into the atmosphere. These sources can be classified into two major
categories.

Anthropogenic (man-made) sources:

Controlled burning of a field outside of Statesboro, Georgia in

preparation for spring planting.
These are mostly related to the burning of multiple types of fuel.

 Stationary sources include smoke stacks of power plants, manufacturing facilities (factories)
and waste incinerators, as well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating devices.
In developing and poor countries, traditional biomass burning is the major source of air
pollutants; traditional biomass includes wood, crop waste and dung.[13][14]
 Mobile sources include motor vehicles, marine vessels, and aircraft.
 Controlled burn practices in agriculture and forest management. Controlled or prescribed
burning is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or
greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and
controlled fire can be a tool for foresters. Controlled burning stimulates the germination of
some desirable forest trees, thus renewing the forest.
 Fumes from paint, hair spray, varnish, aerosol sprays and other solvents
 Waste deposition in landfills, which generate methane. Methane is highly flammable and
may form explosive mixtures with air. Methane is also an asphyxiant and may displace
oxygen in an enclosed space. Asphyxia or suffocation may result if the oxygen concentration
is reduced to below 19.5% by displacement.
 Military resources, such as nuclear weapons, toxic gases, germ warfare and rocketry

Natural sources:

Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas.

 Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or no vegetation
 Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by animals, for example cattle
 Radon gas from radioactive decay within the Earth's crust. Radon is a colorless, odorless,
naturally occurring, radioactive noble gas that is formed from the decay of radium. It is
considered to be a health hazard. Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in
buildings, especially in confined areas such as the basement and it is the second most
frequent cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking.
 Smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires
 Vegetation, in some regions, emits environmentally significant amounts of Volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) on warmer days. These VOCs react with primary anthropogenic
pollutants—specifically, NOx, SO2, and anthropogenic organic carbon compounds — to
produce a seasonal haze of secondary pollutants.[15] Black gum, poplar, oak and willow are
some examples of vegetation that can produce abundant VOCs. The VOC production from
these species result in ozone levels up to eight times higher than the low-impact tree
species.[16]
 Volcanic activity, which produces sulfur, chlorine, and ash particulates

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Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans,
aquifers and groundwater). This form of environmental degradation occurs when
pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate
treatment to remove harmful compounds.
Water pollution affects the entire biosphere – plants and organisms living in these
bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual
species and population, but also to the natural biological communities.

Causes
The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of
chemicals, pathogens, and physical changes such as elevated temperature and
discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be
naturally occurring (calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration is often
the key in determining what is a natural component of water and what is a
contaminant. High concentrations of naturally occurring substances can have negative
impacts on aquatic flora and fauna.

Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials such as plant matter (e.g.

leaves and grass) as well as man-made chemicals. Other natural and anthropogenic
substances may cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and disrupts plant
growth, and clogs the gills of some fish species.[12]

Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne
diseases in either human or animal hosts.[13] Alteration of water's physical chemistry
includes acidity (change in pH), electrical conductivity, temperature, and
eutrophication. Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical
nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases the primary productivity of the
ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative
environmental effects such as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe reductions in
water quality may occur, affecting fish and other animal populations.

Point sources

Point source pollution – Shipyard – Rio de Janeiro.

Point source water pollution refers to contaminants that enter a waterway from a
single, identifiable source, such as a pipe or ditch. Examples of sources in this
category include discharges from a sewage treatment plant, a factory, or a city storm
drain. The U.S. Clean Water Act (CWA) defines point source for regulatory
enforcement purposes.[9] The CWA definition of point source was amended in 1987
to include municipal storm sewer systems, as well as industrial storm water, such as
from construction sites.[10]

Non-point sources

Nonpoint source pollution refers to diffuse contamination that does not originate from
a single discrete source. NPS pollution is often the cumulative effect of small amounts
of contaminants gathered from a large area. A common example is the leaching out of
nitrogen compounds from fertilized agricultural lands.[11] Nutrient runoff in storm
water from "sheet flow" over an agricultural field or a forest are also cited as
examples of NPS pollution.

Blue drain and yellow fish symbol used by the UK Environment Agency to
raise awareness of the ecological impacts of contaminating surface
drainage

Contaminated storm water washed off of parking lots, roads and highways, called
urban runoff, is sometimes included under the category of NPS pollution. However,
because this runoff is typically channeled into storm drain systems and discharged
through pipes to local surface waters, it becomes a point source.

Point sources

Point source pollution – Shipyard – Rio de Janeiro.

Point source water pollution refers to contaminants that enter a waterway from a
single, identifiable source, such as a pipe or ditch. Examples of sources in this
category include discharges from a sewage treatment plant, a factory, or a city storm
drain. The U.S. Clean Water Act (CWA) defines point source for regulatory
enforcement purposes.[9] The CWA definition of point source was amended in 1987
to include municipal storm sewer systems, as well as industrial storm water, such as
from construction sites.[10]

Non-point sources

Nonpoint source pollution refers to diffuse contamination that does not originate from
a single discrete source. NPS pollution is often the cumulative effect of small amounts
of contaminants gathered from a large area. A common example is the leaching out of
nitrogen compounds from fertilized agricultural lands.[11] Nutrient runoff in storm
water from "sheet flow" over an agricultural field or a forest are also cited as
examples of NPS pollution.
Blue drain and yellow fish symbol used by the UK Environment Agency to
raise awareness of the ecological impacts of contaminating surface
drainage

Contaminated storm water washed off of parking lots, roads and highways, called
urban runoff, is sometimes included under the category of NPS pollution. However,
because this runoff is typically channeled into storm drain systems and discharged
through pipes to local surface waters, it becomes a point source.

Causes of Land Pollution

Below are the sources of land pollution:

1. Deforestation and soil erosion: Deforestation carried out to create dry lands is one
of the major concerns. Land that is once converted into a dry or barren land, can never
be made fertile again, whatever the magnitude of measures to redeem it are. Land
conversion, meaning the alteration or modification of the original properties of the
land to make it use-worthy for a specific purpose is another major cause. This
hampers the land immensely. Also there is a constant waste of land. Unused available
land over the years turns barren; this land then cannot be used. So in search of more
land, potent land is hunted and its indigenous state is compromised with.

2. Agricultural activities: With growing human population, demand for food has
increased considerably. Farmers often use highly toxic fertilizers and pesticides to get
rid off insects, fungi and bacteria from their crops. However with the overuse of these
chemicals, they result in contamination and poisoning of soil.

3. Mining activities: During extraction and mining activities, several land spaces are
created beneath the surface. We constant hear about land caving in; this is nothing but
nature’s way of filling the spaces left out after mining or extraction activity.

4. Overcrowded landfills: Each household produces tonnes of garbage each year.

Garbage like aluminum, plastic, paper, cloth, wood is collected and sent to the local
recycling unit. Items that can not be recycled become a part of the landfills that
hampers the beauty of the city and cause land pollution.
5. Industrialization: Due to increase in demand for food, shelter and house, more
goods are produced. This resulted in creation of more waste that needs to be disposed
of. To meet the demand of the growing population, more industries were developed
which led to deforestation. Research and development paved the way for modern
fertilizers and chemicals that were highly toxic and led to soil contamination.

6. Construction activities: Due to urbanization, large amount of construction

activities are taking place which has resulted in large waste articles like wood, metal,
bricks, plastic that can be seen by naked eyes outside any building or office which is
under construction.

7. Nuclear waste: Nuclear plants can produce huge amount of energy through nuclear
fission and fusion. The left over radioactive material contains harmful and toxic
chemicals that can affect human health. They are dumped beneath the earth to avoid
any casualty.

Effects of Land Pollution

1. Soil pollution: Soil pollution is another form of land pollution, where the upper
layer of the soil is damaged. This is caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers, soil
erosion caused by running water and other pest control measures; this leads to loss of
fertile land for agriculture, forest cover, fodder patches for grazing etc.

2. Change in climate patterns: The effects of land pollution are very hazardous and
can lead to the loss of ecosystems. When land is polluted, it directly or indirectly
affects the climate patterns.

3. Environmental Impact: When deforestation is committed, the tree cover is

compromised on. This leads to a steep imbalance in the rain cycle. A disturbed rain
cycle affects a lot of factors. To begin with, the green cover is reduced. Trees and
plants help balance the atmosphere, without them we are subjected to various
concerns like Global warming, the green house effect, irregular rainfall and flash
floods among other imbalances.

4. Effect on human health: The land when contaminated with toxic chemicals and
pesticides lead to problem of skin cancer and human respiratory system. The toxic
chemicals can reach our body through foods and vegetables that we eat as they are
grown in polluted soil.

The Go Green Initiative is all about helping schools create a campus-wide culture of
conservation. We believe in a teamwork approach that includes students, teachers,
parents, custodians…
ur Mission is:

To provide schools with the tools, training and ongoing support they need to create a
“culture of conservation” and natural resource stewardship within their community.

Our Goals are:

To conserve and protect natural resources for future generations, and to protect human
health through environmental stewardship.

Our Vision is:

A world where natural resources are equitably available, and all children are healthier
as a result of living the principles of the Go Green Initiative.

What does it mean to “Go G.R.E.E.N.”?

Generate less waste

Recycle everything that cannot be reused

Educate the community on eco-friendly options

 Evaluate the environmental impact of actions

Nourish discussions and activities that integrate environmental

education into existing curriculum