Human activity significantly affects the environment. So air pollution became the first environmental problem that people noticed. The destructive influence leads to a change in the background and chemical composition of the atmosphere. Pure air is necessary for the functioning of many nature processes. It is required for life to representatives of the flora and fauna, participates in the chemical processes of the waters, retains heat on Earth, etc.D.
What substances pollute the air?
Anthropogenic activity contributed to the fact that the amount of carbon dioxide increased in the air, which could lead to huge global problems. So emissions of sulfur tonsillitis cause the ailments of the respiratory system and irritation of the skin in people and animals. Plants die from contacts with sulfur gas.
Another harmful substance polluting air is hydrogen sulfide. Poisoning with this colorless gas can lead to breathing paralysis, and then to death. Among other air pollutants, chlorine and oxides of nitrogen, benzopyrene and methane, fluoride and hydrocarbons, sulfur and carbon dioxide can be called. These substances deplete the ozone layer and contribute to the greenhouse effect, which contributes to global warming and climate change. All this leads to the melting of glaciers and an increase in the number of storms, landslides and hurricanes, as well as other natural disasters. Over the past decades, climate change has occurred so rapidly that it is very difficult to imagine a picture of our future. The rise in the water level of the World Ocean will lead not only to the flooding of small islands, but also to the fact that part of the continents may go under water.
Which areas are the most polluted??
The atmosphere of the entire planet is polluted, however, there are specific points above which there is a high concentration of air pollutants. First of all, it is Europe and North America, as well as East Asia. More than 50% of harmful substances are concentrated above these parts of the world. There are also large cities, the state of the atmosphere of which reaches a critical level. A rating of cities with the most polluted air was developed by organizations such as UNESCO and WHO:
