What is pollution Pollution is damage done to the environment through the creation of waste and harmful or toxic substances Most pollution is the result of human activity Types There are many types of pollution Different activities affect the air water and land Some activities also damage the environment by producing too much sound or light see pages 26 27 sound pollution water pollution Polluted air soil and water lead to the deaths of 9 million people every year Dangers Pollution damages the natural world It destroys ecosystems and harms the animals and plants that live in them Pollution also affects people’s health Some types of pollution can hurt or even kill people by leading to conditions such as lung disease and cancer 4
History Human activity has been polluting Earth for thousands of years However there was a much smaller human population in the past This limited the effects of human activity on Earth garbage nuclear waste light pollution Some pollution can be caused by natural events Volcanic eruptions and forest fires both cause air pollution Growing pollution In the past 200 years the world’s population has increased rapidly from 1 billion to 7 6 billion Levels of pollution have risen dramatically as a result and have started to devastate the planet It’s important to reduce the amount of pollution now to help preserve the natural world and protect our health 5
amount of mercury 200 20 10 1 krill squid mackerel swordfish eaten eaten eaten by by by Water Water can be polluted by industry fertilizers from farming and plastic and human waste Water pollution affects our water supply which we use for cooking and cleaning and damages the habitats of aquatic plants and animals Sources In some areas chemicals and waste are dumped directly into rivers and lakes through pipes Sometimes there are no rules to stop companies from polluting the water or companies break the rules In farming areas fertilizers can soak through the soil and travel into bodies of water or are washed into the water by rain Living things Animals and plants can be harmed or even killed by pollution in the water When larger ocean animals such as swordfish eat small ocean animals that have consumed toxic substances such as mercury the poison passes into their bodies As large animals eat so many smaller animals they consume a large amount of poison It can be dangerous for humans to eat too much of these fish as the poison will affect them too 6
These women in India are washing themselves and their clothes in the Ganges River The Ganges River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world Human use Many people in less economically developed countries are forced to use polluted water every day for washing cooking and drinking This water often contains bacteria that can cause disease Every year 1 8 million people die as a result of drinking polluted water Polluted water can also contain dangerous substances that humans should not consume such as lead Water-poor countries Less economically developed countries have the greatest demand for clean fresh water Rural areas often do not have piped clean water and many places suffer from drought These countries also have the fewest controls on industry and agriculture so many companies dispose of their waste in water Governments can’t afford to invest in cleaning up pollution in rivers and lakes which are the only sources of fresh water for some people 70 of industrial waste is dumped into water in developing countries Solutions To tackle the issue of water pollution governments must create rules that stop industry and agriculture from letting chemicals and fertilizers run into lakes rivers and oceans They should also pass laws to protect fresh water and oceans This will allow governments to sue people who break the law and make them pay to clean it up 7
