Essay Sample on Air Pollution

Humans put almost 10 billion tons of carbon in the air each year. Air pollution is a very real and serious issue. People have tried for centuries to lower the effects of pollution. But at the same time, people on the other side of the spectrum have done the complete opposite in terms of the issue. Businesses and corporations have used air pollution to their benefit for years to increase their profit  (Weller 2). Without creating air pollution they would not be able to create products and supply them to their customers. Air pollution affects the region of Oceania, the main cause of air pollution is humans,  and there are an exponential number of ways to reduce the issue.

Air pollution has led to habitats being destroyed resulting in animals dying and so much more (Kingsford 1). When greenhouse gasses get into the air it can cause acid rain to form. After some time, the rain falls damaging any water and soil it lands into. This causes the soil to get laced with acid rain causing nutrients to get ruined damaging any of the trees that will be able to grow in the first place. This has caused animals to have to create new homes if they survived the destruction. Air pollution does not just affect animals it also causes lung cancer and heart failure for humans (Arden 1). Each year over 4 million humans die because of outdoor air pollution (Roser 1). This is because outdoor airborne chemicals are a big risk factor for health ( Walter 1). The main group of people to die from the issue is the elderly. This is because the elderly do not have strong enough lungs to defend themselves against it if they get sick. The issue can also cause the warming of the planet. This is because pollution causes the ozone layer to hold in greenhouse gasses such as methane and carbon dioxide resulting in global warming worsening (Mackenzie 1).

Humans have caused most of the air pollution.  This is because of what humans have done in the past and are continuing to do in the present. Some of the ways humans have caused air pollution are power plants, cars, and burning fossil fuels. Following some of these reasons, since the late 1700’s the number of carbon dioxide emissions has increased by 50 percent (Herring 1). This percentage is not good for anyone. Throughout the years some scientists believe that humans have caused almost all of the global warming because of air pollution. This is because the majority of warming can be explained through human emissions (Hausfather 1).  Many people contribute to air pollution without even thinking about it. Most people drive to work each day resulting in tons of carbon emissions going into the air. Humans also increase air pollution because it is necessary for them to survive. One of these things is heating or cooling their houses in the appropriate seasons. 

As humans began to realize the big picture that could result from the issue of air pollution some of them began to try and fix it.  It has been a matter of affairs for years. The countries in the region have tried to reduce pollution by signing policies. One of them is the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Even though the country of Australia is doing relatively fine compared to other countries in Oceania, it has signed another policy. This policy is the Nation Clean Air Agreement or NCAA for short. This policy is to reduce the pollution in the country by building a system of ways to help the cause. These systems will include reducing emissions, partnering to promote good air quality, and educating their nation. (awe.gov.au 1).    Without the policy, Australia would not be where it is today in terms of air pollution. It has helped Australia keep pollution down. One other country that is also good at the problem of air pollution in New Zealand. This is because the government follows laws and policies similar to Australia. New Zealand has also signed its policies, one of these being the National Air Quality Compliance Strategy (Smith 1).   It has been used to build a framework for the government to follow to keep reducing yearly emissions.  The framework consists of why, when, what, how, and what-if. The reason consists of “why” the air quality is bad in some parts of the region. The “when” talks about the best time to implement this strategy is. What policies do they need to abide by is the “what”.  “How” is by what they can do to complete this strategy. The “what-if” is in there because of any kinks that can appear. 

As a result of humans putting greenhouse gasses in the air, it has resulted in air pollution, Making global warming worse, the destruction of habitats, and also the death of humans. Most people want to reduce air pollution and try to fix it. Humans have tried ways to fix certain ways by signing policies and laws. Many people do not even realize they are adding to the problem.  Air pollution is an important issue that affects everyone.