Will Pollution End Us?

With the way we are going with carbon dioxide pollution saturating the air, will the world begin to expel us to cleans itself? Will we, as people, learn to respect the earth in time to reverse what we have one? Is there a time frame that we must go by before it is too late? Many questions can be asked regarding the climates changing rapidly and pollution covering cities to the point of the smog blocking the sun from visibility. What can we do, how can we help, where do we start? In my opinion we need to start soon before it is too late.

So, how is pollution affecting us today? Since the second industrial revolution (the expansion of electricity, petroleum and steel) we have been expanding in extremely fast to a point were in some place you can see the physical effects. As you can see in the chart, people are dying from the output of CO2 being emitted into the air. Approximately 85 percent of pollution that affects us as humans is carbon dioxide output. According to University, 2018, "Nine to 33 million visits to the emergency room (ER) for asthma worldwide may be triggered by breathing in air polluted by ozone or fine particulate matter—pollutants that can enter the lung's deep airways, according to a study published today.” Now that is an astonishing amount of people worldwide being affected. I know our populous is in the billions and deemed to grow over the years, but the more people mean more pollution unless we can reverse what has already started. According to BOB BERWYN, 2016, “CO2 emissions totaled between 35 and 40 billion tons in 2015, according to several agencies.” In his picture you can see the coal fire generator stacks from China. In recent reporting from world news station we have seen images of China’s cities and country side completely covered in smog from the amount of pollutants created from facilities just like this. People in China have to wear mask to curve the effects that the pollutants have on them. Sometimes this is not enough.

With all the effects on the human body. One of the scariest things is it doesn’t only affect us, but it can affect the developing children in the placenta. According to Health Europa, 2018, “Premature birth: 2017 research by the Stockholm Environment Institute at York, UK, found that as many as 2.7 to 3.4 million pre-term births in 2010 could be associated with outdoor exposure to fine particulate matter.” So, if we have direct effect on the children before they have even been born, what does that mean for the future? With greenhouse gases raising to approximately 40 tons per year (BOB BERWYN, 2016) we have to understand that the effects can only get worse. The UN reports, “A landmark report by the UN has warned that the world has just 12 years to halt global warming before the planet is plunged into extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty.” (Phoebe Weston For Mail Online, 2018). In this article, the UN warns that we must change completely over to renewable energy by 2050. If this doesn’t happen we will be doomed to the future.

With the rise in greenhouse gasses in the air we need to focus on things like renewable energy, electric cars, air filtration, eating less meat (a cause in CO2 output), and rebuilding our forest. Now, there is natural CO2 released into the air, but most output comes from humans. With the way the world is going now in regards to the output and continuous growth of coal generators this video is a good example of what 2030 could look like for you (Entertainment, 2017). With the potential of having to walk outside every day with a gas mask we need to find new ways to fix the pollutants in society. Places have begun to pull CO2 out of the air with filtration system, but we produce so much CO2 output that the small amounts taken out don’t make a difference. We have to work together as a population of people to overcome the adverse obstacles in our near future. With growth in population estimated to increase to eight billion by 2025 we have to understand the more housing will be needed to sustain residence. Individual planting and eating of a healthier diet can help decrease CO2 output, and increase in plants can release more oxygen. This not only helps with the environment, but helps promote healthier lives. Another thing we can do is invest in renewable energy. By doing so we can help the expansion of more economically safe energy sources. This will help improve air qualities and health of the people. By investing in energy sources that do not add populates to the world we can battle the huge coal corporations have a huge control on politics.

As I tell my son, “Your actions will determine your consequences.” This statement effects us as a society and what we do every day. We have the choice to make a change today in what we do as people—what we invest our energy into, how we help the population of tomorrow. We have a choice to make a change. With education and a better understanding, we can maybe come to understanding that what we are doing now isn’t working and things are getting worse. It is up to us to make a difference. What can you do to make the change before it is too late?

Works Cited

BOB BERWYN, I. N. (2016, May 19). Inside Climate news. Retrieved from Far From Turning a Corner, Global CO2 Emissions Still Accelerating: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19052016/global-co2-emissions-still-accelerating-noaa-greenhouse-gas-index

Entertainment, R. (2017, April 5). Best video | pollution | future 2030 |. Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyG22gUCb5U

Health Europa. (2018, October 24). Retrieved from Air pollution and abnormal foetal development: https://www.healtheuropa.eu/air-pollution-abnormal-foetal-development/88607/

PHOEBE WESTON FOR MAILONLINE. (2018, October 7). Daily Mail. Retrieved from Halve emissions or face catastrophe': Landmark UN report warns the world has just 12 YEARS to halt global warming before the planet is plunged into extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6250839/UN-study-says-eating-meat-throwing-gas-boiler-stop-Earth-overheating.html

University, G. W. (2018, October 25). ScienceDaily. Retrieved from : Air pollution leads to millions of ER visits for asthma attacks worldwide: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181025083955.htm