Acid Rain Essay, Research Paper
Acid Rain
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When thought of acid rain, some people may think of green, burning
acid falling from the sky, destroying everything in sight. This may be a
bit ridiculous and hard to believe, but as absurd as it sound, it is not
far from the truth. Acid deposition has long been a subject of debate
because of the widespread environ-mental damage it is responsible
for. As one of the major results of air pollution, acid rain can corrode
metal and limestone structures, leach important minerals, decreased
fertility of soils, and lower pH in lakes and ponds. For those who fear
“the end of the world,” acid rain may pose a threat as it creates a bad
environment for both animal and human. And for those who care
about our planet, maybe it is about time we stop destroying it and
give something back to Mother Earth.
There are numerous causes of acid precipitation, several of these are
insignificant and accumulate into severe cases. However, there are
also some sources that are menacing by itself, sources such as
industrial emissions. In some cases, acid rain is caused when industrial
fumes mix with moisture in the atmosphere. Acids are then carried in
clouds for long distances before they are deposited through rain,
which indicates that forests and lakes far away from factories may be
damaged by acid rain. Another significant cause of acid rain is
automobile exhaust. Research has shown that although industrial
emission makes up for most causes, sulfur dioxide from oil and coal
combustion
and nitrogen oxides produced from automobile engines have greatly
intensified the problem. Electric power plants are also to blame for this
issue. Recent study has shown that power plants are accountable for
the release of more than 20 million tons of sulfur Per. 3 dioxide each
year. Meaning that 10 years from now, there would be around 30
million tons of acid rain components in our atmosphere. What’s even
worst than acid rain and its causes are the results. Acid deposition
can cause a number of disasters, some of the serious effects includes
structure eradication.
The marble frieze panels on the Parthenon of Athens for example, has
been transformed by acid rain into gypsum. Loosing much of its
details, the exterior of the Parthenon is also beginning to crack and
flake off. The effects of acid rain can also be seen in lakes, rivers,
and streams and plant growth. Acidity in water kills practically all life
forms. By the early ’90s, tens of thousands of lakes had been
destroyed by acid rain. The problem has been most severe in Norway,
Sweden, and Canada. Trees and plants had also been victims of acid
deposition. In 1984, for example, environmental reports proved that
almost fifty-percent of the trees in Germany’s Black Forest had been
damaged by acid rain. The forests of northeastern United States and
eastern Canada have also been especially affected by this form of
pollution. There are many solutions to the acid rain issue: smokestack
scrubbers, use of unleaded gas, General Motor’s EV1, etc. However,
these changes do cost money. And along with that, the governments
have tended to stress the need for further studies considering the
cost of pollution reductions. Consequently, if the money is the main
issue, maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is, “How much
money is our planet worth?”