Philidelphia’s Weblog

Pollution comes in many different forms, in many different locations.  The oil pools floating on top of the oceans, seagulls that have garbage wrapped around their necks, and land-fills are all visible examples of pollution that we see everyday.  But there are other kinds of pollution that we cant see, and do encounter everyday; air pollution.  This silent killer is more evident in big cities that have a lot of cars; the huge cloud of smog that seems to haunt the city on hot days and chokes our lungs shows how bad this problem has gotten.

http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/smog2.jpg 

Many factors contribute to the high levels of greenhouse gasses. For instance, the earth has always been battling carbon dioxide. All animals exhale this gas as a result of breathing, so where does it all go? Well, in order for plants to undergo photosynthesis, they use this gas; thus creating a self-sustaining life cycle. But when this cycle is broken, that is where there is a problem.  Responsible for the hole in the ozone layer, the exhaust that comes from the tail end of our cars does nothing good for our atmosphere. Cars have increased this level of gas to unpresidented levels, and now the plants cannot keep up; and im sure all the clear cutting of forests we do is not helping at all. There are many simple ways to combat this ever growing problem.  Decreasing the amount of time you drive your car is an obvious one, but have you ever thought of any other alternatives.  Fight fire with fire and try to acquire some Carbon Dioxide fighting machines; TREES!!! Plant them everywhere, not only will they absorb this toxic gas, provide a home for many animals, but they will also look amazing!

Another greenhouse gas that gets less press is methane.  This gas occurs naturally; emmitted from swamps and from the rear end of cattle, it has never caused that much damage.  Eventually the levels will increase to dangerous amounts, which has already happened.  When you girls spray half a bottle of hairspray into your hair, where do you think all those fumes go? Well those fumes are methane, and they rise into the upper atmosphere and block the sun in.

The biggest problem with air pollution isnt the fact that it hangs in our cities making it hard to breathe, think of that as just a small punishment for being so careless.  The biggest disaster it is responsible for is global warming.  These gases act like a mirror, holding in the suns heat, warming the earth, and changing the fragile environments for many animals.