The Impact of Air

Pollution
 Natural Resources Defense Council
Nhat Phan

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Table of Contents
Abstract 3

Causes and Impacts of Air Pollution 3

Sources of Air Pollution 3
Effects on Humans 4
Effects on the Environment 4

Current and Potential Solutions to Combat Air Pollution 5

Current Trends and Laws 5
Stronger Regulations 6

Stronger Global Regulations and Promotion of Renewable Energy Will Reduce

Air Pollution 7
Improvement on Current Global Policies 7
Promote Renewable Energy 7

Conclusion 7

References 8

Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Abstract 3

Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Causes and Impacts of Air Pollution 3

Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Sources of Air Pollution 3
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Effects on Humans 3
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Effects on the Environment 4

Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Current and Potential Solutions to Combat Air
Pollution 4
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Current Trends and Laws 4
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Stronger Regulations 5

Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Conclusion 6

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Table of Figures
Figure 1: Effects of Acid Rain on the Environment (Butler). Air pollution in
Delhi, India 45

Figure 2: US Consumption by Energy Source, 2018 65

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Abstract
Air pollution occurs as a result of harmful substances that are released into
Earth’s atmosphere. Most of the air pollution on Earth comes from the use of
fossil fuels, which are used by cars, planes, factories, and houses. As a
result, eExposure to air pollution harms plants, animals, and humans.

Over the years there have been many laws and regulations such as the
Clean Air and the Paris Agreement that have been put into effect to reduce
the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere worldwide as well as
mitigating the negative impacts of air pollution. Although these policies are a
good start in an effort to combat air pollution, there are still many countries
that are heavily contributing to air pollution and as a result, are jeopardizing
the health of the planet.

Causes and Impacts of Air Pollution

Sources of Air Pollution

Air pollution exists in the Earth’s atmosphere from many sources. One of
those sources are from natural occurring phenomena. These natural events
include dust storms, volcanic activities, and wildfires. However, most of the
contribution to air pollution is from man-made sources.

One of the biggest contributors to air pollution is from energy use and
production. To generate the energy needed for electricity and gas to power
businesses, residential homes, and the transportation industry, fossil fuels
are burned to meet the world’s demand for energy. Fossil fuels are remains
of living organism that has been fossilized for over millions of years. Fossil
fuels include oil, coal, and natural gas. To extract these fossil fuels from the
ground, common methods like drilling and mining must be utilized. When
these methods are used, however, methane gas is released into the Earth’s
atmosphere. This emission of methane gas is dangerous as it prevents heat
from escaping the atmosphere, leading to global warming (“The Hidden
Costs of Fossil Fuels”).

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Effects on Humans

The health effects of air pollution can be felt by every human on Earth.
When people are exposed to high concentration of pollutants in the air, they
may feel some short-term health effects. Some people may feel irritation to
their eyes, nose, and throat while others may experience pneumonia or
bronchitis. Additional short-term health effects include; coughing, wheezing,
breathing difficulties, chest tightness, and an increase of heart attack.

Air pollution can also lead to long term health effects. People who are
exposed to air pollution can increase their chance of heart disease, lung,
cancer, and respiratory diseases. According to an article from the Australian
Academy of Science, “globally, ambient (outdoor) air pollution causes an
estimated 25 per cent of all adult deaths from heart disease, 24 per cent
from stroke, 43 per cent from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 29
per cent from lung cancer” (“The Health Effects of Air Pollution,” 2019). In
terms of the number of the people, about 4.2 million people die every year
due to being exposed to the harmful effects of air pollution.

While air pollution affects everyone, babies, younger children, and older
adults are the group most susceptible to the dangerous effects of air
pollution. Because their immune systems usually are weaker than that of a
normal, healthy adult, younger children and elderly people are more
sensitive to air pollutants. According to the World Health Organization,
childhood cancers and cognitive impairment has been linked to air pollution.
In addition, there has been an increase of up to 14% in children from age 5
to 18 years old who has asthma due to impacts from air pollution. Every
year, air pollution leads to the death of 540,000 children younger than 5
worldwide (“How Air Pollution is Destroying Our Health”).

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 Figure 1: Air pollution in Delhi, India

Source: (“Air Quality Turns 'Severe' in Many Parts of Delhi-NCR, North India,” 2019)

Effects on the Environment

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Like humans, air pollution can also have disastrous effects on plants and
animals. One such environmental effect is acid rain. Acid rain is created from
the formation of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, which are released into the

air as particulate matter when fossil fuels are burned. When it precipitates,
acid rain can fall to Earth in the form of rain, snow, or fog. Once it hits
Earth, acid rain damages bodies of water, making the water too acidic for
fishes and aquatic life to survive in. On land, acid rain harm plants and trees
by contaminating the soil and removing nutrients that plants need to
survive.

Figure 2. Effects of Acid Rain on the Environment (Butler).

Current and Potential Solutions to Combat Air

Pollution

Current Trends and Laws

Because the world mainly relies on fossil fuels for its energy needs, many
countries are starting to rely on renewable energy in order to minimize air
pollution. Renewable energy, such as wind, solar, and water, comes from
natural resources and cannot be easily depleted compared to fossil fuels.

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Furthermore, renewable energy produces less emissions compared to fossil
fuels, which in turn is better for the environment, wildlife, and humans.
From 2000 to 2018, the United States’ consumption of renewable energy
more than doubled, meaning that as the energy section continues to switch
to renewable energy, there will be a decrease in air pollution.

Figure 3: US Consumption by Energy Source, 2018Figure 4: US Consumption by Energy Source, 2018

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.3 and 10.1, April
2019, preliminary data

In the United States, attempts to combat air pollution came in the form of a
federal law called the Clean Air Act. The law allowed the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) the right to protect human health and the
environment based on the National Ambient Quality Standards (NAAQS).
Since the Clean Air Act has been put into effect, its regulations have reduced

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the number of pollutants in the air. In 2010 alone, a study from the EPA
found that the Clean Air Act has “avoided more than 160,000 premature
deaths, 130,000 heart attacks (acute myocardial infarction), millions of
cases of respiratory problems such as acute bronchitis and asthma attacks,
and 86,000 hospital admissions” (“The Clean Air Act and the Economy,”
2018).

Stronger Regulations

To reduce the amount of air pollution emitted into the atmosphere and its
effects on global human health and the environment, stronger regulations
and measures must be implemented. While most of the world depends on
fossil fuels for energy, local and federal governments should limit the
amount of greenhouse gases that are released from the burning of fossil
fuels. Additionally, to further reduce air pollution, renewable energy and its
positive impacts should be promoted globally.

Stronger Global Regulations and Promotion of

Renewable Energy Will Reduce Air Pollution

Improvement on Current Global Policies

The Paris Agreement is a global pact that was adopted by nearly every
country to address air pollution and its negative effects. Although the goal
was to keep “a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the
temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” global carbon
emissions have increased by 2.7 percent in 2018 (“The Paris Agreement”).
Clearly, some countries are not keeping up to their promises of combating
air pollution. Thus, current global agreements should be amended to punish
countries who do not meet their targeted goal.

Promote Renewable Energy

Currently, renewable energy makes up a small section of the world’s energy

needs. Although the startup costs for renewable energy is high, data has
shown that renewable energy produces less air pollution compared to fossil
fuels. Therefore, to help reduce air pollution, local and federal governments

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should encourage their citizens into switching to renewable energy. They can
go as far as providing monetary incentives to get more people to use
renewable energy.

Conclusion

The impact of air pollution has been profound as a result of human activities.
From the mining and drilling to the burning of fossil fuels, humans have
been releasing pollutants that are harmful to life on Earth. Air pollution kills
plants, contaminate bodies of water, and causes health effects in animals.
Humans feel the effects of air pollution too as being exposed to air pollutants
can cause short term and long-term health effects. Therefore, to reduce air
pollution and its impacts, governments around the should enforce stricter
laws to cut down the use of fossil fuels and promote the use of renewable
energy.

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References

Denchak, Melissa. “Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts.” NRDC, 30 Apr. 2020,
www.nrdc.org/stories/fossil-fuels-dirty-facts.

“The Health Effects of Air Pollution.” Curious, 21 Aug. 2019,

www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/health-effects-air-
pollution.

“How Air Pollution Is Destroying Our Health.” World Health Organization,

World Health Organization, www.who.int/airpollution/news-and-
events/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health.

“The Clean Air Act and the Economy.” EPA, Environmental Protection
Agency, 22 Mar. 2018, www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/clean-air-
act-and-economy.

“The Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels.” Union of Concerned Scientists, 2008,

www.ucsusa.org/resources/hidden-costs-fossil-fuels.

“U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and

Analysis.” Renewable Energy Explained - U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA), 2019, www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-
sources/.

“Air Quality Turns 'Severe' in Many Parts of Delhi-NCR, North India.” Down
To Earth, 2019, www.downtoearth.org.in/news/air/air-quality-turns-
severe-in-many-parts-of-delhi-ncr-north-india-67271.Butler, Thomas.
“Acid Rain.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,
www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/acid-rain.

“The Paris Agreement.” Unfccc.int, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-

paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement.

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