Define pollution.
Introduction of substances into the natural environment that cause adverse change and which damage the natural environment. This includes light and noise.
What is a point source vs a non-point source?
Point source = pollution occurs when the pollutant is issues at a singular point.
Non-point source = pollution that emanates from an area; multiple points.
What is incidental pollution?
A one-off event, such as Chernobyl.
What is sustained pollution?
Long-term pollution caused by on-going human activities.
Give some stats about why pollution is bad.
- According to WHO, air pollution kills about 8 million people a year.
- 9/10 people worldwide live in places where air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits.
Apart from direct effects on people’s health, why is pollution bad?
- Costs of healthcare for illnesses
- Interruptions to the education of children by taking time off school
- Lost labour production
- Environmental damage
What are some sources of land pollution?
- Mining and quarrying.
- Industry, such as E-waste.
- Dumping of domestic waste, such as fly-tipping, landfills.
- Energy production, such as nuclear power, oil spills on land, fracking.
What are some sources of air pollution?
- Energy production, such as burning fossil fuels and nuclear disasters.
- Deforestation, reduces photosynthesis leaving more carbon.
- Agriculture, such as machinery, and methane from cattle. Deforestation for cattle grazing land.
- Traffic.
- Industry, manufacturing.
What are some sources of water pollution?
- Domestic waste, such as sewage not being treated properly and polluting water systems. Also physical litter in water sources, ie in the sea killing animals.
- Energy production and transport.
- Agriculture, such as fertilisers and eutrophication. Over irrigation of land causing water table and salts to rise, making water too salty.
- Industry.
What are some solutions to pollution.
1) Raise Awareness - such as with Greenpeace. Easier in HICs where people can afford to adapt.
2) Political Action - eg laws about waste, no plastic bags in Kenya. Litter fines. Taxation, such as vehicle emission tax.
3) Physical action - litter picking on beaches. eg Versova beach cleanup, over a 3 year period nearly 10 million kg of waste were removed from the beach.
How does economic development link to levels of pollution?
MICs/NEEs produce most pollution as they are going through industrialisation.
HICs often post-industrial, and can afford to prioritise environmental recovery and protection. Post-industrial.
LICs not industrialised, mainly primary sector. Little transport.
Give a water pollution example. Include facts, causes and solutions.
2010 BP deep horizon water spill. Biggest marine oil spill in history. Was still reporting to be leaking in early 2012. Caused by blowout and explosion on the Deepwater horizon oil platform. There were several failed efforts to contain the flow, extensive damage to marine life. Deployed containment booms stretching over 1,300km.
Give a land pollution example. Include facts, causes and solutions.
Agbogbloshie dump of electronic waste in Accra, Ghana. Up to 10,000 workers are wading through this waste in an informal recycling process, being burnt, having back problems, infected wounds and respiratory problems. Livestock roaming free on the site, pollution entering food chain. 85% of electronics imported into Ghana are from EU countries.
Give an air pollution example. Include facts, causes and solutions.
Chernobyl, 1986. Large quantites (5% of radioactive core) released into atmosphere for about 10 days, making air quality unnaceptable. It was the result of flawed reactor design operated by inadequately trained personnel. People still unable to live in the exclusion zone due to poor air quality. Caused long-term illness in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and even affected farm animals as far as the British Isles, although only short-term.
How does levels of pollution link to levels of economic developments?
- Large scale pollution usually not a problem for pre-industrial LICs, as agriculture cannot afford chemical fertilisers, industry is poorly developed, less developed transport, people throw away less and it may be useful.
- Some LICs may have mining pollution where materials are dumped, or may have waste dumped on them eg Accra Ghana eg.
- MICs usually have most as are highly industrial, have a high need for cheap vehicles with insufficient engines, rapid urbanisation leads to inadequate sewage and waste disposal, agriculture starts to involve more chemicals. Continuing development trumps environmental preservation, leading to highly polluted areas.
- In HICs, quality of life becomes important and can be afforded, with political parties dedicated to environmental preservation eg UK Green Party, governments in HICs often take more into account people’s wishes rather than TNCs as already affluent. Still a high proportion of transport pollution, however developing technologies eg electric cars.
