Thesis:
Aside from other necessities for sustaining life
such as water, air is also important, and this
natural resource needs greater protection on the
technical level as from a legislative angle.
Since man’s first walked,
there have always been needs for him to sustain
his existence. There were several things that
he required even then. This refers to a period
that dates back thousands of years when man was
not significantly different to contemporary man.
In those times as well, man required things like
food, shelter, water, etc., in order to survive.
However, these things were indeed available to
all individual men in those times. Primitive life
largely allowed man a great deal of freedom in
attaining whatever he could. However, there were
also the downsides to attaining resources for
sustaining life.
The major problems that man could
have possibly faced include war and other forms
of enmity that developed later as man became aware
of territory and organized warring strategies.
Just as resources could be cut off from a man’s
territory in those days, it can be done today
as well. However, like contemporary times, natural
resources such as air could not be cut off from
anyone’s territory.
Air as a natural resource must
be emphasized upon as a necessity for sustaining
human, animal and plant life. Without it, just
like water is necessary for sustenance of life,
human life and other life forms on earth would
perish hence, it is necessary to safeguard this
kind of resource.
In contemporary times, though air
cannot be cut off from anyone’s territory,
it must be asserted that one could lose control
of the quality of air they require. This refers
to the fact that air could so easily be contaminated
just like water. If such a thing does happen,
there is no telling what major catastrophe could
arise. Depending on the type and extent of contamination
of air people would be affected.
It must be realized that the quality
of air is indeed at risk in many parts of the
world, and this is due to many reasons which range
from carelessness to terrorism. However, more
than the fears that terrorist threats have had
upon the average American is the fear of contamination
through carelessness.
Pollution has had severe affects
on people’s health globally, and it is for
this reason why the developed countries of the
world have set strict rules that inhibit the use
poisonous substances. The developing countries
have also been urged to follow the same practice.
While the developed countries have already crossed
the date for putting an end to the production
and use of environmentally harmful substances,
such as CFCs, developing countries have got up
till 2010 .
Besides attempting to put a stop
to air pollution there are other areas that governments
of developed countries are aiming at. But primarily
the air pollution is given the most focus because
of the fact that there seems to be a very speedy
deterioration of the all-important O-zone layer.
But the O-zone is not the only bother, it is other
gases as well that cause the air to be sufficiently
polluted to cause lung disorders, etc.
As an example, Los Angeles has suffered immensely
in the past years because there has been far too
much air pollution. The evidence of the pollution
was clear, and was exhibited in the number of
cases of lung infections and lowered immunity.
Largely due to the use of CFCs, the atmosphere
was being destroyed irreversibly. The problem
is basically due to the large population in the
State of California, and this has naturally resulted
in a greater use of CFCs. The use of CFCs meant
that the O-zone layer would be destroyed at a
much faster rate than in other parts of the United
States.
O-zone is a layer in the atmosphere
that protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet
rays of the sun. Each molecule of O-zone is composed
of 3 atoms of Oxygen. Without this layer of air,
the earth would not be able to survive because
the ultraviolet radiation would kill all living
matter, and it is for this reason that people
around the world are deeply concerned about the
preservation of it. Besides the emission of other
environmentally harmful substances, CFCs have
been known to be the chief cause of health deterioration
among the older age groups as well as children,
as both have a lower immunity.
The reason why CFCs have been blamed
is because they are the chief agents that have
caused the O-zone to deteriorate. CFCs are Chlorofluorocarbons,
and the main constituent in them that is responsible
for O-zone deterioration is the element Chlorine.
Chlorine links up with the Oxygen atoms in the
O-zone to make it inactive, allowing the harmful
ultraviolet rays of the sun to penetrate the earth’s
atmosphere (Conklin, 2000).
Along with the process of the ultraviolet rays
penetrating the earth’s atmosphere, there
is another process that works in tandem with the
O-zone destruction making the atmosphere even
worse. This is the process of Carbon Dioxide being
produced to such an extent that it lies as a sheet
over the earth. This does not seem to be a problem,
but what it actually does is it allows the heat
from the sun to reach the earth but does not allow
all of it to escape. The result is that the average
temperature of the environment increases, which
is called ‘Global Warming’ . Initially,
this global warming causes an increased output
for crops, but as it gets severe, it will destroy
all the natural life processes on earth. Global
warming may also lead to the melting f the ice
caps and gradually as more and more ice liquefies
many parts of the earth will get flooded. Aside
from this frightening process there are a number
of other processes that are continuously taking
place all over the world (National Emissions:
Carbon Dioxide Emission 2001).
Poisonous and harmful fumes are
also emitted from the exhaust of vehicles and
industry machines too. These are also the constituents
of photochemical smog that hangs over the city
as a haze. Substances like Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen
Oxide and Lead are also causes of the different
affects seen in the LA basin.
While Sulphur Dioxide is responsible
for the acid rain that blackens destroys the stonework
in the city, Lead is responsible for dulling the
brain and slowing the thought process in youngsters
and adults. Sulphur Dioxide is the main cause
of acid rain and this is harmful for the crops,
because the soil is left acidic after the rains
and therefore cannot grow any more crops. So indirectly,
by the acid rain human beings will also be affected.
Clamping down on the lawbreakers
is the best way to reduce the air pollution. Since
the users of vehicles and machines are the ones
that have the power to operate them, they are
also the ones that are responsible for the way
that they are used. Since this is the case, it
is also these people who are responsible for making
sure that the devices, machines and vehicles are
in proper working condition and fitness tested.
This is so that there is a minimum amount of smoke
emitted as exhaust. Having their vehicles regularly
fitness tested, people will also save money as
their vehicles will give them better mileage and
generally better performance.
Works Cited:
Conklin, Karen Overview of Ozone Depletion Effects
of CFCs 2000 http://192.107.108.56/portfolios/c/conklin_k/one/overview_of_ozone_depletion_effe.htm
Gabler, Robert Essentials of Physical geography
Sager, Wise, and Petersen, Harcourt and Brace,
1999
Health Effects of Smog: More Than a Nuisance 1997
http://www.aqmd.gov/monthly/health.html
National Emissions: Carbon Dioxide Emission 2001
US Environmental Protection Agency 2002.
Footnotes:
Conklin, Karen Overview of Ozone Depletion Effects
of CFCs 2000 http://192.107.108.56/portfolios/c/conklin_k/one/overview_of_ozone_depletion_effe.htm
National Emissions: Carbon Dioxide Emission 2001
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