Africa's Air Pollution

Water Pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater) (absoluteastronomy.com/topics/waterpollution).


Water Pollution is a tough subject for many people to discuss. In everyday life, we use water for almost everything we do. We use water for food, to drink, to bathe, to swim, and the list continues. Some areas, such as Africa and China, have water pollution that is so bad that the people there can barely live near these bodies of water because it is so polluted. They are exposed to many toxins and chemicals that can potentially be fatal to their health. Christopher Gordon, author of
 　
Africa is a country where they do not have the proper resources to acquire clean, freshwater. This is a country where almost all the people live below the poverty line of making less than $2 a day for purchasing power (Berg and Hager 2009). Africa's water is contaminated and the chemicals are released into the bodies of the individuals. The individuals are then exposed to the contaminated water, become very ill, and their lives might end in death. This is an unfortunate situation and something must be done to help this nation recover.
In my opinion, I believe that the water pollution in Africa is unsafe and unhealthy. It is devastating that a country, such as Africa, has to endure the pain and suffering of their water being polluted. I do not agree with the government by allowing their own people to be in an environment where it is unsafe. I think that the government should do a better job of regulating the toxins and chemicals being dumped in the bodies of water. One way that the government can regulate this is by setting laws that do not allow waste dumping at all. They could take tiny steps by making a public service announcement to inform the people what waste dumping does to the water and the consequences that come along with it. It is a small step but it could work miracles for this country. Freshwater Ecosystems in West Africa: Problems and Overlooked Potentials, states, "Freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development, and the environment" (Gordon, 1998). When water pollution becomes a high risk factor, people of that area are not able to live there comfortably. They have to be careful of how and when they use the water and take extreme measures to protect themselves and their families.

Berg, RL and Hager MC (2009). Visualizing Environmental Science. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. NJ.

Gordon, C (1998). Freshwater Ecosystems in West Africa: Problems and Overlooked Potentials. http://www.aaas.org/international/africa/ewmi/gordon.htm

Water pollution. (absoluteastronomy.com/topics/waterpollution)

Air Pollution is the WORST!!!!

When we think of Air Pollution, we automatically think that it has something to do with the well-being of our health. This is true on many different levels, but Air Pollution can also harm the environment we live in. The formal definition of Air Pollution is the "introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment, into the atmosphere" (Reilly 2010). With this definition of Air Pollution, Do you think that the city we live in has a high density of Air Pollution that can harm our health and our environment? Or do you think that our city is clean enough for us to escape this problem? From an ecological standpoint, air pollution is very harmful to the environment.

Many people in St. Louis, however, do not know that their city ranks 9th on the list of the 25 worst polluted metropolitan areas (Reilly 2010) which is sad because their health and environment is in great danger. The Air Pollution in St. Louis will eventually cause long term affects, specifically, on children with Asthma. In order for the children to have at least some type of future, citizens particularly in St. Louis must take action to prevent an amount of Air Pollution from endangering the environment they live in and the health of their children. 

If citizens are educated, they will have some background as to what air pollution does to the environment and they can begin to make a change in their everyday lives. Think about it. If the people in St. Louis and in the city we live in could make a SMALL change, like taking public transportation to work and school at least 2 times a day, this could eventually lead to a MAJOR change. 

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the first-ever national standards for air pollution from power plants. The new rules would require many power plants to install technologies to control mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollutants" (LaCapra 2011).

My opinion of the Air Pollution in St. Louis is that the government should educate the people and let them know exactly how much of the air is being polluted and what they can do to minimize it. I believe that the St. Louis citizens love their environment because it is a tourist city and to keep tourist coming back, it would be a great deal to them to help clean the environment. I remember my grandmother saying life is too short to sit around and waste it. Little did I know that what she was implying was that if you enjoy your life, you should keep it clean of waste!! How awesome!

Reilly, A (8 July 2010). Major issues facing St. Louis: air pollution. St. Louis Liberal Examiner.

http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-st-louis/major-issues-facing-st-louis-air-pollution

LaCapra, V (16 March 2011). EPA proposes first-ever national air pollution standards for power plants. 

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/epa-proposes-first-ever-national-air-pollution-standards-power-plants