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Air Pollution

     As the number of people on Earth continues to increase, air pollution is becoming more and more of a concern. In general, air pollution is the emission of harmful chemical substances into the atmosphere. These chemicals enter the air in a variety of ways. Some of the most common sources are automobiles, consumer product manufacturing companies, electrical power plants and also industries such as steel/paper mills and oil refineries. Many of these air pollutants are leading to a condition known as global warming- an increase in temperature of the Earth. Global warming has the potential to cause many environmental problems such as the melting of ice caps, which can eventually lead to flooding, and the alteration of wildlife habitats.

     In addition to causing global warming, air pollutants are harmful to animals and plants. Many of these chemicals are toxic to the body when inhaled and may lead to a variety of respiratory problems. This is especially bad for people living in large cities where the emission of pollutants is very high. Air pollutants may also enter the drinking water in the form of acid rain- rain containing harmful chemicals caused by these pollutants reacting in the atmosphere.

     Currently, developed nations produce the highest amount of air pollution; however, population growth in developing nations is significantly contributing to this problem. As the number of people on Earth increases, more trees and fossil fuels are being burned to generate energy. Also, more cars are being purchased and thus more pollutants are entering the atmosphere in that way. Similarly, more people on Earth means that there will be more companies making consumer goods to support them (while also polluting the air we breathe).

     Below is a list of resources related to population and air pollution. In order to correct this problem and decrease the amount of chemicals that we inhale, the topic of population growth must be addressed. Check out the different websites that I provided in order to learn more about this environmental issue and how you can be part of the solution.

DeCicco J, An F. Automakers’ corporate carbon burdens: reframing public policy on automobiles, oil and climate. New York (NY): Environmental Defense; 2002 [cited 2008 Sept 4]. Available from:http://www.edf.org/documents/2220_AutomakersCorporateCarbonBurdens.pdf

John Decicco is a Senior Fellow for Environmental Defense, while Feng An is a consultant. Environmental Defense is a national nonprofit organization in the United States whose mission is to protect the environmental rights of all individuals. This report focuses on the effect of automobiles on the increasing rate of carbon dioxide, a harmful pollutant, emission worldwide. Although population growth is not the main topic, the increased number of automobiles in developing nations is discussed. The authors explain the effects of automobiles on air pollution, and also how rising populations/incomings of developing nations are leading to an increase in car ownership. By going to this website, you can learn more about just one relationship between air pollution and population growth. After reading this report is is clear that more people on Earth means that there will be more cars and thus more car emissions to pollute the air. The information contained in this article has been accurately cited and reviewed . Thus, it is very trustworthy. It also contains an Acknowledgements section that recognizes fact-checkers and peer-reviewers by name. 

Li W, Shao M, Tang X, Zhang Y. 2006. City clusters in China: air and surface water pollution. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment [Internet]. [cited 2008 Sept 4]; 4(7): 353–361. Available from: http://www.frontiersinecology.org/specialissue/ESA_Sept06_ONLINE-04.pdf

The authors of this article reviewed the development and status of city clusters in China and published their work in the Frontiers in Ecology and Environment Journal. They focused their data collection primarily on water and air pollution in these areas. One of their major findings was that air pollution is a growing problem in city clusters, which are areas characterized by large populations. In these areas, the number of motor vehicles is increasing dramatically and, as a result, yearly carbon dioxide emission rates are increasing. Another contributor to air pollution in these city clusters was found to be the use of coal as China’s primary energy source. With more city states appearing, more coal is being used and thus more pollutants are being released into the air every year. This article contains information that corresponds with Decicco and An’s report on the relationship between automobiles and greenhouse gas emission rates. By going to this website, you can learn more about how population growth is causes more coal to be burned and thus more chemicals to be released into the air. This article is very reliable since the authors are researchers and the information was peer-reviewed before it was published. 

Marshall, A. The state of the world population 2001. Footprints and milestones: population and environmental change [Internet]. New York (NY): United Nations Population Fund; 2001 [cited 2008 September 4]. Available from: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2001/english/index.html 

The United Nations Population Fund is an international development agency that works with other United Nations programs in order to promote the rights of all individuals. “The State of the World Population” is one of their major publications in which they report issues related to population growth. These reports are regularly used to as sources by journalists and can be easily understood. In their 2001 report there is an entire section devoted to the effects of population growth on air pollution. This work provides specific examples of how rapidly growing megacities are producing levels of air pollutions that far exceed the recommended allowances by the World Health Organization. This report also explains the impact of increasing automobile ownership in developing countries on air pollution. By reading this report you can gain an enormous amount of knowledge on the effects of population growth on air pollution. In general, this is a reliable source that has been made public by the United Nations and contains information from accurate, available sources. I highly recommend this site.

Population and Global Warming  [Internet]. [updated 2008]. Reston (VA): National Wildlife Federation, Population and Environment Program; [cited 2008 Sept 4]. Available from:

http://www.nwf.org/popandenvironment/globalwarming.cfm

The National Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to conservation and the protection of animals. This website is aimed towards individuals who want general information on the relationship between population and global warming. This website is thus a great place to start doing some research on the topic. It states that developed nations are primarily responsible for the current level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but it focuses on the high risks posed by increasing populations of developing nations. Overall, this website is good for general, secondary information on global warming. Although the author of this website is not mentioned, the website was created by a well known and respected organization.

Smith, K. 2008. The population problem. Nature Reports Climate Control [Internet]. [cited 2008 Sept 4]; 2:72. Available from:http://www.nature.com/climate/2008/0806/full/climate.2008.44.html

Kerri Smith is a editor and reporter for Nature, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. In this article, she addresses the scientific community and explains various ways in which a growing world population is affecting the climate. She states that although carbon dioxide emissions vary among countries, the general tread is that as populations have grown, emissions have proportionally increased. This work focuses on how both increasing populations and urbanization are leading to greater carbon dioxide emission rates and are therefore contributing to global warming. After reading the National Wildlife Federation website, this article will give you specific examples of how a increase in population growth is causing an increase in air pollution. This is a very reliable article due to its source being a peer-reviewed journal and the numerous references used. You could even use the resources in the articles to learn more about this important topic.

Who is heating up the planet: A closer look at population and global warming [Internet]. [updated 2008]. San Francisco (CA): Sierra Club, Global Population and Environment Program; [cited 2008 Sept 4]. Available from: http://www.sierraclub.org/population/factsheets/pop_and_globalwarming.asp

The Sierra Club was founded in 1892 and is a nonprofit environmental organization in the United States. This organization is devoted to protecting communities, combating global warming and preserving America’s wild places. As part of their Global Population and Environment Program, they produced a website for the general public that contains information about the impact of a growing population on global warming. This website examines the correlation between increased carbon dioxide emissions and increased population size. Although the Sierra Club acknowledges that the United States is the biggest global warming contributor, they also state that the United Nations estimates that developing countries will contribute more than half of total emissions by the mid-21st century. Like the website by the National Wildlife Federation, the author is not specifically stated. However, The Sierra Club is a well repected organization. The references are clearly listed at the bottom of this website and you can even visit them to learn more. The information from this website provides general information on the topic that is understandable and easily verifiable.

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