Acid Rain and Climate, Lecture notes of Environmental Science

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ACID RAIN AND CLIMATE

FREQUENT ACID RAIN

SEA LEVEL RISE

According to the study produced by Climate Central, a science organization based in New Jersey, and published in the journal Nature Communications, rising seas could affect three times more people by 2050 than previously thought, threatening to all but erase some of the world’s great coastal cities. FOOD & HEALTH EFFECTS A warmer world is likely to threaten the of many people

1. More frequent and prolonged heat waves in some areas will increase numbers of deaths and illnesses, especially among older people, people in poor health, and the urban poor who cannot afford air conditioning.
2. Hunger and malnutrition will increase in areas where agricultural production drops.
3. A warmer, CO2 -rich world will favor rapidly multiplying insects, microbes, toxic molds, and fungi that make us sick, and plants that produce pollens that cause allergies and asthma attacks. Preventing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions Four major prevention strategies:
4. Improve energy efficiency to reduce fossil fuel use, especially the use of coal.
5. Shift from nonrenewable carbon-based fossil fuels to a mix of low-carbon renewable energy resources based on local and regional availability.

Governments can help to reduce the threat of climate disruption Governments can use four major methods to promote the solutions.

1. Strictly regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).
2. Phase out the most inefficient polluting coal-burning power plants and replace them with more efficient, cleaner natural gas and renewable energy such as wind power.
3. Tax each unit of CO2 or CH4 emitted or burned by fossil fuel use, and offsetting these tax increases by reducing taxes on income, wages, and profits.
4. Use a cap-and-trade system.

THREE BIG THINGS

- All countries need to step up efforts to control and prevent all sorts of anthropogenic environmental pollution. - - Reducing the projected harmful effects of rapid climate disruption during this century requires emergency action to increase energy efficiency, sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rely more on renewable energy resources, and slow population growth. - - Everyone has a role to play to reduce pollution. Example is phasing out the use of chemicals that have reduced ozone levels in the stratosphere and allowed more harmful ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth’s surface.