Acid Rain
The topic I have chosen is acid rain and how it affects us as humans and our environment. One of the main causes of acid rain is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline and fuel oils. These fuels send oxides of sulfur, carbon and nitrogen into the air. These oxides combine with moisture in the air to form sulfuric acid, carbonic acid and nitric acid. Therefore, when it rains or snows, these acids are brought to Earth in what is called acid rain. Acid rain can damage plants, animals, soil, water, building materials, and people.Since the beginning of time, humans have learned to make use of many things in nature such as fire and electricity. Studies have been done by the U.S. government in the early 1980's that blamed industries as the main source of acid rain in their country as well as in Canada. Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were formed and they take samples of pollution and acidity from thousands of streams and lakes in United States. From these samples they determine which streams or lakes are now acidic or in danger of becoming acidic. These tests are very important in the reducing of acid rain in our world.
The affects of acid rain is a negative one and we are now realizing the importance of changes in our way of living which would eventually lessen the effects of acid rain. The U.S. Clean Air Act was passed in 1967 and was changed in 1970, 1977 and 1990, which included 400 power plants. One of these changes was to cut the amount of sulfur dioxide in half by the year 2000. Another environment law is the requirement of scrubbers. Scrubbers remove sulfur from the smoke by spraying a mixture of water and powdered limestone into the smokestack. The mixture traps the sulfur before it can escape into the air above. Also many electric companies have cut back on the amount of high sulfur coal they use. One way to reduce the amount of sulfur entering the air is to wash the sulfur out of the coal before it is burned. Things such as cars, buses and airplanes are one of the causes of air pollution, which causes acid rain. Our provincial government of Ontario, has introduced a new Emissions Act which clearly forces each vehicle on the road to be tested for any pollutants coming from each vehicle. This will reduce the pollutants in the air and will reduce the amount of fumes rising and forming acid rain. Scientists are also becoming more involved in the problems of acid rain. They are discovering new ways to burn fossil fuels as well as other energy sources, such as windmills and solar energy. Even if we stop aci
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Approximate Word count = 957
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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