THE GEOGRAPHY OF POLLUTION

GROUNDING INDUSTRY AND POLLUTION As a country develops, it industrializes, and industrial waste products are major polluters of air, land and water. As a country develops, its people gain wealth, and as people gain wealth, the create more pollution, as well, especially through energy consumption. As per capita income increases, per capita carbon dioxide emissions increase. The three main types of pollution are: AIR POLLUTIONLAND POLLUTIONWATER POLLUTION

GROUNDING AIR POLLUTION Most air pollution is generated by factories, power plants and motorized vehicles. Air pollution is a concern at both the global, regional and local scales… GLOBAL SCALE Global Climate Change is the first major concern. The avg temp of the earth’s surface has increased by 2°F per year since 1880, and human activity has contributed to this change. Factories, power plants and various other human activities put particulates, chemicals and gases into the atmosphere (particularly CO2) that traps heat from sunlight from returning to space. CO2 and other heat trapping gases are called greenhouse gases, and the trapping effect is called the greenhouse effect. The earth’s stratosphere contains a concentration of ozone gas that absorbs UV radiation from the sun. Other human activities produce CFCs which get trapped in the atmosphere and weaken the ozone layer. REGIONAL SCALE LOCAL SCALE At the regional scale, air pollution can damage soil, water and vegetation through acid depositon. Burning fossil fuels in particular puts sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. When combined with water, they form sulfuric and nitric acid that then fall to the earth with the rain. Acid rain harmswater, soil, animals and human habitations. Recently, government restrictions have eased acid deposition in the US. At the local scale, pollution is particularly problematic at places where emission sources are concentrated, for example in urban areas. Urban are pollution is particularly associated with carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulates. In areas with little wind, or on calm days, pollutant levels build. Smog can form with the addition of sunlight. Temperature inversions trap the pollutants at low levels in the atmosphere.

SOLID WASTE SANITARY LANDFILLSHAZARDOUS WASTE US residents generate about 4lbs of solid waste per person per day (60% residential sources, 40% commercial). The largest portion of the waste comes from paper products. The difficulty comes in disposal of the solid waste Landfills are the most common method of disposing of solid waste (more than 50% of US soliid waste is trucked to a landfill and buried). Landfills have limited space and so alternative methods are necessary. Incineration is a currently increasing trend; it reduces the trash’s bulk by 75% and produces energy via steam engines. Recycling waste also reduces the amount that goes into landfills and eases demand for raw materials. Hazardous waste disposal is particularly difficult to dispose of properly. Every year, large quantities of toxic waste are released into the environment as by products of industrial processes, this waste can leach into the soil, polluting both it and ground water. The EPA estimates that in 2010, 3.93 billion lbs of toxic waste was released into the environment, especially from mining.

WATER POLLUTION As a country develops, its demand for water increases. Some types of industry require heavy water usage for heating, for cooling, or for the generation of energy. People in developed countries also increase their water usage. The Average American uses 1,400 gallons of water per day for drinking, cooking, irrigation, bathing, plumbing, etc. Keeping water clean, therefore, is a major concern as there are several ways that consumers and industries can dump pollutants into water sources. There are two main categories for water pollution: POINT SOURCES NONPOINT SOURCES Point-source pollution enters water at a specific location, like a pipe from a factory dumping sewage into a creek. Point-source pollutants are usually smaller in quantity and easier to control. The two main sources are: Water-using manufacturers… steel, chemicals, paper products, and food processing all generate a lot of waste water Municipal sewage systems… sinks, bathtubs and toilets create a lot of waste water. In most MDCs, waste water is piped to septic systems or to waste-water treatment facilities. In LDCs, sewage treatment is rare. Nonpoint-source pollution comes from a large, diffuse area, like run-off from commercial farms carrying pesticides into the water table. Nonpoint-source pollutants are usually greater in quantity and harder to control. The main nonpoint source is from agriculture where fertilizers and pesticides used on crops get carried into water sources through run-off. Irrigation for agriculture can also deplete ground and surface water sources.