IBCM

28.11.2010.

English language
Pollution and EU environmental protection

Student: Lectures:

Vladimir Djokic Niall Ardill

Nr. Of keystrokes: 15 402

Nr. Of page: 9
Vladimir Djokic Pollution and environmental protection

Table of Contents

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................3

Problem statement.........................................................................................................................3

Methodology...................................................................................................................................3

Analysis and Discussion.................................................................................................................4

 Air pollution...........................................................................................................4
 How people affect on enviroment and pollution?...............................................4
 What are the consequences of
pollution?.............................................................5
 How fossil fuels affect on contamination?...........................................................5
 Protective measures by the European Union......................................................6
 Emissions trading.......................................................................................7
 Biodiversity.................................................................................................7
 Environmental health................................................................................7

Conclusion......................................................................................................................................8

References.......................................................................................................................................9

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Vladimir Djokic Pollution and environmental protection

Introduction

The biggest problem in the world, become from our self’s, we decide how wont to live,
were to live, how affect on life and environment in most contamination planet in the space. From
the beginning of creation planet earth, earth was never contaminated like today. People lose the
mind, in one moment they stop thinking on future generation. In the end, when we don’t have
return, people of the earth, again start to thinking about as mother of the creation EARTH. This
is beginning of my introduction about pollution and how fuels affect on pollution.

Clean environment is essential for human health and well-being. However, the
interactions between the environment and human health are highly complex and difficult to
assess. This makes the use of the precautionary principle particularly useful. The best-known
health impacts are related to ambient air pollution, poor water quality and insufficient sanitation.
Much less is known about the health impacts of hazardous chemicals. Noise is an emerging
environment and health issue. Climate change, depletion of stratospheric ozone, loss
biodiversity, and land degradation can also affect human health.

Problem statement
In thise essey I am going to discuss abaout polution and how fossil fuels affect on polution. And
what protective measures taken by the European Union. I will focus on the following two
questions:

1. How people affect on pollution?

2. How fossil fuels affect on contamination and protective measures by the European
Union?

I have chosen these two questions, and I will discuss this in the following order: what is air
pollution, how people affect on environment and pollution, what are the consequences of
pollution? How fuels affect on pollution and which protective measures taken by EU?

Methodology
In order to give a good essey I will use internet sites. These will provide me the needed
information for good quality of essey.

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Analisys and Discusion

Air pollution?

Air is the ocean we breathe. Air supplies us with oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live.
Air is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases. Human activities can release
substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

There are several main types of pollution and well-known effects of

pollution. These include smog, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and "holes"
in the ozone layer. Each of these problems has serious implications for
our health and well-being as well as for the whole environment.

One type of air pollution is the release of particles into the air from
burning fuel for energy. Diesel smoke is a good example of this particulate
matter. The particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns or about .0001
inches. This type of pollution is sometimes referred to as "black carbon" pollution. The exhaust
from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air.
Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and charcoal in fireplaces and barbeques
can release significant quantities of soot into the air.

Another type of pollution is the release of noxious gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and chemical vapors. These can take part in further chemical
reactions once they are in the atmosphere, forming-smog and acid rain.

How people affect on enviroment and pollution?

People also engage in activities at home that harm the environment by releasing harmful
chemicals into the air.
Other ways in which people harm the environment from home include:
 Driving, which releases dangerous fumes into the air, short distances to school, stores,
work, etc. instead of walking or taking a bike ride
 Purchasing lots of plastic water bottles instead of buying a water filter
 Not eating local products, which causing food to be flown in from across the country,
thereby wasting gas and releasing fumes into the atmosphere
 Choosing plastic bags at the grocery store, which release toxins into the air when they are
produced

Global Effects

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Determining how humans affect the environment on a global scale is much different than
studying the effects on a local level. Seeing the small changes that people can make in their daily
lives is really only effective when the issue is explored in contrast to the larger picture, because
the impact can be fully seen.

What are the consequences of pollution?

Pollution is a serious problem nowadays. Cars running around the streets, factories emitting toxic
smoke, sewage being dumped into the sea, and oil being spilled into the ocean, are very common
in our society. We, the human being, have caused theses pollutions at the first place, but now the
pollutions have come to threaten us.

Our health is deteriorated as result of emission of carbon dioxide from the vehicles, and sulfur
dioxide and nitro oxide from industries. These gases are often trapped in the city, creating smog
that could worsen asthma, impair lung function, and even cause death. Increasing pollutants such
as carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbon can cause global warming and depletion in the ozone
layer. When ozone layer is depleted, more UV rays can penetrate to our atmosphere, thus causing
skin cancers. In addition, much of our groundwater is being polluted because farmers use
chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to raise their crops. These chemicals can seep
easily from the farmland to the groundwater, causing diseases to us.

It is not just we are affected by pollution; animals and plants are also affected by pollution.
Animals and plants would become dehydrated from the extreme heat. Ice would melt more
quickly, destructing the habitat of polar bears. Fish and other marine animals would die from oil
leakage and the presence of untreated sewage in the sea. 

How fossil fuels affect on contamination?

Fossil fuel is incompletely oxidized and decayed animal and vegetable materials, specifically
coal, peat, lignite, petroleum and natural gas. The technical definition of fuel is material that can
be burned or otherwise consumed to produce heat. In our modernized world, fossil fuels provide
vast luxurious importance. We retrieve these fossil fuels from the ground and under the sea and
have them converted into electricity. Approximately 90% of the world's electricity demand is
generated from the use of fossil fuels.

Combustion of these fossil fuels is considered to be the largest contributing factor to the release
of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In fact it is believed that energy providers are the
largest source of atmospheric pollution today. There are many types of harmful outcomes which
result from the process of converting fossil fuels to energy. Some of these include air pollution,
water pollution, accumulation of solid waste, not to mention the land degradation and human
illness.

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Evidence of the ill effects of fossil fuels is endless, and can take on many forms. Some forms are
not easily seen by the human eye, although the disastrous results such as the loss of aquatic life
can be seen somewhat after the fact. Carbon dioxide is considered the most prominent
contributor to the global warming issue. The impact of global warming on the environment is
extensive and affects many areas. In the Antarctica, warmer temperatures may result in more
rapid ice melting which increases sea level and compromises the composition of surrounding
waters. Rising sea levels alone can impede processes ranging from settlement, agriculture and
fishing both commercially and recreationally.

When coal is burned, it releases nitrous oxide. Unfortunately this is kept in the atmosphere for
very long time. The harmful impact of this chemical could take up to a couple of hundred years
to make itself known. It is very difficult to prevent or to diminish an impact when you are not
even aware of what it may be. The only solution in this case is to reduce the formation of nitrous
oxide. Nearly 50% of the nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere and 70% of sulfur dioxide are direct
result of emissions released when coal is burned.

Converting fossil fuels may also result in the accumulation of solid waste. This type of
accumulation has a devastating impact on the environment. Waste requires adequate land space
for containment and/or treatment, as well as financial support and monitoring for waste not
easily disposed of. This type of waste also increases the risk of toxic runoff which can poison
surface and groundwater sources for many miles. Toxic runoff also endangers surrounding
vegetation, wildlife, and marine life.

We have become a very energy greedy generation and our demands for electricity are very high.
As far reducing these harmful effects, we must first reduce our demand. Science may be able to
find alternative, healthier sources, although not ones that meet the required supply. These types
of horrendous impacts are felt globally and should not be considered one countries problem.
Sometimes social limitations and/or economic stability can make the process of change very
difficult. One thing is for sure, that by being more energy efficient and conservative, we will be
helping to alleviate the toll on environmental and human health.

Protective measures by the European Union?

The EU has some of the highest environment standards in the world, developed over decades to
address a wide range of issues. Today the main priorities are combating climate change,
preserving biodiversity, reducing health problems from pollution and using natural resources
more responsibly. While aimed at protecting the environment, these goals can contribute to
economic growth by fostering innovation and enterprise.

Emissions trading

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A cornerstone of the EU’s climate change strategy, the emissions trading system rewards
companies that reduce their CO2 emissions and penalizes those that exceed limits.
Introduced in 2005, the scheme takes in about 12,000 factories and plants responsible for about
half the EU’s emissions of CO2, the main gas blamed for global warming.
Under the system, EU governments set limits on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by
energy-intensive industries like power generation and steel and cement makers. If these
businesses want to emit more CO2 than their quota, they have to buy spare permits from more
efficient companies.
In the future, more industries will be subject to quotas, including airlines and petrochemical
companies. EU countries will also be able to offset emissions by buying credits from projects to
reduce CO2 in non-EU countries.

Biodiversity
The EU has committed to stopping the decline of endangered species and habitats in the EU by
2010, but reaching that goal will require much effort. Policies and legislation are already in place
to address the challenge, but efforts to implement them need to be replicated on a much larger
scale. In particular, the EU wants to expand Natura 2000, a set of areas where plant and animal
species and their habitats must be protected. It already includes more than 26,000 sites across the
EU.

Environmental health

Noise, swimming water, rare species and emergency response –these are just some of the areas
covered under the extensive body of environmental legislation that the EU has established over
the decades. Under the laws, which are mainly aimed at establishing health-based standards for
pollutants, EU countries are required to monitor many different pollutants and to take action if
levels exceed safe limits.

In some of its latest efforts on this front, the EU moved in 2008 to set binding limits on
emissions of fine particles known as PM2.5. Released by cars and trucks, these microscopic
particles can cause respiratory diseases. Under the new law, which takes effect in 2011, EU
countries will have to reduce exposure to fine particles in urban areas by an average 20% by
2020 (based on 2010 levels).

Conclusion

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Vladimir Djokic Pollution and environmental protection

However, we can all reduce pollution by changing our lifestyle. Instead of driving cars, we can
take public transits, ride bikes, and walk more frequently. We should try to reduce, recycle, and
reuse things as much as we can. Since factories are the number one cause of acid rain, they
should reduce their amount of emissions as much as possible. For instance, they could install
rubber scrappers on their chimneys to trap sulfur dioxide and nitro oxide from escaping to the
atmosphere. Governments should also set up strict laws and legislations regarding chemicals
usage on farms. Instead of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, farmers should
use natural fertilizers and insects-resistant crops that are invented by biotechnology.
Furthermore, governments need to raise public awareness on pollution control through
education.
For our better future mother earth waiting to make sure you, or laws of nature will be restore the
planet, but without us.

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References

[1] http://europa.eu/pol/env/index_en.htm

[2] http://answers.yourdictionary.com/science/how-do-humans-affect-the-
environment.html

[3] http://www.essortment.com/all/fossilfuelimpa_rhxu.htm

[4] http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html

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