Climate Change: A significant and drastic change in the distribution of weather patterns over huge time periods.

Our Earth is warming. Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4F over the past century, and is projected to rise another 2 to 11.5F over the next hundred years. These small changes in the average temperature of the planet will potentially translate to large and potentially dangerous shifts in climate and weather. Evidence backs this claim. Rising global temperatures have been accompanied by changes in weather and climate. Many places have seen changes in rainfall, resulting in more floods, droughts, or intense rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves. The planet's oceans and glaciers have also experienced some big changes - oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, ice caps are melting, and sea levels are rising. As these and other changes become more pronounced in the coming decades, they will likely present challenges to our society and our environment. Society and Ecosystems are also impacted in various ways. climate change can increase or decrease rainfall, influence agricultural crop yields, affect human health, cause changes to forests and other ecosystems, or even impact our energy supply. Climate-related impacts are occurring across regions of the country and across many sectors of our economy. Many state and local governments are already preparing for the impacts of climate change through "adaptation," which is planning for the changes that are expected to occur. Air Pollution: The introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates (minute separate particles), or biological materials that cause discomfort, disease, or death to humans, damage other living organisms such as food crops, or damage the natural environment Toxins In Food and Soil From poisonous fish to toxic infant formula, toxic foods are found throughout the world. Pesticides that are sprayed onto our fruits and vegetables end up on our plates and in our bodies. The runoff from chemical plants goes into our oceans, our fish, and then our bellies. The toxic waste buried deep in the ground infiltrates our underground water sources and contaminates our soil. This is the very soil that yields the grain that we eat, and that is fed to the cattle that we raise for meat. Water Pollution Water pollution is any biological, physical or chemical alteration in the quality of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses it. Drinking polluted water results to severe side effects on ones health. Almost all types of water pollution harm the health of humans and animals. Water pollution may damage our health immediately or slowly after a long term exposure. Different forms of pollutants affect the health of animals in different ways:

Heavy metals from industrial processes can accumulate in lakes and rivers. These are toxic to marine life such as fish and shellfish, and ultimately to the humans who eat them. Heavy metals can slow development; result in birth defects and some are carcinogenic Industrial waste often contains many toxic compounds that damage the health of aquatic animals and those who eat them. Microbial pollutants from sewage often result in infectious diseases that infect aquatic life and terrestrial life through drinking water. Microbial water pollution is a major problem in the developing world, with diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever being the primary cause of infant mortality. Organic matter and nutrients cause an increase in aerobic algae and deplete oxygen from the water column. This causes the suffocation of fish and other aquatic organisms. Sulfate particles from acid rain can cause harm to the health of marine life in the rivers and lakes it contaminates, resulting in mortality. Suspended particles in freshwater reduce the quality of drinking water for humans and the aquatic environment for marine life. Suspended particles can often reduce the amount of sunlight penetrating the water, disrupting the growth of photosynthetic plants and micro-organisms.

Depleting Ozone Layer The ozone layer is a belt of naturally occurring ozone gas that sits 9.3 to 18.6 miles above Earth and acts as a shield from the harmful ultraviolet B radiation emitted by the sun. Ozone is a highly reactive molecule that contains three oxygen atoms. It is constantly being formed and broken down in the high atmosphere, 6.2 to 31 miles above Earth, in the region called the stratosphere. There is concern that the ozone layer is fading due to the release of pollution containing the chemicals chlorine and bromine. Such degradation allows large amounts of ultraviolet B rays to reach Earth, which can cause skin cancer and cataracts in humans and harm animals as well. Furthermore the extra ultraviolet B

radiation reaching Earth also inhibits the reproductive cycle of phytoplankton (single-celled organisms such as algae that make up the bottom level of the food chain). Biologists fear that reduction in phytoplankton population will lower the populations of other animals. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals found mostly in spray aerosols heavily used by industrialized nations, are the primary factors in the ozone layer breakdown. When CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, they are exposed to ultraviolet rays, which causes them to break down into substances that include chlorine. The chlorine reacts with the oxygen atoms in ozone and breaks apart the ozone molecule.

1) Reactions Water Pollution: Acid Rain Acid rain is formed when SO3 dissolves in water. As a product H2SO4 is formed. SO3(g) + H2O(l) ---> H2SO4 (aq)