A. Soil/Land Pollution Land pollution is the degradation of the Earth's surface caused by a misuse of resources and improper disposal of waste. It is contamination of the soil that prevents natural growth and balance in the land whether it is used for cultivation, habitation, or a wildlife preserve.
Some examples of land pollution include: Litter found on the side of the road Illegal dumping in natural habitats Oil spills that happen inland The use of pesticides and other farming chemicals Damage and debris caused from unsustainable mining and logging practices Radiation spills or nuclear accidents Land pollution is responsible for damage done to natural habitat of animals, deforestation and damage done to natural resources, and the general ugly-ing up of our communities.
Some soil pollution, such as the creation of landfills, is deliberate, while much more is accidental and can have widespread effects. This can lead to poor growth and reduced crop yields, loss of wildlife habitat, water and visual pollution, soil erosion and desertification.
B. Water Pollution Water pollution involves any contaminated water, whether from chemical, particulate, or bacterial matter that degrades the waters quality and purity. Water pollution can occur in oceans, rivers, lakes, and underground reservoirs, and as different water sources flow together the pollution can spread.
Some examples of water pollution: Raw sewage running into lake or streams Industrial waste spills contaminating groundwater Radiation spills or nuclear accidents Illegal dumping of substances, or items in bodies of water Biological contamination, such as bacteria growth These kinds of environmental pollution are linked to health issues in humans, animals and plant-life. The effects of water pollution include decreasing the quantity of drinkable water available, lowering water supplies for crop irrigation, and impacting fish and wildlife populations that require water of certain purity for survival.
C. Air Pollution Air Pollution is defined as any contamination of the atmosphere that disturbs the natural composition and chemistry of air. This can be in the form of particulate matter such as dust or excessive gasses like carbon dioxide or other vapors that cannot be effectively removed through natural cycles, such as the carbon cycle or the nitrogen cycle.
Some examples of air pollution include: Exhaust fumes from vehicles
2 The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil or gas Harmful off-gassing from things such as paint, plastic production and so on Radiation spills or nuclear accidents
Depending on the concentration of air pollutants, several effects can be noticed. Smog increases, higher rain acidity, crop depletion from inadequate oxygen, and higher rates of asthma. Many scientists believe that global warming is also related to increased air pollution.
D. Light Pollution Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky inhibiting the visibility of stars and planets by the use of improper lighting of communities. It therefore interferes with astronomical observation and personal enjoyment. If it is near residential areas, light pollution can also degrade the quality of life for residents.
Some examples of what causes light pollution: Street lamps that shine light in all directions, instead of with a hood to point light downward toward the street. Unnecessary lights, especially around the home Light pollution uses more energy (by shining more light up instead of down), may affect human health and our sleep cycles and most importantly, corrupts our kids telescopes and their curiosity.
E. Noise Pollution Noise pollution refers to undesirable levels of noises caused by human activity that disrupt the standard of living in the affected area. Some noise pollution may be temporary while other sources are more permanent. Effects may include hearing loss, wildlife disturbances, and a general degradation of lifestyle. Some examples of noise pollution: Airplanes, helicopters and motor vehicles Construction or demolition noise Human activities such as sporting events or concerts
*Noise pollution is disruptive to humans' stress levels, may be harmful to unborn babies, and drives animals away, causing nervousness and decreasing their ability to hear prey or predators.
F. Visual Pollution Visual pollution is what you would call anything unattractive or visual damaging to the nearby landscape. This tends to be a highly subjective topic, as we all find different things attractive and unattractive. It may lower the quality of life in certain areas, or could impact property values and personal enjoyment.
Some examples of visual pollution: Skyscrapers might block the view of a mountain Graffiti or carving on trees, rocks or other natural landscapes Billboards, litter, abandoned homes and junkyards could also be considered among three kinds of environmental pollution
3 Mostly visual kinds of environmental pollution are annoying, although some may say they are also depressing (such as when they can't see a view through a billboard). Power lines Construction areas Neglected areas or objects such as polluted vacant fields or abandoned buildings
While visual pollution has few immediate health or environmental effects, whats causing the eyesore can have detrimental effects.
G. Thermal Pollution Thermal pollution is the increase of temperature caused by human activity. It is excess heat that creates undesirable effects over long periods of time. The earth has a natural thermal cycle, but excessive temperature increases can be considered a rare type of pollution with long term effects. Many types of thermal pollution are confined to areas near their source, but multiple sources can have wider impacts over a greater geographic area.
Some causes of thermal pollution include: Power plants Urban Sprawl Air pollution particles that trap heat Deforestation Loss of temperature moderating water supplies
*Included in thermal pollution should also be the increase in temperatures in areas with lots of concrete or vehicles, generally in cities.
These kinds of environmental pollution can cause aquatic life to suffer or die due to the increased temperature, can cause discomfort to communities dealing with higher temperatures and can even affect plant-life in and around the area. As temperatures increase, mild climatic changes may be observed, and wildlife populations may be unable to recover from swift changes.
H. Radioactive Pollution
Radioactive pollution is rare but extremely detrimental, and even deadly, when it occurs. Because of its intensity and the difficulty of reversing damage, there are strict government regulations to control radioactive pollution.
Some sources of radioactive pollution include: Nuclear power plant accidents or leakage Improper nuclear waste disposal Uranium mining operations
Radiation pollution can cause birth defect, cancer, sterilization, and other health problems for human and wildlife populations. It can also sterilize the soil and contribute to water and air pollution.
4 II. POSSIBLE PLACES HERE IN PALAWAN WHERE THAT POLLUTION CAN OCCUR.
1. Mining in Rio Tuba, Palawan.
LAND There are many environmental concerns about the effects mining has on the land. Trees need to be cut down in order to have a mine built, and whole forests could be destroyed. Mining involves moving large quantities of rock, and in surface mining, overburden land impacts are immense. Overburden is the material that lies overtop of the desirable mineral deposits that must be removed before the mining process begins. Some mines make an effort to return the rock and land to its original appearance by returning the rock and overburden to the pit that they were taken out of. Copper mines sometimes extract ore that has very little copper actually in it (less than 1%). Almost all of the mined ore of non-ferrous metals becomes waste. A lot of areas are pock marked by thousands of small holes by people digging in search of precious minerals. Mining activities also may lead to erosion, which is dangerous and bad for the land. It destroys river banks, and changes how the river flows, where it flows, what lives in it, etc. Toxins used in the extraction of minerals (for example cyanide and byproducts like mercury) can permanently pollute the land, which makes people not able to farm in certain places. Open-pit mining leaves behind large craters that can be seen from outer-space.
AIR Mining has a great effect on the quality of the air. Since mines need to blast through rock to get to an ore, dust may be produced in the process. Coal mines release methane, which contributes to environmental issues because it is a greenhouse gas.
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WATER Mines use a lot of water, though some of the water is reusable. Sulfide containing minerals, when oxidized through contact with air, via mining, form sulfuric acid. This, when combined with trace elements, negatively impacts groundwater. This happens from both surface and underground mines. Another way surface and underground water are affected is through tailings dams and waste rock heaps, because they are a source of acidic drainage water. Leftover chemical deposits from explosives are usually toxic, and increase the salinity of mine water, as well as contaminating it. Groundwater can be directly contaminated through in situ mining, in which a solvent seeps into un-mined rock, leaching minerals. In the extraction of minerals, some toxins (for example cyanide and mercury) are used that can permanently pollute the water, making it hard for fishers to find fish. Spills into oceans and lakes add toxic heavy metals and sulfuric acid into the environment, which can take ages to fix. Also, Acid Mine Drainage lowers the pH of the water, making it more acidic.
2. Motor vehicle engines in hi-ways and roads.
AIR Puerto Princesa is becoming a developed city as each day passes, but this brings forth the use of many vehicles for transportation purposes since our population is also growing. Because of the exhaust from motor vehicles engines, our hi-ways are becoming more polluted and the air becomes toxicespecially to those with respiratory problems such as asthma.
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3. Light pollution caused by excess lighting in buildings/ attractions
LIGHT POLLUTION When there are events such as Christmas and New Years eve, Palaweos often visit the City Baywalk (Baybay) and there would be throngs of peopleold and young, men and women visiting the place. Not such a bad thing though, to mingle with others and possibly make new friends, but the thing is: when there are events like these, the government often use a lot of electricity to fire up dozens of city lightswhich in itself is not the bad thing here.
People pay their taxes so these things would happen to their convenience, but what they dont know is that when there are too many lights in a certain place, you wont be able to see the true beauty of nature. The stars would be blocked by the electricity from the lighting and the moon would be a mere white ball on the night sky.