How to Prevent Air Pollution

How to Prevent Air Pollution

As we all have noticed, it’s becoming hard to find fresh air with all the sophistication that has crept in eventually. This not only defines our planet’s degrading condition, but also marks the extent of human ignorance towards the pollution situation. Why is it that global warming is seen as a catch 22 situation? Now, who’s the prime victim of this ignorance? Us? Okay, and what about our garden planet? We are solely responsible for inducing such hostility in the environment. On one side of the coin, we have imprints of mediocre disturbances pertaining to lives and lifestyle of individuals; whereas, on the other hand, we see this collective phenomenon which not only threatens to claim our sacred space, but also acts as a constraint for preserving a healthy environment for our survival, as human race. Where restoring the planet’s condition back to normal seems like too much of an expectation, preventing air pollution is all the more becoming difficult, and that with the increasing demand for transportation for industrial as well as personal use.

We have been studying the ill-effects of a bad environment since childhood, and as we know, air pollution is responsible for a number of respiratory disorders such as lung cancer, asthma, various heart diseases etc. It is also one of the prime contributors of severe headache, nausea, vomiting and constipation. Besides, air pollution also leads to certain chronic disorders, and is responsible for increasing the cases of cancer throughout the globe. It’s disturbing to know that in the midst of this chaotic situation, there are industries, factories, and manufacturers, that are least bothered to take the blame and become an active part of our planet’s restoration. It is even upsetting to know that there are some businesses tend to abuse the heat of this situation and go about developing products that they claim to be eco-friendly, and eventually charge increased rates, thus doing only but contributing to the havoc.

Cities look less clearer in pictures today, and it's definitely not due of a faulty camera

Where the adverse effects of air pollution are being discussed around the world, let’s discuss how to prevent air pollution, and start acting as responsible inhabitants of a civilization that is on the verge of its doom. Following are few steps that we can take in order to prevent air pollution. All the methods explained below require minimum effort, and is bound to help us create a pollution free environment.
Let’s go about planting
Planting trees is one of the easiest methods for bringing pollution under control. It is noticed through years that trees are being cut on a very large scale for whatever reasons, which is a major cause of air pollution. Trees act as natural filters that cleanse the environment of potential impurities, and decrease the effect of greenhouse gases by a substantial amount. They not only inhale carbon dioxide released by vehicles, industries, and several other sources, but also release oxygen into the air during photosynthesis, on which we all survive.
Conserved use of fuels
Burning of petroleum and fossil fuels release enormous amount of pollutants into the air, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, which in fact form the major components of greenhouse gases. Instead of these sources of energy, we can easily substitute them with other safe and natural sources of energy such as solar energy, tidal energy etc.
Need to find better ways than burning coal
Coal is used on a large scale in industrial processes, and this releases a huge amount of soot and smoke in the atmosphere, gradually giving rise to many sub-problems like the formation of smog, which greatly affects visibility during driving, and often proves fatal to fellow drivers. Although we as the public have no control over these issues, as workers of the factories, we can push them into realizing the fact that there are indeed alternatives that are both cost-efficient and easy to acquire. Where there are no alternatives to the fuel itself, industries can definitely upgrade their systems with energy efficient equipment and machinery, which will be helpful in reducing air pollution.
Some unnecessary activities that need to be called off
When we can see how much impurities are ejected out in the air by vehicles and electrical appliances, we can sense how hazardous nuclear testing and radioactive explosions can prove for our planet. Radioactive explosions release radioactive isotopes such as uranium, radium and polonium. Now, we all know that the effects of radioactive pollution lasts for painfully longer periods, with a perfect example being the consequences of nuclear blasts planned against Japan during the second world war. Once released, these elements are very difficult to be eliminated from the atmosphere, when compared to other forms of air pollutants.
Another such wasteful practice is to send space shuttles to study neighboring planets. While many successfully reach their destination, many attempts fail, thus draining inhuman amounts of resources. Now, let’s think deeply for a while – do we really need these experiments? Can we let our curiosity ruin the land that we walk on? Can we actually take our existence for granted and perform such meaningless acts? Sorry folks, but this is how deep immaturity and irresponsibility can get.

And they say it's us who need to be aware

Some wasteful practices that indicate improper use of resources
This is the eon of businesses, and our system, as a whole, is certainly not being managed up to the mark. Let’s consider the profession of paper production. Do you know that we have enough paper in the world to keep us going for the next many decades? This is not a conclusion based on any research; in fact, we don’t need research to make such deductions, these things are lucid. Where most of the forests razed down are being use for the production of currency, cigarettes, and paper for official purposes and household stationary, the government can certainly impose or amend the rules as to the amount of paper that such business can legally produce within a year. Let’s consider a worst case scenario – the planet is dying, and there is drought, famines, plagues, and all sorts of problems, and this has in turn lead to another great depression in the global economy, thus causing a hell of a situation. At such times, what good can currency or marketing brochures do?
Similarly, manufacturing jewelry and fancy products are purely unnecessary. We need to realize that not every desire needs to be chased around, and desires such as looking fancy or decorating our homes or even our body will always bother us. But, we on the other hand, have a conscience, and a discriminative intelligence, which we need to use in order to decide whether we actually “need” them. Once we stop buying products which are meant only for promoting or uplifting our “statuses” or economic condition in the society, it will cause a butterfly effect, and the manufacturers of such products will eventually seize their business activities, which in turn will prove beneficial for the environment.
Use smoke controlling appliances in vehicles
Vehicles should be installed with smoke controlling appliances in order to reduce the amount of pollution in the atmosphere, and everyone who owns a vehicle must take responsibility towards maintaining them, so that they’re in the most efficient of conditions. If possible we can avoid use of vehicles and use bicycles, or maybe use public transport for a change.
More tips for preventing air pollution

• Get your vehicles checked regularly to control pollution. Maintain vehicles in proper condition
• Do not use the same vehicle for a prolonged period without regular check-up, because it may increase the emission of pollutants in the atmosphere due to deterioration of its parts
• If you notice your car or motorcycle emitting abnormal amounts of smoke, then take responsibility and replace its gas pump and the air filter, and remember to keep your tires inflated properly, so that it consumes less fuel
• Did you know that when a considerable amount of ethanol is mixed along with petrol, it reduces the amount of pollutants it releases in the air?

Let this not be the condition of our future generation

Make use of recycled products

• Try to use products which are created by recycling and practice recycling products
• Remember to recycle paper bags and wastes from industries and kitchen

Save energy

• Generating electricity does leave out residues in terms of release of large amounts of gaseous pollutants in the atmosphere
• Switch off all the electrical appliances when not in use, use energy saving products and make less use of air-conditioners. Simply switching off don’t kill the connections, you need to unplug the cables out of the sockets, for even when not in use, a small amount of energy leaks through.

Following and implementing the above steps are bound to help prevent air pollution, and thus contribute to effective restoration of our planet close to it’s normal state. And remember, we need to spread the word.