Monday 18 March 2013

Acid Rain Solutions

Acid Rain Solutions
Acid rain is a growing problem that our planet is facing. If we do not employ and enforce corrective acid rain solutions immediately, the damage could be irreversible. Understanding the causes, effects and solutions of acid rain are mandatory tasks for everybody.
In the simplest of terms, rainfall that has been acidified is called acid rain. The amount of pollution that is present in the air leads to this acidification of water droplets in the atmosphere. It is primarily the oxides of sulfur and nitrogen that lead to this acidification of the water droplets, which results in the formation and the fall of acid rain. These pollutants are usually emitted by power plants, factories and cars. When the smoke emitted by them reacts with the moisture present in the atmosphere, it results in the formation of acid rain. Before you delve further into solutions, you must understand the whole concept of acid rain and its repercussions. Once you have understood the causes, effects and solutions, then you can go about trying to prevent its occurrence.

Causes
The primary cause of acid rain is the emission of harmful gases and emissions by industrial power plants and factories, and to some extent, cars as well. In particular, the burning of fuels such as natural gas, coal or even oil, emits some gases that gives oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, which leads us to look for possible solutions for acid rain. Even the burning of gasoline and diesel in cars and vehicles build the amount of acidified water droplets in the atmosphere. The major causes are man-made, and not natural, so it is our responsibility to come up with the solutions as well.

Effects
The effects are obviously going to be unhealthy and harmful. Buildings, national monuments and bridges tend to deteriorate faster. But the biggest reason to find satisfactory solutions is the damage is to natural ecosystems. This rain will affect the plants, trees, rivers, lakes, soil and land wherever it may fall. As a result of this the various animals and plants that live in that area will be severely affected. Their food sources will get diminished, they may develop unhealthy diseases or mutations, or they may even die in extreme cases.

Possible Solutions
The number of possible solutions that are available to us are aplenty. What matters more is to consciously enforce these solutions to stop this rain and to do so on a wide scale. People all over the world must be made aware of the causes and effects of this rain, and they should be thoroughly educated about it. Solutions to can only be successful through cooperation. Given below are a few solutions, which can greatly reduce the threat of acid rain, if strictly followed by a large number of people.

One of the most fundamental solutions is to utilize fuels that burn more cleanly, or to burn coal more efficiently. This will greatly reduce the possibilities of this rain developing in the atmosphere.
As fas as industrial power plants are concerned, the best solution is to attach devices known as 'scrubbers' in the chimneys of these plants. These scrubbers reduce the amount of sulfur produced in the smoke by 90 - 95%.
Vehicles and cars must be mandatorily required to comply with very tight and efficient emission standards. Fitting catalytic converters into the exhaust pipes of vehicles, also reduces the amount of sulfur dioxide produced by the vehicles.
We can make a lot of changes on a personal level as well, in order to combat acid rain. We should restrict the use of our cars and vehicles and utilize other modes of transportation on a more frequent basis. We should also remember to turn off all our lights and electrical devices in case we are not using them.
For industrial power plants, there are many more solutions that must be enforced, as they are clearly the biggest contributors to the formation of acidified water droplets in the atmosphere. Industries must regularly inspect and clean all their emission equipment and chimneys and pipes.
All these solutions will be pointless unless people are informed and educated about the ill-effects and harms of this rain. A widespread and nationwide effort must be made to make people aware. Only after that is done, will all the solutions actually make a difference.

Acid rain is one of the biggest environmental hazards that we are facing today, and strong measure must be taken to prevent it, before it is too late. Governments need to sit up and take notice, and do much more than what they are already doing. Acid rain adversely affects plants, animals and human beings, and as a result it is not something that we can afford to ignore. It is our duty towards ourselves and towards our fellow human beings to do all we can to prevent and reduce the presence and increase of acid rain in our environment.

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