Introduction
In today’s contemporary world, environmental changes caused by pollution and human activity affect everyone globally. Climate change is the result of industrialization, technological advancement, increased world population, and the demand for mass production. As its effects become more prominent, more people take notice of the problem and seek to resolve it. Many countries have started engaging in serious control of the emissions, promoting recycling and the use of green energy. However, in the US, most actions taken toward resolving environmental issues are unsustainable or inefficient. In this essay, such problems as global warming and air and water pollution, which are major concerns in the country, will be examined. Additionally, some ways of mitigating the damage caused will be discussed.
Climate Change
Increased world population has created a higher demand for mass production, which is satisfied with global industrialization and advanced technologies. The scale of human impact on the planet has been drastically expanding. Most families own a car, multiple electrical appliances, and consume manufactured products, which would be unimaginable only one hundred years ago. Nowadays, humanity has finally started realizing that such a lifestyle causes tremendous harm to the planet.
Environmental concerns have become more prominent recently since more people experience the effects of climate change firsthand or see how it affects nearby nature and wildlife (Funk et al., 2020). Long-term factory productions, waste disposal, and deforestation create a greenhouse effect, which traps the sun’s heat within the Earth’s atmosphere, increasing the overall temperature and filling it with harmful gases. These effects are associated with the use of factories, power stations, vehicles, and mass agriculture. However, the contemporary world is able to use technology to mitigate the damage as well. For example, renewable energy and electric vehicles reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Edinburgh Sensors, 2019). Spreading awareness of climate change and its dangers to life on Earth and contributing to the cause can help secure the planet and human well-being.
Global Warming
Global warming is a result of primarily human activities that affects almost every country on Earth. The main cause of such an effect is the presence of high-density urban areas. This is due to the fact that such activities as agriculture, construction, and transportation contribute to an increased concentration of greenhouse gas emissions (Causes of Climate Change, 2020). Additionally, since such areas lack natural forests, the pollutant exertion is not mitigated. The gases change the reflectivity of the Earth’s surface, trapping and absorbing the sun’s energy and heat. Due to this, urban areas are noticeably warmer, yet the entire planet faces the consequences as well. Global warming leads to an increase in overall temperature, which results in rapid wildfires, glacier melting, and rising sea levels, destroying nature, wildlife, and human habitat. According to Nordhaus (2020), taxes and penalties on greenhouse gas exertion can force companies to contribute to the cause. Additionally, transportation is car-oriented in the US, which is another reason behind the increased emissions in the country. One of the ways to mitigate the damage caused by global warming is to promote and improve public transportation.
Water Pollution
Despite the EPA’s water quality act, the US still suffers tremendously from water pollution in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies. According to Chaudhry and Malik (2017), there are many sources of water contamination, including agricultural, chemical, urban, and atmospheric pollutants. This environmental issue affects wildlife and fish, which can additionally cause infections and serious diseases in humans. Furthermore, dissolved metalls and micro-plastics significantly complicate the purification process. According to Keiser et al. (2019), expenditures aimed at cleaning water surfaces are great, yet they still fail to be successful or cost-efficient. The abundance of factories and the severe effects of air pollution make the pressing issue difficult to deal with, while it puts a significant strain on recreational and health outcomes of the US citizens. Due to this, Keiser et al. (2019) suggest that mitigating the damage of water pollution can be done through proper research of the affected area and unbiased estimation of the economic costs of water purification. Moreover, stricter pollution regulations, penalties, and awareness promotion should be implemented to secure a different approach to decreasing water treatment costs.
Air Pollution
Air pollution is closely related to the previous two environmental issues as it is one of the main reasons behind them. Power generation, agriculture, road traffic, and mass production significantly contribute to the decreased air quality. It is usually noted that regions with dense populations suffer more from pollution; however, in the example of the US, it is seen that air quality can be affected by distant emission sources as well (Dedoussi et al., 2020). Since most of the US air contamination policies are regulated by the state law, such emission exchange between them poses high difficulty in resolving the issue (Giannadaki et al., 2018). Air pollution affects humans directly as it is known to contribute to higher risks of premature mortality (Dedoussi et al., 2020). According to Giannadaki et al. (2018), reducing air pollutants emissions will help resolve both health and economic problems in the US. One of the ways to do so on an individual level is by spreading awareness and promoting plant-based diets, and economical electricity use since agriculture and power generation are the main causes of air pollution. Furthermore, the federal government should reinforce policies related to emission rates and power usage on a corporate level.
Conclusion
Climate change is an issue on a global scale that affects every inhabitant of the Earth. Centuries of mass production and inconsiderable use of resources resulted in severe damage that caused suffering to everyone globally. More people begin experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand, seeking ways to resolve the issue and mitigate the damage. The people of the US have to deal with such serious problems as global warming, air and water pollution. These issues appear to be related to each other, demanding government and citizens to take action. In order to save the planet, reduce health risks, and even support the economy, more environmental policies, taxes, regulations, and penalties should be implemented. Individuals can contribute to the cause by spreading awareness and promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle.
References
Causes of Climate Change. (2020). United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Chaudhry, F. N., & Malik, M. F. (2017). Factors affecting water pollution: A review. Journal of Ecosystem AND Ecography, 7(225), 1-3.
Dedoussi, I. C., Eastham, S. D., Monier, E., & Barrett, S. R. (2020). Premature mortality related to United States cross-state air pollution. Nature, 578(7794), 261-265.
Edinburgh Sensors. (2019). The impact of technology on the environment and how environmental technology could save our planet. Author.
Funk, C., Tyson, A., Kennedy, B., & Johnson, C. (2020). Concern over climate and the environment predominates among these publics.
Giannadaki, D., Giannakis, E., Pozzer, A., & Lelieveld, J. (2018). Estimating health and economic benefits of reductions in air pollution from agriculture. Science of the total environment, 622, 1304-1316,
Keiser, D. A., Kling, C. L., & Shapiro, J. S. (2019). The low but uncertain measured benefits of US water quality policy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(12), 5262-5269.
Nordhaus, W. D. (2020). To tax or not to tax: Alternative approaches to slowing global warming. Review of Environmental Economics and policy.