INTL100 Intro to Global Issues

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INTL100 Intro to Global Issues

• Dr. Lee H. Lee
• SH-108 X-7164
• leel_at_mail.montclair.edu
• Fall 2004

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What is pollution

• Any undesirable change in the characteristics of
  the air, water, soil or food that can affect the
  health called pollution.

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According to their properties

• a. physical agents e.g.. Radiation
• b. chemical agents e.g.. Chemical carcinogens
• c. biological agents Virus or bacteria

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According to their locations

• a. air pollution e.g. photochemical smug
• b. water pollution e.g. algal bloom, oil
  spill
• c. solid waste e.g. garbage

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Effect of pollution

• 1. Nuisance and aesthetic insult
• unpleasant smells and taste, reduce atmospheric
  visibility and soiling of buildings and
  monuments.
•  
• 2. Property damage
• corrosion of metals, weathering or dissolution
  of building and monuments materials.
•  
• 3. Damage to plant and non-human animal life
• Decrease tree and crop production, harmful
  health effects on animals and extinction, affect
  the ecosystem and food chain

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• 4. Damage to human health
• spread of infectious diseases, respiratory
  system irritation and diseases, genetic and
  reproductive harm and cancers.
•  
• 5. Disruption of natural life support
• system at local, regional and global level of
  climate change and decrease natural recycling of
  chemicals, energy imputes, biodiversity needed
  for good health and survival of people and other
  forms of life.

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Major Environmental Problems

• (1)  Air Pollution
• Global climate change
• Ozone depletion
• Urban air pollution
• Acid deposition
• Outdoor pollutants
• Indoor pollutants
• Noise

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(2) Water Pollution

• Sediment
• Nutrient overload
• Toxic chemicals
• Infectious agents
• Oxygen depletion
• Pesticides
• Oil spills
• Excess heat

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(3) Waste Production

• Solid waste
• Hazardous waste
•   (4)  Biodiversity Depletion
• Habitat destruction
• Habitat degradation
• Extinction

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(5)  Food Supply Problems

• Overgrazing
• Farmland loss and degradation
• Wetlands loss and degradation
• Overfishing
• Coastal pollution
• Soil erosion
• Soil salinization
• Soil waterlogging
• Water shortages
• Groundwater depletion
• Loss of biodiversity
• Poor nutrition

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Photochemical Smug

• Hydrocarbons (methane, ethane etc.)
• Nitrogen oxides
• Sunlight

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Global Warming Gases

• 1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) 49
• Major sources are fossil-fuel burning (80) and
  deforestation (20)
• Industrial countries account for about 76 of
  annual emissions.

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• 2. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 14
• Major sources are leaking air conditioners and
  refrigerators, evaporation of industrial
  solvents, production of plastic foams and
  propellants in aerosol spray cans (in some
  country). In 1978 CFC was banned in US and
  Europe. Have 10,000 to 20,000 times the impact
  per molecule on global warming than each of the
  CO2 molecule

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• 3. Methane (CH4) 18
• It is produced by bacteria that decompose
  organic matter in oxygen poor environments. 40
  of methane emissions come from waterlogged soil,
  marshes, and rice paddies. Others such as
  landfills, coal seams, natural gas wells, etc.
  (25X more effective than CO2)

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• 4. Nitrous oxide (N2O) 6
• It is released from the breakdown of nitrogen
  fertilizers in soil, livestock wastes, and
  nitrate-contaminated groundwater and by biomass
  burning.
• (230 X that of a CO2 molecule)

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Global Warming from an Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

• Rising levels of greenhouse gases
• CO2 49
• CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) 14
• methane 8
• nitrous oxide 6
•  
• The latter three gases have a much greater
  warming effect per molecule than CO2.

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Global Responsibilities

• US 18
• European countries 13
• Russian countries 12
• Brazil 11
• China 10
• India 4
• Japan 4
• Canada 2
• Mexico 1.4

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ACID RAIN

• Unpolluted rain has a natural pH of about 5.6.
  A pH lower than this is considered abnormally
  acidic. In the northeast, now has an annual
  average pH 4.0 to 4.2.

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What causes acid rain?

• When airborne pollutants are transport through
  the atmosphere, some of the pollutants such as
  sulfur oxides (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX)
  combine with water vapor to form sulfuric acid
  and nitric acid. These air pollutants are
  literally washed out of the air by rain, snow,
  and fog. This causes acid rain

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Acid Rain

• Sulfur oxides water ? Sulfuric acid
• Nitrogen oxides water ? Nitric acid
• High humidity acid gases ? acid rain

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What Are the Effects of Acid Rain?

• 1. Have many harmful ecological effect, pH lt
  5.1 for terrestrial systems and pH lt 5.5 for
  aquatic system
•    2. Contribute to human respiratory diseases
  such as bronchitis, asthma
• 3.Damage statues, buildings, metals etc.
• 4. Damage trees and forest.