Environmental Pollution- Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions

School: Montego Bay High School

Name: Danielle Hanson

Grade: 12

To take care of our bodies, we eat well, exercise and make sure to get enough sleep. That is our

internal environment. It is the responsibility of an Emerging global leader to recognize that the

environment that surrounds us; the air, soil, water and ecosystems is equally important for our

health and the health and well-being of others because Earth is the only home that humans have,

and it provides oxygen, food, shelter and other needs, thus the need to educate the society;

showing them the effects of polluting the environment, to possibly get them to lessen pollution to

a significant level.

The issue of environmental pollution has been an ongoing one for many centuries now, the

common ones being air, water and land pollution. Air pollution is the releasing of pollutants into

the air that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole. Pollution pollutes the air

that we breathe. It may cause harm to the living organisms such as animals, plants and other

living organisms that are important part of our environment. It also damages our natural

environment and degrades the quality of the air. The pollutants can occur naturally or can be

manmade. If we don’t care about the environment, chances are it will become polluted. It will be

polluted with contaminants and toxins, which may harmfully affect your health. According to the

National Geographic, air pollution is associated with heart and asthma attacks, bronchitis, and

premature mortality. Although we have treatment systems and other mechanisms to combat these

issues, you never know what faults may occur. Our physical and psychological wellbeing is
affected differently by the kind of air pollution we are exposed to. There are many organs and

bodily functions that can be harmed, the consequences including: Respiratory diseases

Cardiovascular damage Fatigue, headaches and anxiety Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat

Damage to reproductive organs Harm to the liver, spleen and blood Nervous system damage.

Urban populations are more exposed to suffer the effects of air pollution and, in this context,

people who are already ill are particularly vulnerable, as are children and the elderly. Every

living being depends, directly, on water so this has taken a heavy toll on the entire living

population. Water pollution is another major type of prominent pollution where one or more

substances have built up in water to such an extent that they cause problems for animals or

people. According to Science Daily, waterborne diseases are caused by drinking contaminated or

dirty water. Contamination of water deteriorates the chemical, physical, and biological

characteristics of the water which is very harmful to the human beings, animals and plants all

over the world. Most of the important animals and plants species have been lost because of the

water contamination. It is an issue affecting society. The article goes on to say that water is

getting polluted to a great level because mining, agriculture, fisheries, stockbreeding, various

industries, urban human activities, urbanization, increasing number of manufacturing industries,

domestic sewage, etc. Contaminated water can also cause many types of diarrheal diseases,

including Cholera, and other serious illnesses such as Guinea worm disease, Typhoid, and

Dysentery. Water related diseases cause 3.4 million deaths each year. The main problem caused

by water pollution is that it kills life that depends on these water bodies. Dead fish, crabs, birds

and sea gulls, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants in

their habitat. According to conservationinstitute.org, land pollution is the destruction and

contamination of the land through the direct and indirect actions of humans. The pollution results
in change in climate patterns, environmental impact effect on human health and effect on

wildlife, changes to the land, such as soil erosion. It is a danger to human health as toxic

chemicals and pesticides lead to potentially fatal illnesses like skin cancer and human respiratory

system. These chemicals reach us through foods and vegetables grown in polluted soil. With the

loss of habitat and natural environments, the animal kingdom face a serious threat. Constant

human activity on land is leaving it polluted, forcing these species to move further away and

adapt to new regions or die trying to adjust.

There are many emerging global leaders in this society and we should all take a stand as the

potential leaders of the world to object environmental pollution and to promote proper disposal

of waste and limit the use of chemicals that are harmful to the environment. In order to do so, we

must use the leadership skills that we have to our advantage; set examples for others to follow to

promote proper disposal of our waste save energy everywhere ,looking for the “energy star”

label when buying home or office equipment, the use of public transportation, bike, or walk

whenever possible. We should also aim to educate the population about the causes and effects of

pollution through seminars and since all ages contribute to environmental pollution, we must use

appropriate communicative language that each age group will understand. We should write

letters to the appropriate organizations to share these possible solutions.

It can be concluded that all types of pollution are hazardous to the environment as our

environment is important for us to be in good physical shape. The condition of the environment

we live in depends on the lifestyles of human beings and the conditions we create. Everything on

this earth is connected to each other and necessary for the existence of a good life here.

However, by any means if our environment gets affected negatively, creates lots of problems and

many challenges in living a simple and healthy life. Our environment acts as a natural world for

us and provides a protection to us from the natural disasters. All emerging global leaders should

play a part in this society and promote a healthy and clean environment, educate the society

about environmental pollution.

Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5122104/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/09/news-air-quality-brain-cognitive-

function/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/water_pollution.htm