THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT POLLUTION FACTORS - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The factors of pollution are those elements that are incorporated into the environment and that cause damage and discomfort to humans, plants and animals. There are several types of environmental pollution, which present different characteristics depending on the factor and the natural element that they directly affect. That is why it is possible to distinguish between thermal, radioactive, light pollution, among others.

Pollution problems are nothing new, since from the time of the industrial revolution, in the 19th century, people began to talk about situations that harmed the environment.

Environmental pollution. Source: Gabriel Villena from Albacete, Spain

At that time, the installation of industries and the concentration of population around them, resulted in increased requirements to meet the basic needs of citizens, which led to the indiscriminate use of natural resources.

Factors responsible for pollution

The basis of the pollution is found in the incorporation of a large volume of additional matter into nature, increasing its speed to neutralize the volume of matter incorporated.

The primary cause of pollution is industrial production, which includes the manufacturing industry, power generation, transportation, agriculture, and wood exploitation.

1- Industrial production

Industrial production is considered the main source of pollution since it involves the beginning of a process of extraction and processing of natural resources. In a final phase of manipulation, these arrive as finished products to the population.

To start an industrial production it is necessary: ​​to have a natural land where the industry is located, access the raw material necessary for its manufacture, energy to move the machines that process it and transport for its distribution.

In turn, each of these activities generates some type of contamination since to locate the company it is necessary to prepare a land which implies, for example, deforestation of forests.

On the other hand, the raw material must also be extracted from natural sources and means. And the corresponding energy required to convert matter into the desired product comes from fossil fuels.

For this reason, controlling the growth of industries must be taken into account when it comes to reducing environmental pollution.

2- Power generation

Power generation is considered to be one of the largest producers of environmental pollution, since the resources that are frequently used for this are fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas.

These are known as non-renewable natural resources because they take millions of years to form and once they have been extracted from nature, it is not possible to find them again where they have been taken.

In this sense, reports such as that of the International Energy Agency of 2016 indicate that energy production is responsible for 85% of the emission of sulfur oxides, nitrogen and particulate matter, which cause the appearance of smog; greenhouse effect and global warming.

3- Transportation

The transportation service at all levels is a continuous generator of polluting emissions which cause a huge impact on the environment.

Furthermore, the emission of gases such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter produced by the incomplete combustion of vehicle engines are directly related to the appearance of respiratory and cardiovascular problems in people.

4- Agricultural activity

Agricultural activity for food production involves a series of aspects that cause environmental pollution problems. The process of preparing the land, fertilizing, controlling pests and weeds, and their filtration risks among others, affect in some way the quality of the soil.

These factors manifest themselves in the creation of floods, soil erosion, contamination by pesticides and fertilizers, salinization and the degradation of water quality as a result of toxic leachates and added agrochemicals.

To avoid contamination by agricultural activity, it is necessary to initiate changes in relation to the type of crop to be sown. In particular, in the techniques to manage the land as well as in the selection of fertilizers and pesticides.

5- The exploitation of wood

The exploitation of wood can cause a negative environmental effect since a large number of trees are cut down from the forests. Consequently, they take time to reappear.

Wood is necessary for: the productive activity in sawmills, the manufacture of paper and of cellulose used in the manufacture of fabrics, paper, varnishes and explosives.

In addition, the indiscriminate exploitation of forests and jungles causes the loss of biodiversity, the migration of wildlife, soil erosion, and leads to desertification and floods.

It should not be forgotten that forests are a valuable resource since, in addition to providing the raw material for the manufacture of furniture, houses, clothes, notebooks, among many other objects, it collaborates with the conservation of hydrographic basins and the improvement of the climate.

References

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5. Conserve-energy-future. (2017). Industrial pollution. Retrieved from conserve-energy-future.com.
6. International Energy Agency. (2016). Energy and air pollution. Retrieved from iea.org.
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