A point source is one massive emitter into the environment. Usually, this indicates that a source may be tracked back, such as a coal-fired power plant’s smokestack or a factory’s drainpipe. Non-point sources, on the other hand, are difficult, if not impossible, to trace since their toxins are widely scattered. Fertilizer and pesticide runoff from farms, golf courses, and residential lawns, for example, could end up in streams or lakes. Pollution in streams and lakes is obvious, but it is difficult to pinpoint its source.
Pollution and waste are frequently mistaken with one another. Waste is the discarded result of a once-useful system (as perceived by the user—”one person’s trash is another’s treasure”). Pollution, on the other hand, is a toxic waste product.
For further information, see Pollution vs Waste.
Types of pollution
There are numerous sorts of pollu-tion around the world. All of them can be minimized to some extent, but they are an unavoidable result of convenience in our energy-intensive culture. None of the following can be eradicated, but with careful preparation, they may typically be significantly reduced. Pollu-tion comes in various forms, including:
- Air: Air pollution, caused by both natural and human activity, is a major issue impacting soil and water contamination.
- Soil: It can be caused by pollutants in the air, water, or within the soil itself. Pollution in the soil is damaging to both plants and animals.
- Water: Pollutants from the air can pollute rainwater, similar to soil contamination. Pollutants can enter huge bodies of water by runoff from the land. Water contamination can destroy all forms of life.
- Light: Because society relies on artificial light, seeing the night sky within cities is frequently difficult. This is a tiny issue, but it serves as a reminder of the possible pollu-tion caused by the light.
- Noise: It refers to sounds that would not otherwise be audible in a non-energy-dependent civilization. Car and jet noises are two examples.
- Radioactive: Radioactivity is continually assaulting the world and its inhabitants, but excessive concentrations can be harmful, so radioactive waste is carefully monitored.
- Thermal: Unnatural temperature changes can harm ecosystems. Dumping clean, warm water from a power station into a nearby river can impact fish populations.
- Littering: Litter itself is a type of waste, but incorrect disposal of it causes pollu-tion. It is frequently completely avoidable.
The generating of power causes the most visible and harmful forms of this, the manufacture of industrial items, and the transportation of people and these things. These can be seen regularly in large cities as photochemical haze, with the toxins it contains frequently making their way into water and soil. Direct pollu-tion of water and soil occurs at industrial and residential sites. The toxic chemicals end up in the environment via these sites.
Reducing
Prevention is the most important aspect of pollution reduction. It is always easier (and safer) to handle a problem before it arises than to clean up after it occurs. Benjamin Franklin’s phrase “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” effectively captures this sentiment. As a result, pollution prevention is the most important factor in lowering pollution, whereas cleanup measures are secondary but still vital.
There are three reasons why cleanup is second to prevention:
- It’s merely a temporary solution. As the population grows and pollution levels rise, cleanup must also climb, which is inefficient. Cleaning up is often a good idea even if the pollution has already been released.
- Cleaning is not always effective. Cleaning up litter, for example, is a remedy to pollution in a specific area; however, it might subsequently be burned, creating air pollution, deposited into streams or lakes, or buried, potentially causing soil contamination.
- Once contaminants enter the ecosystem, they are highly expensive to remove, and time is often an issue.
There are numerous strategies for preventing pollution. Scrubbers can help minimize air pollution in plants that emit dangerous pollutants. Catalytic converters in automotive exhausts can help to minimize transportation-related pollution. Septic tanks and sewage treatment at various stages can help to decrease water contamination.
