Environmental Problems of Acid Rain

  Currently, there is a critical global crisis that is negatively affecting both people and the environment as a whole. Acid rain is one of the big problems that make this global crisis. Acid rain refers to rainwater with a lower acidity than pH 5.6. Since the pure water is neutral, the pH is 7, but the natural rainwater contains carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the pH is 5.6. Therefore, when the natural pH is lower than 5.6, it is called acid rain. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that contains high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. As a result, acid rain can occur in forms other than rain such as snow, fog, etc. Acid rain is a dilemma all around the globe but there are certain regions where this precipitation is more critical. The cause of acid rain is caused by the discharge of acidic air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide gas. In other words, acid rain is one of the important air pollution phenomena such as fine dust, ozone and so on.As factories and automobiles emit nitrogen and sulfur into the air, it causes a chemical reaction high up into the atmosphere. Those chemicals mix with water and oxygen which generates acid rain. Thus, the cause of acid rain is due to manmade sources. 

    This problem is a global issue that affects all the regions on Earth. This is because no matter where the acid rain forms, the water cycle moves the pollution around and spread the acid rain to different locations. Although the problem is not severe yet, it is a growing concern that we should definitely be aware of. As air pollution increases, acid rain increases as well which obviously means the amount of acid rain is escalating. This is definitely problematic because acid rain does a lot of harm to many different things and places. First of all, it damages the aquatic environment. Acid rain always reaches the water source either directly, by flowing down a forest, etc. When this happens, the pH level or the level of acid significantly decreases. This is dangerous because fish need a particular level of pH in order to survive. The impact of pH level is that it makes it impossible for fish eggs to hatch and it also kills adult fish. Therefore, acid rain has a colossal influence on aquatic life. Secondly, it abuses forests and trees in particular. Acid rain breaks down the tree’s defense which causes it to be more vulnerable to diseases, extreme weather, and insects that can destroy the trees. Next, it also has a big impact on architecture, especially buildings. When acid rain makes contact with buildings, especially those made out of limestone, it makes the buildings weaker and easier to decay. This is the same for others such as airplanes, cars, bridges, etc. Lastly, it affects people in the way that it deteriorates people’s vision and it can cause problems in their lungs and hearts in the long term. Despite these destructive effects of acid rain, fortunately there are many places around the world trying to diminish this issue. Governments are cleaning industry smokestacks and trying to find alternate fuel sources to decrease the pollution resulting in acid rain. In addition, the EPA’s Acid Rain Program has been putting a limit to the emission of sulfur dioxide by putting a cap on the use of power plants. Overall, the issue is not good but there are many people that are trying help decrease the problem.

  In order to reverse the problem, the only thing we can do is curbing the release of the pollution that is causing acid rain. This goes like a solution to the air pollution problem. The best thing we can do is to burn less fossil fuel. Therefore, we need to find alternative energy sources to utilize instead of fossil fuel. In addition, to limit acid rain, it is important to clean up exhaust pipes and smoke stacks. However, not only certain people have the ability to do this but everyone can contribute to stopping acid rain. The most important thing is to conserve energy and everyone can do this. For example, using less electronics, lights, air conditioning, etc. can all help decrease air pollution. Another way to help is by driving less and using public transportation. Cars and trucks all release lots of nitrogen oxide which is a factor that causes acid rain. Although these are really little things, it can add up to make a huge difference in society. Currently, there are many things that are being done in order to raise awareness of this detrimental situation. For example, commercials, ads, newspapers, and many other things are being released into the internet. All of these are all contributing to raise awareness. Something that can be done even more to help the situation is sharing this problem in social media.

By Justin Chung