A Reaction Paper on the Article "Pollution Facts & Types of Pollution"

As defined by Alina Bradford in her article entitled "Pollution Facts & Types of Pollution," pollution is the process of contaminating land, water, air, and other elements of the environment, rendering them unsafe or unfit for human use. This can be accomplished by introducing a contamination into a natural habitat; however, the contaminant need not be palpable. When artificially brought into an area, simple things like light, sound, and temperature can be called pollutants. She stated that toxic pollution affects more than 200 million people worldwide, according to Pure Earth, a non-profit environmental organization.

Bradford also said that land can become polluted as a result of domestic trash and industrial waste. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated around 258 million tons of solid garbage in 2014. Approximately half of garbage — 136 million tons — was accumulated in landfills. Around 34% of waste was recycled or composted. 

I could also say that carbon dioxide and methane, which are mostly byproducts of the combustion of wood, oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels, contribute to the atmosphere's ability to absorb heat emitted by the Earth's surface, contributing to the phenomena known as global warming. I also believe that land pollution frequently adds to water pollution, since pollutants and nutrients seep into the groundwater or run off into lakes and rivers before reaching the oceans.

Moreover, the author mentioned that hydraulic fracturing, a technique for extracting natural gas and oil from the earth, injects some of these hydrocarbons into the surrounding rock, where they can leak into the groundwater. Groundwater contamination is a critical concern because it provides a source of drinkable water for many people. She also said that pesticides, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fertilizers, run off fields and into waterways, where they disrupt aquatic and marine food cycles. Pesticides are extremely poisonous to insects, fish, and the animals that consume them. Fertilizers high in nitrogen and phosphorus "feed" algae and other aquatic plants, resulting in larger-than-normal blooms.

Aside from land and water pollution, I could also say that even though the pollutants are undetectable, dirty air can be deadly. It can cause people's eyes to burn and their breathing to become difficult. Additionally, it may raise the risk of developing lung cancer. I must also say that the air we breathe is composed of 99 percent nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and inert gases. Air pollution occurs when substances that are not ordinarily present in the air are introduced. Air pollution is a regular occurrence when individuals emit particles into the air as a result of fuel combustion. This pollution resembles soot, consisting of millions of microscopic particles suspended in the air.

Hence, we must be devoted to strengthening conservation and protection of natural resources, advancing ecological sustainability, and fostering community-environment harmony. We must enable communities to access grants and other resources, accept local solutions, and foster innovation in order to address the causes of climate change and environmental degradation and mitigate their effects.