The Economy and Environment - How Bad is Pollution?

To pollute or not to pollute... This is the question. Since the industrial periods, we have been altogether stuck with the same problem- climate change and respiratory health problems among others.

Is pollution really bad? The answer is yes and no. In order to produce, we all need to pollute. Factories that process the food that we eat, clothes that we wear, cars that we drive, needs to pollute. Everything that we consume, from the shampoos and soaps, to the socks and shoes, all of these could not be made without polluting. Hence, if we will say that pollution is bad and we do not want ANY pollution it's synonymous to signing our death warrant or better or worse, going back to how the neanderthals lived before.

So, since we need to produce in order to survive, then we need to pollute.

The environment has the ability to assimilate or absorb all of our wastes or the pollution. Hence, we could say that pollution is not always bad. But the assimilation capacity of the environment has its limit. It has a specific rate or speed at which it could only absorb specific amounts of pollution for a certain period of time. In other words, if pollution rate is so fast or higher than what the environment could only absorb, then that's the time that pollution is bad.

This is the reason why the government uses policy regulations such as tax emissions, flat rate carbon tax, ban on production of energy extensive vehicles, incentives for alternative energy research and a lot more. If pollution rate became so high, then health of people is at risk. In effect, the productivity level of the sick people is low and the economy suffers.

The economy suffers not just because of the lost productivity of the people, but also because the government must pay for the damages it has done to its people. Public hospitals would abound with patients with respiratory diseases.

Among a long list of policy instruments the lawmakers could use, taxation has always been their favorite. So what does taxation do? How efficient or effective is it in the goal for abatement of our pollution rate?

Imposing a tax on firms that pollutes can be considered a good strategy, as long as the tax would cover all the external cost or the cost of the damage the firm created during production. Taxation, if enforced really well, could make firms create a technology that may lessen pollution, if they will find out that it will be cheaper than continuously paying the tax. In this way, pollution is reduced without compensating the quantity of the firm's production. The downside of this policy however, lies on the possibility that some big firms would find the tax cheap (because it did not cover the true costs of damage), hence, they will just produce more and pollute more. They will produce more, if the case will be, other small firms may find the tax expensive, thus closing down, so that they're production quantity will be eaten up by those firms who could afford the tax. If this happens, another set of problems arises. The worst scenario would be oligopoly or monopoly could happen, thus raising prices, to the demise of the consumers. On the other hand, if the tax is so high, small firms could close down, or firms could just pass the tax to its consumers, hence raising prices.

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Hence, it is crucial that lawmakers in each country, when decides to impose tax on pollution emissions, must first review and analyze very carefully the true cost of the damage. It must not be too high so as to protect the consumers from price hikes, or not too low so as not to have any effect on pollution rate of firms.

4 Tips to Reduce Air Pollution and Help the Environment

Air pollution had been one of the biggest concerns in urban areas. The best logical way to minimize air pollution is through driving less to consume lesser fuel. This would definitely reduce what you contribute to air pollution. You can also take into account the following tips to help the environment:

Check Your Car's Condition

We know that a well-conditioned car requires lesser trips to the gas station. It also releases lesser carbon dioxide from your air conditioner. In short, a well-maintained car saves you a lot of money. Let your car have a tuneup at least once a year particularly with older models. You can check with your manufacturer for newer car models.

Quit Smoking

We know that smoking cigarette is dangerous to our health. More than that, it is a major source of pollution to the atmosphere.

Never Burn Refuse

Another major source is burning refuse. Burning rubber and plastic can deplete the ozone layer. Recycle your bottles and rubber.

Clean Air Conditioner Filters

Most air conditioning units today have the ability of filtering out microscopic pollutants. Furthermore, a clean air conditioner filter also saves you big on electricity bills. With a water hose and brush, clean the grooves and vents of the unit. You also need to clean the outside coil with water monthly. In addition, always check if the filter is clogged.

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As a tip, air conditioners that are 10 years or older are electricity consumers. It is better to replace them and you can potentially save half of what you pay for the electricity.

What Are the Causes of Environmental Pollution?

Environmental pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the environment that makes the environment unhealthy for habitation and on the extreme, can harm the ecosystem. The causes of pollution depend on the type of pollution under view.

Air pollution This is the release of polluting chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere. These pollutants makes it unhealthy to breathe in such air. Common air pollutants are sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides produced by industry and motor vehicles. When hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides react to sunlight, smog and photochemical ozone are formed when nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons react to sunlight.

Water pollution When waste products and potential contaminants are released into river drainage systems and other water bodies making the water unfit or compromising the quality of the water for use by man or habitation of water fauna and flora, we have water pollution.

Soil Contamination occurs when chemicals are released by spill or underground leakage. Among The most significant soil contaminants are hydrocarbons, heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Radioactive contamination, resulting from 20th century activities in atomic physics, such as nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons research, manufacture and deployment.

Noise pollution, which encompasses roadway noise, aircraft noise, industrial noise as well as high-intensity sonar.

Light pollution, includes light trespass, over-illumination and astronomical interference.

Visual pollution, which can refer to the presence of overhead power lines, motorway billboards, scarred landforms , open storage of trash or municipal solid waste.

Thermal pollution, is a temperature change in natural water bodies caused by human influence, such as use of water as coolant in a power plant.

www.made-from-india.com maintains a trade directory that contains information on pollution control equipment exporter from India, pollution monitoring equipment supplier from India, air pollution control equipment exporters in India, air cleaning equipment, water treatment plant exporters, environment protection products supplier form business to business trade India.

Cyclone Laila moves towards Orissa, rains in Andhra

Cyclone Laila weakened ahead of landfall about 30 km from Bapatla in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday but still left 16 people dead, flooded thousands of homes, snapped power supply in many areas and threw rail and road traffic out of gear in the coastal region of the state.

Though Laila's intensity reduced considerably, the winds blowing at a speed of 90-95 kmph continue to leave behind a trail of destruction, though not of the level that was feared before it made the landfall.

It rained all night in most parts of Bapatla in Guntur and even now it is raining, accompanied by strong winds.

While the depression is moving towards Orissa now, the Meteorological department has said that vigil should continue in coastal Andhra Pradesh today as well.

Under the influence of this system, widespread rainfall activity is likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Orissa during next 24 hours.

The sea condition will be very rough along and off Andhra Pradesh and Orissa coast during next 12 hours. Fishermen have been are advised not to venture into the sea during next 48 hours.

Both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are facing the onslaught of the tropical cyclone. At least 40,000 people have already been evacuated from low-lying areas of Andhra Pradesh. Armed forces have been asked to help the civil administration in rescue efforts.

Air, train and bus services were thrown out of gear in the state. The waves and the winds caused extensive damage in coastal districts like Nellore, where trees were uprooted, cars smashed and roads damaged. Communication and power supplies were also disrupted.

As heavy rainfall is expected in the coastal districts, the administration is keeping a watch on vulnerable structures like bridges and culverts.

The government has also put in place protocols and standard procedures for cyclone preparedness to minimise loss of life and property.

Environment & pollution

Hybrid vehicles are the kind of automobiles that cause less or no environment pollution. In practicality, it is absolutely impossible to run an automobile without some kind of pollutant emission. At least, the technological developments so far cannot guarantee such a vehicle, but there are several methods to reduce the level of pollutant that is emitted.

Currently, the worst culprits of environmental pollution among vehicles are automobiles that run on fossil fuels such as petrol, diesel, and gas. That means more than 90% of these at present, are serious offenders of environmental protection. Among the environmental problems, air pollution and damaging effects of the Ozone Layer are the most serious. There have been concerted efforts from various sectors - such as automobile manufacturers, scientists, and governmental regulators - to reduce the green house gas emission from vehicles that run on fossil fuels.

The efforts have been producing good results. Newer models invariably have better emission controls. However, the overall level of green house gas emission has been increasing. The major reason for this is the exponential increase in the number of these cars in use. Over the last decade, the sale of automobiles has considerably increased - not just in the developed countries like the United States and Japan, but also in developing nations like China and India.

Therefore, just reducing the green house gas emission of cars that run on fossil fuels is not sufficient for reducing the level of environmental damage. This realization paved the way for the creation of several types of green vehicles. Examples of such environmentally friendly cars are electric, solar-powered, and those that use hydrogen fuel. Despite the obvious advantages to environmental protection, there are some negative aspects for them. The performance of hybrid cars at present does not compare well to that of cars powered by conventional fuels such as petrol, diesel, or gas. As a result, a kind of hybrid was born. This type of car can run on both conventional fuels and the non-conventional fuel types. Most of the major automobile companies in the world produce the hybrid type green vehicle.

The most commonly used non-conventional fuel is electricity. The market share of battery-powered cars has been expanding steadily. The level of green house gas emission is substantially lower for electric cars. However, in terms of performance, such as acceleration in high speed, these green vehicles pale in comparison with those that use fossil fuels. Therefore, the hybrids that run both on electricity and conventional fuels provide a compromise option between environmental considerations and the desire for better performance.

www.made-from-india.com maintains a trade directory that contains information on pollution control equipment exporter from India, pollution monitoring equipment supplier from India, air pollution control equipment exporters in India, air cleaning equipment, water treatment plant exporters, environment protection products supplier form business to business trade India.

Solar energy is also used to run automobiles. The mechanism of these cars is similar to that of electric, however, in the case of solar cars, electricity is provided by solar cells. Another kind of green car is the type that uses hydrogen as fuel. More research and innovations are needed to make the performance of these cars to match with that of those using conventional fuels.

The Menace of Environmental Pollution - The Way Forward

The environment is referred to as man's best friend in articles by great authors whom I had contact with before putting up this article. David McBash Phd, when asked what the environment is to man says "The environment is man's greatest resources regarding the fact that man also evolved from it according to evolutionary science".

Also environmental biologist, Theodore Finley says "Man is a complex organism made up of non-living components found in the environment and this in turn supports man".

In view of the mind striking excerpts from my tete-a-tete with these great people I decided to start off this month with man's best friend, "the environment". Finley's excerpt says that the environment supports man and in no way hazardous. This is a special feature of man as a higher animal, that is, being able to alter the surrounding to support or suit it. This is sometimes not the case where the environment becomes hazardous due to man's activities and the negligence to the menace of environmental pollution.

Here are some of the problems posed by environmental pollution and the way forward.

Noise pollution could be seen as unorganized sound that is unpleasant to the listener. Whether organized or unorganized, any sound that irritates the hearer is noise. The magnitude of sound is measured in decibels. Experts in this field measured the magnitude at which sound could be hazardous to be setting off from 45db. In homes, people now use theater systems whose magnitude is more than 45db. In the short term it is luxury or prestige but in the long term is sure to be hazardous ranging from minor hearing problems to deafness as a result of too much vibration of the middle and inner ear leading to the damage of the auditory nerves. Others are noise from road side record sellers, heavy factories and so on.

The way forward is controlling the sound systems in homes to a minimal no damage level. In case of industries they should be sited away from residential homes. Constant exposures to noise pollution should be avoided.

Research show that hearing problems are increasing at a geometric progression.

Refuse and sewage pollution is another great challenge to our environment. This is more seen in under-developed countries and third world countries where the level of poverty is higher.

Irregular disposal of refuse into culvert, around homes and along roads. Sewage such as waste water disposed directly into culvert, around homes and channeling through open surface canals. These are breeding grounds of disease causing pathogens and infections and disease the dwellers in such surroundings. No wonder malaria is so common in Africa.

Refuse can be burnt in incinerators in places some distances away from residential homes. Research shows that some of these gases irritates the lining of the nostrils and eyes giving rise to the multiple ocular problems. Sewage should be treated to harmlessness and surface channels closed properly. In homes dust and dirt should be disposed off properly in bins or trashes.

Industrial chemicals and fertilizers are also harmful to human population. Direct disposal of industrial chemicals into water bodies and washing of fertilizers into rivers and lakes by rain water poison the planktons on which fishes depend and in turn passes onto the fishes and to man as the food chain continues.

Air pollutants include gaseous pollutants like oxides of Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulphur and so on. The chlorofluorocarbons (easily referred to as CFCs) are no exception. This results in the greenhouse effect; the depletion of the ozone layer by greenhouse gases. The emission of these gases are increasing by the day with less green life to make use of them as a result of development. The amazon forest seems to be the forest standing whose conservation is a global challenge.

The Strange Discussions on Environment Pollution

The meetings for improving the Global environment seem to me more like the saying about "give a man a fish" but forget to "teach the fisherman to catch fish". Unless someone never lived in a developing country or undeveloped country he will not be able to understand how silly the whole conception of "taking" decisions to reduce pollution and make the World an environmentally friendly place looks like. Just imagine a poor old man in Bulgaria receiving next to nothing 120 USD monthly pension after had performed 30 years of professional work in a country where just your electrical power bill at its best topple 60 USD without electric heating, so try to convince him to save the environment by not burning coal that blows thick smoke more like an small power plant or burning wood by cutting any three he can get hands on. Or you can imagine a man in Brazil watching his kids sick of famine making up a small farming piece of land by clearing the jungle and destroying the Earth lungs, or you can see thousands in Somalia dying from famine taking over a large boat for ransom, so try to explain to him how bad it is for the whole worlds trade such an action.

But believe me that all of the above will be like a joke compare to just China and India going through so well known "industrial revolution" in the ways Western Europe, Japan and The US did go through?!?: the World will not survive it, NO SACKING WAY.

Ladies and gentleman buckle up for a ride the World has never experienced or may be not ever but at least in our "civilized" times.

No, I am not pessimistic or a epileptic either: I just happen to call collars with their real names, and these collars are not seemingly light, unless...unless we don't change the World: the system of Economics: Social Policies, Banking, Industrialization and etc., and the way we see and evaluate them.