Pollution As An Accepted Way Of Life

Planet Earth is shared by every living being. Thus, whenever anything happens in a particular region, we all get affected by it. Pollution is when various types of waste materials are introduced into the environment and start to harm our ecosystem. There are different types of pollutants present in our daily life, and they are so common that we have stopped paying heed to them. Pollution has become an accepted way of life for most people. The exhaust from automobiles, excessive noise on roads, and sewage water running everywhere are all pollutants.

Pollution and types of pollutants

When contaminants are introduced into our natural environment, causing adverse change, that’s what pollution is. The harmful contaminants being talked about are called pollutants.

These components of pollution can be foreign substances. Sometimes, they’re also ones that occur naturally. While pollution is of different types, the ones that impact us greatly are air pollution, water pollution, plastic pollution, and chemical pollution.

Air pollution happens when various chemicals get released into our atmosphere, thereby making it difficult for us to breathe—for instance, the burning of fossil fuels, automobile exhaust, industrial smoke, etc.

Similar to air pollution, water pollution has also become very common. We need access to clean water to be able to survive. However, our bodies of water are getting polluted daily through improper sewage disposal, radioactive waste discharge, oil spills, chemical waste dumping, etc.

When discussing types of pollutants, we cannot leave out plastic. Even though its production took off in 1950, it has degraded our environment significantly. Billions of tons of plastic end up in the environment and result in contaminated water, health problems, damage to marine life, etc.

Another major type of pollution is chemical pollution. Every year, 250 billion tons of synthetic chemicals are produced. Many of these chemicals end up in our bodies and are known to cause cancer, birth defects, brain illnesses, etc.

Pollution in our daily lives

Contrary to popular opinion, the impact of pollution is not limited to just cities but also extends to rural areas. What’s unfortunate is that everyone is now accustomed to this way of life. Other than the health impact, the degradation of our environment also costs us a lot of money and destroys many economies.

Pollution is also reducing the life expectancy of people. Littering is a common phenomenon for all of us. But, shockingly, a million tonnes of waste generated leads to contraction of disease and infection when we get exposed to it.

This waste is not just present on the streets but also in our water bodies. It does not get segregated correctly, nor is it recycled or composted. Our rivers are being polluted due to untreated sewage.

Improper treatment of garbage and open defecation are daily events that contribute to pollution. It makes people victims of water pollution and various diseases like diarrhoea.

Not many people recycle or reuse their plastic bottles. They dispose of the bottles without realising the consequences of their actions. Similarly, small things, such as turning off the vehicle’s engine at the traffic signal or using public transport, are not followed.

Thus, traffic congestion and fuel adulteration have become common, which leads to various types of pollution like air pollution, noise pollution, etc. It has become the need of the hour to recognize pollution in our daily lives and try our best to prevent it.

Conclusion

We cannot ignore these problems anymore and must stop accepting pollution as a way of life and do better. Communities must mobilise and encourage environmental sustainability to create a greener and cleaner environment. Whether it’s something as small as recycling or a major thing like planting trees, we must start today. It does not matter if we’re taking a small step; as long as we’re progressing towards it, we can overcome pollution and its harmful impact.