Environment - Land and Air Pollution

1. Ozone absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet light, which is harmful to plants and animals.

2. The ozone layer is about 15 to 40 kilometres above the earth’s surface, and is essential for life.

3. CFCs can destroy the ozone layer, which protects the planet from the sun.

4. They rise into the air and are broken down by the sun’s ultraviolet light.

5. After this they release chlorine atoms which attack ozone.

6. This means that more ultraviolet light is able to reach the Earth’s surface.

7. This has a harmful effect on both plants and animals.

8. Power stations burn coal, oil or gas to produce electricity.

9. Road vehicles also burn fossil fuel in the form of petrol or diesel to power them.

10. Coal, oil and gas are called fossil fuels because they form over many millions of years.

11. Burning fossil fuels causes air pollution.

12. Fossil fuels produce gases such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

13. Aircraft are responsible for a huge amount of carbon emissions.

14. Condensation trailing from aircraft may develop into clouds and have a warming effect on the atmosphere.

15. Trees can be planted to offset carbon emissions.

16. A considerable amount of household rubbish in the UK is sent to landfill sites, more than any other country in Europe.

17. The landfill sites are sometimes quarries or gravel pits where the waste is squashed and covered with layers of earth.

18. The rotting rubbish releases polluting liquids and gases causing land pollution.

19. Water can seep through rubbish, picking up harmful chemicals, and turn it into leachate, which is poisonous.

20. Some types of rubbish may take hundreds of years to break down when buried.

21. Landfill sites also create more traffic, noise, smells, smoke, litter and pests.

22. Pesticides, used to protect crops, enter the food chain through plants and animals and can also cause land pollution..

23. Noise pollution is unpleasant human or machine noise that affects the quality of life.

24. Noise pollution mainly tends to come from transportation such as aircraft and traffic.

25. Factories and industrial buildings can cause noise pollution.

26. Machinery, construction work, barking dogs, noisy neighbours and loud music also cause noise pollution.

27. Aircraft taking off and landing also create a huge amount of noise.