Pollution: Earth's Enemy Number One
Expansion of Ideas | School & College Section
Pollution, the damage caused to the environment by harmful substances or waste, is our primary adversary today. Modern civilization and material progress have resulted in pollution everywhere—in the atmosphere, on land, and in our seas and rivers.
Our air is polluted by smoke, gases, and chemicals emitted by vehicles and factories. In addition to this, big cities suffer from noise pollution caused by vehicles, machines, loudspeakers, and crackers. This pollution poisons the air and harms the Earth's ozone layer, which protects us from the sun's harmful radiation. If the ozone layer is destroyed, humanity could perish. Nuclear radiation also pollutes the air, causing terrible health hazards.
Tonnes of industrial and chemical waste are thoughtlessly dumped into our rivers, lakes, and seas, killing fish and other marine life. The unplanned growth of cities leads to the expansion of slums, which become breeding grounds for dirt, disease, and death.
We must take immediate and effective steps to combat pollution. We must reduce vehicle and factory emissions, stop dumping chemical wastes into our waterways, grow more trees, protect our forests, and create more gardens and open spaces. The sooner these effective steps are taken, the better it will be for all of humankind.
Glossary of Terms
- Civilization
- An advanced stage of human social and cultural development and organization.
- Emitted
- To produce and discharge something, especially gas or radiation.
- Hazards
- Dangers or risks to health and safety.
- Marine Life
- The plants, animals, and other organisms that live in the salt water of the sea or ocean.
- Nuclear Radiation
- Energy released from atomic nuclei, which can be very harmful to living things.
- Ozone Layer
- A layer in the Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.
- Perish
- To die or be destroyed, especially in a violent or sudden way.
- Pollution
- The introduction of harmful substances or waste into the environment, causing damage or adverse effects.
- Slums
- Overcrowded urban areas inhabited by very poor people, often with poor sanitation and housing.