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Pollution
Have a look around – what do you see? There’s a haze in the sky, some dusty rubbish clogs a drain, trees are curling and dropping their leaves, a constant hum fills the air. It rises and falls with the flow of traffic. A sea bird is yanking at a piece of discarded fishing line that’s wrapped around its neck. A beetle hitches a ride on a piece of rubbish that drifts across the harbour. What a mess! It’s all ours and it’s called pollution.
MYTH
Our planet is so big that no matter badly we pollute it nature will take care of things.
FACT
The responsibility for pollution rests with us all. As individuals we are responsible. The faceless multinational corporations who pollute Australia every day are responsible. Our government who allow them to set up their polluting factories, smelters and power stations with the promise of cheap water and cheap power are responsible. We are all responsible.
There are three main types of pollution: air pollution, water pollution and land pollution.
Air Pollution - Air pollution is a nasty little beast. It’s almost impossible to see, it moves on the wind and can travel great distances. It knows no borders and respects no countries. It settles on the land and water, causing massive problems for our environment and us. Some types of air pollution get more attention than others. And so they should. Carbon Dioxide and Methane are two seriously nasty pollutants that are directly attributing to global warming and climate change.
Water Pollution - Our water is also in a bit of strife. Activities that we do on land can affect the quality of our water. Our waste often gets washed into our waterways and coasts without any treatment. This waste might be the big bits that you can see like plastic bags, dead animals and ciggie butts. But it’s also the tiny, microscopic nasties that we can’t see. They build up and pollute our water to such an extent that waterways become unliveable for native plants, fish and animals. Not only are we running low on water we somehow reckon it’s a good idea to pollute the good stuff we have.
Land Pollution - As for our land, well the story doesn’t improve much. Around 40% of NSW’s agricultural land is considered ‘severely degraded.’ Rising salinity (due to over irrigation and loss of native vegetation) costs NSW $100 million in lost agricultural production every year and the direct costs of salinity are expected to reach $300-400 million by 2030.
The bad news is that just about everything we do can cause pollution. The good news is that in most cases, there are easy ways to reduce or even stop the pollution.
We send more and more rubbish ‘away’ to landfill every year. There is no away, everything ends up somewhere and we are all responsible.
Latest information
Australian car industry needs lower emissions, not handouts
January 27th, 2012
The Australian Government has been bailing out automotive manufacturers since 1985. Unless the Australian industry accepts the reality of today’s automotive market, bailouts will make little difference and we’ll continue to see closures and job losses.
2011 Was Ninth-Warmest Year Since 1880: NASA
January 24th, 2012
The global average temperature last year was the ninth-warmest in the modern meteorological record, continuing a trend linked to greenhouse gases that saw nine of the 10 hottest years occurring since the year 2000, NASA scientists said last Thursday.
What the Frack?
January 20th, 2012
The recent press about the potential of shale gas would have you believe that America is now sitting on a 100-year supply of natural gas. It's a "game-changer." A "golden age of gas" awaits, one in which the United States will be energy independent, even exporting gas to the rest of the world.
David Attenborough urges business to protect nature from population boom
January 19th, 2012
Sir David Attenborough has called on big businesses to protect the natural world from the rapidly expanding human population. He believes the population increase is unstoppable and that action must be taken to stop the natural world from being concreted over.
Another way to slow climate change?
January 17th, 2012
The short-lived global warming pollutants are distinct from CO2, which has hogged the limelight of global climate policy efforts for decades, since they remain in the atmosphere for a relatively short period.
Gone with the wind: study finds cows fed wine dregs emit less methane
December 8th, 2011
How do you feel after imbibing a bit of red wine? Euphoric, excited, or perhaps simply cheery? Or are you one of those drinkers prone to suffering a nagging feeling of guilt, combined with an uncomfortable sensation inside your head?
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