Causes of Pollution

While pollution is caused by natural as well as man-made sources, it is man-made pollution which is adding to the severity of this issue, and threatening the basic existence of life on the planet. To a large extent, this environmental pollution can be attributed to various human activities including transportation, industrial production, construction, mining, agriculture, etc. These human activities, technically referred to as the anthropogenic causes of pollution, have been polluting the environment since ages. However, the rate at which the effects of air pollution, water pollution and land pollution are increasing over the last few decades is quite alarming, and hence we need to take a serious note of it.

Causes of Air Pollution
Air pollution is one of the major environmental problems in the world. The United States alone, which constitutes for approximately 5 percent of the world population, produces 25 percent of the total carbon dioxide in the world. This and other such air pollution facts show how serious the issue is. Among the leading causes of air pollution, human transportation is by far the most serious cause. Millions of vehicles dump tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere every single day. Other than these vehicles, industrial plants - which release various harmful gases by burning fossil fuels, have a major share when it comes to air pollution. It may come as a surprise for many, but agricultural activities, such as burning of natural vegetation for clearing land and use of pesticides, also contribute to this form of pollution to a significant extent.

Causes of Water Pollution
Water pollution is a broad concept which encompasses the pollution of inland water sources as well as ocean bodies on the planet. While inland water sources have been turned into virtual dumping sites owing to industrial water pollution, ocean bodies bear the brunt of marine transportation and oil spills. The amount of sewage waste generated by a single household may not seem much, but if we take into consideration the fact that there are millions of households and a significant proportion of waste produced in these homes is directed to water sources without being subjected to proper treatment and you understand how we are contributing to water pollution. Other than the above mentioned causes of water pollution, the fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture also contaminate water. These contaminants make their way to water sources through surface runoff during precipitation. When it comes to ocean pollution causes, oil spills have a major role to play, and the rising number of these oil spills over the last few years is a serious issue of concern.

Causes of Land Pollution
Land pollution, also known as soil pollution, is actually the process wherein soil is contaminated due to introduction of some harmful chemical substances in it. Among the various human activities which contribute to land pollution, agriculture and mining are perhaps the most prominent ones. When it comes to soil pollution, the list of contaminants includes Chlorinated Hydrocarbons (CFH), chromium, cadmium, lead, zinc, etc. Other than the practice of agriculture and mining, human activities which cause land pollution include dumping of industrial and domestic waste in the soil. A look at the soil pollution causes and effects also reveals that the harmful chemicals which are suspended in the air get dissolved in rain water and pollute the soil when they come to the Earth's surface in form of acid rain. Similarly, surface runoff of water tends to transport contaminants from one place to another and adds to land pollution. Owing to the interrelationship between these forms of pollution, one can't afford to ignore the causes and effects of land pollution.