Environmental Degradation – Air Pollution

The environmental degradation is the deterioration of environment through depletion of resources, such as soil, water and air. When natural habitats destroyed or natural resources depleted, the environment are degraded. Here's, one example of air pollution which lead to environment degraded in London. London in SE England had the reputation of one of the most polluted cities in Europe in the 1950s. Air pollution had reached such a serious stage that it caused the London Smog in 1952 that caused 4000 deaths and a host of other related ailments among the Londoners. One of the main causes of the serious air pollution was the burning of fossil fuels by the many manufacturing industries producing iron and steel, automobiles, machinery, textiles and food. Coal and Oil were the main sources of fuel for the factories which resulted in the release of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, smoke, soot and other particulates. Inefficient machinery and obsolete techniques coupled with the improper monitoring worsened the air pollution. the severe air pollution was causing acid rain, smog and health problems. London being the capital city has a very population density and a large volume to transport vehicles such as aircrafts landing and taking off at the Heathrow airport, lorries and buses on the streets, steamships and boats along the Themes River and private cars; all which were burning up coal, petrol and diesel in large quantities. This led to additional pollutants such as carbon monoxide, lead and carbon being released into the air. Fossil fuel combustion was also prevalent in the domestic households. Even fuel wood was burned to provide heating for homes. Inefficient combustion techniques and building construction led to incomplete burning and excessive release of air pollutants such as gases, smokes and particulates. Thermal electricity generation using fossil fuels further contributed to the worsening of the air quality. n addition, ignorance on the part of individuals and the authorities as regards the burning of garbage, accidental fires and burning of forests aggravated the air pollution. The lack of proper monitoring, legislation and implementation of environmental quality laws did little to alleviate the situation, thus leading to serious degradation of air quality with its heavy toll on human life, livestock, fish and vegetation.