Air pollution. According to the dictionary, air pollution is the contamination of air by smoke and harmful gases, mainly oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen. (And maybe by that smelly uncle.) Some examples of air pollution include:
Exhuast fumes from vehicles
The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, or gas
Harmful off-gasing from things such as paint, plastic production, and so on
Radiation spills or nuclear accidents. Air pollution is linked to asthma, allergies and other respiratory illnesses.
Land pollution. Land pollution is the degradation of the Earth's surface caused by a misuse of resources and improper disposal of waste. Some examples of land pollution include:
- Litter found on the side of the road Illegal dumping in natural habitats
- Oil spills that happen inland
- The use of pesticides and other farming chemicals
- Damage and debris caused from unsustainable mining and logging practices
- Radiation spills or nuclear accidents
- Land pollution is responsible for damage done to natural habitat of animals, deforestation and damage done to natural resources, and the general ugly-ing up of our communities.
Light pollution. Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky inhibiting the visibility of stars and planets by the use of improper lighting of communities. Some examples of what causes light pollution:
- Street lamps that shine light in all directions, instead of with a hood to point light downward toward the street.
- Extra, unnecessary lights around the home
- Cities that run lights all night long
- Light pollution uses more energy (by shining more light up instead of down, meaning you need brighter bulbs for the same amount of light), may affect human health and our sleep cycles, and most importantly, corrupts our kids telescopes and their curiosity.
Noise pollution. Noise pollution is any loud sounds that are either harmful or annoying to humans and animals. Some exmaples of noise pollution:
- Airplanes, helicopters, and motor vehicles
- Construction or demolition noise
- Human activities such as sporting events or concerts
Noise pollution can be disruptive to humans' stress levels, may be harmful to unborn babies, and drives animals away by causing nervousness and decreasing their ability to hear prey or predators.
Visual pollution. Visual pollution is what you would call anything unattractive or visualing damaging to the nearby landscape. This tends to be a highly subjective topic. Some examples of visual pollution:
- Skyscrapers that blocks a natural view
- Graffiti or carving on trees, rocks, or other natural landscapes
- Billboards, litter, abandoned homes, and junkyards could also be considered among three kinds of environmental pollution
Mostly, visual kinds of environmental pollution are annoying and ugly, although some may say they are also depressing, and they of course affect the surrounding landscape with the changes they cause.
Water pollution. Water pollution is the contamination of any body of water (lakes, groundwater, oceans, etc). Some examples of water pollution:
Raw sewage running into lake or streams
Industrial waste spills contaminating groundwater
Radiation spills or nuclear accidents
Illegal dumping of substances or items within bodies of water
Biological contamination, such as bacteria growth
Farm runoff into nearby bodies of water
These kinds of environmental pollution are linked to health issues in humans, animals and plant-life.
