AIR POLLUTION

POLLUTION =Dirtiness

Degradation

ContaminationDisease

A human can survive some days without drinking, some weeks without eating, but only some minutes without breathing.

Air pollution isn’t a today problem…

AIR POLLUTION SOURCES

Natural Factors - result from biologic and natural activity

Solo, vegetation, animal, volcanoes, ocean…

Human Factors – result from human activity

Means of transport, industries, combustion processes, agriculture…

IMPACT OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ON AIR QUALITY

Acid rain

The Ozone hole

Gases and particles emissions

Urban smog

Climate changes

URBAN SMOG

Smog comes from air pollution, especially in urban areas, due to big levels of ozone and particles.

Some cities who are affected by smog episodes:

• Peking• Los Angeles• London• Paris• Lisbon

Designation history:smog = smoke + fog

Effects

Vegetation

Health and human welfare

Material

URBAN SMOG

Ozone in Europe

Nº of days with values bigger than the law permits, in 2007.

GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming consists on the increase of the global temperature, that causes climate changes.

Greenhouse gases

Global warming causesPolluted gases emitted

by: Vehicles; Industries; Energy production.

Global warming consequences:Melting glaciers More floods

More dryness

Mean sea level rise

Put in danger human health

Damages biologic resources and ecosystems

Damages material

Put in risk environmental values

Air pollution

Moscow, 6 Agosto 2010

CURIOSITIES

According to World Health Organization (WHO) 3 million of people die annually due air pollution.

Even if air pollution in the world has been increasing since the 70’s, today it’s still possible to breath pure air, especially outside of the big cities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcWpkWBX04E&feature=related

CONCLUSION

Even if we can’t see the air like you can see water or a forest, it’s a natural resource that we MUST protect. It’s up to us to preserve the air that we breathe and there are small gestures that make the difference: walking less by car, turn off the lights when we don’t need them, consume less, etc. Just with gestures of everybody we can avoid that air pollution effects/problems continue to happen.