Environment

By Annika Linden, Suzannah Marsh and Mia van der Burgt

Background

Water has been destroyed for many years because of human activity by trash and waste being thrown it to lakes, rivers and oceans. The pollution in the air and water can be a hazard to human health. As pollutant levels increase, human exposure to toxins will also increase. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that exposure to pollutants is directly linked to cancer and heart disease.

Issue

• The wastes that pollute the water increase the solids suspended in the water (turbidity). They can increase the concentration of bacteria and viruses leading to potential health impacts.

• Water pollution is a serious problem in the global context. It has been suggested that it is the leading worldwide cause of death and disease, and that it accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily.

CostThe cost of environment protection is about $150 billion and should exceed this amount in the future. This is about 2% of the nation’s GDP (Gross Domestic Production).

Impact on Future

In the future, the effects of pollution will affect human health, the wildlife, and the water to a point where it is unsafe to drink. The air would also be a hazard to human health in large cities and towns near factories and railroad tracks. This would be similar to what the wildlife would have to live in except much worse. The rivers and lakes would be too polluted with chemicals and oil to be safe to drink. This would cause hundreds of animals to die and possibly become endangered to that specific area.

“The recent increase in concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the result of human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels. As the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased, so has the average surface temperature of the Earth.The relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentration and surface temperature is shown here for the past 130 years.”

Taken from Center for Climate and Energy Sources.

Chart of the affects of CO2 in the atmosphere

Democrat:

Senator John Kerry co-sponsored grants for beach water pollution under Clean Water Act. This includes the development and implementation of programs for source tracking, sanitary surveys, and prevention efforts to address the identified sources of beach water pollution.

View Points

 Republican: Gingrich co-sponsored regulating 15 more

contaminants under Clean Water Act

1. the contaminant is known to occur in public water systems;

2. the contaminant occurs in concentrations which may have adverse health effects; and

3. regulation of the contaminant presents an opportunity to reduce health risks.

View Points

Sources

http://tc.icwc-aral.uz/links/pollution.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/268337-future-effects-of-pollution/

http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx