10.1 Air pollution

financial assistance given by the government to promote desired activities

Subsidies

a reduction in the tax one must pay in exchange for some desirable action

Tax credit

precipitation that contains sulfuric or nitric acid; dry particles may also fall and become acidified once they mix with water

Acid deposition

What are the causes and consequences of acid deposition?

Acid deposition is a secondary pollutant that results from fossil fuel burning. It lowers the pH of soil and waterbodies, and can harm plants and animals that are exposed.

______________ is a source of nonpoint source outdoor pollution.

Agriculture

Linked to serious health issues such as cancer, respiratory infection, and cardiovascular diseases in humans, animals, and plants

Air pollution

any material added to the atmosphere (naturally or by humans) that harms living organisms, affects the climate, and/or impacts structures

Air pollution

What are the health, economic, social, and ecological consequences of air pollution?

Air pollution causes health problems, damages structures, reduces visibility, and contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change. Air pollution is often especially bad in minority and low-income areas, raising concerns of environmental justice.

What is air pollution, and what is its global impact?

Air pollution is a serious problem that causes millions of deaths each year, worldwide.

One of the most common chronic childhood diseases in developed nations

Asthma

regulations that set an upper limit for pollution emissions, issue permits to producers for a portion of that amount, and allow producers that release less than their allotment to sell permits to those who exceeded their allotment

Cap-and-trade program

the main U.S. law that authorizes the EPA to set standards for dangerous air pollutants and enforce those standards

Clean Air Act (CAA)

How can air pollution be reduced, and what are the trade-offs of reducing it?

Cleaner fuels and emission-control technologies can reduce industrial outdoor air pollution. Regulations and economic incentives can spur innovation and will decrease the true cost of energy production but may raise the costs of providing energy or doing business.

a type of regulation that involves setting an upper allowable limit of pollution release that is enforced with fines and/or incarceration

Command-and-control regulation

the concept that access to a clean, healthy environment is a basic human right

Environmental justice

a form of racism that occurs when minority communities face more exposure to pollution than average for the region

Environmental racism

a tax (fee paid to government) assessed on environmentally undesirable activities

Green tax

a secondary pollutant that forms when some of the pollutants released during fossil fuel combustion react with atmospheric oxygen in the presence of sunlight

Ground-level ozone

What are the main sources of indoor air pollution and what can be done to reduce it?

Homes trap or are the source of many indoor air pollutants. Better ventilation and alternative building or household materials can reduce this pollution. In developing countries, air pollution mainly comes from poorly ventilated indoor cooking fires. It can be reduced by using cleaner fuels and solar ovens.

What air pollutants are regulated by the Clean Air Act?

In addition to the criteria pollutants, the EPA regulates volatile organic compounds and mercury; it is also mandated to regulate carbon dioxide, an air pollutant linked to climate change, but political battles have hampered its ability to do so.

pollution from dispersed or mobile sources like vehicles and lawn mowers

Nonpoint source pollution

What are the main types and sources of outdoor air pollution?

Outdoor air pollution is caused by natural and anthropogenic sources and includes emissions that are directly harmful (primary pollutants) and those that are converted to harmful forms (secondary pollutants).

particles or droplets small enough to remain aloft in the air for long periods of time

Particulate matter (PM)

pollution that comes from an identifiable smokestack or other outlet

Point source pollution

air pollutants released directly from both mobile sources (such as cars) and stationary sources (such as industrial and power plants)

Primary air pollutants

air pollutants formed when primary air pollutants react with one another or with other chemicals in the air

Secondary air pollutants

hazy air pollution that contains a variety of primary and secondary pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, tropospheric ozone, and particulates

Smog

pollution that is produced in one area but falls in a different state or nation

Transboundary pollution

chemicals that readily evaporate and are released into the air as a gas.

volatile organic compounds (VOC)