Tesco External Environment and Change Management Program - Essay Example

Pollution Introduction Pollution refers to the contamination in our environment i.e. land and soil, water and air. When dirt, chemicals or any other harmful elements become a part of our world they make everything polluted. There is a fourth type of pollution that refers to radioactive pollutants and it stems from the varying energy plants and weapon plants that use radioactive material which doesn’t just harm the humans it comes into contact with but also the environment. Pollution can kill and destroy our ecology along with many plant and animal life. Critics blame carelessness and think that the environment can be saved if people try to do things in a better way. Global warming has also been attributed in part to pollution. When these chemicals and toxins become a part of the environment they affect not just the environment but humans as well. If we can control our actions then we can make the world a better place to live. Most polluted places on the planet: 1. Chernobyl, Ukraine 2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia 3. Haina, Dominican Republic 4. Kabwe, Zambia Source: http://environment.about.com/od/pollution/a/top_10_polluted.htm Air pollution Air pollution occurs because of toxins that are released into the air by cars, aerosols, factories etc. what it basically does it make the air unclean and unsafe to breathe in and can cause many kinds of respiratory diseases. It has also been known to affect the wild life as it has killed many birds. Many people in china and Japan are known to wear masks to work and school because of the pollution there. The sad reality is that because of air pollution we do not just harm ourselves but harm the planet for the future generations. Water pollution Water pollution refers to contaminants that find their way into the water reservoirs i.e. lakes and streams along with the ocean. Large companies have been known to dump toxins in streams that later on become a part of our drinking water. Many people use filters these days so that they can have clean water for their use but the sad reality is that the industrial world has a huge negative impact on the developing world and water pollution is making life tough not just for them but also sea life, fresh water fish life, and harming the plant life as well. Sewage water is also released into streams and the coastlines of many countries and have a very detrimental effect overall. Land and soil pollution Land and soil pollution refers to the detrimental state of affairs because of unhealthy and unsafe trash and toxicant dumping habits employed by humans. It has been mainly attributed to urbanization and industrialization, both of which destroy natural resources that are already present in order to build and become successful. The tearing down of God made things results in a lot of problems for example, in order to build a mall a company may go into a forest and cut down all the trees, it may extract minerals from another site and demolish mountains for material on one other and this will result in an imbalance. Such activities have been known to contribute to colossal problems such as global warming. Land pollution also entails poor agricultural practices which are not suitable for the land along with dumping of industrial wastes on sites. Radioactive pollutants Radioactive pollutants are directly linked to Nuclear energy that works by inducing energy to come out of split atoms. It’s most popular use in the past has been in wars where it destroyed entire cities in one go; however, today it is widely used as an energy source to fuel electricity. The irony is that it is called clean energy sometimes because it does not release any pollutants like carbon. The problem however is the nuclear waste that is produced as a reaction. This waste is more dangerous than any other kind of waste and can have effects that last longer as well. Radiation is what primarily makes up radioactivity. This is an unstable form of energy which while trying to stop the decaying process can end up hurting other elements. The three types of radiation are alpha and beta particles along with the gamma rays. Alpha particles are the least harmful and can be stopped by something as simple as a piece of paper or the skin of a human being. Beta particles are able to break through human skin but one can get protection from them through either glass or metal. Gamma rays are the most dangerous type of emission from radioactivity and can be stopped only by an enormous and huge piece of concrete; it can greatly harm a human being as it can penetrate all the way to their core. The common sources of nuclear waste or radiation pollution are the power plants that produce nuclear energy, not disposing off nuclear waste properly, mining for uranium, and nuclear weaponry. Conclusion Clean air to breath, clean drinking water and a safe environment are now turning into luxuries for some countries. There are many children that cannot and do not have access to clean water. We can all do out part to stop pollution. If it continues to harm the earth then natural disasters will not stop. Industrialized countries need to try and adopt more efficient energy options to run their plants. Investments should be made in solar energy because coal is too harmful and produces too many toxins. If they curb the smoke emission from their factories then it will make a huge difference. There is also the matter of carbon emission from cars and buses etc. Governments need to introduce incentives for people to car pool more and use collective transports instead of their own cars and bikes. If you use one bus you can join 30 or 40 other people in traveling to your destination, if all of those people decided to use their cars then that would mean that great damage could have been avoided. Such policies have been implemented in Singapore very successfully. We can also try and recycle our garbage instead of throwing it away on the roads and in river streams. References http://environment.about.com/od/pollution/a/top_10_polluted.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/air_pollution.html http://healthandenergy.com/air_pollution_causes.htm http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-206788/environmental-pollution ` http://www.bcb.uwc.ac.za/Sci_Ed/grade10/ecology/conservation/poll.htm http://green.wikia.com/wiki/Radioactive_pollutants http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111040/Types/radio.php Read More