Tag: #pollution

Too many Clothes!

Too many Clothes!

Around 3.5 million customers ordered clothes from Myntra within four days of a sale. No doubt we’re all obsessed with new outfits, but is it a necessity?

Shopping was never as easier as now. Few clicks on our devices and order arrives at our doorstep within a few days. We love shopping for clothes, especially at sales. Branded outfits have also started to fit in most of our budgets and this often gets us to buy what isn’t even needed. But why are clothes so affordable now? A common reason is cheap labor in developing countries. But another significant reason is the fabric.

The fabric which accounts for almost 60 per cent of fast fashion textiles manufactured every year is no other than polyester. It is strong, flexible, water resistant and its cheap which makes it a nearly perfect fabric for affordable clothing.

Polyester might seem best for textiles but it is a form of plastic. The lint released by polyester clothes eventually finds its way to our oceans. And the lint obtained from this fabric is nothing but micro-plastic. This plastic, once in ocean enters the food chain through phytoplankton, plankton, fishes and thus to human beings. It has been estimated that around the mid-twenty-first century there would be more plastic in oceans than fishes.

Textile industry generates more pollutants than aviation and shipping industries combined. The main reason behind this is the low cost of clothes which leads to companies to generate demand for more and more clothes by several methods. Fashion trends keep changing constantly, influencers are used to promote certain brands, advertisements make an impact on the minds of the costumers and thus the demand for more clothes continues.

So what could be a solution to the environmental degradation polyester textiles are causing? Cotton and other natural fabrics might help. But a single sweatshirt made of cotton consumes approximately 2700 liters of water and that undoes the benefits. The seemingly possible solution of this crisis is to go for new clothes only when we need them and not just wish to have a better wardrobe.

POLLUTION

Pollution refers to the contamination of the environment due to the presence of hazardous substances in the atmosphere. Pollution is basically man-made. These hazardous substances are referred as pollutants. In early times, pollution was in terms of the fire burnt in caves. But that did not have a big impact on the atmosphere. The population was very low during ancient human civilization. However, as the human civilization progressed and as evolution and advancements in human beings took place, it ended up having a huge population density across the world. Industrialisation also played its part in pollution. According to studies, the productivity of indoor and outdoor workers have decreased due to pollution. Thus pollution is a severe problem in the current day.

Though there are many types of pollution such as plastic pollution, radioactive contamination, light pollution etc. the major types are pollution are air, water and soil pollution.

AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is the release of chemicals and particles in the environment. The chemicals include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide etc. Air pollution attributes to about 5 million deaths each year. It contributes to 9% of the total deaths in the world every year. There are many causes of air pollution such as

  • Burning of fossil fuels, wood, plastic etc.
  • The untreated chemicals let out from industries and exhaust of vehicles
  • Deforestation
  • Emission of green house gases such as methane, carbon dioxide etc.
  • Mining operations
  • Chlorofluorocarbons present in coolants

These cause a severe damage to environment, health and welfare of the living beings such as

  • Respiratory problems such as wheezing and asthma and other lung problems
  • Global warming
  • Acid rain formation
  • Smog formation
  • Affects wildlife

We can prevent air pollution by

  • Afforestation
  • Using a filter in factories before releasing chemicals
  • Using eco-friendly vehicles

WATER POLLUTION

Water pollution is mainly caused by discharge of sewage in the water bodies that pose a dangerous threat to marine life. Every year, 14 billion pounds of plastic are released into the ocean. The reasons for water pollution are

  • Oil spills from the ships
  • Pesticides used in agriculture washed off to seas
  • Marine dumping such as dumping plastics and other non biodegradable substances
  • Release of untreated waste into water bodies
  • Acid rain

Effects of water pollution are

  • Contamination of marine organisms
  • Water pollution affects the growth of marine plants
  • Eutrophication – prevents the sunlight from entering into the ocean
  • Infected fishes infect human being leading to water borne diseases such as cholera, hepatitis and typhoid

How do we prevent water pollution?

  • Proper disposal of wastes into water after treating it
  • Recycling water
  • Conserving water

SOIL POLLUTION

Soil pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals in the soil, in high enough concentrations to pose a risk to human health and the ecosystem. The causes of soil pollution are

  • Acid rain
  • Landfill
  • Usage of fertilizers and pesticides
  • Dust particles present in the soil
  • Deforestation and soil erosion

Due to these reasons, it is evident that the soil becomes infertile and contaminated, making it unfit for agriculture. There are some measures to prevent soil pollution such as

  • Treating wastes before dumping them
  • Avoiding burning of wastes
  • Afforestation
  • And finally, using organic manure for maintaining a healthy/fertile soil.

Relevant links:https://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/eu-drafts-plan-tighten-carbon-070725934.html https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrXgiOIKdxgJQYAvDPAHAx.;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzMEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1625070088/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.ndtv.com%2fdelhi-news%2fdelhi-government-bans-fishing-in-parts-of-yamuna-river-citing-high-pollution-2475600/RK=2/RS=24WnrdQSK4vCKpBJqFmCILrj3wE-

A headache of our times, E waste

Electronic waste, shortly called e waste, describes discarded electrical or electronic devices and components. Used and old electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal are also considered as e-waste. Informal processing of the e-waste can lead to adversity of human health effects and environmental pollution.

Electronic scrap components, such as CPUs and other processors, contain potentially harmful components such as lead, beryllium,cadmium and brominated flame retardants. Recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve significant risk to workers and communities around the disposal region and great care is required to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaking of materials such as heavy metals from landfills and incineration ashes.

Lets a mobile of cost Rs.10k is bought and after 1 year by accident it’s screen gets shattered.

If it is taken to repair, a new display would cost as much as a brand new smartphone and in such a scenario it is predictable what almost every one would prefer.

And just like, a ton of e waste is created, all those resources used to manufacture that one unit of a simple cheap device, from its camera to its battery  and processor etc etc. that one smartphone with the computational power inaccessible even to the richest of the richest a decade prior to today becomes useless from the hand of simple common person on streets and generated significant e waste. 

Not recycling e-waste leads to

  1. loss of valuable resource like Precious metals, copper, lithium, etc
  2. Damage to our environment if not managed properly from elements like lead, mercury, and various types of flame retardants. Of particular concern are the cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in computer monitors, which contain high concentrations of lead
  3. Also Opportunity costs – recycling creates jobs, reusing electronics generates revenue for businesses, and land-fillings comparatively more expensive than the former two options.
  4. Potential reusability is lost like a decade old computer can be thrown away in a developed country whereas computers are completely inaccessible in some poor countries.

Tackling the Problem of e waste

Nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the upcoming five to seven years, according to the EPA in us alone. In most places it’s up to individuals to decide the fate of their e wastes as there lack of proper  waste management is extremely common,

The solutions are…

Donate. 

Give an operable computer to a local family, friend, school, or nonprofit organization.

Recycle.

There are websites which offer links to recycling centers involving businesses. These Services allow consumers as well as businesses to recycle any computer for a small fee, including shipping.

Most importantly, care

Acknowledge the issue, while many overestimate the problem and make it look like the world is on the brink of end whereas at times these topics are used as political weapons and a means to get popular, it has become a part of celebrity culture to make fancy statements who then are seen doing ad campaign for upcoming useless upgrade of a smartphone.

One must avoid these paranoia. We just have to make sure that it doesn’t bite us in only because of a bit of carelessness. A bit of care and attention from our side can definitely minimize the e waste problems.

POLLUTION

Pollution is the process in which undesirable toxic contaminants contaminate our environment like air, water, soil, etc. It is creating sudden changes in the ecosystem, which is directly on indirectly leaving adverse effects on the lives of human beings, animals, and plants. It creates an imbalance in the natural system. Many things which are making our lives easy are harmful to the environment.Every living being on Earth depends on air and water. When these two things get polluted, all the lives on Earth come at a risk. It is the pollution that is indirectly affecting the change in the weather. This global issue needs immediate action. Otherwise, it will be challenging to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Types of Pollution:
Air Pollution: It is sometimes visible like we can see polluted air left by the vehicles on the road because of its different colour. In most cases, it is not visible. Polluted air mainly affects the eyes and lungs of human beings as well as animals. It can even kill a living creature within a few minutes. We know about many incidents where harmful gas leakage has killed people. Even natural disasters can make the air toxic. Vehicles and factories produce harmful gases that, in reaction to sunlight, creates thick fog. It can destroy water life, forests, etc.
Water Pollution: Drinking polluted water can cause serious health issues. A lot of people die worldwide by consuming contaminated water. It can also indirectly affect humans and animals. Like if we eat a fish from a polluted river or sea, we also absorb the potential pollutants. Natural gas and oil can also contribute to the pollution of water. Liquid wastes from factories also pollute the water. Solid wastes disturb the drainage system. Sewages, agricultural waste, acid rain are essential causes of water pollution.
Soil Pollution: Solid wastes from factories and households pollute the land. Harmful chemicals mix in the soil through the pesticides used in agriculture. Pollutants from landfills mix in the ground and pollute it. When we eat plants that have grown in the polluted land, we indirectly consume contaminants harmful to our health.
Noise Pollution: When the sound becomes intolerant and reason of disturbance, it is noise pollution. The sounds of vehicles, mike, loud music, or machinery cause noise pollution. It causes serious health issues like migraine, depression, hypertension, aggressive behavior, etc. to humans. It also directly affects the health of animals. It sometimes becomes the reason for their death.
Due to this many people and animals are losing their lives or experiencing severe health issues due to the increased level of pollution. Both natural and human activities cause pollution. Though we can’t control natural activities, we can control our actions that cause pollution.
We can reduce pollution by- Reduce the number of trips you take in your car.
Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use.
Avoid burning leaves, trash, and other materials.
Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
Using public transports.
Turn off the lights when not in use.
Recycle and Reuse.
No to plastic bags.
Reduction of forest fires and smoking.
Use of fans instead of Air Conditioner.
Use filters for chimneys.
Avoid usage of crackers.