Introduction
The rapid industrial development that the world has witnessed in recent years has played a major role in increasing pollution levels. Pollution has not only had adverse effects on the environment but also put pressure on natural resources. Although efficient pollution control measures can be a difficult task, it plays a significant role in curbing the detrimental effects emanating from pollution. The paper will address pollutions caused by transport, contamination of water and solid waste material as well as the existing policies and possible reforms to curb the menaces.
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"Efficient Pollution Control".
Transportation
Transportation, and particularly road transport is the single and most significant cause of air pollution not only in the US but also other parts of the globe. Areas that have high transport concentration are likely to experience a higher level of air pollution as compared to those with few vehicles and other locomotives. Some of the significant externalities associated with pollution emanating from the transport sector include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and smog. According to Pietzcker et al (2014), transportation accounts for roughly 80 percent of the carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide that is found in the atmosphere.
Numerous policies and laws have been enacted by the US Congress over the years to curb air pollution caused by vehicles and other modes of transportation. The Clean Air Act of 1970 is one of the laws in the US that seeks to control air pollution caused by the transportation sector (Pietzcker et al, 2014). The primary objective of the law is to give the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) the legal authority to regulate pollution caused by vehicles and other modes of transportation. Besides that, the Pollution Prevention Act (P2) of 1990 gives EPA the power to come up with mechanisms to control air pollution caused by transport.
One of the reforms that should be embraced to curb pollution caused by transportation is the manufacture of green cars such as electric, plug-in hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (Pietzcker et al, 2014). Besides that, people should be advised to reduce car usage and instead walk or use bicycles. Other than that, people should be encouraged to work from the comfort of their homes instead of going to offices daily. The three reforms will play a significant role in curbing air pollution coming from transportation.
Water Pollution
Water pollution can be defined as the discharge of pollutants to water bodies that in turn cause contamination. The rapid industrial growth that has been witnessed in the current world has seen the level of water pollution increase substantially endangering the lives of marine animals (Zimmer, A., Winkler, and de Albuquerque, 2014). Industrial inorganic matters that are released into water bodies are the primary water pollutants. However, other water pollutants include microscopic components, pathogens, and organic matter.
The Pollution Prevention Law of 1990 is one of the primary laws that are designed to curb water pollution (Zimmer, A., Winkler, and de Albuquerque, 2014). The law is intended to monitor industrial activities in a bid to ensure that they use nontoxic or less-toxic substances during their manufacturing processes. The law also emphasizes o the need for industries to reuse or recycle their waste materials instead of releasing them downstream. Similarly, the National Pollution Prevention Policy outlines that any waste materials that cannot be recycled or reused should be treated before it is released into water bodies.
There exist various techniques for treating contaminated water. Boiling is one of the easiest, cost-effective and oldest mechanisms that have been employed since time memorial to kill germs and in turn make water safe for human consumption (Zimmer, A., Winkler, and de Albuquerque, 2014). Bone char filtration is a tool that removes heavy metallic substances from water. The tool is not only inexpensive but also portable. Besides that, an everything-but-the-sink portable filter is another relatively cheap mechanism employed to filter water and remove any particles in it. However, the tool requires silver beads or chlorine to ensure that the water is pure and safer.
Waste Management
The slow but steady rising cost of disposing of solid waste products is a major challenge affecting the fight against pollution. According to the 2016 IBIS World Inc. report, the commercial and municipal objectives of sustainability and recycling bear much blame for the rise in the cost of solid waste management. The report further goes ahead to state that the prices of landfills and solid waste management have risen by 3% and 1.7% respectively for the period between 2013 and 2016 (Crowe, Meyer, and Clapham, 2017).
Emission Reduction Credits (CRCs) is one of the economic incentives given by the different governments to curb the solid waste menace (Crowe, Meyer, and Clapham, 2017). In such a case, there exists no maximum limit regarding the maximum amount of solid waste deposited. Rather, polluters are awarded credits every time they reduce the amount of solid waste that they accumulate. The capped allowance system is another incentive used to curb solid waste management. The number of caps that are awarded to a polluter depends on the solid waste deposited by a manufacturer. In turn, the allowances help pollutants to manage their solid wastes.
Efficient recycling is the process of ensuring that waste mater is put into a more productive use. Recycling of solid waste matter not only reduces land pollution but also cuts the costs associated with the acquisition of raw materials (Crowe, Meyer, and Clapham, 2017). The role that recycling plays in curbing land pollution is an aspect that is often underestimated. Materials that were initially considered useless can be transformed into useful material.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is apparently clear that efficient pollution control is a challenging endeavor. Although a majority of people understand the effects of pollution, it requires the intervention of the authorities through the law to curb the menace. Transport, contamination of water and depositing solid waste materials on land are the primary forms of pollutions. Through efficient pollution control measures, however, it is possible to prevent the problem from escalating.
- Crowe, C., Meyer, C. K., & Clapham, S. E. (2017). The Strategy of Sustainable Waste Management: Landfill Management, Recycling, Reduction, and Pollution Prevention. Journal of Business Case Studies (Online), 13(1), 5.
- Pietzcker, R. C., Longden, T., Chen, W., Fu, S., Kriegler, E., Kyle, P., & Luderer, G. (2014). Long-term transport energy demand and climate policy: alternative visions on transport decarbonization in energy-economy models. Energy, 64, 95-108.
- Zimmer, A., Winkler, I., & de Albuquerque, C. (2014). Governing wastewater, curbing pollution, and improving water quality for the realization of human rights. Waterlines, 33(4), 337-356.
