Mitigation of Impacts on Ecosystems and Their Inhabitants Directly from Human Activities

Abstract

Human activities have polluted ecosystem atmospheres, waterways and soils. They have sickened and killed ecosystem life including human beings. This originates from coal burning power plants, smelters, and other industries that burn coal and use or manufacture chemicals, metal, and metal products, from agricultural chemicals runoff, and other sources. From the section on pollution we know that many of these sources generate emissions that include heavy metals, fine particulates (<2.5 μm), and gases (e.g., SO₂ that react with moisture catalyzed by the sun in the atmosphere to yield acid rain). Others generate polluted effluents that contaminate waterways and soils. In many countries, legislation passed to protect human health and the environment has required a great lessening of the emissions at their sources by the use of scrubbers that capture chemical emissions and precipitators that capture particles as they rise up chimneys. Laws also provide for treatment of effluents before discharge and/or a great reduction in their discharge. What has been lacking in some instances is enforcement of the legislation where plant managers limited use of available control and capture equipment or treatment protocols and/or did not maintain equipment to operate at maximum efficiency. This results in the use of less energy and reduced capital outlay to cut operational expenses and increase profits.