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Air pollution has many sources.
Indoors, it comes from aerosol sprays, paint, and ordinary dust. It also comes from dander, tiny scales from animal skin or hair. Outdoors, air pollution comes from vehicles and factories. It has gotten worse and worse over the last hundred years. So people are working in many ways to conserve our air quality.
Pollution Problems
◀ Most cars run on gasoline. That’s a fuel made from petroleum. Fumes from the engines of these cars are a major source of air pollution. We need new types of fuel to cut down pollution.
Solution?
Ethanol
Ethanol is a new type of fuel. It can be made from corn. It’s a biofuel—fuel made from a plant. It may be a step in the right direction, but it’s not perfect. ▼
The Plus
Cars that use ethanol pollute the air less. Also, ethanol is renewable. We’ll run out of petroleum some day, but farmers can plant corn year after year.
The Minus
It takes a lot of energy to grow, harvest, and process corn into ethanol. Some experts say we use more energy to make ethanol than we get from it! Plus, planting the same crop over and over is bad for the soil. And making biofuels in poorer countries means there’s less land to grow food.
Some hybrid cars use a mix of ethanol and gasoline. But not all hybrids use ethanol. Some hybrids use gasoline plus electricity from a battery. ▶
Solution?
Wood Chips
We don’t always have to grow plants to make biofuels. Logging, or cutting down trees, produces lots of extra bits of trees. They can all be turned into ethanol. Pine chips, needles, cones, and bark can all be used. ▼
The Plus
These materials would just be thrown away. Also, making ethanol from them doesn’t use a lot of energy.
The Minus
Turning them into ethanol takes a long time.
Solution?
Alternative Power
We use electricity for so many things. It lights our homes, streets, schools, and factories. It also powers our factories. More than half the electricity we use comes from coal and oil. These resources are nonrenewable. That means we can’t make any more oil or coal. Burning them also sends literally tons of carbon dioxide into the air every day. In many areas, people are using more renewable energy. Examples are water, wind, and solar power. We don’t burn these power sources, so they keep our skies cleaner. ▼
Your Part
You can help keep the air clean by reducing the amount of oil and coal needed to keep you going. That means:
▲ Walk or ride a bicycle whenever you can. Go by bus or other public transportation, if necessary.
▲ When you need to travel by car, suggest helping your parents organize a car pool.
▲ Use less electricity. Turn off lights as you leave a room. Turn off TVs, computers, DVD players, and video games when you’re not using them. Don’t stand in front of an open refrigerator staring at the food!
