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Air pollution has many sources.
Indoors, it comes from aerosol sprays, paint, ordinary dust, and dander. Dander is tiny scales from animal skin or hair. Outdoors, air pollution comes from vehicle exhaust and factories. Air pollution has gotten worse and worse over the last hundred years. People are working in many ways, big and small, to conserve the quality of our air.
Pollution Problems
◀ Most cars run on gasoline, which is 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
One possible alternative fuel is ethanol. It can be made from corn. It’s called a biofuel because it’s fuel made from a plant. Ethanol 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 a renewable resource. 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 it takes more energy to make ethanol than it provides. Plus, planting the same crop over and over robs the soil of nutrients. Making biofuels in developing 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
A process that breaks down wood chips converts them into ethanol. Pine chips, needles, cones, and bark—any waste left over from logging—can be used. ▼
The Plus
On the plus side is that this approach uses materials that would be thrown away anyway. Another plus is that the process itself does not use a lot of energy.
The Minus
The process is very slow.
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, which means that we can’t make more of them. Burning oil and coal sends literally tons of carbon dioxide into the air every day. The good news is that in many areas, people are using more renewable energy. Water, wind, and solar are renewable types of power. We don’t have to burn anything to get power from them, 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!
