In the modern world today,
there are more cars owned be the privates, especially the middle and upper
income families in China . In order
to meet the surging demand for international trades of cars, businessmen
established numerous factories at the relatively lower waged countries such as China to produce cars. These factories were
mostly operating with fossil fuel energy system which caused extensive
releasing of harmful gases. As a result, acid rains were more frequent than in
the past, especially in USA and Canada . Furthermore, the dramatic
increase in number of cars running on the road also contributes greatly to the
acid rains. However, these problems are reversible. It might be hard to
eliminate them totally but with different sectors making effort to cooperate,
these problems can be kept at the lowest level possible.
Ever since the Industrial
Revolution, machinery had became the main stream of production. As the pace of
production increased greatly, many countries such as USA and China experienced overwhelming economic
boost. The purchasing power of the middle and upper income groups was much
higher than those times in the past. Hence, wealthy families demanded more
luxury goods such as cars. According to Hays(2008), it is predicted that the
number of cars will continue to increase in China and double in twenty years. In order
to produce these cars to meet the market demand, there was a dramatic increase
in burning of fossil fuels for production which resulted in increasing number
of sulfuric gases been released. According to NASA Earth Observatory(2011),
"since the industrial revolution, emissions
of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere have increased." In
addition, the increase in the number of cars owned means more cars are running
on the road and according to NASA Earth Observatory(2011), the
"transportation sector" is a major contributor to the acid rains as
well. This is due to the fact that most cars are still functioning with fuel
energy system.
With the rising
awareness of the adverse impacts of acid rains, both affected and unaffected
nations are trying to solve it. There are a few possible approaches that would
be helpful. Firstly, to tackle the major source of acid rain, the factories can
change their operating system and research on technology
in neutralizing the gases emitted. With a more environmental friendly
energy system such as solar, hydra and wind energy system, it
would definitely reduce the gas emission. However, these systems are only
suitable to the factories that are geographically located at the suitable
location. Thus, for these factories that are hard to switch their energy
system, one possible solution is to equip the waste emission sector with
appropriate technology to neutralize them. For example, the sulfur dioxide could
be filtered with alkaline gases before releasing it to the atmosphere to
minimize its effect. Secondly, the car owners can also help by changing
the life styles. With the individuals concerning about environment, if they
travel by bicycle or public transports, it would mean that number of cars on
road will decrease and hence releasing less harmful gases such as sulfur and
nitrogen oxides. Despite life styles are hard to be changed, it is still
progressing slowly. Lastly, the nation can help by Ensuring
the factories follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. The
government can provide subsidies or tax relieves to encourage factories to
research and switch to a more environmentally friendly system. The state can
also construct "bicycle stations" similar to the Mass Rapid Transit
(MRT). This makes travelling by bicycle more convenient. However, to
establish the system will take time and effort.
In conclusion, it is a fact
that acid rains have increased due to international trades of cars but
undoubtedly, it could be mitigated. According to United States Environmental
Protection Agency(n.d.),"SO2 emissions from Acid Rain Program sources have
fallen from 17.3 million tons in 1980 to about 7.6 million tons in 2008, a
decrease in emissions of 56 percent." There might be limitations to
the solutions but with every sector making an effort, acid rains could be
kept at the lowest level.
Reference:
Hays,J.(2008). Automobile
Numbers in China . Retrieved
October 15,2013,from http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=314%20=13%20=86#08
United States Environmental Protection Agency.(n.d.).Quick Facts about Cap and
Trade. Retrieved
October 13,2013,from http://www.epa.gov/captrade/
NASA Earth Observatory.(2011). Glossary-acid rain. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://web.archive.org/web/20111213175357/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=all
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