This article focuses on forest fires in New Orleans and the pollution that they create. "Forest fires have the potential to release toxic industrial and agricultural pollutants previously trapped on soil." During the forest fires the fertilizers and pesticides in the soil are being burned and travel through smoke spreading throughout the region, in the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. This means “there’s a growing potential for these persistent organic pollutants, which have been deposited in ecosystems over the decades, to move around.” These toxins can end up in areas where they are banned or should not end up such as reservoir. The toxins can travel in masses of great distances. The article followed a forest fire in Siberia with a satellite and watched the toxins reach the United States.
On the contrary it is argued that the toxins burned are not a serious issue. This is because the toxins that travel through the atmosphere after being burned are not very concentrated and only exist in small quantities.
Regardless of this argument burning toxins is very dangerous and hazardous to the environment. It can cause a multitude of problems such as acid rain. One problem that seems to come into all of Earth's environmental issues is global warming. With global warming only getting worse, more forest fires will continue, therefore more toxins will be burned and be released into the environment. This is of serious concern because it is destroying animal and human habitats. It is necessary that humans stop the use or at least limit the amount of fertilizers used in the environment because of its harmful affects.
No comments:
Post a Comment