What to Know about Pollution

Let’s start with the definition of pollution. According to the “Pollutions: Causes and Effects” website, pollution is “when pollutants contaminate the natural surrounding; which brings about changes that affect our normal lifestyles”. Pollutants is an extremely broad term. There are so many types of pollution that sitting down and listing them all out would be nearly impossible. Instead, I will explain the types that are most influential to polar bears. Of course, there is no one cause to pollution and no one type of pollution hurting the polar bears. The three types of pollution that put the polar bears at greatest risk are trash, air, water, and thermal pollution.

Air pollution is most often caused by burning, which can come about in many different forms. The burning of gas to drive, coal to fuel factories, wood to heat homes, and propane to cook food are just some of the ways pollutants make it into the air. Air pollution can lead to thermal changes, or global warming.

Thermal pollution is a direct product of excess heat in the atmosphere, leading to climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions, specifically CO2, are the primary cause of thermal pollution. Factories and cars are two of the largest contributors. While the number of factories and cars increase daily, the rate of deforestation is rising right along with it. According to Rinkesh, “deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land for use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland”. In other words, deforestation brings about the destruction of trees and other plants, all users of CO2. With an increase in the amount of CO2 production daily and a decrease in the used CO2, it is no mystery why global warming is becoming such a large issue for polar bear populations.

Water pollution has an immense number of causes ranging from various forms of litter being discarded in oceans to industrial waste being dumped in the seas. When water pollution is mentioned, these are the two most common sources the average person will think of. However, a large source that is often forgotten is the spraying of pesticides. After being sprayed on plants, pesticides can runoff into nearby water sources, polluting them and harming the marine-life inside of them. The use of detergents is another source that is usually looked over. The use of soaps for things like washing dishes or clothes causes a mixture of detergent and water. This process, called eutrophication, makes the water now mixed with soap to be inhabitable due to the high concentration of chemicals and lack of oxygen for respiration. Water pollution greatly affects polar bear populations by interfering and interrupting the food chain.