Executive Summary
The purpose of Acid Rain in Washington, should we fret? , is present an opinionated report about acid rain in the areas of history, legislation and possible threats to Washington state. The forest of the Pacific Northwest is rich and diverse. Salmon and other key species play an important role in Washington’s diverse ecosystem. Speaking of the subject, The Pacific Northwest ecosystem, the noun Acid Rain will never agree with the subject. (Some contribute the decline of Atlantic Salmon to acid rain) Acid rain is caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, a process which emits sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides into the earth’s atmosphere. These emissions once in the atmosphere react with water vapor and oxygen to form acid precipitation. Once acid rain precipitates, on an ecosystem it leaches valuable nutrients from the soil, in turn causing damage. The Acid Rain Program was created with the Clean Air Act of 1990 and it caps the emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by electrical generating units such as coal plants that produce electricity. The (ARP) has been successful in reducing acid rain emissions and has been a general model for other pollution legislation. But fears ensue as the population continues to grow, this is because more people, requires the consumption of fossil fuels and other resources to increase. As you can imagine, if the consumption of resources increases, then pollution will also increase. We can do our part by remembering the small things such as cutting back on electricity consumption. If everyone remembers to cut back on electricity then that means fewer fossil fuels used. If acid rain occurred in Washington it would pose significant hazards to plants and animals of the ecosystem. Acid rain has precipitated destruction to so many ecosystems across the globe. The growth of local and global populations are inflicting harm on the environment in the form of pollution that in turn causes problems such as acid rain or global warming. To prevent harm from pollution we must continue to abate pollutants and continually strive to be more efficient at doing so. It is my hope that if we continue to effectively abate pollution then our rainy days will remain clean and fresh.
Link to full written report- Acid Rain Report
Link to photo essay- Acid Rain Photo Essay
E.Ross
E.Ross
E.Ross
E. Ross
E.Ross