Environmental Issues in EuropeAir Pollution in the United KingdomAcid Rain in GermanyAnd Nuclear Disaster/Fallout in Ukraine

Air pollution in the United KingdomPrimary Causes:1) Pollution from power stations,

power generation , and industries

2) Vehicle (cars and trucks) emissions

Air pollution linked to early death in the U.K.

Air pollution link to heart attack and deaths

Air pollution in the United Kingdom

Links to recent articles about the health problems

What are the top two sources of air pollution?

Air Pollution Around the WorldWhat areas of the world have the most air pollution? Why?

Petrol- means the same as gas (gasoline) in most parts of the world. Petrol, is short for petroleum. This graph shows which countries have the most fuel efficient cars or get more miles per gallon (mpg). The more miles per gallon a car gets or the more fuel efficient cars will produced less emissions and less pollution in the air.

• 1. Which country’s cars have the highest fuel economy (get the most miles per gallon?)

• 2. What type of cars get the most miles per gallon?

• 3. What country has the worst?

• 4. How do the United Kingdom and the United States compare?

• 5. What is something that we could do to cut down on car emissions?

Issues associated with air pollution•1) damage to vegetation

•2) harm to the atmosphere

•3) harm to human beings

The effects of air pollution on plants (vegetation)

Pollution harms the atmosphereThere are two types of air pollution

1. Natural air pollution- burning wood in fireplace, natural wildfires, volcanic eruptions, cows let out

ammonia (gas)2. Manufactured (Man-Made) pollution- caused by (stationary-doesn’t move) industrial plants, power generating plants (mobile-moving) cars, trucks,

buses, motorcycles and airplanes.

The most hazardous pollution is manufactured or man-made air pollution. It contains many dangerous chemicals that can cause serious health issues.

Man-made (manufactured) air pollution creates ground-level ozone (smog) , which contributes to climate change/ global warming.

Pollution (Air and Soil)

Acid Rain in Germany• What causes acid rain? • Air Pollution

This is how air pollution causes acid rain

Effects of Acid Rain can be seen here. This is after a few years of acid rain.

Issues associated with acid rain• 1) Damage to vegetation and aquatic life

• 2) Contamination of drinking water

• 3) damage to physical structures such as buildings and monuments

Nuclear Disaster/ Fallout at Chernobyl, Ukraine

• A nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, once a part of the former Soviet Union, now in the Ukraine.

• Ukraine became an independent country in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

• The disaster occurred toward the end of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union

• At this time, The Soviets were very secretive about all aspects of their government and any nuclear capabilities.

• The Soviets did not alert the world or the area of the disaster. They tried to keep it a secret.

So, what exactly happened? • In the early hours of April 26, 1986, workers

at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were conducting an experiment that went terribly wrong.

• The reactor at the nuclear power plant went into meltdown and a huge explosion occurred.

• The carbon monoxide contained within the reactor, ignited with the air causing a large explosion, severely damaging the structure.

• This explosion sent highly radioactive debris high into the atmosphere to be carried as far west as Portugal and north as Scandinavia.

• It was actually the Swedes who alerted the world of the disaster after radioactive fallout was detected two days later.

• In fact the explosion released 100 times as much radiation as an atom bomb like that used against Hiroshima.

Nuclear Disaster in Ukraine• Consequences of the disaster• 1) land evacuation• 2) land contamination• 3) economic impact on East and North Europe

farmers• 4) health issues such as high rates of cancer,

birth defects and in some cases death

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

• How do you think the problem of the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl was not just isolated to that region of Ukraine?

• The radiation spread through the air currents all over Europe

• It still affects people today in Europe

Radioactive debris can cause health problems and serious illnesses or deformities. The picture shows a man holding his child who was exposed to these harmful chemicals while his mother was pregnant.

1/3rd of the population of Ukraine live in poverty today. The disaster contaminated the land, which was the most fertile in Europe for growing crops. It is not clear how long it takes for the dangers of this terrible disaster to be safe and clean, but the disaster has had a great impact on many people’s lives for many years and continues today.

Questions to answer• 1. What are the two primary causes of air

pollution?• 2. What are some of the effects and issues

related with air pollution?• 3. What causes acid rain?• 4. What are some of the effects or issues related

to acid rain?• 5. What are some ways to help control the

amount of air pollution and acid rain?• 6. Is air pollution only a problem in the areas

where it is emitted in the air? Explain.

• 7. What happened in Chernobyl in 1986?• 8. What country was Chernobyl a part of in

1986?• 9. What country is Chernobyl located in today

(since 1991)?• 10. What were some of the effects associated

with the nuclear explosion?• 11. How is the disaster still affecting Ukrainians

and their country’s economy today?

12. Create a Cause and Effect flow map titled Major Environmental Issue in Europe starting with air pollution. (Go through your notes)

• think of the causes of air pollution and the effects• the effects of acid rain (the effects of acid rain are connected in some

way to air pollution. • Next, the causes and effects of the nuclear explosion (tricky) Where

does the nuclear disaster in Ukraine fit in the map? Well, the explosion caused some of the effects of air pollution, which is on the map of effects, but quite different effects (although some are the same) but, the cause isn’t exactly the same as the other air pollution even though it is an industry (but nuclear energy, is considered clean energy?

• It was the explosion of the nuclear power plant that caused the damage, not the power plant emissions (but, they are connected in some way??)

• So, brainstorm and see what you come up with because the flow map should include the causes and effects of the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl.

• This could be separate but if you use your imagination…the nuclear disaster did involve both air pollution and some of the effects of air pollution and acid rain.

Causes

• Vehicle emissions

• Industrial pollution

Air Pollution

Create a cause and effect flow map of air pollution in the U.K.