What Can We Do?
So you get that chemical rain is bad. Like, very bad. Like super duper mega ultra bad. Okay maybe not super duper mega ultra bad, but still very bad.
So you want to help?
Good.
There are several ways to help reduce chemical rain, ranging from societal changes to individual action. It is critical that acid deposition be reduced to preserve the integrity of natural habitats, as well as to reduce damage to man-made structures.
Ways You Can Help
Believe it or not, you as individual can make a big difference by doing your small part with these menial tasks:
So you want to help?
Good.
There are several ways to help reduce chemical rain, ranging from societal changes to individual action. It is critical that acid deposition be reduced to preserve the integrity of natural habitats, as well as to reduce damage to man-made structures.
Ways You Can Help
Believe it or not, you as individual can make a big difference by doing your small part with these menial tasks:
- Clean up smokestacks and exhaust pipes.
- Use coal with less sulfur
- Turn off lights, computers, and other appliances when you're not using them.
- Use energy-efficient appliances: lighting, air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.
- Only use electric appliances when you need them.
- Keep your thermostat at 68°F in the winter and 72°F in the summer. You can turn it even lower in the winter and higher in the summer when you are away from home.
- Insulate your home as best you can.
- Carpool, use public transportation, or better yet, walk or bicycle whenever possible
- Buy vehicles with low NOx emissions, and properly maintain your vehicle.
- Be well informed.
Other Ways To Help
The ways to prevent chemical rain don't stop there.
There are several options for reducing SO2 emissions, including using coal containing less sulfur, washing the coal, and using devices called “scrubbers” to chemically remove the SO2 from the gases leaving the smokestack. Power plants can also switch fuels—for example, burning natural gas creates much less SO2 than burning coal. Certain approaches will also have the additional benefit of reducing other pollutants such as mercury and carbon dioxide (CO2). Understanding these “co-benefits” has become important in seeking cost-effective air pollution reduction strategies. Power plants can use technologies that do not burn fossil fuels.
There are other sources of electricity besides fossil fuels. They include nuclear power, hydropower, wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy. Nuclear and hydropower are used most widely in the United States, while wind, solar, and geothermal energy have not yet been harnessed on a large enough scale to make them economically-feasible alternatives.
There are also alternative energies, such as natural gas, batteries, and fuel cells, available to power automobiles.
All sources of energy have environmental costs as well as benefits. Some types of energy are more expensive to produce than others, which means that not all Americans can afford all of them. Nuclear power, hydropower, and coal are the cheapest forms of energy today, but advancements in technologies and regulatory developments may change this in the future. All of these factors must be weighed when deciding which energy source to use today and which to invest in for tomorrow.
The ways to prevent chemical rain don't stop there.
There are several options for reducing SO2 emissions, including using coal containing less sulfur, washing the coal, and using devices called “scrubbers” to chemically remove the SO2 from the gases leaving the smokestack. Power plants can also switch fuels—for example, burning natural gas creates much less SO2 than burning coal. Certain approaches will also have the additional benefit of reducing other pollutants such as mercury and carbon dioxide (CO2). Understanding these “co-benefits” has become important in seeking cost-effective air pollution reduction strategies. Power plants can use technologies that do not burn fossil fuels.
There are other sources of electricity besides fossil fuels. They include nuclear power, hydropower, wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy. Nuclear and hydropower are used most widely in the United States, while wind, solar, and geothermal energy have not yet been harnessed on a large enough scale to make them economically-feasible alternatives.
There are also alternative energies, such as natural gas, batteries, and fuel cells, available to power automobiles.
All sources of energy have environmental costs as well as benefits. Some types of energy are more expensive to produce than others, which means that not all Americans can afford all of them. Nuclear power, hydropower, and coal are the cheapest forms of energy today, but advancements in technologies and regulatory developments may change this in the future. All of these factors must be weighed when deciding which energy source to use today and which to invest in for tomorrow.