WHAT`S GOING ON WITH OUR AIR?

Air Pollution
Air pollution makes it hard for us to breathe. It is probably causing the earth to become warmer, which will change our climate. It even pollutes the water.
Global Warming
In November 1997, leaders in politics and science met in Kyoto, Japan, at the United Nations Conference on Global Warming. These world leaders met because they are concerned about the way polluted air is changing our climate.To pollute means to make unfit for living things, especially by adding waste matter such as car emissions to the air or chemicals to the water.The emissions being put into our air from cars and other sources like electrical and manufacturing plants can combine to create a layer of bad air. As more and more emissions enter the air, the layers close to the earth may get very thick so that we cannot see ahead of us or breath well. We call these thick layers smog.At the same time, the emissions rise into our atmosphere and move all around the world, creating layers of "dirt" high up in our atmosphere. These layers create what is called a thermal blanket. This blanket keeps our earth warm (just like blankets keep us warm in a cold winter). That might seem like a good thing, but our earth has a natural process for keeping warm. The thermal blanket created by emissions is not natural. This blanket may make the earth too warm. If the earth is too warm, plants and animals may die. It can also change the places and times that rain falls, the amount of rain that falls, and all of our other weather patterns. Over time, if the earth's temperature rises even one or two degrees, trees, plants and animals (including us) will have to change the way they live and grow. The temperature will be too high and the rain patterns change. The rise in temperature is called global warming.
Acid Rain
Air pollution also causes acid rain. Rainwater picks up particles and gases when it falls through the air. If the air is polluted, the rainwater becomes polluted, too. Polluted rain is called acid rain.Some acids are helpful. We have acid in our stomachs to break down and digest food. We use vinegar, an acid, to pickle cucumbers. Acids like these are help us. But, acids can also be harmful. If there is too much acid in garden soil, plants will not grow. Some acids will burn your skin.Acid rain is harmful rain. When it falls on living things--plants, animals and people--it can harm or kill them. Leaves burned by acid rain cannot make oxygen or collect carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis.