Environmental studies and Fore

There have been several environmental changes in the world recently occurring due to the pollution of the environment. Increase in production, manufacturing, the use of motor vehicles and basically dumping waste into the environment. This has brought about different types of pollution, each resulting in negative effects due to reducing quality air and other environmental features. If things keep going down this road, the future generations may not have a clean environment to come to, and it may even signify the end of our world. Some of the major environmental pollutions include air pollution, sound pollution, soil pollution and water pollution. Air pollution occurs due to some dangerous gases being released into the environment in large quantities. If the gases are released in small quantities and over a long time, the environment has ways of cleaning itself out, but due to the increase in development and population, this is not possible. This threat for the future world has become a world issue which requires a quick and fast measure taken against it. Otherwise, we might just destroy the only thing that rejuvenates itself and supports our ecosystem. It has been clear though from the past that this issue will not be gotten rid of so easily. This is because even the problem itself has not been fully discovered. People used to consider big companies and automobiles to be the most pollutants, if not the only ones. It has emerged that there are some sources which we have not even put into mind. This is the same problem facing of Portland and especially to the Northwest (Farago, 2005). In Portland, the local steel plant was put on the spotlight for a while for what the neighboring community claimed to be air pollution. The company claimed to be in full compliance for years, until finally the department for air quality control had to intervene. Then there came the realization that the local school itself was responsible for quite a big portion of the pollution that was being blamed on the company. ESCO was still responsible for most of the pollution that took place, but it became apparent that it was not the only source to blame. However, the schools being relatively smaller compared to a huge corporation, the company had to play its corporate role and try and fix the problem. As part of the problem solving plan, the company had any interested locals come to a meeting with company and environmental officials to try and come up with a solution. The locals were invited to raise the issues environment which was giving them sleepless nights. The complaints were massive, but so was the response on how the problem could be solved. Many people came up with solutions as to how the problem could be solved. The company then had a walk around with the participating members, and it was decide that the company needed to take control of the gas waste that was released into the environment. They were also to be responsible for ensuring the clean environment is maintained through constant monitoring. They also had to agree to ensure that whenever there was a complaint by the locals, it would be quickly addressed before getting out of hand. Another responsibility relegated to the company was ensuring the neighboring

school not only got training on environmental management techniques, but also had the school environment constantly monitored (ecotrope.opb.org ). This is an example of how air pollution affects not only the environment, but also the peace in a place. This is not the first place where a big company has been blamed by the local community of not fully observing the required environmental measures to keep it clean. Most of these cases go unreported or no one is interested in solving this issue. Most people have been ignoring the issue because their adverse effects are seen in the long term. Apart from the pollution caused by bad odors and water pollution, basically air pollution takes a lot more time to be fully manifested. Its effect takes time to be seen, but when they do occur, the results are very destruct full and also long term. Air pollution has been blamed for the increasing temperatures in the world. This effect is also manifested in areas where the rate of emissions is very high. Air pollution has also been blamed for the destruction of the ozone layer. The ozone layer is a layer found covering the earths atmosphere, and is credited for keeping the suns harmful rays out of our environment. Air pollution has been blamed for depleting this important layer, which takes years to form back after destruction. Acid rain is another condition caused by air pollution. Acid rain occurs when harmful gases accumulate in the air and through chemical processes, mix up with rain water and cause acidity to it. This type of rain ends up causing corrosion of buildings and anything the rain touches. Though the corrosion does not happen in one rainy day, it leads to the eventual decrease in quality and strength of the buildings (Mellanby, 1988). The effects brought about by air pollution are many and diverse, but fortunately, there are measures that can be taken to ensure that this process is at least slowed down if not stopped and reversed. The way the Portland community has handled their case is a good example of how air pollution can be reduced. This is through the local communities in different parts coming together and agreeing that there is a problem, looking at how the problem can be handled and then coming up with relevant solutions that can be followed by both parties. It is quite important though that the process begins by including all the affected parties. This ensures that any solutions they come up with are known and accepted by everyone in the community. Companies have to start taking responsibilities for their waste. Most multinationals ignore the effects they have on the environment and instead concentrate on the social aspect. One of the best ways to deal with air pollution is to instill strict laws which do not give room for this. There are laws which already govern companies on the waste they release into the environment, but these laws need to be tightened so that anyone who does not comply suffers a heavy fine which will keep others from doing the same. There is the need for more monitoring conducted by the responsible parties. They should ensure that the inspections conducted are done more often and efficiently. If this is not done and there is laxity on the monitoring, then these laws will be hard to uphold (Schneider, 1998).

Our environment is our livelihood, without it our survival is not going to be for long. If we would like to see our future generations get an environment they can work with, then there is the need to reduce the rate at which we are depositing waste. More recycling would also be a good course to take, but whatever course is eventually taken, it should be upheld to enable our environment to recover.