Acid Rain ~ Environmental Issue

Acid rain is one of the top environmental issues facing the world today, causing potential damage to forests, crops, rivers and lakes, and animals.

What Is Acid Rain

Acid rain is the term for wet and dry material from the atmosphere that contains pollutants and has become acidic. The term “acid rain” can apply to rain, snow, sleet, hail, or fog, as well as gases and dust particles carried by the wind.

What Causes Acid Rain / Causes Of Acid Rain

Acid rain is caused primarily by air pollution from power plants and cars and trucks, even from ships. When fuel is burned (from coal or gas), chemicals are produced that react with the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acids.

Facts About Acid Rain

Here are facts about acid rain:
•Acid rain can be carried hundreds of miles.
•The effects of acid rain were first studied in the late 1950s in Scandinavia.
•Ships, with their sulfur emissions, contribute heavily to acid rain.
•The 1970s were the worst period for acid rain, before protective measures were taken across the world.
•Acid rain can dramatically affect rivers and lakes, freshwater fish, and forests.

Read more about other top environmental issues: ozone depletion, climate change and global warming, deforestation, and endangered species.