Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances or forms of energy into the environment, where they damage organisms, ecosystems, or human health.
Pollutant: A substance or form of energy that causes harmful environmental effects. Pollution occurs when pollutants enter environmental systems at harmful levels.
Air pollution: Contamination of the atmosphere by substances or particles that harm health or ecosystems. Air pollution is a major pathway of exposure to harmful emissions.
Environmental health: The study and protection of human health from environmental conditions and exposures. Pollution creates environmental exposures that can affect health across populations.
Industrial Revolution: A period of profound economic and technological change beginning in Britain in the eighteenth century. Industrialization greatly expanded fossil-fuel use and concentrated emissions in growing cities.
Climate change: Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, especially the recent warming driven by human greenhouse-gas emissions. It overlaps with air pollution sources but is a distinct change in the climate system.
Environmental transport: The movement of substances through air, water, soil, and living organisms. Transport determines where released pollutants spread and which populations they reach.
Water pollution: Contamination of surface water or groundwater that degrades its quality or harms life. Pollutants can enter rivers, lakes, oceans, and aquifers.
Particulate matter: A mixture of tiny solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in air. Fine particles are a major air-pollution exposure linked to respiratory and cardiovascular harm.
Fossil fuel: A carbon-rich fuel formed from ancient organic matter, including coal, oil, and natural gas. Combustion releases pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Resource depletion: The reduction of available natural resources through extraction or use. Depletion concerns resources being used up, rather than harmful additions to the environment.