What are the causes of environmental pollution?

Jul 22, 2011

When man’s population was small and technology was in its infancy, environment could easily absorb human and industrial wastes. With increasing human population, contamination of environment is also increasing. This contamination of environment, in scientific language, is termed as pollution.

“Pollution may be defined as a change in physical, chemical or biological aspects of environment, which makes it harmful for humans, for other living organisms, and for cultural assets”.

The basic cause of environmental pollution lies in man itself and the activities adopted by him. The clean lands, exhaust of fresh water resources, gases released by human activities play a major role in pollution. Beside this, some natural causes are also responsible which includes volcanic eruptions, UV radiation, soil erosion, dust storms, decomposition of organic matter etc. But the major control of this problem lies in human hands only. And fortunately man realized his mistakes in 1969 and started to take steps to avoid pollution of environment, but not to the desired extend. But still a number of International programmes had been started by International authorities.