Man pollutes the environment with household and industrial waste. It is a by-product of civilization. Hundreds of years ago, factory and furnace pipes threw clouds of black poisonous coal smoke into the air. Now there are even more factories, and with them the substances that poison the air, water and land: they are even in Antarctica and the Himalayas. So far, we can only limit harmful emissions, recycle household waste and waste, and use materials that are decomposed by living organisms, such as soil bacteria.
The ozone layer traps the sun's ultraviolet rays, which cause skin cancer. Against the background of chronic environmental pollution, ecological catastrophes sometimes occur. For example, in the event of an accident, oil spills out of the tanker's hold and forms a huge spot on the ocean surface. Oil covers animals with a deadly stain. Chlorofluorocarbons, which are used in the manufacture of refrigerators and aerosol cans, rise in the upper atmosphere and destroy the ozone layer. Dangerous "ozone holes" have recently been discovered over the Arctic and Antarctic, and their numbers continue to rise. Exhaust gases contain nitrogen oxides, and the combustion of coal in power plants releases sulfur dioxide. Combining in the air with water, these substances are converted into acids, which then fall out with the rain. Acid rain destroys buildings, destroys forests and ponds. New technologies can reduce emissions, but it costs a lot.
Toxic and other hazardous wastes are often buried. In this case, they kill all living things around, spreading water. The North Sea, once rich in fish, is now almost completely poisoned
