The burning of fossil fuels such as coal may be said to cause global warming that will ultimately destroy this planet. What is less talked about is that it translates to something more immediate and has already been happening, even before the climate change debates ever began. Acid rain is when all the fossil fuel that had been burned comes back down from the sky in the form of snow, fog, or dry dust that contains toxic levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. Think of it as poison rain. While volcanoes may have done their bit in causing it, it is mainly irresponsible humans that set it off through their coal-fired power plants, cars, factories, and industrial smokestacks.

Acid rain affects the totality of the ecosystem and the entire food chain. It has been proven to have an adverse, oftentimes irreversible, effect on forests, bodies of water, soil, plants, and animals. It does have adverse impact on human health. Most of Europe is affected by acid rain. Many lakes have turned acidic in Scandinavia. Aquatic animals and the trees surrounding the lakes have died. New York, southwestern Canada, the southeastern coast of China, and Taiwan are some of the places worst hit by acid rain.

Acid rain was discovered as early as 1852 when the industries started to mushroom. The effects became apparent in the late 1960s, making scientists observe and study the phenomenon. The term “acid rain” was finally coined in 1972.

Image

Via National Geographic