Acid Rain: Its effects and what you should do to help

Acid rain is relatively unseen and hard to detect, but it is a widespread and serious problem that probably affects the areas where you live and work today. Acid rain is defined as rain that has a higher acidic content than normal usually due to human produced issues. In North America, for example, the problem has progressed so that rainwater can have anywhere from 1000% to 7000% too much acid content and that water is hitting your car, yourself, and your children. This can cause many types of problem, such as:

- Acid rain can defoliate trees and shrubs which can eventually lead to the tree dying if there is no intervention. Smaller trees can also suffer from stunted growth, or become weakened so that they are vulnerable to disease and insects.

- When lakes and ponds are seriously damaged by acid rain their fish often die off and birds die from eating the "toxic" fish before they die. Often humans cannot swim in these lakes

- Buildings and houses can be corroded by acid rain, as can bridges, underground pipes, and artwork (e.g. stained glass) on historical buildings.

- Both the railway and airline industries have been hit hard by the corrosive damage to their trains and planes done by acid rain.

- Humans and animals can become seriously ill and can even die from the effects of acid rain - it can cause respiratory problems in those who are already vulnerable including people with asthma for example.

Acid rain is caused by smoke and gases that are given off by factories, power plants, and cars. The pollutants rise into the atmosphere, and become acid that comes back down mixed with rain. For example, a great deal of acid rain is produced when coal is burned to produce electricity, and although there are ways to clean the coal, called clean coal technology, these methods are expensive and "cost prohibitive". Government subsidies or new technological breakthroughs would be helpful in this area.

Anyone can help reduce the problem of acid rain. You can write to your government official to promote clean coal technology for example. But most importantly, you can reduce your own consumption of electricity that is produced from coal or drive your car less often, to reduce your own "acid rain footprint" and make a true difference.