Nitrogen Pollution - The Next Cause of Global Warming?

Article by Neeyati (1,441 pts ) , published Jun 30, 2008

Everyone is worried about impact of carbon dioxide on global warming, but hardly anybody worries about nitrogen pollution; another cause of global warming. Have we taken counter measures for the impact of nitrogen on our environment?

The world today is focused on Global Warming, and is mainly concentrating on the reduction of carbon emissions, which is said to deplete the ozone layer, leading to many complications. Global warming is a phenomenon which is caused by increase in the temperature of earth. Due to increase in the temperature of earth, the ice present at the poles melts and it also leads to many environmental changes. You will be astonished to know that the temperature of our earth has increased by a couple of Celsius degrees within this century and if the present trend continues scientists estimate that by next ten years all the ice present at poles will melt.

We are already confronting serious problems with increase in temperature of earth due to carbon dioxide. Now scientists in Germany have come out with a warning of a new danger. Hydrogen, they say, is more dangerous than emission of Carbon. Although it is inert in its own form, it is reactive when combined with other agents to form compounds such as ammonia, use of hydrogen based fertilizers, and so on. These compounds also create several forms of pollution such as smog, greenhouse warming, haze, acid rain etc. In other words, the effect of the reactive compounds of Nitrogen pollution is nearly the same as that of Carbon Dioxide. Thus now we have to fight with two different gases which give rise to same effect which can be a potent threat to our survival.

There are present measures through which we can control the amount of nitrogen oxides being generated. Ways of reducing use of nitrogen ranging from reusing nitrogen from manure and sewage, reduction in nitrogen emissions, and encouraging its uptake by plants are being studied by researchers. It is beneficial to control this damage before it is too late, or else we may have to face same problems we are facing today in an aggravated state.