Introduction
Our digital exhibit is focused on pollution ecohorror. This subgenre highlights the evil that has been creeping up on us ever since society modernized: extreme pollution of the environment. Pollution has always been around, but its presence, and the variety of forms in which it exists, are becoming far worse over the years. Pollution, by definition, is the introduction of harmful material into the environment (Chamas). Though pollutants can be natural, those that are severely endangering the air, land, and water in our environment are resultant from human activity. Recent decades of human production with little understanding of the effects of our industrialization has made an irreversible impact on the planet with pollutants that are not able to removed and will torment Earth endlessly.
Pollution
Environmental pollution, better known as pollution, is when any substance is added into the environment faster than it can be decomposed or dispersed. Air, land, and water pollution are the main three types of pollution on Earth, classified by the environment in which it takes place in. The word pollution usually refers to human activity that harms the environment in any manner, and can have negative lasting impacts on both ecological and social systems.
Historical Context
The history of pollution can be traced back as far as humans have been gathering in groups in one place for an extended period of time. Humans have a tendency to use resources faster than we can replace them, and therefore pollution has been something negatively impacting our livelihood since the beginning of mankind. Pollution has, however, been accelerated in the past two centuries due to technological developments and growing populations.
The spark of exponential growth in global pollution began with the worldwide Industrial Revolution, beginning in England in the 19th century, as economies moved away from being agricultural based. The rise in the use of coal and oil became one of the main driver for specifically air pollution, and the widespread emissions of these greenhouse gasses is a main driver for climate change.
Impacts of Environmental Pollution
The impacts of pollution can be seen almost everywhere on the planet. Plastic and garbage on our shores, massive factories emitting toxic gas, and nuclear wastelands are all evidence of humanity's negative impacts on our planet and in our ecosystems. Climate change is one of the main concerns rising about environmental pollution. It is the periodic change in the Earth's climate due to a change in the contents of the atmosphere, and its main driver is the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
The world temperature has increased on average by 0.8 to 1.2 degrees Celsius, and this number is expected to grow as our usage of the planet's resources continues.
Making a Change
Beginning in the 20th century, people began to become more aware of the negative impacts humans and our pollution may be having on the Earth. Petitions against chemicals such as leaded gasoline and pesticides in the 1950s and 1960s became a source of education about the environment for many people. In 1952, London experienced a “killer fog” caused by air pollution that led to the passing of the Clean Air Act. In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, which criticized the use of DDT as a pesticide due to its negative impact on the health of living organisms. This piece of literature led to the ban on this pesticide and sparked a rise in environmentalism that is still going strong today.
Government legislations such as the Paris Agreement by the United Nations are pushing countries to participate in pollution prevention, as many people are advocating for a change for the sake of the health and longevity of both our planet and humanity.