Definitions
Air Pollution
It is a type of environmental pollution made up of the unwanted and harmful chemical products within our air. These unwanted chemicals are created through many of the daily activities of humans.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is the mixture of gases surrounding the Earth. It is found between outer space and the Earth. It is divided into layers according to temperatures and the gases found at those temperatures. The layers of the atmosphere are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, and the ionosphere or thermosphere.
Carbon Dioxide
A colourless, tasteless, odourless gas that is produced when animals exhale and when fuels burn. It is also used by plants to make food. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
Climate
The combination of temperature, precipitation, winds, and other weather conditions that are common to an area or region over a period of time.
Climate Change
Temperatures on the planet have increased by about 0.6 degrees Celsius over the 20th century, and scientists predict that they will continue to rise. There is evidence that this temperature rise is in part due to human activities. Average temperatures across the world could increase by anywhere from 1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius over the next 100 years. In Canada they may increase by 5 to 7 degrees. This means we need to change our daily habits and reduce our energy use to reduce our impacts on climate change.
Emission
The exhaust released as a result of the burning of fossil fuels.
Energy
The capacity to do work or the ability to make things move.
Environment
All of the living and natural things surrounding us that have an influence on us and our physical and biological existence, including air, water, vegetation, climate, wildlife and humans.
Exposure
Being open to the elements, without having shelter, or protection. Often heard in phrases such as sun exposure, UV ray exposure and exposure to harmful chemicals.
Fossil Fuels
Coal, oil, natural gas, oil shales and tar sands are all fossil fuels. They were created deep within the Earth millions of years ago by decomposing remains of plants and animals. Fossil fuels can be burned to release energy. When we use fossil fuels to produce energy we get more than just energy, greenhouse gases and air pollution are made too.
Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse gases are not all bad! In the Earth’s atmosphere they trap the sun’s heat through a process known as the Greenhouse Effect making the Earth a much cozier place to live. Without the natural greenhouse effect current life forms on Earth could not exist and the Earth’s average temperature would be -18 degrees Celsius, BBBRRRRRR!!!!!The problem is that through our daily activities, such as keeping the house warm, using electricity and driving our car, we create too many GHGs and this leads to the trapping of too much heat in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
Greenhouse gases include
water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4),
nitrous oxide (N2O), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs)
, ozone (O3), perfluorinated carbons (PFCs), and
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These gases create the
greenhouse effect and keep the sun’s heat
and energy close to Earth by trapping some of it
in the atmosphere.
Get Energy Wise - fossil fuels, ghg, climate change
Idling
The act of running an engine while a vehicle is stopped.
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement by countries around the world to cut back on the amount of greenhouse gases that they make. It was made official on December 11th, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. Canada agreed to the conditions of the Kyoto Protocol in December 2002. By the year 2012, Canada will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 6% of what they were in 1990. As of January 31st, 2003, 104 countries around the world had also shown their support for the Protocol.
Light-duty vehicle
Includes cars, small vans, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), and large pick-up trucks
Methane
A colorless, odorless, flammable (can be burned) gas that is made from the decaying remains of plants and animals and the carbonization of coal. Methane is a greenhouse gas.
Ozone
Ozone is a gas with no colour and no smell.
It is a greenhouse gas and can protect or cause
harm depending on where it is found in the Earth’s
atmosphere. In the upper atmosphere, ozone provides
a shield and protects the Earth from dangerous ultraviolet
rays. Closer to Earth, down at ground level, ozone
is one of the ingredients of smog. Ground level
ozone produced from vehicles, power plants, refineries
and other sources mixes together with other gases
and air pollutants to form smog.
Ozone
Pollutant
Any harmful chemical or waste material that can make water, soil or the atmosphere dirty or impure.
Pollute
To pollute is to spoil with waste made by humans.
Pollution
The state of being polluted.
Respiratory System
A system of organs used in breathing. For animals that breathe air the system is made up of the lungs with their nerves and blood vessels and the organs that connect the lungs with the outside air.
Smog
Smog is a mixture of dangerous air pollutants including ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides (NOX), volatile organic compounds (VOC), sulfur dioxide, acidic aerosols and gases, and particulate matter. It can be seen as a purplish or orangey fog hanging over city centers on hot, sticky summer days. Many people believe that smog is a problem for big cities only, but because it is carried with the wind and often gets trapped in valleys, smog effects all of us.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV)
UV radiation comes
naturally from the sun. It is divided into at least
three different categories based on wavelength -
UVA, UVB, and UVC. UV radiation can be harmful.
Sun screen and sunglasses offer some protection
to humans against both UVA and UVB wavelengths.
However, plants and animals can also be affected
by UV radiation and do not have any extra protection
from the rays.
UV
Weather
Weather is the general condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place. It includes temperature, moisture, winds, precipitation, cloudiness and other conditions.
