Light pollution: Too bright to see

Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is inappropriate or excessive, misdirected, and prolonged use of artificial (usually outdoor) light. Too much light pollution has consequences: it washes out starlight in the night sky, interferes with astronomical research, wastes energy, disrupts ecosystems and wildlife and has adverse health effects. Concerning human beings, research suggests that the exposure to artificial light at night can negatively affect human health, increasing risks for obesity, depression, sleep disorders, diabetes, breast cancer and more.

Light pollution comes in many forms. The most common include the following:

• Glare: This is the effect produced when the eyes are exposed to excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort. The most common causes of glare include bright streetlights and car lights.
• Sky glow – This is the bright orange-pink glow that hangs over cities and towns in the night.
• Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed.
• Clutter – bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources.

The concept of light pollution is a phenomenon that occurs all over the world, not only in some places. It is something that is very common in large cities, and Chile is no exception. The north of Chile has one of the clearest skies in the world. Thanks to the dry climate and clear air of the Atacama Desert, the Chilean night is a main place to observe the universe. Therefore, Chilean government passed a law to help preserve the visibility of the sky in the northern regions of Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo. In these regions, there are large scientific and tourist observatories and the invasion of this kind of pollution affects the vision of telescopes and the clarity needed to capture events that occur in the galaxy through the lens.

In my opinion, light pollution affects every citizen and it is highly valuable that the Chilean government is concerned about preserving the purity of the Chilean night sky. Besides helping astronomers, the new law could help attract tourists because our sky has a great potential and gives an advantage in world astronomy.

http://darksky.org/light-pollution/

For further information click on the link above.

The worst “Red Tide” in the history of Los Lagos

A red tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as a harmful algal bloom. Harmful algal bloom, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae, simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater, grow out of control turning the water red and producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. Red tide waters can be several colors, not all algal blooms are dense enough to cause water discoloration, and not all discolored waters associated with algal blooms are red.

HABs produce toxins that kill fish and make shellfish poisonous for human consumption. The human illnesses caused by HABs, though rare, can be debilitating or even fatal. The toxins may also make the surrounding air difficult to breathe or cause respiratory irritations as well as skin irritations. In addition, HABs are a national concern because they affect not only the health of people and marine ecosystems, but also the development of local and regional economies.

Millions of molluscs killed by catastroph red tide in Chile.

Red Tide, unfortunately, is not a distant situation for Chilean people. “The red tide” is a common naturally recurring phenomenon in southern Chile, but the extent of the current outbreak is unprecedented. The southern region of Los Lagos has been affected by what scientists say is the biggest red tide in its history.

In my opinion, it is really sad that fishermen are suffering the consequences of this new environmental disaster as many fishing communities count on the marine resources to survive. Although the government is making efforts to help fishermen and mitigate the economic effects they have been widely rejected as insufficient because many Chileans feel that the government is not doing enough.

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/redtide.html

For further information click on the link above.

Do your share for a cleaner air

Air pollution may be defined as the presence of one or more contaminants or pollutant substances in the atmosphere and the environment that causes the harmful effect on the human health, animals, plants or property. It also refers to the contamination of the air both, indoor and outdoor.

According to the article, Air Pollution can result from both human and natural actions. Natural events, which do not occur often, include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radioactivity while human activities include emissions from industries and factories, burning fossil fuels, mining operations, household and agricultural activities.

Air pollution can cause many problems to humans such as respiratory and heart problems, global warming, acid rain, eutrophication ( a high amount of nitrogen present in some pollutants gets developed on sea’s surface and turns itself into algae), effect on wildlife and depletion of ozone lawyer.

Some solutions for reducing air pollution can be either from government (laws) or by individual actions such as plant more trees in the city, reduce car discharge by enforcing higher petrol grade, control car travel on the road, use public transportation, use clean energy resources and eliminate coal burning.

In my opinion, air pollution is a terrible global problem. Osorno city, for example, is facing a severe air contamination due to smog which is mainly caused by heating, traffic and industrial activities. I hope our city can overcome the serious air pollution as soon as possible to improve both, air and life quality of all citizens.

All in all, we need to build up an environmental awareness, we need to understand air pollution is affecting everyone life, including you and me.  If air is dirty, it will be difficult to survive!

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-air-pollution.php

For further information click on the link above.

How does noise pollution harm life?

Noise pollution is an excessive and annoying degree of noise or sound in a particular area which produces unpleasant effects and discomfort to the ears that penetrates into the human mind and controls it. Noise can be extremely dangerous and, unfortunately, it is all around us.

The sources of most indoor and outdoor noise worldwide are mainly households, social events, industrialization, transportation, construction and poor urban planning.

Noise pollution can cause many problems for human beings. It can cause health problems such as loss of hearing, high blood pressure, annoyance, headache, tinnitus, aggression and loss of sleep, which affects productivity at work or at school. Moreover, noise pollution also disturbs wildlife balance, especially to marine mammals which develop communication and navigation problems as well as physiological and reproductive disorders.

I believe that too much and unpleasant noise pollution can negatively affect the standard of life of people that have to deal with it and, to be honest, I feel that it is going to get worse. However, people and governments can make communities a quieter place, laws must limit the amount of noise and people must respect them.

All in all, I think noise pollution is difficult to eliminate but it can be reduced. Everybody should make an effort because a world without noise is a better world.

http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/noise-pollution/what-is-noise-pollution.html

For further information click on the link above.

Who cares about Water Pollution?

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies as rivers, lagoons, lakes, oceans, aquifers and groundwater very often by human activities. This form of environmental degradation occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged or dumped into water bodies without a proper treatment to remove harmful compounds.

Even though over two thirds of Earth’s surface is covered by water, most of it is ocean or saltwater, that is not drinkable or usable by humans. Of the small amount that is actually freshwater, only a small portion is available for human consumption because most freshwater is locked up in glaciers, icebergs, snow, permafrost and ground. There is enough freshwater on the planet to ensure access to clean water for everyone, but it is distributed irregularly and too much of it is wasted or polluted.

It is clear that water pollution affects the entire biosphere: species and populations. However, there are many things that we as individuals but also on teams can do, here are some ideas:

• Learn about the issue
• Use water wisely to reduce the amount of dirty water that needs treatment
• Use environmentally safe household products
• Do not overuse pesticides and fertilizers in gardens, lawns or farms
• Do not throw chemicals, paints, oils or medicines down the drain
• Do not throw litter into any water bodies or beaches

I really do think that water pollution is horrible but believe it or not, we are the ones causing it. Since water pollution is bad news for the Earth’s health, we need to be concerned and do something about it; any individual effort can help and make a difference. I think the first step is to understand that WATER IS LIFE! And we need it to survive.

http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/water-pollution/what-is-water-pollution.html

For further information click on the link above.

Let's protect our blue-green planet!

Although the Earth is known as the blue planet, depending on cloud coverage, Earth’s green foliage can also be seen from space. However, how long could it be possible to see Earth’s green parts from space? 

According to some scientists deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses such as cattle ranching, building materials, commercial items, urban expansion, mining, and others. Although deforestation occurs all around the world there are countries that have been particularly damaged such as Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa, and parts of Eastern Europe. 

Deforestation is another environmental problem that our planet is facing. I am really annoyed with people that are more concerned about cutting down or even burning our trees for residential, industrial or commercial purposes than protecting our forests. Unfortunately, according to many researchers deforestation has increased the past 50 years. Moreover, deforestation not only affects landscapes but also different ecosystems, therefore I think the most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for many species.

If we are smart enough to send men to the space, we should be smart enough to find a suitable way to work with the environment and stop cutting down trees. We should be able to encourage people to plant trees and take care of our forests because they are the lungs of our land.

http://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html

For further information click on the link above.

Earth's glaciers are disappearing faster

According to new studies about global warming, glaciers are melting faster than scientists thought they could do. Warmer temperatures, greenhouse gases, less frigid water and gravity cause glaciers to melt faster than they can accumulate new snow.

First of all, glaciers are large sheets of snow and ice that are found on land all year long. They're found in the western United States, Alaska, the mountains of Europe and Asia, even in Chile, and many other parts of the world. In addition, glaciers are very important to keep the Earth cool, to contain drinking water and also to provide a habitat for many animals.

The loss of glaciers will have significant consequences for ecosystems including us as well as impacting wonderful landscapes valued by tourists all over the world. People are responsible of melting glaciers for instance they do not do much more to control greenhouse gas emissions. The main thing is that humans really are influencing melting glaciers and that the influence is actually growing.

All in all, it is really sad that people, especially authorities, do not care enough about glaciers and the importance they have. I would be really happy if all people have the opportunity to enjoy glaciers landscapes as well as to understand the importance they have for our habitat. Unfortunately, if temperatures keep rising, glaciers will continue melting, and some glaciers could disappear completely.

Check out this link for further information 

http://www.usnews.com/news/science/articles/2016-03-30/study-antarctic-ice-may-melt-faster-than-expected

Don’t forget your reusable bag!

It is in the news, the authorities in Osorno are taking action and finally the plastic bags are going to be thrown away by June. I am really happy with the idea of using reusable shopping bags because plastic bags pollute soil and water and spoil our beautiful city and landscapes. Besides, plastic bags are made of oil that could be better used for fuel and heating. 

People should be more responsible and sensitive about the environmental problems and the use of reusable bags is a good option to start taking action. Our grandchildren and their children will thank us for trying to live more sustainably.

Due to this change people in Osorno will have to learn to carry their own reusable bags to go to supermarkets and even shops, otherwise they will have to buy a bag every time they go shopping. 

The downside of this new idea is how difficult it will be to change people's way of thinking. People have lived their whole life using plastic bags for everything. How can we change people's behavior? I think authorities should campaign to promote reusable bags, they can advertise in schools, hospitals, bus stops, local radio stations, newspaper and network as well as use the media to spread the message: Don’t forget your reusable bag!