When fossil fuels are burnt, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide are given off. These substances dissolve into the moisture in the air and rise into clouds. These are blown along by the wind and fall as rain, sometimes hundreds of kilometres away. This “acid rain” kills vegetation and the living things that feed on it. It can be difficult to find the source of the problem because of its distance from the damage being done.
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. Some governments have made efforts since the 1970s to reduce the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere with positive results. Nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally by lightning strikes, and sulfur dioxide is produced by volcanic eruptions. Acid rain has been shown to have adverse impacts on forests, freshwaters and soils, killing insect and aquatic life-forms, causing paint to peel, corrosion of steel structures such as bridges, and weathering of stone buildings and statues as well as having impacts on human health.
Acid rain itself is not harmful to humans, i.e., the skin contact with contaminated water or snow does not pose a health risk. However, the gases that causes this rain (nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide), are harmful. These gases contain particles of sulfate and nitrate and are carried by the wind and inhaled by people causing respiratory diseases.
The only way to stop acid rain is to reduce emissions that cause it. This involves betting on renewable energy sources and reducing the use of fossil fuels in the industrial and automotive sector and in the daily life of every citizen.
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