As energy consumption is increasing every day, so is the combustion of fuel and this produces harmful effects on our environment. The impact of excess energy consumption on our environment is summarized below:-
1. Combustion of fuels to get energy in homes, transport and industry is one of the major causes in air pollution. The main air pollutions are CO, CO2, SO2, NO2 and unburnt carbon particles.
2. The increased amount of CO2 in the air may produce green house effect.
3. Oil from washing of automobile or from oil spillings cause serious water pollution, which affects aquatic life.
4. Gases like SO2 and NO2 cause acid rain which destroys old monuments and buildings made up of marble.
5. Smog is the combination of smoke particles with the thin droplets of fog containing poisonous gases. It produces diseases like asthma, bronchitis and heart related disease. It reduces the visibility to very low level and disrupts normal flow if traffic.
6. Lead, a pollutant produced by burning petrol, damages liver, kidney and cause abnormalities like paralysis, abortion, anemia, etc.
7. Air pollution can affect the ozone layer in the atmosphere which protects all living organisms from harmful effects of ultraviolet rays.
8. Nuclear energy which is obtained by the fission process causes radiation pollution.