Quote: "Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change."
The regulatory measures and practices used to prevent, reduce, or control the release of pollutants into the environment.
Air pollution: The presence of pollutants in the air that can harm human health, the environment, and cause climate change.
Water pollution: The contamination of water by harmful substances which can cause threat to aquatic life and human health.
Land pollution: The degradation of land due to the activities of humans, affecting quality of soil and posing threat to biodiversity.
Solid waste management: The proper disposal and recycling of waste materials, including municipal solid waste, hazardous waste and construction waste.
Hazardous waste management: The management of hazardous waste, which may threaten human health or the environment.
Toxic substance control: The control of the use, disposal and storage of toxic substances, which can cause harm either to human health or the environment.
Environmental impact assessment: The assessment of the potential impact of developmental projects on the environment.
Environmental policy: The formulation and implementation of policies to address environmental concerns.
Pollution prevention and control technologies: Innovative technologies developed to lessen pollution rates.
International Environmental Law: International agreements and regulations regarding pollution control.
Environmental enforcement: The process of ensuring compliance, and imposing penalities to individuals, and organizations that violate environmental regulations.
Green energy and sustainability: Use of renewable sources of energy and practices that ensure sustainability.
Climate change: Global warming affects the environment adversely resulting in ecological imbalances.
Environmental health: The linkage between the environment, health and well-being.
Noise pollution: Unwanted and harmful sound that can disturb peace of individuals and animals.
Nature conservation: Sustainable management and protection of natural resources.
Environmental ethics: Moral principles that govern human interactions with the environment.
Biomonitoring: The use of living organisms to measure environmental health.
Biodiversity: Maintenance and protection of natural ecosystems that provide resources for humanity.
Environmental education: Skill enhancement and awareness in maintaining and protecting the environment.
Air Pollution Control: The control of emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere from sources such as vehicles, factories, and other industrial processes.
Water Pollution Control: The control of pollutants that enter water bodies such as rivers, lakes, groundwater resources, and oceans, usually from industrial and municipal wastewater discharges.
Soil Pollution Control: The control of harmful substances that contaminate the ground and soil, leading to the degradation of soil quality and reducing its capacity to provide essential nutrients for plants and crops.
Noise Pollution Control: The control of excessive noise which causes various harmful effects on human health and the environment, such as sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, and interference with wildlife habitats.
Radiation Pollution Control: The control of exposure to ionizing radiation from sources such as nuclear waste, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, and natural radioactive substances.
Hazardous Waste Control: The control of the handling, transportation, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes, such as toxic chemicals or radioactive materials, to reduce the negative impacts on the environment and public health.
Solid Waste Control: The control of the generation, handling, transportation, and disposal of waste materials, including municipal solid waste, construction, and demolition debris, and industry-specific wastes.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Control: The control of emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which contribute to global warming and climate change.
Chemical Pollution Control: The control of the release and disposal of chemicals, including pesticides, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals, into the environment to minimize their impact on human health and ecosystems.
Industrial Emissions Control: The control of pollutants emitted by industrial facilities and processes, including regulations on smokestack emissions, wastewater discharges, and hazardous air pollutants.
Quote: "Major forms of pollution include air pollution, light pollution, litter, noise pollution, plastic pollution, soil contamination, radioactive contamination, thermal pollution, visual pollution, and water pollution."
Quote: "The word pollution generally implies that the contaminants have an anthropogenic source – that is, a source created by human activities, such as manufacturing, extractive industries, poor waste management, transportation, or agriculture."
Quote: "Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution."
Quote: "Many sources of pollution were unregulated parts of industrialization during the 19th and 20th centuries until the emergence of environmental regulation and pollution policy in the later half of the 20th century."
Quote: "Pollution has widespread consequences on human and environmental health, having a systematic impact on social and economic systems."
Quote: "In 2019, pollution killed nine million people worldwide (one in six deaths), a number unchanged since 2015."
Quote: "Air pollution accounted for 3⁄4 of these earlier deaths."
Quote: "A 2022 literature review found that levels of anthropogenic chemical pollution have exceeded planetary boundaries and now threaten entire ecosystems around the world."
Quote: "Pollutants frequently have outsized impacts on vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly, and marginalized communities."
Quote: "This outsized impact is a core reason for the formation of the environmental justice movement."
Quote: "Because of the impacts of these chemicals, local, country and international policy have increasingly sought to regulate pollutants, resulting in increasing air and water quality standards, alongside regulation of specific waste streams."
Quote: "Regional and national policy is typically supervised by environmental agencies or ministries."
Quote: "International efforts are coordinated by the UN Environmental Program and other treaty bodies."
Quote: "Pollution mitigation is an important part of all of the Sustainable Development Goals."
Quote: "Sites where historically polluting industries released persistent pollutants may have legacy pollution long after the source of the pollution is stopped."
Quote: "Polluting industries and toxic waste sites tend to be collocated with populations with less economic and political power."
Quote: "International efforts are coordinated by the UN Environmental Program and other treaty bodies."
Quote: "Regulation of pollutants has resulted in increasing air and water quality standards."
Quote: "Microplastics, agricultural runoff, and persistent pollutants" (These are examples of specific pollutants that are mentioned in connection to nonpoint source pollution and legacy pollution).