The Environmental Issues of Europe

Acid Rain in Germany, Air Pollution in the United Kingdom, and the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in the Ukraine

©2011 Clairmont Press

Acid Rain in Germany Acid Rain is caused by the burning of fossil

fuels The burning of coal with high sulfur

content is a major contributor. Sulfur Dioxide is released from coal

burning power plants into the atmosphere where it combines with water molecules to become acid rain. Hydrochloric Acid released from fossil

fuel burning automobiles also combines with water molecules and sulfur dioxide to create acid rain.

Acid Rain is destroying the Black Forest of southern Germany. Once famed for its picturesque landscapes, now many dead evergreen trees stand in ruin.

Germany’s government has moved aggressively to limit the burning of fossil fuels and coal; environmentally conscious citizens are reducing their energy usage to prevent the problem. Click for statue damaged by acid rain.

Air Pollution in the United Kingdom

In December of 1952, on a particularly frigid weekend in London, people across town struggled to heat their homes with coal burning stoves.

The intense amount of coal burned in homes and local factories released tons of ash into the air. This combined with the dense fog to create a smog that would claim the lives of thousands of people.

The Great Smog of 1952 was an eye-opening experience for the United Kingdom. The Government has issued two separate

air quality acts since the Great Smog but still struggles to maintain it today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/03/uk-warning-london-air-quality

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in the Ukraine

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster has devastated a region of the Ukraine since April of 1986. Radiation poisons the atmosphere, plants, and

humans that live there.

A meltdown occurred when the cooling chamber failed due to poor maintenance upkeep.

The Soviet Union was in control of the Ukraine at the time of the disaster. The Soviet Union did not warn the international

community for three days. They downplayed the situation to Ukrainian

citizens who were being poisoned. Eventually, Swedish scientists discovered the

radiation in the atmosphere.

The city of Prypiat is still a ghost town from the evacuation and relocation of citizens by the Communist regime of the Soviet Union. [Click for photo]

It is not known the number of people who died as a result of radiation poisoning from the accident.

Some say that this was the first step in the downfall of the Soviet Union.