Green Planet and Pollution Disasters

Three ways to keep our planet green

Plant a notion

"Going green" doesn't have to be a daunting task that means sweeping life changes. Simple things can make a difference.

The contents of this list might not be new, but they bear repeating. Sometimes it takes a few reminders for things take root.

5. Recycle Glass
Recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. If it isn't recycled it can take a million years to decompose.

14. Rethink bottled water

Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA's standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA's standards for bottled water.

Worst Examples of pollution

Bhopal Gas Leak

The world’s worst ever industrial accident happened on the night of December 2-3, 1984, when toxic gases leaked from the Union Carbide (now Dow Chemical) pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. The deadly fumes drifted into the sleeping city and people woke with burning eyes and lungs.

Thousands died within days. In the years after, pollutants seeping out of the plant site into groundwater have caused cancer, growth retardation and dizziness, say Bhopalis.

Chernobyl Nuclear Accident

The biggest radiation contamination ever happened on April 26, 1986 when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s core went into meltdown, killing 30 people and releasing 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Japan. Even more radioactivity remains trapped within the plant.

From 1992 to 2002 in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine more than 4000 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed among children and adolescents, mainly due to contaminated milk. The 19-mile exclusion zone around the plant remains uninhabitable.

The Ozone Hole

The ozone layer shields the Earth from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. In 1985, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey discovered a large hole in the layer over Antarctica.

Chemicals used in air conditioners and aerosol sprays called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) had eaten away the ozone, creating the hole, which appears in this image from 2000 as a giant blue blob. Today, although smaller than before, the hole remains about the size of North America despite near total elimination of CFCs from products worldwide.