Environmental Issues

Pollution involves introduction of pollutants to the environment. These contaminants may cause instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms that may be in that particular environment. Pollutants are the elements of pollution which can either be foreign or naturally occurring substances. In a case where the pollutants are naturally occurring, they are only considered as contaminants when they exceed natural levels. Sometimes the term pollution includes any substance which occurs at such unnaturally high concentration within a system that it endangers the stability of that system. For example, water is considered to be innocuous and essential to life although at very high concentration, it can be considered a pollutant. Therefore, water can be perceived to be a pollutant if taken in excessive amount because the physical system becomes overburdened which may result in its breakdown or death (Kreger 2004, p. 1).

There are different types kinds of pollution in Saudi Arabia but the most common types are water pollution, noise pollution and air pollution. This essay will mainly explore air pollution in Saudi Arabia.

Air pollution in Saudi Arabia is a major issue not only because it affects the country but because it also affects the neighbouring countries. As a result, many environmentalists are proposing new ideas to help in solving the problem through extensive development of pollution and environmental laws. Air pollution is the process of introducing pollutants of chemical, particulate and biological nature into the environment.  An air pollutant is a substance in the air that is detrimental to humans or the environment. These pollutants may be natural or man made and they can be solid particles, liquid droplets or gases. Air pollution can occur in two forms the primary and secondary air pollution.

Primary air pollution happens when pollutants are directly introduced to the air whereas secondary air pollution occurs due to reaction of chemicals in the air. In Saudi Arabia, different human activities lead to the emission of chemicals in the atmosphere and their reaction leads to the formation of more dangerous substances in the air. The weather in Saudi Arabia also plays a major role in the formation and disappearance of air pollution because wind influences the transportation of air pollutants causing pollution to spread widely. On the other hand, rain can deplete pollutants from the air and lead to other types of pollution like soil and water pollution by converting sulphur into sulphuric acid sunlight helps in the conversion of the pollutants to different substances (Kaya 2004, p.107).

Sources of Air Pollution and Their Health Effects
Air pollution in Saudi Arabia can be divided into various categories depending on the source from which its derived
Biological air pollution-like pollen, small insects and micro organisms
Physical air pollution-includes sound, thermal pollution and radioactive radiation
Chemical air pollution- Such as the ozone, aerosols and ammonia (NRC 2004, p.311).
Pollutants undergo various processes before causing air pollution which include the following
Emission-whereby the contaminants are released into the air
Transportation- This is the transfer of contaminants to other places through the air.
Exchange Here, a reaction occurs between the different compounds in the pollutants and other compounds in the air.

Distribution- its a process where various contaminants in the air pollutants are distributed in the air.
Emission- in this case the contaminants remain in a particular placeregion.

Deposition- its a process in which contaminants get deposited in specific places such as the soil. (Janneti 2007, p. 179)

The sources of air pollution in Saudi Arabia are the activities and factors which are responsible for releasing pollutants in the atmosphere and they are classified into two main categories anthropogenic sources and natural sources. Anthropogenic sources are the man made activities that pollute the environment while natural sources are those that are not induced by man in any way. Examples of anthropogenic sources are releasing of wastes from industries into the environment and an example of natural source is the eruption of volcanoes which release gases like methane that pollute the air.
The most frequent categories of air pollutants that are found in Saudi Arabia are sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and tiny dust particles called aerosols (Carl 2010, p.1).

Sulphur dioxide Its released into the air in the process of burning any sulphur containing fossil fuels. The concentrations of sulphur dioxide in the air have decreased in the past two decades because of an increase in the use of more non-sulphur containing fuels to generate energy. Sulphur dioxide being a stinging gas, can result into breathing problems in humans. During rainy seasons, sulphur dioxide is converted into sulphuric acid that causes acidification (Hester 1998, p.4).

Nitrogen oxides They are contaminants emitted by automobiles, combustion installation like power plants and industries. Nitrogen oxides can also be released from large-scale farms that practice farming. Nitrogen oxides react with other air pollutants when they are present in the air. For example, nitrogen oxide plays a great role in the formation of ozone in the lower atmosphere and eutrophication processes.  Nitrogen oxides can penetrate the lungs and cause severe damage to their functioning (Hester 1998, p.12).

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)  These include contaminants like carbohydrates, organic compounds and solvents that are obtained from petrol, gasoline reservoirs, industrial processes and fuel combustion. These compounds play an important role in shaping ozone in the lower atmospheric layer. VOCs can cause various health effects although it depends on the type of compounds available and their concentrations. In addition, their effects vary from smell nuisance, decrease in lung capacity and even cancer.

Carbon monoxide This is a toxic gas that is formed due to incomplete combustion of fuels. For example such a gas can be formed when a car engine is run in a closed room. Carbon monoxide contributes to the formation of the greenhouse effect, smog and acidification. Carbon monoxide gas has the ability to bind to haemoglobin in blood hence preventing the transportation of oxygen in the body. As a result, there happens to be oxygen depletion in the heart, brains and blood vessels which causes death (Hester 1998, p.15).

Particulate matter Includes dust particles that form organic compounds and minerals. They can also be referred to as the total suspended particulates in the air which exist in solid or liquid form. Examples of such particles include dust, fumes and aerosols and they are usually less than 100 micrometers in size. The natural sources of particulate matter in the air are soil, viruses, bacteria, pollen and salt particle which evaporate from the seas. Dust particle are associated with various health effects like causing breath shortness because of slowing down the rate of rate of exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood. Another health effect is overworking of the heart in order to cater for the oxygen loss (Colls 2002, p.60).

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons These refer to chemical pollutants that are found naturally in crude oil and coal. The natural sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are fires and volcanic eruptions while man-made sources are majorly industrial processes. Health effects associated to this pollutant are diseases of the liver, jaundice and kidney problems (Frederica 2009, p. 195).

In Saudi Arabia, the most polluted cities are Riyadh and Jeddah. Riyadh faces a problem of political violence and repression, political in the political and social environment which enhances air pollution due to commotion involved that raises dust. On the other hand air pollution is a big problem for Jeddah more so on hot summer days. This city experiences bush fires, landfill fires and pollution from the two industrial zones in the north and south Jeddah (DEH 2010, p.1).

Figures and Statistics
Studies reveal that by the year 2007, Saudi Arabia experienced 5.6 air pollution of the total pollution that takes place in the country (CIA 2010, p.1). A comparison of air pollution through carbon monoxide emission in Saudi Arabia and North Africa in 1980, 1996 and 2009 shows that Saudi Arabia experiences a higher percentage of air pollution. The figures of carbon monoxide emissions are 3000, 11000 and 14000 metric tons in Saudi Arabia while North Africa exhibited 2000, 6000 and 4000 metric tons of carbon monoxide emissions in 1980,1996 and 2009 respectively (IEA 2001, p.1). The bar graph below shows a summary of this information.

Bar graph showing a comparison in Carbon monoxide emissions in Saudi Arabia and North Africa

Source  (IEA 2001, p.1) httpearthtrends.wri.orgpdf_librarycountry_profilescli_cou_682.pdf
On the other hand, research shows that emission of sulphur dioxide globally contributes to air pollution. A comparison of emissions of this pollutant in North America, Saudi Arabia and Africa shows that pollution by sulphur dioxide is lower than that caused by carbon monoxide. Percentage of air pollution by sulphur dioxide for the years 1980, 1996 and 2009 in North America, Africa and Saudi Arabia were 52.4, 7.5  and 6.3 of global emissions (Stern 2005, p.169). This information is tabulated below

Table showing comparison of Sulphur emissions in North America, Saudi Arabia and Africa
RegionYearPercentage of global emissions ()North America198052.4Saudi Arabia19967.5Africa20096.3Source (Stern 2000, p.169)

Recommendations
Since most of the sources of air pollution are induced by human activities which can be controlled to reduce the effects of this kind of pollution, I would recommend the following

People in Saudi Arabia should review their driving habits. This is because a big percentage of air pollution is from the emission of fumes from automobiles. Therefore people should drive less and make fewer trips with vehicles to help cut down on the car emissions. Driving less means that people should adopt alternative ways of transportation like walking or bicycle riding, ride in public transit. By so doing, air pollution by motor vehicles will be reduced.

In order to reduce indoor air pollution, it is important that people in Saudi choose air friendly products like air fresheners that are water based or have low amounts of volatile organic compounds instead of those made of smog-forming chemicals.

Outdoor air pollution can be reduced by reducing the use of chemical products which release toxic fumes or if they are used they should be tightly sealed with lids.

To reduce air pollution in factories, I recommend that air filters should be frequently changed to increase their effectiveness reducing air pollution.

Conclusion
Air pollution just like any other type of pollution is equally harmful to the health of human beings. The fact that man plays a big role in air pollution, this problem can be easily solved if people in Saudi Arabia can cooperate in practising methods of reducing air pollution.