Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that causes adverse change. The major kinds of pollution are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Air pollution is any substance that people introduce into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on living things and the environment. Water pollution is the presence of toxic chemicals and biological agents in groundwater that exceeds what is naturally found in the water and may pose a threat to human health and/or the environment. Land pollution means degradation or destruction of earth's surface and soil, directly or indirectly as a result of human activities.

Pollution is considered inevitable because nowadays, every industry, small or big has its footprint in overall pollution. Even the non-manufacturing industries have an indirect contribution towards pollution. The best indicator that is used for assessing health impacts that result from air pollution is PM2.5 and measuring the concentration of air pollution is in micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3)  of air. PM2.5 stands for particulates, suspended solid or liquid particles in the atmosphere which are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. It refers to fine particles produced by combustion, power plants, forest fires, including motor vehicles, and some other industrial processes. A PM2.5 value of 35 or more is considered hazardous for health. The ranking of the most polluted countries in the world is based on the number of cities a country has which has a PM2.5 value greater than 35.

Here are the top 5 most polluted countries in the world:

#1 Pakistan

Pakistan is among the most populated countries in the world with a total population of 196.17 million people. It has an average PM2.5 pollution of 115.7ug/m3 and has 4 cities with a PM2.5 reading greater than or equal to 35, making it the most polluted country in the world. Reports stated that the increase in industrialization, urbanization, and motorization in Pakistan will inevitably worsen the pollution problem. Statistics show that dirty outdoor air in Pakistan is responsible for over 80,000 hospital admissions a year with cases ranging from low respiratory problems to chronic bronchitis.

#2 Qatar

Qatar is widely known as the richest country in the world. Despite being rich, Qatar has not been effective in cutting off the country's pollution rate. Qatar ranks as the 2nd most polluted country in the world with the average PM2.5 pollution of 92.4 ug/m3. The main reasons that are responsible for increasing the bad quality of air in Qatar are construction and air traffic that is usually busy.

#3 Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the 3rd most polluted country in the world with an average PM2.5 pollution of 86ug/m3. The most polluted city in Afghanistan is the capital city of the country, Kabul. The number of people who die every year in Kabul out of air pollution is estimated by the Afghanistan government to be 3000 deaths. The reason behind the increasing level of pollution in Afghanistan is the continued use of diesel generators and burning plastic bags and tires for fuel.

#4 Bangladesh

The average PM2.5 pollution in Bangladesh is 83.3 ug/m3 which makes the country the 4th most polluted country in the world. The biggest factor affecting the increasing level of pollution in the country is its big population which is estimated to be about 156.59 million people. For an underdeveloped small country like Bangladesh, having 8 cities with a PM2.5 reading greater than or equal to 35 is a big concern. There are 3 cities in Bangladesh that are ranked among the top 25 cities that have the worst air quality. The 3 most polluted city in Bangladesh are Narayonganj, Gazipur, and Dhaka.

#5 Egypt

Egypt comes as the 5th most polluted country in the world with the average PM2.5 pollution of 73 ug/m3. The country is not only among the most polluted countries, it is also among the most populated countries in the world as its population is estimated to be approximately 87.4 million people. The pollution in Egypt is caused by the emissions from factories and vehicles and burning coal and wood for heating. The most polluted city in Egypt is its capital city, Cairo.

Polluted countries are not necessarily poor as there are rich countries that also suffer from having a high level of pollution. Countries are working to reduce levels of sulfur dioxide, smog, and smoke in order to decrease the level of pollution and improve people's health. The governments are also taking measures to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases with the hope of solving the pollution problem of the world.

South Africa is a nation blessed by vast natural resources. When these resources are respected and conserved, they're capable of replenishing themselves over time and meeting the needs of generations to come. This is not the way to maximize the amount of profit to be made in resource extraction, though. This is why many sand miners in South Africa step outside the law to harvest sand from protected areas, causing a tremendous amount of environmental and economic damage.

Why Miners Ignore Conservation Laws

Like any modern country, South Africa has established conservation laws and regulations to protect its environment from harmful exploitation. When it comes to the sand extraction industry, these rules consist largely of well-defined "at risk" zones where miners are forbidden to operate. Many sand mining operations, especially smaller ones, choose to ignore these boundaries and mine sand on coasts and in rivers where their operations do considerable damage.

Miners who decide to extract sand from protected regions can operate more cheaply than those that stay within the bounds of the law. Sand in these regions is often easier to obtain than in less-endangered areas, allowing the miners to haul out more sand for the same amount of work. Additionally, illegal miners have little incentive to follow other environmental and safety regulations. This lets them take shortcuts in their operational procedures that reduce their overhead and give them another unfair advantage over law-abiding companies.

The Economic Impact Of Illegal Mining

Illegal sand mining undercuts the true price of sand on the South African market. By competing with illegal harvesters, legitimate miners are forced to sell their sand at prices that can barely cover their expenses. As long as illegal material continues to flood the market, the price of sand will not reach a level that reflects its relative scarcity and environmental value.

On a nationwide scale, illegal mining incurs tremendous costs because the damage these operations cause has to be addressed as quickly as possible by coordinated government action. Although in an ideal world these expenses could be recouped from the miners who are responsible for the damage, in practice illegal sand mining companies are rarely prosecuted to the point of recovering enough money to pay for the cleanup procedures they make necessary.

Environmental Dangers

While illegal mining causes many environmental problems that will be familiar to students of ecological damage - such as altering local environments, destroying animal habitats, further endangering threatened species, and putting sensitive biomes at risk - in South Africa the true cost of these illegal sand harvesting operations has a human face.

In 2015, years of illegal sand mining in the Umvoti River combined with historically low precipitation levels to make it impossible to extract drinking water from the river system. This caused a complete failure of the water supply for 27,000 homes in KwaZulu-Natal, and it took three weeks to correct the problem at a cost of millions of Rand.

Illegal mining has long been a serious problem in South Africa, and it's important to raise awareness of the fact that it's not just rare and precious materials that are targets for unlawful extraction. Even something as prosaic as sand requires careful conservation in order to prevent serious - even potentially life-threatening - environmental damage.

If you've dreamed all your life of going on an African Safari adventure now one of the best opportunities sits right in front of you. Maybe it's always been a favorite vacation idea of yours, but you just haven't made the move. It's a big decision to travel halfway across the world to Africa. You're going to see a world that looks quite different from your own. Imagine all the wildlife you'll see, and of course you'll have the best tour guides in control of your experience when you choose from between the five best Nelspruit Tours.

Kruger Park is one of the areas you have to see while you're in this part of Africa, and the Kruger Park Safari tours are top notch. There is what's called the Panorama Route, and that just sounds like a great opportunity for taking pictures, right? People report that a safari adventure in Africa is like they have stepped back in time. You can imagine that is what it would feel like, even if you don't live in a big city. Even the peaceful rural areas of the US are quite different from the jungle safaris in Africa.

You don't have any elephants and tigers roaming around anywhere near you, do you? You're going to have them up close and personal while you're enjoying your safari tour, so get ready! When you are going to pick the type of adventure you want to go on, it's not just the location that you have to think about. You may in fact want to go on more than one African safari adventure. Once you have picked one, however, you also need to pick the type of tour you want to take. In other words, are you going out for the entire day, or are you going to opt for a morning or afternoon safari?

If you are going to pick Kruger Park as your first tour, there are Kruger Flexi Tours available as one of the five best that are offered to tourists. There is also Africa Spear Kruger Park Safaris and African Flame Safaris. All of the top choices might not have all three of the tour options mentioned, which are morning, afternoon and all-day safari adventures remember. Some of them look like they just offer day tours, but that is going to be one of the most popular choices anyway.

There is also Summit Tours and Safaris and others to choose from. Now, you want to enjoy yourself, and part of the experience is not just getting to see all the sights of the jungle but to be comfortable. This means you need to pay attention to the type of vehicle that you're going to be riding in during your tour. The safari tours last for hours, and you want to be comfortable, not hot and miserable.

These tours are great for all kinds of groups. Are you trying to take a different type of family vacation this year? Imagine what the kids will think when they land in South Africa and go on a jungle adventure. It will be like a movie, and they will love to tell their friends all about their travels. I noticed one of these touring companies said it was a small company, so you're going to want to make sure you plan your tour ahead of time.

They are experienced and used to dealing with tourists, so you'll have a great time. They will try to make sure you get to see everything, and it's not just about the wildlife, remember. Imagine the magnificent waterfalls that await and the rest of the scenery that the jungle has to offer. Kruger National Park in Nelspruit is going to be the location for your guided tour, so you can even get to know the area a little more like you're doing now.

There are a bunch of choices when deciding on your Nelspruit accommodation so make sure you do your research thoroughly and choose the right option for you and your family.

What you see online is going to be nothing like the spectacular journey you will take in person, however, so be prepared for quite the experience. How could a trip like this disappoint? If you've been on an African safari adventure, then by all means, take the credit and possibly look for a different type of vacation. However, if you've never been, this is your opportunity!

When it comes to the four biggest forests worldwide, what would be your guesses? What if I give you a hint about the largest one? The hint is you have to think 'rainforests.' Before we get to the four largest forests in the world, let's name a few honorable mentions. Coming in at #5 just out of range for the actual list of four is Ecuador Cloud Forest. Then there is Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia and the Monteverade Forest in Costa Rica, at #6 and #7 respectively.

Now let's get to the top four. We'll start off with #1 right away. You've been given a hint, and the rainforest that is the largest forest in the world is the Amazon. Just to give you an idea of how large this forest is in its entirety, it spans across eight countries. You don't want to get lost in the Amazon, for more than one reason. However, it makes for a nice vacation for sure if you have tour guides.

The second largest forest in the world is the Taiga, and if you had a pie chart of forests, this forest would take up a massive 29 percent. Not only that, but this forest has so many trees that about a third of the trees the world has comes from the Taiga. That is just amazing! Another name you might have heard the Taiga referred to as is the Boreal Forests.

Everyone has heard of the Congo, right? The Congo is massive, and there are a lot of great things to see here. It has a very storied history, but it is also known for its fair share of problems. This includes the people or locals there and the environment and wildlife there. It would be so great to get to see the third largest forest in the world though.

If you had to take a guess, what continent is the fourth largest forest on? It is in Australia, and it's the Daintree Forest in Queensland. This forest has more bats, butterflies and frogs than you've ever dreamed of seeing in your life.

Of course, in Australia, you're in the Outback, so you're going to see some unique wildlife, including kangaroos. There are all kinds of adventures awaiting you when it comes to the four largest forests in the world. Which one of them sounds like it should be your next vacation?

The climate of the earth is influenced by the atmosphere that is only 6 miles thick. If seen from the vast distances in space this is the equivalent of an onion skin over the earth, and it is this very thin layer that is being influenced by the actions of man. Global warming is caused by the increase in the temperature on the surface of the earth that is attributed to carbon dioxide emissions due to the burning of fossil fuels, and is further aggravated by the deforestation that is reducing the capacity of the environment to absorb the carbon dioxide and convert it into life giving oxygen.

The main constituents of the atmosphere are oxygen and nitrogen and these are chemical elements that have only two atoms per molecule. They do not have internal vibrational modules. The gases that are produced by human activity and vegetation are water vapor and carbon dioxide. These have the vibrational modules that are able to absorb infrared radiation from the sun and re-radiate it. This re-radiation is what is causing global warming or what is referred to as the greenhouse effect.

The carbon dioxide can remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. Water vapor on the other hand can condense and evaporate and adjust to the local conditions in each geographical area. There is a balance created by the water vapor and the energy of the sun. It is therefore the carbon dioxide that controls the earth's temperature, and an increase in its levels lead to higher temperatures. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by thirty percent, due to human activity. Fossil fuels are being used for the generation of electricity, heating, transportation and many manufacturing activities. It has resulted in the addition of 22 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year. One third of this carbon dioxide is created by the generation of electricity and a third by transportation.

Global warming has been responsible for the rise in sea levels, probably due to the melting of icecaps in the polar regions, and this in turn has led to fresh water marshlands being inundated by sea water. The rise in sea levels can also affect cities that are low lying and has caused the submergence of many islands. This warming has also been attributed to changes in weather patterns and have been linked to forest fires and drought in dry areas and flooding in others. There has been an increase seen in the number of incidences of flooding and the number of hurricanes that cause a lot of destruction. Glaciers and ice caps melting have changed water levels and caused the loss of habitats for animals in that region. Warmer regions have also increased and this has led to the migration of diseases that are common to these areas. The increase in sea temperatures has led to the bleaching of coral reefs, and the loss of plankton that is the food of many fish populations.

A realization that we need to reduce the use of fossil fuels, which are at any rate a finite resource, has led to definite steps by scientists and engineers to find ways to produce power from resources that are renewable and also those that do not produce any carbon dioxide. Solar energy, wind energy and energy from the ocean are technologies that can help to reduce carbon dioxide emission. Increased efficiency and the use of alternative fuels for transportation, like hydrogen or fuel cells, can similarly help to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from transportation.