Causes |
Effects |
Road traffic, wood-burning stoves, and agricultural fertilizers are the leading causes of air pollution. Currently, the concentration of air pollution is greatest in France. |
As a result, more and more people are suffering from cardiovascular and respiratory problems such as heart attacks, arrhythmia, nerve issues, and premature death. The governments of Belgium and France are offering free public transportation to reduce the amount of cars and Belgium is decreasing the speed limit to expend less fumes. |
The use of tall chimneys, industrialization, and increasing amounts of energy use have resulted in acid rain, which is correlated to air pollution, which contributes to its occurrence. Prevailing winds also carry pollutants across Europe, which condense and fall in the form of precipitation. |
Acid rain is resulting in the destruction of mush of Western Europe's forests. In Western Germany, more than 50 percent of the trees are dead or dying, and the same applies to France. The other Western European are also being affected in the same way. |
The dumping of untreated human waste, toxic materials, and metals into the Baltic Sea has resulted in the death of many aquatic animals and limited water resources for countries such as Belgium, France, and Germany due to water pollution. Agricultural runoff is also a cause. |
This amount of water pollution has resulted in damage to the fishing and tourism industry, which is damaging the economy in return. |
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster which occurred in Ukraine in 1986, resulted in the spread radiation across Europe due to prevailing winds. Even 29 years later, Western European countries such as Germany are enduring the effects. For example, wild boars, which are a delicacy in Germany, are found to have high amounts of radiation and unfit for human consumption. Another cause is the extreme amounts of energy expenditure in countries such as France and Belgium. The numerous nuclear power plants often release nuclear emissions. |
As a result, many of the animals in Western Europe have high contents of radiation in them, and food production must be carefully revised as consumption of these animals can be hazardous to humans. |
Exorbitant amounts of energy consumption is resulting in the concern for sustainable energy resources. Also, the use of oil, one of the main energy resources, is resulting in carbon emissions. |
As a result, the government has become more cautious. The EU is working on achieving energy efficiency and establishing a strong domestic energy market. The government is also trying to increase the amount of renewable energy sources from its current level of 27%. This would not only reduce dependency on other countries, but also address all concerns. |