The diagram below shows the causes of the problem in the UK and the effects when it reaches Sweden.
Sweden’s forests are being destroyed by acid rain. Due to acid rain many trees in the forests have lost their needles and this affects the forest growth. Researchers are convinced that large areas of forest are close to their biological tolerances. The soil has used up its resources to neutralise the acid rain. In Sweden, nearly 10,000 lakes now have such high mercury concentrations that people are advised not to eat fish caught in them. As the water become more acidic, it can also react with lead and copper water pipes, contaminating drinking water supplies. In Sweden, the drinking water reached a stage where it contained enough copper to turn your hair green. That much copper can also cause diarrhoea in young children, and can damage livers and kidneys. Almost all kinds of buildings take damage of acid rain. They corrode down by sulphur and nitre acids. Even rubber, plastic and metals react against acid rain, for example iron, rust and copper become green.
People living near the lakes and forest gave us their opinions:-
“We live opposite the lake and over the years I have noticed huge amounts of changes. There are now hardly any fisherman but I remember a time when the lake was full of the hustle and bustle of the fisherman, there are fewer insects and when you look out onto the lake you see it is clear all the fish are slowly vanishing, this once beautiful lake has turned into something totally opposite”
“I grew up in a small village right next to one of Sweden’s most beautiful forest’s, but over the years things in the forest have had a major change the forest is no more alive and vibrant it is now limp and slowly dieing there is still time to save the forest but drastic action needs to be taken to stop acid rain!”
“I am a fisherman in Sweden, and I am struggling to make any income even after a full hard days work, the lakes are not what they used to be there are no more fish to catch an if there are the fish are dangerous to humans, this is causing me many problems as I make no income I cannot support ma family or even my self. Something has to be done as I am not the only person suffering!”
These are views and opinions of the people living in Sweden these actions are affecting their lives. Something needs to be done.
The only way to stop it is to stop releasing so much sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air.
In Sweden, over 18,000 lakes have become so acidic due to acid rain that all the fish have died. Some success has been achieved by dumping vast quantities of rocks like limestone into the lakes, because these rocks destroy the acid, but for most of the lakes it will be many years after we stop producing acid rain before the water returns to normal.
Using fossil fuels such as coal to produce electricity is very cheap for the factories, In the United States; sulphur in coal makes up the greatest part of the sulphur dioxide that becomes acid rain. When coal is burned to make electricity or heat, the sulphur goes up the smokestacks and into the atmosphere to become air pollution. There are several ways to reduce the amount of sulphur entering the air. One way is to wash the sulphur out of the coal before it is burned. Another is to wash the sulphur out of the smoke before it goes up to the smokestacks. Scrubbers remove sulphur from the smoke by spraying a mixture of water and powdered limestone into the smokestack. The mixture traps the sulphur before it can escape into the air above.
There are other sources for energy other then using fossil fuels though they are not as cheap. Include hydroelectric power and nuclear power. Dams use the power of water to turn turbines and make electricity. People have been using this form of energy for most of this century. Nuclear power plants make electricity from the energy released by splitting atoms. A small amount of nuclear fuel can make a very large amount of electricity.
In order to stop acid rain, power plants should reduce nitrogen oxide waste products. All cars should run on unleaded gas. But for acid rain to be abolished, everyone must work together to care for the environment. So that future generations can see the beauty of the fish, birds, and environment.