Acid Rain - Damaged Forests

Although acid rain looks harmless, it can have damaging long term effects on the environment world-wide. In the photo above, acid rain has devastated the life of a once-was forest and lake, leaving useless trees to be logged away, as their roots developed issues with absorbing and filtering nutrients from the toxic soil beneath. Acid rain harms anything that can absorb the substance, including water sources, where fish and other aquatic creatures live. This increases the pH (potential Hydrogen) level in the water, making the creatures unable to adapt to the rising acidity of the water. Scientists have developed ways of combating this problem, by crushing sedimentary rocks (ie: Limestone), and dumping the powder into lakes or streams. The basic substance helps to level out the pH to a more neutral state, although is a temporary feature, which is a costly procedure. As a society, we can avoid these events by harbouring limitations on burning impurities, finding new and productive ways of sustainable energy, and possibly creating laws against illegal practices.