Pollution: Undermining Our Planet's Health
Contamination is a lethal consequence to our actions—it's time for a change
Factories spew out bellowing steam. A plastic bag whisks through the air by a gust of wind. Tainted water that has a metallic aftertaste. Pollution is everywhere and the impacts are frightening.
Air Pollution
by Mary Wang '26
After living in China for 14 years, I stepped onto U.S. soil and ripped off my mask. I inhaled the fresh air with pleasure. I thought to myself, “wow, I never knew the air could be this refreshing to breathe.” Before coming to Boston, I had heard that the air is sweet to breathe compared to China. It's true.
When I was in Middle School, my mother would always remind me to keep my mask on, regardless of my desire to take it off and breathe. People at my school were oblivious to the pollution, despite seeing the dark, yellow sky outside. They chose to believe that it was fog.
As the capital of China, Beijing is an extremely developed city, filled with skyscrapers.
However, the city has suffered from severe air pollution, swept with haze and smog, smothering this vibrant, fast-paced metropolis. Beijing looked dead and lifeless.
During my sixth and seventh-grade years, I could rarely go outside to play or lie down on the lawn.
My middle school experience consisted of staying indoors, because of COVID-19 and the horrible air quality.
The Chief Culprit
The coal industry lifted China and millions of its citizens out of poverty. Many people I know, like my grandfather, all struck rich because of coal mining in the 1960s.
While mining enhanced China's energy and manufacturing industries, it also served as the greatest contributor to air pollution.
In 2023, China's economic development, industrial and household electricity consumption remain overly dependent on coal.
Currently, emissions from coal-using industries such as steel and cement account for about 40 percent of China's air pollution. In recent years, China's annual toxic concentrations have been over six times than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations.
With poor air quality, microscopic pollutants accumulate inside bronchial tubes and alveoli. A 2015 Berkeley Earth scientific paper studied the number of fatalities found China's air pollution contributes to over 1.6 million deaths per year, adding up to 17 percent of all deaths in China.
Like any other industrialized nations, shifting away from coal is a difficult process. China must choose between economic development or environmental wellbeing. For China’s cities to reach the standard WHO set for air quality index, the burning of fossil fuels, biomass and plastic wastes by individuals or commercial users must be drastically curtailed.
China must focus on "green energy." This calls for replacing coal-fired electric power with less-polluting fuels and green alternatives like natural gas, nuclear, wind, or solar.
This isn't an easy road ahead, but it must be traveled.
A boat transports coal in China. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A boat transports coal in China. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Someone holds a piece of coal up at a coal factory. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Someone holds a piece of coal up at a coal factory. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Air pollution exudes from a factory. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Air pollution exudes from a factory. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Windmills and solar panels seen on a farm in Germany. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Windmills and solar panels seen on a farm in Germany. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Plastic Pollution
by Evan Michaeli '24
A sea turtle wades by an expansive heap of plastic with a single-use bag lodged in its mouth.
A fishing net strangles a seal, stranded on the beach.
A plastic spoon wedged into a coral reef.
A beach littered with discarded plastic, covering the beautiful sandy beach in a dark reminder of human greed and exploitation.
It was a dreary January when my sixth-grade science class trudged in pairs to Easton’s Beach for our monthly cleanup with the organization Clean Ocean Access.
After 30-minutes, my classmates and I amassed 59 pounds of discarded waste. Our Home Depot bags were filled to the brim with an assortment of plastic items—cigarettes, plastic bags, fishing lines, you name it.
That was the first moment I noticed the dirty relationship between plastics and humanity.
I live and breathe the ocean, especially in Newport. I am revitalized by the lively waves that lap against the rugged bluffs of Cliff Walk. I capture awe from picturesque sunsets over Newport Harbor, splashed with the most ravishing purples and reds against the still, clear water teeming with local marine life. I relish amazement and fear as I look for crabs with friends at Fort Adams, luring the crustacean with mussels.
None of these emotions occupy my thoughts when I see Newport bestrewn with waste.
Instead, anger seizes control as plastics show up at each turn. I feel guilt, realizing that the marine animals that make Newport special, are now imperiled with a death sentence.
A death sentence created by humans.
Every year, 8.8 million tons of plastic infiltrate the ocean. Estimates say that if this trend continues, weight-wise, ocean plastic will usurp fish by 2050.
Marine animals receive the majority of the brunt of plastic pollution. One million marine creatures die annually due to plastic, usually due to inhalation.
Whales commonly experience ailments from plastic inhalation. A study conducted by Stanford University researchers published in Nature Communications showed that blue whales consume ten million pieces of microplastics, equivalent to 95 pounds a day.
Another species heavily impacted by plastic debris are turtles, one of several animals to prey on jellyfish. Plastic bags look quite similar.
According to a study from the University of Queensland in Australia, 52 percent of turtles consume plastics. The study explains, "plastic ingestion can kill turtles by blocking the gut or piercing the gut wall, and can cause other problems through the release of toxic chemicals into the animals’ tissues.”
It's obvious that plastic is a major disruptor to ocean life. Yet citizens and governments alike are still addicted to single-use plastics, in large part thanks to corporations.
More people should focus on reusing and reducing their plastic waste. Recycling should be a last resort, given Greenpeace’s new report stating that plastic recycling is a myth—this material can't be recycled, especially without causing more environmental harm.
It's difficult for governments to shake loose the chains of plastic polluters. Plastic reductions globally, along with an international treaty, would be a vital step forward, and politicians must keep polluters in check.
Polluters have blinded consumers for 50 years on the truth of recycling and litter. Instead of assuming responsibility, they lobby against meaningful legislation. This greed holds the world in a chokehold—literally. Governments must act now to stop pollution before our oceans become landfills.
Water Pollution
by Arianna Paredes and Bhart Lal
Travelers stand in awe, as they peer across the expansive Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Paraguay, filtering water in a luscious setting.
Exotic creatures swarm around the trunks that lie majestically above the banks of the Amazon River.
Financial negotiations begin at the bustling metropolises of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, tourists peruse the cities, marveling at cultural sites and soak in the rays at world-class beaches.
Brazil is one of the most popular destinations to visit in South America, home to nearly 20 percent of the world’s biological diversity. It is indeed a huge responsibility to protect all the delicate, unique environments across the country. However, Brazil is still a developing country; it has huge potential for economic growth, but many unresolved challenges limit its capacity to do so.
Brazil has a dark history of corruption. Millions are invested every year in taxes to help improve poverty and pollution, especially in big cities. However, most of that money ends up in the pockets of thieves, leaving little to nothing left to make an impact.
Although many environmental organizations are working to preserve the forests here, there is not much attention toward the environment itself— especially toward water supplies.
A massive number of Brazilians cannot guarantee that they are drinking safe water. The National Water Agency loses its credibility by the minute, leaving citizens without potable water.
A study from the United States Marine Corps University showed that most pipes have not been improved for years. Sometimes, water disasters occur.
For example, in January 2020, my neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro suffered a bout with contaminated water supplies.
I remember the water turned yellow, and near the slums, The Guardian reported the water tasted like clay. It was uneasy for people like me to depend on old pipes; after all, it is a government's duty to provide basic human needs. It is vital to have clean, accessible water.
Several residents were transported to hospitals, but soon enough, facilities reached capacity. Furthermore, COVID-19 began to circulate, adding more stress to the nation's healthcare system.
The water crisis came from a substance called geosmin, which can be found in algae. The rain from the previous summer could have transported soil into the rivers. However, it is apparent that Brazil’s neglect of water quality led to such a catastrophe.
Rio de Janeiro's water sources were always polluted, to the point where National Geographic reported that during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, "Some teams have instructed Olympic rowers to avoid splashing water on each other and to carry hand sanitizer onboard their boats.”
Brazil is not the only country dealing with water issues. In India, the Ganges—one of the most sacred and polluted rivers in the world—is so polluted that a third of the total wastewater generated comes from the towns emerging on its banks.
Moreover, nearly 80 percent of the groundwater available in India is “severely” polluted.
The knavish tricks of those in power twist their greed and strip the unalienable right to clean water are inhumane. It is unacceptable that people worry that their water supply could be hexed.
Without access to fresh water, humans lose the capability to drink, sanitize, and sustain food sources. Economies would collapse, and human existence would be threatened.
The global community must work together to ensure clean water for all.
We do not have the luxury of time. The time to take action is now. Combating pollution will take everyone. Are you in?
A boat leaves a shipyard in Rio de Janeiro. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A boat leaves a shipyard in Rio de Janeiro. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
After the tragic Bento Rodrigues dam failure in Eastern Brazil, the iron waste ended up in the Atlantic Ocean. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
After the tragic Bento Rodrigues dam failure in Eastern Brazil, the iron waste ended up in the Atlantic Ocean. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Pollutants cause foam to appear at the surface the Tietê River near São Paulo, Brazil. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Pollutants cause foam to appear at the surface the Tietê River near São Paulo, Brazil. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Cattle bathing in polluted waters of the Ganges River in India. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Cattle bathing in polluted waters of the Ganges River in India. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Pollution of the coast created by chemicals. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons -- Thakur Dalip Singh.
Pollution of the coast created by chemicals. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons -- Thakur Dalip Singh.
Air pollution created by a factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Air pollution created by a factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Discarded waste found on a beach in São Tomé. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Discarded waste found on a beach in São Tomé. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Plastic pollution builds up on Lake Victoria in Entebbe, Uganda. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Plastic pollution builds up on Lake Victoria in Entebbe, Uganda. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Dangerous air quality from pollution in New Delhi, India. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Dangerous air quality from pollution in New Delhi, India. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Editor's Note: Evan Michaeli '24 and Mary Wang '26 collaborated with two high school journalists from outside the School, Arianna Paredes and Bhart Lal.
Arianna Paredes: I am a rising freshman student of U.S. nationality but have lived in various countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and the U.S. I speak four languages, interested in the fine arts and music studies. I am currently an NJHS member, a blog writer at STEM-E, a member of the CTY (John Hopkins University), and Immerse Essay Competition Winner in 2023. I look to pursue a Chemical Engineering and Business Management career while making an impact in environmental protection.
Bhart Lal: I am Bhart, an eighteen-year-old lad currently residing in Punjab, India. I am planning to go to college in the fall of 2023. My free time is usually occupied by me trying my best to sing along to Billie Eilish. Other than that, I love to take pictures of nature and listen to the chirps of birds!
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