Preventing Acid Rain

It may seem like there is not much that one individual can do to stop acid deposition. However, like many environmental problems, acid deposition is caused by the cumulative actions of millions of individual people. Therefore, each individual can also reduce their contribution to the problem and become part of the solution. One of the first steps is to understand the problem and its solutions. Individuals can contribute directly by conserving energy, since energy production causes the largest portion of the acid deposition problem. For example, you can:

-Turn off lights, computers, and other appliances when you're not using them.

-Use energy efficient appliances: lighting, air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

-Only use electric appliances when you need them.

-Keep your thermostat at 68 F in the winter and 72 F in the summer. You can turn it even lower in the winter and higher in the summer when you are away from home.

-Insulate your home as best you can.

-Carpool, use public transportation, or better yet, walk or bicycle whenever possible

-Buy vehicles with low NOx emissions, and maintain all vehicles well. Be well-informed.

The main contribution that society can make, is to try to find alternate power sources than using fossil fuels. Some options are nuclear power, wind power, hydro-energy As you can see in the graph below, we have done a much better job in keeping the sulfur emissions to a minimum, compared to in 1970 when the emissions peaked out.

Aside from trying to prevent acid rain altogether, another way to help is by restoring already damaged ecosystems. Using limestone can reduce the amount of acidic material in areas because it "cancels out" the acid. Without any help, it can take soil over a century to recover from acid rain, where with the help of limestone it can greatly reduce that time. However, liming tends to be expensive, and is only used in specific areas, rather than used as worldwide pollution reduction.