Air Pollution
Air pollution is caused by gases and particles from vehicles, industry and burning fuels, harming human health and the environment.
▶ Interact
Play with the controls to see the idea in action.
📘 Learn
Air pollution is caused by gases and particles from vehicles, industry and burning fuels, harming human health and the environment.
- Smog forms in cities
- Sulfur dioxide causes acid rain
- Cleaner transport reduces pollution
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Air Pollution?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains Air Pollution. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain Air Pollution in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Air Pollution helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
Air Pollution in detail
Air pollution is the presence of harmful substances in the air. Major pollutants include particulates (PM2.5 and PM10) from vehicles, industry and burning, nitrogen oxides from engines, sulfur dioxide from burning coal, carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone (a component of smog) and volatile organic compounds.
Effects include respiratory and heart disease, asthma, premature deaths, damage to crops, buildings and ecosystems, and contribution to climate change. Indoor air pollution from cooking fires affects billions. Solutions include cleaner fuels, catalytic converters, low-emission zones, public transport, filters on factories, renewable energy and laws setting air quality standards.
How the interactive helps you understand Air Pollution
Watch the cycle in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the cycle responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Air Pollution.
Real-life uses and examples
- Discuss how human activity changes Air Pollution, using a named example.
- Explain how Air Pollution affects the landscape or climate near you.
- Link Air Pollution to a real environmental problem and a possible solution.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Air Pollution
What is Air Pollution?
Air pollution is caused by gases and particles from vehicles, industry and burning fuels, harming human health and the environment.
What are the most important points about Air Pollution?
The main points are: Smog forms in cities; Sulfur dioxide causes acid rain; Cleaner transport reduces pollution.
Why is Air Pollution useful?
Understanding Air Pollution helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise Air Pollution?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Air Pollution?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Noise and Light Pollution, Sustainable Agriculture, Urbanisation and the Environment.