Leaf Dissections

The relationships between human beings and the physical environment have long been in interest due to their vast impact. Human activities bring about harmful effects on the environment through air pollution, water pollution, and climate change. Pollution refers to the introduction of harmful substances to human beings or other organisms into the environment, and though the industrial revolution was very successful as far as societal development is concerned, it was the beginning of mass pollution, which hurt human beings and ecosystems. Industrialization and urbanization are currently at unprecedented levels, the effects of which can be witnessed today with 9 million human deaths due to air pollution.

Industrialization has brought large technological advancements but has also driven natural resource usage to unprecedented heights, with the introduction of pollutants in the air, water, and environment. Pollution of water, a global problem, is caused by waste mismanagement, industrial waste discharge, and agricultural runoffs, which disrupt aquatic ecosystems, reduce biodiversity, and lead to diseases like cholera and dysentery. The long-term effects of water pollution include development issues, cancers, low tourism, and high costs to treat these polluted waters. Effective treatment of waste is necessary in the prevention of water pollution as well as maintaining sustainability for the environment.

Air pollution spreads easily because air is always in movement. Occurrences such as sulfur dioxide from the combustion of coal in Ohio leading to acid rain thousands of miles away from the source are some of the effects of air pollution. Industrial pollutants in China were also transported to Asia, leading to toxic dust storms. Still air also enables pollutants to be stored, which leads to a  greater chance of developing health issues such as carbon monoxide poisoning, thus confirming the negative effects of air pollution.

Human activities are also adding to the greenhouse effect, which is where the gases in the atmosphere trap heat that might otherwise be lost upwards into space. This contributes to global warming and climate change. The increased temperature, altered weather patterns, and heightened extreme events such as floods and storms are impacts of this. The ocean plays a crucial role in climate regulation, and therefore ocean dynamics must be known to examine the impact of man-made activities on the climate. Global migration also harms the environment, making climate change worse.

The aim of this review is to examine human-caused pollution, focusing on water and air quality, and climate change. It emphasizes the importance of proper wastewater treatment as an essential approach towards environmental sustainability and a treatment to climate change.

Ultimately, human activities are largely responsible for environmental contamination and global warming. As much as solving these issues requires a lot of effort and tremendous transformation, there is a need to sustain ecosystems and protect humans and other organisms from further harm.

Reference:

Great Iruoghene Edo, Lilian Oghenenyoreme Itoje-akpokiniovo, Promise Obasohan, Victor Ovie Ikpekoro, Princess Oghenekeno Samuel, Agatha Ngukuran Jikah, Laurine Chikodiri Nosu, Helen Avuokerie Ekokotu, Ufuoma Ugbune, Ephraim Evi Alex Oghroro, Oghenerume Lucky Emakpor, Irene Ebosereme Ainyanbhor, Wail Al-Sharabi Mohammed, Patrick Othuke Akpoghelie, Joseph Oghenewogaga Owheruo, Joy Johnson Agbo,

Impact of environmental pollution from human activities on water, air quality and climate change,

Ecological Frontiers,

Volume 44, Issue 5,

2024,

Pages 874-889,

ISSN 2950-5097,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecofro.2024.02.014.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950509724000571) 

Air pollution is something we first learn about in elementary school while studying the environment. But today, it’s not just a topic, it’s one of the biggest threats to our surroundings and our health.

While Dhaka currently tops the pollution charts, it’s far from alone. From Delhi to Beijing to Nairobi, cities around the world are choking on polluted air, turning clean air from a basic right into a rare luxury.

Millions of premature deaths share a common cause: air pollution. Infants with developing lungs, older adults with weaker immune systems, and people suffering from respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis are all vulnerable. Pollution doesn’t discriminate, it affects everyone.

What’s especially worrying is that much of this pollution is caused by us. From fossil fuels to household fuels, industrial waste to transportation emissions, air pollution wears many faces.

Though the sources differ, the dangers remain the same. In Dhaka, brick kilns, traffic congestion, and outdated diesel fuels wreak havoc on our lungs. In Los Angeles, car emissions and wildfire smoke cloud the air. Delhi struggles with crop burning and industrial pollution, while indoor cooking with kerosene in parts of Africa adds to the problem.

Raising awareness among young people is crucial; we are the future. Just because we can’t see the pollution doesn’t mean it isn’t damaging our lungs. The harm builds up slowly, increasing risks of disease and suffering.

We may not be able to fix this overnight, but understanding that our air is “broken” is the first step.

To help replace polluted air with clean air, we can all take small but important actions. Reducing fossil fuel use and switching to biofuels made from plants or waste can make a difference. Planting even a single tree in your garden increases oxygen and improves air quality. Using cars less and speaking out about pollution also play vital roles in protecting our environment.

Let’s raise our voices and do what we can, because a healthier environment means a better life for all.

“The air we share connects us, so should the responsibility to protect it.”

Sources:

1.     https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/top-10-world-most-polluted-capital-cities-2024-25-9892758/

2. https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/top-10-world-most-polluted-capital-cities-2024-25-9892758/

3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10563460/

4.https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/only-seven-countries-met-who-air-quality-standards-2024-data-shows-2025-03-11/

5. https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard

6. https://www.arborday.org/trees/climatechange/

7. https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change

Making AI Less ‘Thirsty’: Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI Models

Original authors: Pengfei Li, Jianyi Yang, Mohammad A. Islam, and Shaolei Ren

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world, from chatbots to climate models, but behind the scenes, it's quietly consuming one of our most precious resources: water. As AI models grow larger and more powerful, their environmental footprint also increases, not just in terms of electricity, but in the vast amounts of freshwater needed to cool the data centers that run them. This dissection explores a research paper titled “Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI Models”, which investigates AI’s hidden thirst, its impact on global water sustainability, and what we can do about it.

What Is AI’s Water Footprint?

Imagine you’re running on a treadmill non-stop and it gets hot. You’d like a nice drink to cool down, wouldn’t you? Servers do the same when running AI, and they need cooling, often with freshwater. The paper splits AI’s water uses into:

❧ Scope 1: Water used on-site to cool servers (like water in cooling towers).

❧ Scope 2: Water used off-site to produce electricity for those servers (for example, power plants).

❧ Scope 3: Water used in making the AI hardware (like chips, which are water-hungry).

Why Should We Care?

Imagine you’re running on a treadmill non-stop and it gets hot. You’d like a nice drink to cool down, wouldn’t you? Servers do the same when running AI, and they need cooling, often with freshwater. The paper splits AI’s water uses into:

❧ Water is limited, especially clean (potable) water.

❧ AI companies are using billions of liters of freshwater every year.

❧ This could compete with human and agricultural needs, especially in hot, dry regions.

Some Alarming Numbers

❧ A single company used 29 billion liters of water in just one year for its datacenters.

❧ Training GPT-3 used 5.4 million liters of water. That’s about 500ml per 10–50 answers it gives!

❧ U.S. datacenter water usage may double or quadruple by 2028.

AI Water Footprint: Extra Facts & Figures

Company                - Water Usage

Microsoft (2022)    - Used 6.4 billion gallons of water—up 34% from 2021

Google (2022)        - Used 5.6 billion gallons—up 20% from 2021

Carbon vs. Water

❧ AI's carbon footprint is already in the spotlight (e.g., electricity use, pollution).

❧ However, optimizing AI for low carbon use doesn’t always help water use. Sometimes it even makes it worse!

❧ You can’t fix one and ignore the other- both footprints matter.

How They Estimate Water Use

They created a formula that tracks:

❧How much electricity an AI model uses.

❧How efficient the cooling system is.

❧ What type of energy fuels the electricity grid (e.g., coal vs solar // big difference in water use!).

They looked at training GPT-3 in different locations (like Arizona, Virginia, Denmark, etc.) and found huge differences in water use based on weather and local energy sources.

What Can We Do?

Here are the authors’ recommendations:

❧Be Transparent - AI companies should include water usage in model info sheets (like how they already report carbon emissions).

❧Be Smart About Time & Place - Train AI when it’s cooler outside (nighttime). Use data centers in places that don’t need as much water to cool servers.

❧ Balance “Follow the Sun” vs. “Unfollow the Sun” - Following the sun = good for solar power (low carbon). Unfollowing the sun = good for water (cooler = less evaporation). Smart scheduling can balance both.

❧ Don’t Ignore Manufacturing - Making chips uses a ton of water. We need more data and better recycling in factories.

Conclusion

AI may be smart, but it’s getting very thirsty. If we want a future with powerful AI and enough clean water for everyone, we need to design and run AI responsibly. That means transparency, smarter scheduling, better tech, and a global commitment to water sustainability.

Thank you for reading!

The plastic we use in everyday life may seem like a harmless, throwaway item. But its story doesn’t end when we toss it. That’s when its harmful impact begins. From that moment on, it starts affecting us, marine life, and the environment.

We rarely stop to think about where our plastic waste ends up. From oceans and rivers to landfill sites and even the soil near plant roots, plastic spreads far and wide, harming life wherever it goes. One of the most impacted places is our oceans, and that’s what I want to focus on.

Many people assume that plastic ends up in oceans only because someone throws a bottle straight into the water. But that’s far from the full picture. Sometimes, when we don’t have space to carry items with us, we litter, tossing plastic wrappers or bottles onto the streets. These eventually wash into rivers and then into the ocean. Vacationers who go to relax and leave worries behind often leave behind their plastic waste as well, such as water bottles, chip packets, and straws, directly on the beach or in the sea. Even without direct littering, strong winds can carry plastic from landfills into coastal waters.

This growing accumulation of plastic in marine environments is silently wreaking havoc. Sea creatures like dolphins and whales mistake plastic for food. Once consumed, the plastic blocks their digestive systems and leads to starvation. A global study across three ocean basins examined 102 turtles and found synthetic particles in every single one, with an average of 800 plastic fragments per turtle. Another 2017 study found that coral reefs exposed to plastic debris were 89 percent more likely to suffer from disease. In February 2023, a tragic case reported the death of a 56-foot sperm whale that had swallowed fishing nets, ropes, and other debris, enough to completely block its digestion.

But this isn’t just their problem. Plastics don’t disappear. Microplastics are now found in fish we eat, in sea salt, and even in the water we drink. Marine plants, especially phytoplankton, are responsible for absorbing 25 to 30 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide. When plastics disrupt their growth, climate balance suffers. Communities who depend on fishing for their livelihoods face declining fish populations, higher costs, and food insecurity. As marine life suffers, so do we.

Fixing this crisis overnight is impossible, but we can stop making it worse. Spreading awareness through writing, supporting bans, recycling, and joining efforts like The Ocean Cleanup or beach cleanups all help. Life without plastic is possible. Even if we use it, reusing and repurposing makes a huge difference, like turning beverage bottles into containers for homemade milkshakes or transforming chocolate boxes into room decor. Swapping a plastic straw for simply drinking from a glass is a small action that avoids unnecessary waste.

The ocean gives us life. The least we can do is stop choking it with plastic.

Sources:

1.     https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-pollute-the-environment-with-57-million-  tons-of-plastic-each-year-study-suggests-180985026/

2.     https://share.google/z2KtkvxdkTE24TD4m

3.     https://share.google/kobsuOBAZmpHdYppO

4.     https://share.google/NVBm0s4XnVqoL0wd7

5.     https://time.com/5119851/ocean-plastic-coral-reefs/

6.     https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-climate-and-environment-animals-whales-4c19cfa3f86ea85f567477c66c097eb6

Do you get up early to work out and maintain your fitness? You exercise, stretch, and run to maintain your health, but have you ever questioned whether it's all worth it? Because you're still going outside and breathing contaminated air after all of that.

And now, you’ve become part of the reason this pollution exists. Do you even remember how beautiful Delhi once was? When people walked freely, without masks or fear? Is everyone getting ready to put on oxygen cylinders next?

We humans are not only destroying ourselves but also our history and our memory. The Taj Mahal has turned pale yellowish due to pollution.

If you don't believe me, here is the proof:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pollution-turning-taj-mahal-yellow-study/articleshow/45723593.cms

If you care about yourself, at least just know that exposure to air pollution can affect everyone’s health. When we breathe in air pollutants, they can enter our bloodstream and contribute to coughing or itchy eyes and cause or worsen many breathing and lung diseases, leading to hospitalizations, cancer, or even premature death.

So, let us leave a good future for our future generations and teach them how it is in our hands to change the world into a better or a wonderful, worse place. We chased comfort, and in return, we choked the air; now we breathe poison and call it progress.