THE DIRTY OLD MAN OF EUROPE

Acid rain is one of the most serious problems for the environment. Itis caused mainly by power plants that bum coal to produce electricity.The smoke from these power stations contain high levels of sulphurdioxide and nitrogen oxide, which mix with the moisture in the air and fall to the soil in the form of rain or snow.Acid rain causes damage to buildings, farms and fisheries, forestsand lakes and to human health. The British government has done littleto reduce the damage caused by acid rain in the last few years. Thisdamage costs the European Community more than $12 billion everyyear. Environmentalists have discovered that Britain is responsible forthe greatest amount of European air pollution, but the government hasonly recently decided to take any action.When acid rain falls onto soil, it absorbs the aluminium from the soiland carries il into rivers and lakes. In June 1988, a report in TheObserver suggested a connection between senile dementia, weakness ofmind, and aluminium in drinking water in many parts of England and Wales.When it falls onto plants (including trees), acid rain causes chemicalEarth discovered that more than two thirds of the trees examined hadsuffered from the effects of acid rain.Britain, and especially the Central Electricity Generating Board(CEGB), is the largest single polluter of European air. The powerstations around Selby give off more sulphur than Portugal, Norway,Ireland and Switzerland together. According to the Friends of the Earth,more than 70 percent of British sulphur emissions fall outside Britainbecause of the air movements from the British Isles to continentalEurope. This is one of the reasons for the acid rain in Europe.Other European nations have seen the damage and have started toact. They have formed a club which is trying to reduce the sulphuremissions by 30 per cent by the year 1997. Britain, however, hasconstantly refused to join this club although the ost of the reductionwould only be about £2 billion over ten years. If ne government doesnot take action very soon, there will be a crisis in the European ecologyin the near future.

ACID RAIN (2)

According to some scientists, one of the most serious problems for the environment is acid rain. Acid rain is caused mainly by power plants that burn coal to produce electricity. The smoke from these power plants contains acidic substances which later fall back to earth in rain or snow. As a result, the amount of acid in lakes and rivers increases, causing the fish to die. Already many lakes in Canada, the northeastern U.S., and Norway are contaminated by pollution from power plants. Scientists are also warning that acid rain can damage plants and trees and lead to the contamination of drinking water. It is, therefore, a danger to human health. Many governments do not want to pass laws that will reduce the pollution which causes acid rain. They say that the causes of acid rain are still not completely clear. However, it is clear to the majority of environmentalists that economics is the real reason why governments do not take immmediate action. In most industrial countries, the majority of power plants use coal. It will be extremely expensive to develop the special equipment that is needed to reduce the pollution from these power plants.

A. Mark the best choice.
The main idea of the passage is that .
a) although acid rain is a serious problem for the environment, governments have still not taken the necessary steps to reduce it
b) many power plants burn coal to produce electricity and this increases the amount of acid in rivers and lakes
c) acid rain, which is a serious problem for the environment, has polluted many lakes in Canada, Norway and the United States
d) many governments will pass laws to reduce acid rain when its causes become clear

B. Mark the statements as True (T) or False (F).
1. Power plants which burn coal to produce electricity pollute the environment.
2. Most environmentalists say that they do not really know the causes of acid rain.
3. It will not be cheap to reduce pollution from power plants.

ACID RAIN

Acid rain is caused by burning coal or oil. When either fuel is burned, it releases poisonous gases which are carried up into the atmosphere and sometimes transported long distances. Over 3000 research projects have been carried out to look into acid rain, and a decision to tackle the problem has been taken in most of the Western European countries. Measures have been taken in Scandinavia and in Central Europe to stop the pollution before it is dumped on the environment: and a diplomatic campaign has been launched to convince the other countries that the problem has to be considered as a major ecological threat.

"Five years ago this issue was not being treated seriously," says one leading environmental group, "but now that damage has been reported in large areas of forest and lakeland, our politicians are being forced to take action. This problem must be solved quickly: if governments do nothing, they will be faced in two or three years' time with the accusation that they have allowed our forests to die." A major international initiative to combat acid rain is expected in the near future.