What human activity produces the most pollution?

Question

Do you think it is cars? An indispensable part of many people's lives.

Answer 1

I can't say for sure that thier is anone action that causes the "most" pollution, because i don't know that something like this can be quanitified without personal beliefs and how you view the situation be a huge part of the outcome of any research that would be done. Not to mention, how you ask the question, and what type of answer are you looking for plays a large role in the answer you will get.

But considering several different ways of answering your question, i have narrowed my own view down to two options for you.The first of Man's activity that creates the most pollution is:

WAR
if you consider the amount of pollution that September 11th, 2001 caused in New York City, as a result of just that one isolated incident of explosion of hydrocarbons, the collapse of the building causing air pollution, the water pollution after it rained and carried conaminates to the rivers, and the biohazardous conditions created by it, you can just imagine what dropping bombs on cities might cause.
that realy doesn't even begin to touch the full spectrum of pollution created by a longterm military engagment, that uses depleted unranium rounds to blast airplanes out of the sky while the drop into the ocean and sink beyond recovery, or 1000's of dead both plants, animal, and human, that add to the teaming populations of microorganisms that not only create methane and CO2, but other biproducts that are considered pollutants, that enter our atmosphere or our environment after it rains on a warzone.
then you must consider the litter that ultimately is allowed to blow into the envornment from destroyed buildings, and other chemicals from facilities such as factories that are bombed.
After you consider all that , we still have yet to speak of all the fuels that are consumed by these large, heavy machines of war.

In every war you always hear about bombs that didn't explode when dropped, or landminds, that reamin hidden long after the war has ended. I pretty much consider an explosive device that lies undisturbed waiting to elimate the unfortante person who finds it, as an environmental pollutant don't you?

Then, even after the war is over, you still have reconstruction and cemement production that is still polluting.

IRRESPONSIBLE USE OF RESOURCES
The second human action i belive creates the most pollution, is irresponsibility in the efficient utilization of resources.

if you look at it, any waste mater from animals creates greenhouse gases as it decays.
most people attribute methane in our atmosphere to "farts" but in reality, much more of it is created as the waste itself decays, even in landfills the organic wastes when they decay create methane.

so rather than a biogas digester being used to collect this gas so it can be recycled, the raw waste is put on the ground and the gasses alowed to freely escape into our atmosphere.
raw manure from farms are spread on cropland, for fertilizer. this increase surface area of the manure and allows microbes to digest it and release the CO2 and methane much much faster.
seemed like a good idea to use it this way 20-30 years ago. and even now it is a good idea, if you don't have a a biofuel digester handy.
even after the waste is sent through a biogas digester, the material left over, can still be used as fertilizer on cropland. When it comes out of the digester, it still has nutrients for crop plants, but the envormental problems associated with its decay, are pretty well gone.

we then have deforestation occuring at an alarming rate.
once a tree is cut down woodchips and other debris is left behind to decay. this allows CO2 and methane to be released into our environment as well. I shouldn't have to explain how the speed of deforestation relates to our irresposble use of resources, because it is pretty common knowledge.

irrepsonsible auto driving habits and leaving your car running falls under this category, and so do many other acts by humans.
the only other human act that i can see creating more polltuion than these two, is DENIAL.
denial of the consequences of pollution, and refusal to change your habits and consumption to prevent pollution, enables all the other actions to continue!

Answer 2

Jet Aircraft criss-crossing the world each pouring tons of pollution directly into the upper atmosphere (where it does the very most damage).

Everyone immediately thinks cars, when if they stopped flying abroad for their week long holiday, they would negate the emissions their cars make for at least a year!

It is all about what is most/ least palatable, is air-travel more or less indispensable than cars?

Lets ban ALL planes and go back to tall (sail) ships!

Answer 3

War. Pollution created from war trumps all human activities that cause pollution.

Answer 4

Probably driving and flying.. and being a citizen of the USA as they are one of the greatest polluters in the world!!

Answer 5

Yes, vehicle exhaust causes most air pollution.
The most water pollution comes from contaminated storm runoff, which carries pollutants from many different sources, such as dirt, auto fluids, chemicals and grass clippings.

Answer 6

All sorts of things.

Cars, cheap air travel, doing the washing, heating the house.

Cows in fields grazing and farting all day make up a surprisingly large percentage of it too.

Answer 7

Chopping down trees, this cuts the amount of harmfull gasses being absorbed,in useing this wood to make paper for these stupid flyers and magazines that no one wants.

Answer 8

Those Chelsey tractors the 4by4`s and the big
waggons it`s never ending also stop burning rubbish in
gardens it pollutes.

Answer 9

Breeding. The more people you have, the more pollution.

Answer 10

driving, making plastics out of petroleum( produces loads of CO2 ), making cars (imagine the amount of plastics in a car)