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GCSE Geography · key term
The introduction of harmful substances into the environment, damaging air, water, land or living organisms.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Paper 2
Revise: Industry and the Physical EnvironmentAir pollution results from both production and transport. Historically, burning coal released soot and gases that contributed to smog, a polluted haze over industrial towns and cities. Moving raw materials and finished products also produces vehicle exhaust emissions.
Paper 1
The introduction of harmful substances into the environment, damaging living organisms or environmental quality.
Develop a causal chain: economic growth → more activity or waste → pollution → a specific effect on health or the environment.
Distinguish local air pollution from global climate change. They can share sources, but they are not the same effect.
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Environmental damage is not an unavoidable result of every form of development. Its severity depends partly on energy sources, pollution controls and whether sewage treatment and waste collection keep pace with growth. In India, the pressures affect air, water and land, with consequences ranging from illness in individual communities to global climate change.