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** How Acid Rain is formed:   Acid Rain Info:
 *  __Acid Rain__

The term acid rain refers to what scientists call acid deposition. It is caused by airborne acidic pollutants and has highly destructive results. Scientists first discovered acid rain in 1852, when the English chemist Robert Agnus invented the term. From then until now, acid rain has been an issue of intense debate among scientists and policy makers. Acid rain, one of the most important environmental problems of all, cannot be seen. The invisible gases that cause acid rain usually come from automobiles or coal-burning power plants. Acid rain moves easily, affecting locations far beyond those that let out the pollution. As a result, this global pollution issue causes great debates between countries that fight over polluting each other's environments. For many years, there was considerable debate and disagreement over what caused acid rain. Recent scientific work, however, has helped to clarify this  The primary causes of acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These chemicals are released by certain industrial processes, and as a result, the more industrialized nations of Europe  as well as the US suffer severely from acid rain. Most sulfur dioxide comes from power plants that use coal as their fuel. These plants emit 100 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 70% of that in the world. Modern science has proven that acid rain is a dangerous and highly destructive problem. As a result, various ways to limit acid rain have been invented, and some are now being used. Debate over acid rain and ways of preventing it have raged between environmentalists and corporations. Businesses such as power companies and car makers oppose controlling acid rain because they fear the effects on their profits.  In some cases, industries have attempted to curb acid rain production. The Northern States Power company(USA) began working to reduce acid rain in the 1980s, and has invested over a billion dollars to that end. What is acid rain? Acid rain is rain that is polluted by acid in the atmosphere. It damages the environment. The acid can also be found in snow and fog. There are 2 main air pollutants that change into acid, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOX). When they react with moisture in the atmosphere they become acids. Where do the pollutants come from? The sulphur and nitrogen pollutants come from burning fossil fuels, from coal-fired generators making electricity, from smelting furnaces in steel works, and from petrol driven motor vehicles. What are the effects of acid rain? Acid rain can harm forests and crops. It pollutes rivers, lakes and streams and damages the animals that live in them. Acid rain also damage to statues and buildings. Acidic dust! Acid in the atmosphere also falls to the earth as dust. Some scientific studies have found that acidic dust particles can cause an increase in attacks of asthma and bronchitis in humans     When the dust is washed away by rain the acid is added to the rain water which pours into streams and river and the oceans. What can be done? People can help by turning off lights, computers and other appliances when they're not being used. Buy energy efficient appliances which use less electricity. Using alternative energy sources such as wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy will reduce the pollutants caused by electricity generation. Cars powered with natural gas and battery-powered cars produce less pollution.