Where does pollution come from?

Human waste can be household garbage or biological waste (feces, urine). Emissions from our daily activities, such as burning fossil fuels through gasoline in our cars or coal in a household furnace (known as a “carbon footprint”), can also affect the environment.

Industrial waste can take the form of smoke from factories or chemicals poured onto land or into waterways.

Living organisms produce all kinds of toxins that can have harmful effects on other organisms or the environment. Human activities can influence the production of toxins. For example, sewage overflows can trigger harmful algal blooms and large amounts of carbon dioxide in the air can increase the acidification of oceans as the water absorbs the CO₂.