Acid Rain

"Acid rain" is a popularly used phrase that refers to the deposition of acidifying substances from the atmosphere and the environmental damage that this causes. Acid rain became a prominent issue around 1970, and since then research has demonstrated that the deposition of atmospheric chemicals is causing widespread acidification of lakes and streams, and possibly soil. The resulting biological effects include the extirpation (or local extinction) of many populations of fish. Scientific understanding of the causes and consequences of acid rain, in conjunction with lobbying of government by environmental organizations, has resulted in large reductions in the atmospheric emissions of pollutants in North America and parts of Europe. If these reductions prove to be large enough, acid rain will be less of an environmental problem in those regions.