Everyday the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air.  The American Heart Association has found that people exposed to smog and other air pollutants are at a higher risk of suffering from a stroke or heart attack.  If we have too much air pollution in our air, we might some day suffocate and need to wear gas masks. 

Many people think that air pollution does not affect them, however, most places on earth have air pollution.  There are two types of air pollution: indoor and outdoor. Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of outdoor air pollution and global warming.

Many places in the world use fossil fuels.  China is one of the most polluted places.  News reports in China say more than two million Chinese people die every year due to health problems related to indoor air pollution which is often 5-10 times higher than outside.  Plants and animals are also affected by air pollution.  Air pollution damages the water, soil, and the nutrients that the plants and animals need to survive. 

Air Pollution is one of the major problems in the world.  One solution is slowing the population growth.  If there are fewer people, there is less air pollution.  People can also try to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste, move to non-polluting renewable forms of energy, or drive less.