Acid Rain Particularly since the industrial revolution, the acidification of the environment due to human activities has intensified. The critical change has been the dramatic increase in the burning of fossil fuels which, as an inevitable byproduct produces gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Here is a classic example of synergy at work, where the combination of two things does far more damage than they do individually, in this case through the formation of what is popularly called acid rain.
Sulphur dioxide emissions stem in particular from combustion plants such as power stations.
The phenomenon of acid rain is a kind of international chemical warfare since winds carry acid depositions way beyond the boundaries of the countries from which they originate. Damage from acid rain ranges from the 'forest death' syndrome to the rendering of waterways too acidic to sustain life. Changes to soil chemistry seem particularly damaging, threatening plants, including crop, health and therefore agricultural productivity. Buildings are corroded and it must be assumed that human health effects are not beneficial. The problem provides a fine case study of the possibilities for and limits to technofixes such as the fitting of scrubbers in power plants and the use of catalytic converters in vehicles.