A Critical Review of Acid Rain: Causes, Effects, and Mitigation Measures

The acidity of rainwater has recently been revealed as a major environmental danger to ecosystems and human health around the world. Therefore, it is very important to know what causes acid rain, its effects, and what might be done about it. This review is based on open-access papers with "acid rain" as a keyword and the present situation of acid rain around the world. Typically, acid rain appears in the form of tiny bits of dry material, snow, and fog that land on Earth. Acid rain commonly has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4, whereas normal rain has a pH of 5.6. The production of electricity, the usage of vehicles, agricultural and industrial activities, etc., all contribute to wet and dry deposition. Acid rain has effects on aquatic environments, animals, plants, soil, global warming, vegetation cover, monuments, buildings, and health. The findings of this research showed that optimizing the use of fossil fuels, transitioning to renewable energy sources, limiting the use of fertilizers and pesticides, conserving energy, restoring the environment, lowering consumption levels, convincing others, educating people, and following regulations are sustainable ways of controlling acid rain. In addition, collaborations between the scientific and policy communities can be considered as a useful instrument. Finally, the issues of acid rain and air pollution should be among the worldwide big projects that require everyone to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.