This week I got chatting to a few people about the effects that acid rain falling on Dartmoor will likely have from the proposed incinerator.
The effects of acid rain on this area hasn't as yet really been discussed, but any scientist will tell you that the incinerator would result in acid rain and the emission maps show us very clearly where the fallout from such would likely land, on this side of Dartmoor just North of Ivybridge.
The fact that we now also have the new power station at Plympton and will soon have a massive mining operation taking place a the Hemerdon Mine just North of Sparkwell means that the accumulative effect of all these new industries is going to have a significant effect on our air quality, and acid rain. There is also the theory that the build up of C02 emissions from all of these facilities will risk an insulating layer of air that could likely effect in polluted smog being formed over Dartmoor, which would make the matter even worse.
This is of particular concern to a fellow campaigner who is also a large grower and supplier of Christmas trees based in Harford, which is right in the middle of where the emissions are predicted to fall. There are about 100,000 Christmas trees growing there, a major supplier of trees to the South West. The business constitutes the livelihoods of at least 3 families and is also a local source of employment for this area.
We thought to Google the topic of acid rain on fir trees. Got some great evidence in our campaign against incineration, but unfortunately the future is not looking bright for our local industry of Christmas trees, or for the future vegetation and wildlife of Dartmoor I am afraid.
Here's just a few articles I stumbled across, I am sure you can find plenty more:
http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/1139/Acid-Rain-EFFECTS-ACID-RAIN-ON-OUR-ENVIRONMENT.html
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/196forests.html
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/603935/39754/Spruce-trees-damaged-by-acid-rain-in-Karkonosze-National-Park
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Acid_rain
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20020719030207data_trunc_sys.shtml
I am hopeful that the Environmental Audit Committee's recent Air Quality report will encourage our local planning office to take these concerns extremely seriously.
