What Acid Rain is, And How It Harms Our Planet

Acid rain is a form of air pollution in which airborne acids produced by power plants and factories fall to Earth in the form of acidic rain. The acidic nature of this rain causes widespread damage to our environment. The formation of acid rain begins with the production of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the burning of coal, natural gas, and oil, by certain manufacturing plants. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water and other chemicals in the air to form sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and other pollutants. These acidic pollutants travel with the wind for hundreds of m…