Pollution
Where can I find information about pollution?
Entry last updated: 13/01/21
Introduction
Pollution occurs when harmful or poisonous substances are introduced into the environment. Air pollution, water pollution and land pollution are the main areas of concern, but society also considers the effects of noise, light and plastic as pollution.
General websites
Here are some great websites for finding out about what pollution is and the problems it causes.
This is a good website for finding out about all sorts of things, including technology and the environment. This site does have some ads - it's best to avoid these and focus on the information we're looking for.
- Try a search using the keyword 'pollution'.
- This will bring up pages explaining Air pollution, Water pollution and Land pollution.
- Each article will have a list of Notes and references that show where the information has come from.
- Look down the bottom of each article to find related books, articles and videos on the topic.
Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.
This is one of the EPIC resources, a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. You may need a password from your school or local library to access it.
This is the online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica, a well respected source of information. It allows you to choose a reading level, which controls the amount of information - we suggest using the Middle or Secondary options for this topic.
- Hover the cursor over your preferred level.
- Use the keyword 'pollution'.
- You can choose what sort of results you want to see, like articles, images or videos.
- Select environmental pollution.
- This provides a good introduction to the topic, and you will find a number of links to related articles and other websites.
Environmental Studies (Gale in context)
Another EPIC resource, this site covers a range of environmental issues, so is a good source for information on pollution.
- Go to Browse Issues
- Select the Pollution section from the Topics menu.
- Choose from the list of topics, eg Electronic Waste (E-waste) or Water Pollution.
There is a lot of detailed information here, so we suggest using the 'overview' section as a starting point for your research.
Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.
New Zealand websites
New Zealand also has to deal with the issue of pollution. Here are some websites with information about pollution in New Zealand.
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about New Zealand Aotearoa. If we scroll down to the bottom of the page we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.
- Using the search box option you will find that pollution occurs as part of a number of the stories, like in Sewage, water and waste.
- You can always focus your search to make it more specific, eg 'air pollution'.
- Use the Images and media link to find related pictures and videos (you can increase the picture size and see the accompanying text by clicking on individual images).
This website is especially for New Zealand school students and teachers and covers lots of different science topics.
- Try a general search for 'pollution' to start with.
- The results are organised into categories like Article and activity and Media. Select the See more option to expand each category.
- Explore articles like Air quality or Human impact on rivers. We also found this image showing some of the Health effects of pollution.
Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation's mission and values are.
Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre
Another EPIC resource, this is is a great resource if you want to concentrate on the effects of pollution in New Zealand.
- To focus your results try searching for different types of pollution, eg 'air pollution' or 'plastics pollution' and adding 'New Zealand' to your search terms.
- Once you have your results these can be refined further by using the options appearing to the left of the screen.
Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.
Local and regional councils around New Zealand have information about pollution in that area and what can be done about it.
- You can use the map to find out which council is yours (you can also use Councils by region or Councils by name to find your local council).
- Go to the about page for the council you want, eg Auckland Council.
- Search their website for your keywords, like 'pollution'.
Tips: We like sites like this because they’re reliable. You can tell because of their web address – they have either .govt or .ac, meaning they are from government or educational organisations. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.
Books
There have been many books written on the subject of pollution. Here are some examples - check out your local public or school library to see what they have.
- Poisoned planet: how constant exposure to man-made chemicals is putting your life at risk, by Julian Cribb.
- The atlas of water: mapping the world's most critical resource, by Maggie Black.
- New Zealand's rivers: an environmental history, by Catherine Knight.
- The end of night: searching for natural darkness in an age of artificial light, by Paul Bogard.
You may also find that your library holds copies of useful reports published by various government departments and organisations such as The Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand.
SCIS no: 1832638
