3. Acid Rain
The third major problem associated with fossil fuels is acid rain. Acid rain is caused by the release of various compounds which cause changes in the pH of soils and water bodies. These include sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the burning of coal, as well as Nitrogen Oxides (NOx: NO, NO2, NO3) from the burning of fossil fuels and all other combustion.
Acid rain not only damages buildings and monuments, but also vegetation, soils, crops, rivers and lakes. The first event to bring the problem to public attention were major fish kills in Norway, in polluted bodies of water. Acid rain has also lead to the decline of forests throughout much of Europe, as well as the NE United States and Eastern Canada.
Branches from a tree in Germany's Blak Forest show needle loss and yellowed boughs caused by acid rain.
Since the 1960s a number of clean air agreements have been enacted, which focused upon reducing sulfur emissions rather than eliminating coal use, and did nothing to regulate nitrogen oxide emissions. Thus, even with reduced sulfur emissions, the problem persists. Forests continue to decline and many lakes and rivers suffering from acid stress will take years to recover, assuming that the problem is someday solved, because acid rain can literally kill lakes.
The same problems are likely to appear in India and China as they industrialize, since both rely heavily upon coal.