ABSTRACT
Every part of our world is continually changing, essential ecosystems as well as unwelcome contaminants. Some changes occur imperceptibly on a geological time scale; others are rapid, occurring within days, minutes, or less. Oil and coal are formed from dead animal and vegetable matter over millions of years. When oil and coal are burned, they can release their stored energy in fractions of a second. The products of their combustion cause further changes in the environment, often undesirable. While all technology is designed to create desired changes, it seems to be almost inevitable that undesired changes are also created, often in the form of dangerous waste pollutants. When this is the case, it is the role of environmental professionals to bring about still more changes that work to restore the environment to more acceptable conditions.
