Current
Affairs
Research
Work Report
Topic:
Environmental
Issues
Researched
Report Submitted TO:
In
part of fulfillment of the requirement of Course
Of
Current Affairs
Environment:
The environment
encompasses the whole of life on earth and the complex interactions
that link the living world with the physical world. In a general
sense, this covers everything contained within the air, land and
water. Time also is a key factor as historic issues have an influence
on the status of the environment - locally and globally, both now and
in the future.
Environmental Changes:
There
are many causes of environmental changes
on Earth. Natural events cause changes in climate.
For example, large volcanic eruptions release tiny particles into
the atmosphere that block sunlight, resulting in surface cooling that
lasts for a few years. Variations in ocean currents such as El Niño
can also change the distribution of heat and precipitation. Over
longer time spans, tens to hundreds of
thousands of
years, natural changes in the geographical distribution of energy
from the Sun and in the amounts of greenhouse gases and dust in the
atmosphere have caused the climate to
shift from ice ages to relatively warmer periods. On a longer
timescale the presence of life on Earth has changed the environment
of the planet radically, transforming a
predominantly reducing atmosphere made up of methane and ammonia to
today's oxygen-rich gaseous envelope.
Human
activities
can also change the environment. Orbiting
satellites have
photographed the transformation of deserts into productive
agricultural areas. Conversely, satellites have
tracked the advance of deserts (desertification) and the loss of
forests (deforestation) as a result of human activity. One root cause
of desertification and deforestation is the use of wood as the basic
source of energy, with the consequent loss of trees and degradation
of the soil. The most obvious impact of desertification is the
degradation of rangeland and irrigated cropland and the decline in
soil fertility and
soil structure. Desertification affects about one-sixth of the
world's population and affects 70 percent of all dry lands, amounting
to 3.6 billion hectares (8.9 billion acres), or one-quarter of the
total land area of the world.
List
Of Global Environmental Disasters :
- Global Warming
- Ozone Layer Depletion
- Acid Rain
- Deforestation
- Forest Degradation
- Loss of Biodiversity
- Land Degradation
- Water Pollution
- Desertification
- Waste disposal
- Air Pollution
Global
Warming :
Global
warming is
the rising average temperature of Earth's
atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century and its projected
continuation. Since the early 20th century, Earth's average surface
temperature has increased by about 0.8
°C (1.4 °F),
with about two thirds of the increase occurring since 1980. Warming
of the climate
system
is unequivocal, and scientists are more than 90% certain that most of
it is caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse
gases produced
by human activities such as deforestation and
the burning of fossil
fuels. These
findings are recognized by the national science academies of all
major industrialized nations.
Predicted
Effects Of Global Warming :
- Higher sea levels
- Higher temperatures
- Variable climatic conditions
- These changes are expected to cause a significant impact on agriculture and ecosystems.
Ways
To Prevent Global Warming
- Greenhouse gases help to maintain the earth’s temperature at a level suitable to support life.
- Human activities are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which cause more heat to be trapped.
- Drive less. Take bikes, walk or carpool whenever possible.
- Consider investing in a hybrid or electric vehicle to help prevent against further global warming.
- Replace all the light bulbs in and around your home with energy-efficient fluorescents that use fewer watts for the same amount of light.
- Clean or replace your filters monthly.
- Choose energy-efficient appliances when it's time to buy new ones.
- Decrease your air travel.
- Wash clothes in cold water and line-dry whenever possible.
- Use a low-flow showerhead, which will lessen the hot water used but not drop your water pressure in the shower.
- Cut down on your garbage-buy fewer packaged materials to prevent further global warming.
- Unplug electronics when they are not in use, because they still take up energy. At the very least, turn items off when they're not being used.
- Run the dishwasher and clothes washer only when you have a full load, and if available, use the energy-saving setting.
- Insulate your home better, and don't forget to repair or replace worn caulking or weather-stripping. Insulate your water heater.
- Buy recycled paper products and recycle as much of your waste as possible.
- Bring your own reusable canvas grocery bags when grocery shopping.
- Plant a tree.
- Have an energy audit done on your home so you can find the trouble areas and fix them.
- Use nontoxic cleaning products.
- Shop locally for food. A farmer's market is an excellent place to visit. And choose fresh food over frozen foods. Fresh takes less energy to produce.
- Keep your car tuned up, and check tire pressure often to save gas.
- Eat less meat and more organic foods in your diet to do your part in preventing global warming.
Ozone
Layer Depletion :
The
ozone layer protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light.
The use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone depleting
substances as refrigerants, solvents and insulation is destroying the
ozone layer.
Effect
Ozone
Layer Depletion
The
effect of ozone
layer depletion often
seems as if it is a far away problem, given that the actual holes in
this protective blanket over the Earth’s atmosphere are
concentrated around the poles and far from most human settlements. In
reality, the weakening of the Earth’s protection from radiation has
implications that spread across the planet. The Environmental issues
caused by ozone layer depletion will ultimately affect everyone.
A ‘hole’ is observed over Antarctica every autumn.
Depleted
Ozone Levels Cause The Following Impacts:
- Increased penetration of UV light to earth.
- Increased risks of skin cancer and eye diseases.
- Damage to agricultural crops.
- Disruption to marine food chains.
How
To Prevent Ozone Layer Depletion :
Just
as the entire world shares in the production of gasses that are
causing climate change, the ozone
layer depletion problem
also extends to everyone. It is important that everyone does their
part both by making changes in their personal lives and by lobbying
their governments to take concrete action. It is the only way to both
limit the damage being done to the environment and prepare for those
changes in climate that it is too late to prevent.
Acid
Rain :
Acid rain is rain
consisting of water droplets that are unusually acidic because of
atmospheric pollution - most notably the excessive amounts of sulfur
and nitrogen released by cars and industrial processes. Acid rain is
also called acid deposition because this term includes other forms of
acidic precipitation such as snow.
Acidic
deposition occurs in two ways: wet
and dry.
Wet
deposition
is any form of precipitation that removes acids from the atmosphere
and deposits them on the Earth’s surface. Dry
deposition
polluting particles and gases stick to the ground via dust and smoke
in the absence of precipitation. This form of deposition is dangerous
however because precipitation can eventually wash pollutants into
streams, lakes, and rivers.
Effect
Of Acid Rain :
- Damage forests and soils.
- Causes acidification of lakes and other water bodies.
- Disturb wildlife.
- Cause the decay of building and other structures.
- Impact on human health.
How
To Prevent Acid Rain :
Acid
rain can be prevented by reducing emissions that come from the mining
industries, burning of fuels for electrical power generation, oil
operations, and reducing fuel emissions from cars and trucks. Reduce
our use of products that produce chlorofluorocarbons that are
released into the atmosphere by actively conserving the use of your
air conditioning. Become energy wise by conserving energy through the
use of fluorescent lights, closing off rooms you do not use, and use
washers, dryers, and dishwashers only when full. Last but not lease
please recycle packaging and other disposable products.
Deforestation
:
The
deforestation of tropical rainforests is a major global problem-each
year millions of hectares are lost. Deforestation
involves the conversion of forested regions to non-forest land for
the use of pastures for livestock, logging companies, industrial
gain, urban use, or simply to become a wasteland [1]. Sadly, the
trend has been in existence for thousands upon thousands of years, as
the ancient world saw most of the land covered in forests. As the
population and demands on resources increases, so does the damage to
Earth, which includes deforestation.
The
Impacts Of Deforestation Include:
- Loss of livelihood for local inhabitants.
- Variable environmental conditions (susceptibility to flood, aggravated droughts, soil erosion etc).
- Loss of biodiversity and disturbance to ecosystems.
- Loss of carbon sinks.
How
To Prevent Deforestation :
Use Recycled Items.
Tree Care.
Farming Practices.
Cut Back on Palm Oil.
Reforestation.
Loss of Biodiversity :
Biodiversity
Biological diversity, very simply, refers to all of the different kinds of life on Earth. Also called biodiversity, biological diversity is often used to refer to the total number of different species on Earth. A collection of this biodiversity would include human beings, Bengal tigers, sugar maples, oyster mushrooms, bacteria, and the millions of other living organisms found on Earth. Conservative estimates of the number of species on Earth range from 5 to7 million but some scientists estimate as many as 30 million! With only about 1.6 to 2 million of these species having been studied (much only at the most basic level) and given a name, much still needs to be learned about the diversity of life on Earth.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) recognizes three levels of biological diversity: the diversity of ecosystems and species, and the genetic diversity within species. Species - plants, animals, micro-organisms - are the building blocks of biodiversity. Genetic variability (variation) within species is necessary to adapt to new circumstances.
Loss
Biodiversity loss is one of the world's most pressing crises. It threatens the very basis of more sustainable development and the quality of life. Reasons for preservation of biodiversity or animal genetic diversity are both historical (conservation of our natural heritage) and economical (food security, recycle-capacity etc.). At this moment, genetic diversity in animals and plants, in domestic populations and in the wild, is lost at an increasing rate.
Water Pollution :
Water covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and is a very important resource for people and the environment. Water pollution affects drinking water, rivers, lakes and oceans all over the world. This consequently harms human health and the natural environment.
Sources
Of Water Pollution:
There are many causes for water pollution but two general
categories exist: direct and indirect contaminant sources.
Direct
sources
include effluent outfalls from factories, refineries, waste treatment
plants etc.. that emit fluids of varying quality directly into urban
water supplies. In the United States and other countries, these
practices are regulated, although this doesn't mean that pollutants
can't be found in these waters.
Indirect
sources
include contaminants that enter the water supply from
soils/groundwater systems and from the atmosphere via rain water.
Soils and groundwater’s contain the residue of human agricultural
practices (fertilizers, pesticides, etc..) and improperly disposed of
industrial wastes. Atmospheric contaminants are also derived from
human practices (such as gaseous emissions from automobiles,
factories and even bakeries).
Effects Of Water Pullution:
The effects of water pollution are varied. They include poisonous drinking water, poisonous food animals (due to these organisms having bioaccumulated toxins from the environment over their life spans), unbalanced river and lake ecosystems that can no longer support full biological diversity, deforestation from acid rain, and many other effects. These effects are, of course, specific to the various contaminants.
How To Prevent Water Pollution :
Science provides many practical solutions to minimizing the present level at which pollutants are introduced into the environment and for remediating (cleaning up) past problems. All of these solutions come with some cost (both societal and monetary). In our everyday lives, a great deal can be done to minimize pollution if we take care to recycle materials whose production creates pollution and if we act responsibly with household chemicals and their disposal. Additionally, there are choices we make each day that also can affect the quantity of pollutants our actions will introduce into the environment. Heavily packaged foods, for instance, contain boxes, cartons, bottles etc.. made with polluting dyes, many of which are released from groundwater at municipal landfills. Whether we choose to drive to the corner store rather than walk or ride a bicycle will determine how much we personally contribute to acid and hydrocarbon emissions to the atmosphere (and ultimately to global fresh water supplies).
Air Pollution :
Air
is the ocean we breathe. Air supplies us with oxygen which
is essential for our bodies to live. Air
is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases.
Human activities can release substances into the air, some of which
can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.
There
are several main types of
pollution and well-known effects of
pollution which are commonly discussed. These include smog, acid
rain, the greenhouse effect, and "holes" in the ozone
layer. Each of these problems has serious implications for
our health and
well-being as well as for the whole environment.
One
type of air pollution is the release of particles into
the air from burning fuel for energy. Diesel smoke is a good example
of this particulate
matter.
The
particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns
or about .0001 inches. This type of pollution is sometimes referred
to as "black
carbon" pollution. The exhaust from burning fuels in
automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in
the air. Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and
charcoal in fireplaces and barbeques can release significant
quantities of soot into the air.
Another
type of pollution is the release of noxious
gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and
chemical vapors. These can take part in further chemical reactions
once they are in the atmosphere, forming smog
and acid
rain.
Pollution
also needs to be considered inside our
homes, offices, and schools. Some of these pollutants can be created
by indoor activities such as smoking and cooking. In the United
States, we spend about 80-90% of our time inside buildings, and so
our exposure to harmful indoor pollutants can be serious. It is
therefore important to consider both indoor and outdoor air
pollution.
Desertification :
Desertification is the expansion of dry lands due to poor agricultural practices (e.g. overgrazing, degradation of soil fertility and structure), improper soil moisture management, Stalinization and erosion, forest removal, and climate change.
Cause Of Desertification
Desertification
comes about by a complex interaction between the natural environment
and human activities. The cause may vary from region to region on
account of economic conditions, population pressure, agricultural
practices, and politics. A human activity that destroys surface
vegetation, degrades soil structure and fertility, impedes water
infiltration, and causes soil drying promotes desertification. This
is especially true for the fragile transition zone between arid and
semiarid land where human activity has stretched the ecosystem to its
limit causing expansion of deserts.
Overgrazing
Has Several Effects. It:
- Causes a decline in pasture vegetation and palatable grass species.
- Replaces perennials with short-lived annual species that do not hold soil against erosion.
- Compacts soil under trampling hoofs.
- Destabilizes dunes when crest vegetation is eaten.
Desertification Around The World :
The
United Nations Conference on Desertification ranks desertification
hazard on the basis of a drop in agricultural productivity:
None
- less than 10%
Moderate
- 10% to 25 %
High
- 25% to 50%
Very
high - more than 50%
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