ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD AND THEY AFFECT LAND, WATER, AND AIR. THESE PROBLEMS INCLUDE DEFORESTATION, SOIL EROSION DAMAGE TO THE ECOSYSTEM AND REDUCTION IN BIODIVERSITY. OTHER PROBLEMS ARE CLIMATE CHANGE, DAMAGE TO THE OZONE LAYER, URBAN POLLUTION, AND ACID RAIN.
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION AFFECTS THE ATMOSPHERE,OCEANS.LAKES,RIVERS AND ALSO LAND.MANY HUMAN ACTIVITIES RELEASE TOXIC CHEMICALS SUBSTANCES INTO THE AIR OR INTO WATER WHICH CAN GO ON TO DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMENT OR CAUSE ILL HEALTH PEOPLE.
WATER POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION OCCURS THROUGH THE RELEASE OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE, FOR EXAMPLE FROM MINING AND METAL REFINING ACTIVITIES, INTO STREAMS AND RIVERS. A VARIETY OF TOXIC METALS CAN AFFECT AQUATIC AND MARINE LIFE AND MAY ACCUMULATE IN THE FOOD CHAIN, BECOMING A THREAT TO HUMANS. ANOTHER MAJOR SOURCE OF WATER POLLUTION IS FERTILIZERS, WHICH CAN BE WASHED INTO RIVERS AND LAKES FROM FARMLAND.
CLIMATE CHANGE
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IS DUE TO CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) WHICH IS PRODUCED IN HUGE QUANTITIES BY THE BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS, FOR EXAMPLE BY CARS, INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES, AND AIRPLANES. IT TRAPS HEAT IN THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE AND IS THE MOST IMPORTANT GREENHOUSE ”GAS. INCREASED LEVELS RESULTING FROM HUMAN ACTIVITIES ARE TO BE RAISING AIR AND OCEAN TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE PLANET, A PHENOMENON KNOWN AS “GLOBAL WARMING” OR” CLIMATE CHANGE”.
A POSSIBLE SOLUTION
SOLUTION TO MANY OF THESE PROBLEMS WOULD REQUIRE ACTION BY GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE, FOR EXAMPLE, TO REDUCE THE BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS AND DEVELOP RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES. ORDINARY PEOPLE, HOWEVER, CAN MAKE THEIR OWN CONTRIBUTION; FOR EXAMPLE, CUTTING DOWN ON CAR JOURNEYS HELPS REDUCE LEVELS OF CARBON AND DIOXIDE, NITROGEN OXIDES, AND SOOT. PEOPLE CAN ALSO HELP IN MANY SMALL WAYS, SUCH AS MINIMIZING THEIR USE OF GARDEN FERTILIZERS, NOT USING THEM WHEN RAIN IS FORECAST, PICKING UP LITTER AND RUBBISH THAT MIGHT HARM WILDLIFE, AND PROPERLY DISPOSING OF HARMFUL CHEMICALS.