Environmental protection
Environmental protection
Introduction. 2
Air pollution. 4
Deforestation. 5
Acid rain. 8
The “Green House Effect”. 9
Water pollution. 11
Toxic waste pollution. 14
Environmental
movements. 16
Conclusion. 21
Appendix. 23
#1. Rates of deforestation. 23
#2. Carbon Dioxide Emissions per Units of Economic Output 23
# 3 Increase of global surface temperature. 24
References. 25
Pollution
is probably the most important problem in the world today. One of the reasons
it is so important to human beings is that we know that we brought about
pollution. Unlike most of the other problems in the world, such as AIDS,
pollution is a human creation. Since the beginning of time, whenever human
beings changed their environment, they were greatly affected. Areas where
pollution is extremely high encounter death rates and disease rates that are
sometimes 15 or 20 times more than areas without pollution. Greedy corporations
are pushing these problems to areas not ready to encounter this high level of
pollution, and if something isn’t done soon to curtail these problems, we will
all surely feel the longstanding effects they bring.
During
the 1960’s, which I call the “Throwaway” era, Plastics and Styrofoam[1]
were thrown away without a care, and now we are finally seeing what that kind of
stupidity can cause. At first, children began to understand the drastic changes
that the entire world was facing. The planet was changing, and adults were
doing nothing to save it. Yet, the polluted planet was being handed to the
younger generations, who, while more educated on the topic, were not
sufficiently knowledgeable to control earth’s problems. Nowadays, children are
leading the environmental revolution. More educated and smarter on the issues
that the world is facing, children are changing the planet. Still, all the
education in the world cannot counter the pressure that Big Business is putting
on the globe. Chemicals, human wastes, toxic wastes, and other kinds of
pollution are beyond repair in some cases. Corporations do not care about the
planet; they are willing to trade off small environmental risks for jobs and
success in individual communities. Of course, most people in those communities
don’t realize that them taking a job with these companies is detrimental to
their survival.
Whenever
I think of pollution’s effect on the world, I think of its effect on innocent
human beings. When someone becomes sick or dies of some kind of sickness
brought about by pollution, their human rights come into question. I think
human rights, although usually reserved for genocide or other acts of evil, can
encompass pollution as well. Our human right is simply the right we have to
live our lives as we please, to live our lives without being hurt or affected
unless we want to, and the basic needs we as human beings have. Pollution
brought about by other people on us is not our choice. Therefore, whenever an
area where humans live is polluted, it is a violation of that person’s human
rights.
Nowadays,
in an age where people are starting to fight back against corruption, the
average Joe is winning the battle with Big Business. Pollution is being taken
on with a vengeance, and people are beginning to notice how nice it is to rid
the place they live in of pollution. Laws are being passed day in and day out
in order to help the average person in their battle with pollution.
In
order to talk about the problems we face today, we must go back hundreds of
years to take a look at the effects pollution had on human beings in the past.
The Industrial Revolution in both America and Europe let factories pollute the
air without regulation. Because of that, the air pollution in certain areas of
the world is causing death to this day. Certain cities in the Northeast United
States have air that sometimes has 5 or 10 times more soot in it than the
International Standard. The English “Black Country” is aptly named that because
of the color of the air. For years, people there have lived in an area with the
lowest quality of life in Western Europe. “The average live expectancy in
“Black Country”, England, is 10 years less than the rest of the country.”[2]
The reason not much has been done to change that is because it has been that
way for more than 100 years. One of the problems with pollution is that if it
becomes common, then people stop caring.
Another problem stemming from years ago is waste disposal. For many years,
human waste was just let out into rivers and streams, spreading disease and
sickness. A prime example of that is London, England. “By the 1850’s, the
Thames River was so polluted that it was portrayed in cartoons with Death
rowing along it.”[3]
A public outcry then prompted the city to develop a proper sewage system, but
years of damage had been done, and the river is still not clean to this day.
Another problem dealing with waste disposal is the fact that human waste is
still dumped into rivers, lakes, and oceans without the proper treatment.
Although the oceans aren’t greatly affected by a small amount of waste, over
time it could definitely begin to hurt human interests in them, such as the
fishing industry. In rivers and lakes though, there is usually no way for the waste
to find its way out of the water. Because of the water systems we use on earth,
this could be highly dangerous. “Using dirty water can make everyday activities
like washing clothes and bathing dangerous, due to the infection that lies
within the bacteria that live on human waste.” (Johnstone, 9) If people
continue to use dirty water, that disease will spread to unimaginable levels.
Pollution itself is a
very broad category, and there are many different kinds of pollution. One of
those is air pollution. Air pollution is probably the longest lasting
type of pollution there is. Because of the Industrial Revolution, factories
spewed out smoke and chemicals that had never been in contact with human lungs
before. To this day the same problem remains. Air pollution, although
regulated, cannot be contained in many cases. In certain areas of the world,
air pollution is out of control.
Air pollution occurs when
wastes dirty the make the air dirty. People produce most of the waste that
cause air pollution. Such waste can be in the form of gases or be particulates
(particles of solid or liquid manner). These substance result chiefly from
burning fuel to power motor vehicles and to heat buildings. industrial
processes and the burning of garbage also contribute to air pollution. Natural
pollutants include ,pollen,soil particulates, dust, and naturally occuring
gases. Also more causes of air pollution are forms of transportation such as
automobiles,airplanes,ships, and trains.
It is the immediate
effect of air pollution on urban atmospheres that is most noticeable and causes
the strongest public reaction. The city of Los Angeles has been noted for both
the extent of its air pollution and the actions undertaken for control. Los Angeles
lies in a coastal plain, surrounded by mountains that restrict the inward sweep
of air and that separate a desert from the coastal climate. Fog moving in from
the ocean is normal to the city. Temperature inversions characterized by the
establishment of a layer of warm air on top of a layer of cooler air prevent
the air near the ground from rising.
Air Pollution has a
negative impact on water quality. For the past 30 years, scientists have
collected a considerable amount of convincing information demonstrating that
air pollutants can be deposited on land and water, sometimes at great distances
from their original sources, and can be an important contributor to declining
water quality. These air pollutants can have undesirable health and
environmental impacts, such as contaminated fish, harmful algal blooms, and
unsafe drinking water. Researchers had found the sources of these air
pollutants. They have worked diligently to improve the environment.
Factory and business
owners have the ability to prevent air pollution. The government should take
action, requiring equipment to cut down on hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. The
little spent regulating equipment used in factories can go a long way saving
billions on health problems and other related issues. Background Over 150
million people in the United States live in areas where the Environmental
Protection Agency considers the air to be unhealthy. Air pollution is the
presence in the atmosphere of harmful gases, liquids, or solids. Smog has been
a problem in coal-burning areas for several centuries
At the
present rate of tropical deforestation, the world's remaining tropical
rainforests will vanish in just 30 years[4].
Deforestation in the
tropical areas of the world is following a course similar to the earlier
clearing of the forests in Europe and North America, only advancing more
rapidly.
Since just 1950, the
world's population has more than doubled to more than 6 billion people, with
the fastest population growth being in the tropics. Today, more than 3 billion
people live in the tropics alone, more than lived in the entire world in 1950.
To provide food, wood, fuel and resources for the world's rapidly growing
population, and to make room for the exploding tropical population, the world's
tropical rainforests are literally disappearing.
Even with tropical
deforestation at an all-time high, tropical hardwood prices continue to climb
as world demand for tropical hardwoods continues to grow. A single teak log for
example can now bring as much as $20,000. Annual world consumption of tropical
hardwoods is now more than 250 million cubic meters, or over 100 billion board
feet, per year.
Southeast Asia until
recently has been the largest source of supply for tropical hardwoods, but that
area will largely be depleted within the next five years. All of the primary
forests in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are gone. Ivory Coast's forests are
essentially non-existent. Nigeria's forests have been decimated as well. As
Asia's and Africa's tropical forests are depleted, consuming countries are
turning increasing attention to Latin America and the Amazon, whose own rapidly
growing population is also a source of pressure on the rainforests. Also,
trillions of dollars worth of oil, gas, uranium, gold, iron, bauxite and other
minerals, and millions of acres of potential farm land, lie under the Amazon,
the largest area of rainforest remaining on Earth.
Amazon rainforests are
being cleared on a vast scale for settlements, logging, gold mining, petroleum,
cattle ranching, sugar cane (for gasohol), large hydro dams, and charcoal for
smelting ore. Peasant farmers also clear the rainforest to have land for
planting, by cutting the forest, and then in the dry season burning what they
have cut.
During one month in 1995
for example, NASA satellite surveys of Brazil recorded 39,889 individual fires,
up 370 percent from the same month of the prior year. In neighboring
Bolivia the smoke is sometimes so thick that schools have to close and flights
have to be delayed or canceled.
Scientists estimate that
until as recently as 10,000 years ago, the world had 6 billion acres of
tropical rainforests. By 1950, we had a little less than 2.8 billion acres of
rainforest. It was then being cut down at the rate of about 10 to 15 million
acres per year. Today we have less than 1.5 billion acres left, and we are
clearing this remaining rainforest at the rate of 30 to 50 million acres per
year, two to three times as rapidly as just a few decades ago.
If the present rate of
tropical deforestation continues, there will be nearly no tropical
rainforests left in just 30 years. Instead of holding steady however, the
rate of deforestation is actually predicted to increase even further.
Scientists project that
the rate of tropical deforestation will continue to increase for the next 10 to
15 years until there simply will not be enough forest left to sustain the rate
of cutting.
The chart (see appendix
#1) dramatically illustrates the fate of the world's rainforests.
As the world's population increases, and therefore the
competition for land, food and resources also increase, it appears that the
world's rainforests will continue to fall at an increasingly accelerating
rate. The newest data dramatically confirms that:
·
tropical
deforestation is a very serious and growing problem. Scientists may disagree on
the details, but they all agree that the implications for mankind are huge - in
terms of possible global warming, increasing desertification (the world's
deserts are now growing 27,000 square miles per year), and loss of
biodiversity, to name a few
·
we must do
everything reasonable we can to protect the world's remaining rainforests
·
one important way
to help is to plant tropical hardwood trees for harvests, to produce tropical
hardwoods that aren't taken from the natural rainforest
·
as individuals,
we may at times feel insignificant, but by working together, we can indeed make
a difference
·
and by being an
example for others, we can multiply the result
The latest statistics also
dramatically underscore the benefits of planting tropical hardwood plantations:
·
as the world's
population continues to increase in numbers and prosperity, the demand for
beautiful tropical hardwoods will continue to grow rapidly
·
as country after
country in the tropics depletes its own supply of tropical forest and passes
from being an exporter of tropical hardwoods to having to import wood to
fulfill its domestic needs, international demand for tropical hardwoods will
continue to grow dramatically
·
as the world
loses more and more rainforest, there will be a rising imperative to protect
the small amount of rainforest remaining
·
as international
demand for tropical hardwoods increases and the availability of the natural
rainforests as a source of supply of these hardwoods decreases, both because of
continued harvesting and because the dwindling remaining forests will be
increasingly protected, the prices of all tropical hardwoods will likely soar
·
there is
substantial opportunity in planting nearly any species of tropical hardwoods -
and even more opportunity in planting tropical hardwoods that are sought after
for their beauty or unique properties.
A further result of
air pollution is acid rain. Acid rain basically appears when factories release high levels of
sulfur into the air. The sulfur then combines with rainwater to form a weak
sulfuric acid. Acid rain itself cannot harm humans, but it can harm our
environment and our quality of life. Over time, the acid rain will kill plants,
weaken structures and homes used by humans, and can even kill life in entire
lakes and rivers. And since studies have yet to be completely conclusive,
nobody knows how it affects us physically in the long run. One of the reasons
it is such a threat is because it travels in the air and may fall on areas that
did not produce it. Since acid rain can be prevented by government regulation,
stopping the release of sulfur into the air is a definite first step to curbing
acid rain.
In early 1974, scientists
warned governments across the globe that the release of certain industrial
chemicals, such as CFCs and Halons, could result in a thinning of our ozone
layer. The ozone layer is a part of our atmosphere that prevents most
Ultraviolet rays from entering the earth’s surface layer. It allows only enough
high-energy radiation to enter so that Vitamin D in humans can become active.
Too much radiation, and certain human mutations begin to occur. In 1985, a hole
in the ozone layer was discovered over Antarctica. Over the past 10 years, more
and more holes were discovered over different parts of the world. Since then,
skin cancer rates have skyrocketed, as well as levels of radiation among human
beings. “Almost 4% of the world population will encounter some type of skin
cancer within the next five years.”[5]
Contrary to popular belief, skin cancer can be deadly if not treated properly.
All of these problems stem from air pollution created by factories and plants.
If we can reduce air pollution, the air may be clean within the next 100 or 150
years.
The greenhouse
effect is a benign feature of the ecosystem . Certain gases in the atmosphere,
such as CO2, CH4 , N2O, O3, CFC, allow the sunlight reach the earth but prevent
the heat from escaping and thus the temperature of the earth remains stable. These five different gases have
different influence on the "greenhouse." If CO2 can have twice as
much effect, then CH4 can have ten times as much, N2O a hundred times and CFC
ten thousand times. Besides, the steam of water can also lead to the greenhouse
effect. The sensitivity of the climatic system to greenhouse gases is such that
the equivalent of a doubling of CO2 could ultimately increase the
average global temperature by somewhere between 1°C and 5°C.
But nowadays the
greenhouse gases absorb sunlight and infrared radiation which produces heat and
it increases continuously. In principle, the temperature of the earth also
increases. And this is so-called "Green House Effect".
At present, the
concentration of carbon dioxide doubles that before the Industrial Revolution .
And the global temperature has increased about 1.5~3.5¢J. Human beings
have altered the composition of the atmosphere. Coal-burning factories and
motorcycles release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than oceans and
forests can absorb. Consequently, the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere
could double the present level within the next fifty years.
People may ask: "Is
it a serious problem? " My answer is: "Yes!" The global warming
can effect us in many aspects, first of all, the level of the oceans has risen.
A rise of sea level may accompany global warming, possibly in the range of 0 to
60 cm. The part of some land will be covered. Strictly speaking, some islands
may disappear quietly and without leaving a trace. In addition, the global
warming causes crisis to the ecosystem and agriculture. Some animals and plants
suffer a lot of difficulties due to the global warming. To sum up, the
greenhouse effect not only affects human lives but also causes pecuniary
loss.
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