Environmental Issues
Land
Energy
Forest
Air #
Water
Deforestation
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Pollution
Urban Sprawl
Physical Deterioration
Chemical Deterioration
Desertification
Erosion
162 million ha of fertile land
has been lost since 1990.
6 million people will flee deserted land in Sub-Saharan Africa to go to North Africa or Europe by 2020
135 million people are at risk worldwide.
About 20% of land in the United States
is susceptible to sinkholes.
20 000 to 30 000 ha of irrigated land
in India are lost from waterlogging.
About 50% of Australian soil
has a pH lower than 5.5.
Overuse of fertilizers is depleting
important soil nutrients, like potassium.
12.7% of arable land in the European Union is affected by soil erosion
It takes about 500 years to replace
25mm of topsoil lost to erosion.
Soil is lost to erosion 10 to 40
times faster than it can be replaced.
Increased Amount of Garbage
Overcrowding
Landfill
Incineration
Americans throw out 250 to 400 million
tons of trash every year.
As of 2011, there are
2 400 landfills in Canada.
3.7 million tonnes of waste in Ontario
is solely from food or organic matter.
Incinerator byproducts include cadmium,
mercury, sulphuric acid, hydrogen chloride, and dioxin.
Easier spread of disease.
Human organic waste surplus.
Depletion of Ozone Layer
Bioaccumulation
As one moves up the food change, the
amount of POPs found in animals increases. As humans are at the top of the food chain, adverse health affects are common.
Largely caused by release of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
The thickness of the ozone layer over
Southern Canada has depleted 7% since 1980.
Ozone layer shielded Earth from
UV-A and UV-B rays. With the layer's depletion,
skin cancer becomes a greater risk.
The holes in the layer are greatest at the poles.
Depletion of Natural Resources
Overfishing
Chemical Pollution #
Microbeads
Ocean Acidification #
Nutrients in fertilizers such as phosphorus and nitrogen leach into bodies of water, making the water eutrophic.
Heavy metals, such as arsenic and cadmium, drain into bodies of water from industrial facilities.
The less-than-5mm plastic particles slip through normal filtration systems and end up in the water.
About 808 trillion microbeads get washed down the drain every day in the United States.
Water used to cool power and industrial plants raises average temperature of bodies of water, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels.
Acid Rain
Carbon Emissions
Greenhouse gases, such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, react to form acids in water vapour, and lower pH of bodies of water when they are rained down.
About 30-40% of global carbon dioxide emissions get absorbed into bodies of water.
Carbon dioxide turns into carbonic acid when it reacts with water, lowering the pH of the world's bodies of water.
An estimated $150 trillion of gold
is hidden in the seafloor.
Canadian company of Nautilus Minerals is already planning an experimental project to mine underwater gold and copper.
Water privatization companies like Vivendi and Suez take local water supplies and sell them, often as bottled water.
In 2011, the average Canadian citizen
used 251L of water every day.
A single pair of jeans takes almost
6814L of water to make.
Pacific bluefin tuna are at
2.6% of their former population.
Bycatch hurts marine organism populations other than the targeted species- 44 000 albatrosses are killed each year as bycatch from Japanese tuna fishermen.
International agreements, like the treaty signed in the Stockholm Convention, can be made to reduce or eliminate POP emissions.
International agreements, like the Montréal Protocol, can be made to reduce ozone depleting chemicals globally.
Chemicals, to replace ones that deplete the ozone layer, can be developed.
Trees can be planted onto over harvested land.
Preventative measures can be put in place, such as crop rotations.
Reintroducing nutrients and minerals into the soil.
Organic waste can be composted.
Recyclable materials can be reused.
Governments can run diversion programs for materials that cannot normally be thrown out or recycled (batteries, old technology, etc.)
Restricting vehicles by alternating whether odd or even numbered license plate cars can drive each day.
Constructing of renewable energy
farms, such as solar or wind power plants.
Producing of more efficient
cars, which emit less.
Caps can be placed on industry
plants to limit chemical waste.
Polluting products, such as products containing microbeads, can be banned
by the government.
Household energy usage can be decreased (turning off lights, purchase of energy-efficient appliances, etc.), reducing need for power plants to use water as coolant.
Acidified water can be buffered, or have its pH reduced, through the addition of a base, like lime.
Mandatory third-party oversight of mining operations, to ensure precautions are made for the environment.
Marine protected areas can be set aside by the government, in which no mining can occur.
Governments can allow communities control over their local water supplies.
Creation of more marine parks,
where fishing is not allowed.
Creation of laws banning
the trawling fishing method.
Non-Renewable Energy
Fossil Fuels
Natural sources being depleted
69% of Ontario's energy comes from non-renewable sources (64% Nuclear, 5% Gas).
At today's consumption rate, uranium supplies will last for 220 years.
At today's consumption rate, oil reserves will last for 53 years.
At today's consumption rate, coal reserves will last for 150 years.
At today's consumption rate, natural gas reserves will last for 50 years.
28% of the United States' total greenhouse gas emissions came from energy production using fossil fuels.
All fossil fuels release carbon dioxide when burned.
Coal and oil release sulphur dioxide when burned.
Governments can fund the construction of renewable energy plants, such as solar, wind, and hydro.
Household energy usage can be reduced with a switch to more energy-efficient appliances (washer/drier, refrigerator, stove, etc.).
Governments can allow individuals who produce their own energy to feed surplus into the grid and get monetary rewards.
About 7.3 million hectares of forest is lost each year.
20% of the world's oxygen comes from the Amazon rainforest.
At current rates, there will be no rain forests in 100 years.
Tropical rain forests store about 210 gigatons of carbon and their deforestation is the second biggest contributor to climate change.
Wildfires
The world lost tree cover the size of New Zealand in 2016 alone from wildfires.
The number and intensity of wildfires in the western United States has been increasing since the mid-1980's.
Wildfires reduce the soil's ability to hold moisture, making it harder to regrow the vegetation and increasing likelihood of landslides.
An average citizen of the United States uses upwards of 700 pounds of paper every year.
Prescribed burns can remove combustible debris and reduce risk of larger wildfires.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce the impact climate change has on wildfires.
Governments can designate protected forest land in which no trees can be cut.
Individuals and companies can buy products made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved wood.
Reforestation can be done by the government, communities, or individuals, and help replenish lost tree numbers.
Individuals can reduce the amount of animal-based products in their diet, reducing need for clear land used in agriculture.
Scientists believe that the world is going through its sixth mass extinction event.
99% of endangered species are endangered because of human actions.
About 38% of all known species are endangered.
Habitat loss is a main threat to 85% of all endangered species.
Untouched land the size of North America is likely to be damaged by human activity in the next 30 years.
Even if a whole section isn't destroyed, habitat fragmentation can still negatively affect many animal species.
Arctic summer ice has gone down by 13.2% since first recorded, increasing flooding.
The average world temperature has gone up by 1º Celsius since 1880.
2016 was the third year in a row to break the record of average global surface temperatures.
Smog
Nitrogen oxides react with gasoline fumes
and create ozone. While ozone is important in the stratosphere, it is harmful to directly breathe in.
Charred dust, notably from coal plants,
can be trapped in the air. These particles can damage lungs, discolour buildings, and hurt vegetation.
Households can buy water-saving
appliances to reduce water usage.