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Environmental Issues (Water (Pollution (Chemical Pollution # (Nutrients in…
Environmental Issues
Land
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Chemical Deterioration
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Overuse of fertilizers is depleting
important soil nutrients, like potassium.
Desertification
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6 million people will flee deserted land in Sub-Saharan Africa to go to North Africa or Europe by 2020
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Energy
Non-Renewable Energy
Fossil Fuels
28% of the United States' total greenhouse gas emissions came from energy production using fossil fuels.
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Forest
Deforestation
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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.
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Wildfires
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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.
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Depletion of Ozone Layer
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Ozone layer shielded Earth from
UV-A and UV-B rays. With the layer's depletion,
skin cancer becomes a greater risk.
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Greenhouse Gas pollution # #
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.
Water
Pollution
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.
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Water used to cool power and industrial plants raises average temperature of bodies of water, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels.
Acid Rain
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.
Carbon Emissions
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Carbon dioxide turns into carbonic acid when it reacts with water, lowering the pH of the world's bodies of water.
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Canadian company of Nautilus Minerals is already planning an experimental project to mine underwater gold and copper.
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Overfishing
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Bycatch hurts marine organism populations other than the targeted species- 44 000 albatrosses are killed each year as bycatch from Japanese tuna fishermen.
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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.
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Recyclable materials can be reused.
Governments can run diversion programs for materials that cannot normally be thrown out or recycled (batteries, old technology, etc.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Governments can allow communities control over their local water supplies.
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Creation of more marine parks,
where fishing is not allowed.
Creation of laws banning
the trawling fishing method.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Households can buy water-saving
appliances to reduce water usage.
