Enviromental issues in the world today

Civilization has brought people many advantages but its products also pollute and damage the environment in witch we live. Pollution affects air, water, land, forests, people, animals and plants.

Air pollution is the biggest problem in large cities and in areas with concentrated industrial production. Emissions range from smoke, dust, and smells to car and lorry exhausts. Smoke contains sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxide (NO) and carbon dioxide witch are produced by coal-fired power stations and factories. Substances such as SO₂ and NO can cause major changes in the environment which can lead to climate changes.

These substances mix with water vapour in the atmosphere and from sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Sunlight turns these acids into poisonous oxidants which fall in the form of acid rain onto trees and kill them.

Trees are vitally important for our life because they are the lungs of our planet. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air and give our oxygen in return. In some parts of the world, such as Asia and South America, trees are not threatened by pollution, but by people. The great rain forests are being destroyed for firewood and building materials. (The Amazon rain forest covers an area as large as the whole of Europe and contains one third of the world’s trees, provides 50 per cent of the world’s annual production of oxygen). If we lose tropical forests, it will become more difficult, perhaps even impossible, to breath. With more carbon dioxide in the air, the temperature will rise; the ice-caps at the North and South Poles will melt, and the sea level will rise which will result in the flooding of many coastal cities.

Greenhouse effect can also cause climate change. Without this effect there could be no life on earth because the earth is warmed up naturally by the atmosphere which traps solar radiation. But manmade atmospheric emissions, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, CFCs from aerosol and refrigerators and water vapour prevent the heat from escaping. The result is a rise in the Earth’s temperature, the melting of arctic ice and the flooding of areas situated near sea level.

Ozone is another air pollutant. It is produced by the reaction of sunlight on car exhaust fumes and is a major air pollutant in hot summers. On the ground level ozone can cause asthma attacks, corrosion of certain materials and stunted growth of plants which lowers the yields of some crops. On the other hand, ozone forms a layer in the upper atmosphere which protects life on Earth from ultraviolet rays, which is a cause of skin cancer. A continent-sized hole has formed over Antarctica as a result of damage of the ozone layer, caused in part by CFCs.

How can the problem of air pollution be solved? People should try to use alternative source of energy, such as solar, water and wind energies. There are more ways to reduce air pollution caused by road traffic. First it is possible to switch freight from road to railways and to support public transport. Another way is to encourage tree planting, because trees absorb carbon dioxide. Then all new petrol-driven cars will have to be fitted with three-way catalytic converters in their exhaust system which turns dangerous gases into CO₂, nitrogen and water vapour. Lead emissions can fall if we reduce lead content in petrol and encourage the use of unleaded petrol. People should burn smokeless fuels. End-of pipe system can be installed to clean up emissions.

Water pollution results from industrial processes, households, from pesticides and other chemicals used in agriculture, from waste disposal sites and from ships. Concentrations of heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, lead are increasing.

Solution discharges to water from industrial processes should be controlled. We should find technologies for saving water. We should reduce the amount of chemicals and we should develop environmentally friendly pesticides. Solution waste disposal should be controlled, waste should be re-used and recycled.

Soil pollution is when soil can become contaminated as a result of industrial waste, domestic rubbish, agriculture, redioactive substances.

Noise poses a considerable problem for many people. It results in stress, lack of concentration, defective hearing or sleeplessness. Neighbourhood noise can be tackled in various ways. First of all, we should be considerate to one another. Noise from new motor vehicles and aircraft is regulated. Airport services are restricted at night.

Environmental protection should also include animal and plant protection because the balance of species of plants and animals has also been affected by human activities. Some animals are protected (bats, badgers), other (otters, some species of birds, such as owls) are bred in captivity for release in the wild so they have the best chance of survival. The introduction of new species should be strictly or even prohibited, because their increase in number can easily slip out of control. The establishment of national parks and nature reserves provide protection and also provide opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The way how to personally protect the environment is save water (have a shower rather than a bath), save energy (switch off the light when leaving), sort out waste and put it into containers if they are provided, compost kitchen garbage, use deodorant sprays without CFC gases, put litter only into litter bins, not in the street, not be noisy in the woods, not use many fertilizers in the garden, buy things that have less packaging, use public transport or unleaded petrol.

At least I would like to say, that we should preserve and restore the quality of our environment. We must keep our planet habitable not only for the present generation but also for the future one. It would be necessary to develop more public information and interest. It wouldn’t be right to adapt people to pollution and noise. It would be a progressive degeneration of the quality of human life.