The most serious ecological problems

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Introduction

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to increase. Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables on.

Over the years of technological revolution, we have experienced various kinds of environment problems, destruction of ozone layer, global warming, greenhouse effect and other phenomena that aggravate the ecological situation.

The most serious ecological problems are:

• Acid Rains One of the most alarming forms of air pollution is acid rain. It results from the release into the atmosphere of sulphur and nitrogen oxides that react with water droplets and return to earth in the form of acid rain, mist or snow. Acid rain is killing forests (Nearly every species of tree is affected) It has acidified lakes and streams and they can't support fish, wildlife, plants or insects.

 

• Every year every country in the world puts out more and more toxins into the air. The major toxins that are put into the air are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. These toxins are put into the air from cars, factories, and the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, and oil. Some scientists believe that the earth is in a cycle to go into hot spells and into cold spells, (Global Warming and Ice Ages). Scientists also believe that if we stopped cutting down so many trees and all of the rain forests that global warming and the greenhouse effect would slow down.

 

• Depletion of the Ozone Layer The protective layer of the Earth, the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from the sun's destructive UV (ultraviolet) rays, is being damaged by CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). They are released by the daily use of industrial and household products: refrigerators, air conditioners, foam insulation, cleaning chemicals, food packaging. In the ozone layer they attack the ozone molecules making a «hole».

 

• Deforestation is the clearing the land of forest or trees. Many people do not even know that this problem exists, although it may be occurring right in their own neighborhoods. The causes of deforestation are broad. It used to be thought that the lumber industry was much to blame, when in fact the industry is very low. Most of the land was used for various other reasons such as building and agricultural expansion. The land is used for growing crops and livestock grazing.

The effects of deforestation on the environment are numerous. The reduction of forests upsets the entire ecological cycle. The forests are home to a number of plants and animals. When a forest is cut down, the whole cycle suffers. Most of all the forests act as a carbon sink. That is they help to take in carbon, a green house gas, and offset its effect on the atmosphere.

 

• Pollution of lakes and rivers, streams, and oceans has been killing land and water animals for years. Polluting water is a horrible act and will be stopped.

Oil spills are one of–if not the worst types of pollution. They happen most often in the ocean and then get spread around by tides and currents where they enter streams and rivers and cover everything. They kill life and pollute more in a short amount of time than pesticides and human waste combined in about 1 year.

Radioactive Waste is a very serious problem polluting the lakes and oceans. Submarines release some radioactivity into the water.

Human waste is also when we dump garbage in the ocean because we cannot find places on land to dump it.

 

• Also we have problem with nuclear pollution. People concern over the dangers resulting from massive releases of radioactive materials from nuclear weapons, which, if used on a major scale, could seriously endanger all of humanity. Nuclear pollution cannot be seen but its effect can be terrible. The major ecological disaster happened in 1986 after the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power station. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for the Ukrainian, Belarusians and other nations. As much as 70 percent of all the radiation fell on Belarus, as a result of which a quarter of its territory is now contaminated. About two million people, that is one fifth of the population, live in contaminated areas. They aftermath effect of Chernobyl in Belarus is very serious indeed. As you probably know, there is an increase of cancer cases in the country, especially among children. Among the most frequent cases I should mention thyroid cancer and leukemia. Joint efforts on the part of the government and public organizations to improve the ecological situation and mitigate the Chernobyl disaster are of vital importance.

Conclusion

It’s good that people have come to understanding that environment – and Man is part of it – can be saved by concrete measures. Strict control over gas emission, installment of powerful filters, water treatment are  just a few measures that are already taken. People need to be aware of what they personally can do to keep environment clean.

In this context, I think a broad campaign on recycling paper, plastic, glass and metal – is a good thing to introduce on a rational scale.

And last but not least, we need a considerable financial and humanitarian assistance from the international community to be able to cope with the problems of Chernobyl that are going to remain with us for many years to come.

It goes without saying that economic and ecological problems are interrelated, and without radical economic reforms we will hardly improve the environment.

Environmental protection is of a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken. As many as 159 countries - members of the UNO - have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous conferences have been held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl. An international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organisation Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment. But these are only the initial steps and they must be carried onward to protect nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations. 

 

 

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