Most scientists who have studied environmental problems believe that humanity has about 40 more years to return the natural environment to a state of a normally functioning biosphere and resolve issues of its own survival. But this period is negligibly short. And does a person have the resources to solve even the most pressing problems?
To the main achievements of civilization in the 20th century. include advances in science and technology. The achievements of science, including the science of environmental law, can be considered as the main resource in solving environmental problems. The thought of scientists is aimed at overcoming the environmental crisis. Humanity and states must make maximum use of available scientific achievements for their own salvation.
The authors of the scientific work “The Limits to Growth: 30 Years Later” Meadows D.H., Meadows D.L., Randers J. believe that humanity’s choice is to reduce the load on nature caused by human activity to a sustainable level through reasonable politics, reasonable technology and reasonable organization, or wait until, as a result of changes occurring in nature, the amount of food, energy, and raw materials decreases and an environment completely unsuitable for life arises.
Given the shortage of time, humanity must determine what goals it faces, what tasks need to be solved, and what the results of its efforts should be. In accordance with certain goals, objectives and expected, planned results, humanity develops means of achieving them. Taking into account the complexity of environmental problems, these means have specificity in technical, economic, educational, legal and other areas.
Introduction of environmentally efficient and resource-saving technologies
The concept of waste-free technology, in accordance with the Declaration of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (1979), means practical use knowledge, methods and means in order to ensure the most rational use of natural resources and protect the environment.
In 1984 the same UN commission adopted a more specific definition of this concept: “Waste-free technology is a method of production in which all raw materials and energy are used most rationally and comprehensively in the cycle: raw materials production consumption secondary resources, and any impacts on the environment do not violate its normal functioning."
This formulation should not be taken absolutely, i.e. one should not think that production is possible without waste. It is simply impossible to imagine an absolutely waste-free production, there is no such thing in nature, it contradicts the second law of thermodynamics (the second law of thermodynamics is the experimentally obtained statement about the impossibility of building a periodically operating device that does work by cooling one source of heat, i.e. eternal engine of the second type). However, waste should not disrupt the normal functioning of natural systems. In other words, we must develop criteria for the undisturbed state of nature. The creation of waste-free production is a very complex and lengthy process, the intermediate stage of which is low-waste production. Low-waste production should be understood as such production, the results of which, when exposed to the environment, do not exceed the level allowed by sanitary and hygienic standards, i.e. MPC. At the same time, for technical, economic, organizational or other reasons, part of the raw materials and materials may become waste and be sent for long-term storage or disposal. On modern stage development of scientific and technological progress, it is the most realistic.
The principles for establishing low-waste or zero-waste production should be:
1. The principle of consistency is the most basic. In accordance with it, each individual process or production is considered as an element of a dynamic system of the whole industrial production in the region (TPK) and more high level as an element of the ecological and economic system as a whole, which includes, in addition to material production and other human economic activities, the natural environment (populations of living organisms, atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biogeocenoses, landscapes), as well as humans and their habitat.
2. Complexity of resource use. This principle requires the maximum use of all components of raw materials and the potential of energy resources. As is known, almost all raw materials are complex, and on average more than a third of their quantity consists of accompanying elements that can only be extracted through complex processing. Thus, at present, almost all silver, bismuth, platinum and platinum group metals, as well as more than 20% of gold, are obtained as a by-product from the processing of complex ores.
3. Cyclicity of material flows. The simplest examples of cyclical material flows include closed water and gas cycles. Ultimately, the consistent application of this principle should lead to the formation first in individual regions, and subsequently throughout the entire technosphere of the consciously organized and regulated technogenic circulation of matter and associated energy transformations.
4. The requirement to limit the impact of production on the surrounding natural and social environment taking into account the systematic and targeted growth of its volumes and environmental excellence. This principle is primarily associated with the conservation of natural and social resources such as atmospheric air, water, land surface, recreational resources, public health.
5. Rational organization of low-waste and non-waste technologies. The determining factors here are the requirement for the reasonable use of all components of raw materials, the maximum reduction in energy, material and labor intensity of production and the search for new environmentally sound raw materials and energy technologies, which is largely due to the reduction of negative impacts on the environment and damage to it, including related industries farms.
In the entire set of works related to environmental protection and rational development of natural resources, it is necessary to highlight the main directions for creating low- and waste-free industries. These include: integrated use of raw materials and energy resources; improvement of existing and development of fundamentally new technological processes and production facilities and related equipment; introduction of water and gas circulation cycles (based on effective gas and water treatment methods); cooperation of production using waste from some industries as raw materials for others and the creation of waste-free industrial complexes.
On the way to improving existing and developing fundamentally new technological processes, it is necessary to comply with a number of general requirements: implementation of production processes with the minimum possible number of technological stages (apparatuses), since at each of them waste is generated and raw materials are lost; the use of continuous processes that allow the most efficient use of raw materials and energy; increase (to the optimum) unit power of units; intensification of production processes, their optimization and automation; creation of energy technological processes. The combination of energy and technology makes it possible to more fully utilize the energy of chemical transformations, save energy resources, raw materials and materials, and increase the productivity of units. An example of such production is the large-scale production of ammonia using an energy technology scheme.
Rational use of natural resources
Both non-renewable and renewable resources of the planet are not infinite, and the more intensively they are used, the less of these resources are left for the next generations. Therefore, decisive measures for the rational use of natural resources are required everywhere. The era of reckless exploitation of nature by man is over, the biosphere is in dire need of protection, and natural resources should be protected and used sparingly.
The basic principles of such an attitude towards natural resources are set out in the international document “The Concept of Sustainable economic development", adopted at the second UN World Conference on Environmental Protection in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Regarding inexhaustible resources, the “Concept of Sustainable Economic Development” of development urgently requires a return to their widespread use and, where possible, the replacement of non-renewable resources with inexhaustible ones. This primarily concerns the energy industry.
For example, wind is a promising source of energy, and in flat, open coastal areas, the use of modern “wind turbines” turns out to be very advisable. Using hot natural sources You can not only treat many diseases, but also heat your home. As a rule, all the difficulties in using inexhaustible resources lie not in the fundamental possibilities of their use, but in the technological problems that have to be solved.
With regard to non-renewable resources, the “Concept of Sustainable Economic Development” states that their extraction should be made normative, i.e. reduce the rate of extraction of minerals from the subsoil. The world community will have to give up the race for leadership in the extraction of this or that natural resource; the main thing is not the volume of the extracted resource, but the efficiency of its use. This means absolutely new approach to the problem of mining: it is necessary to extract not as much as each country can, but as much as is needed for the sustainable development of the world economy. Of course, the world community will not come to such an approach immediately; it will take decades to implement it.
With regard to renewable resources, the “Concept of Sustainable Economic Development” requires that their exploitation be carried out at least within the framework of simple reproduction, and their total quantity does not decrease over time. In the language of ecologists, this means: as much as a renewable resource (for example, forests) was taken from nature, so much is returned (in the form of forest plantations). Land resources also require careful treatment and protection. To protect against erosion use:
Forest shelterbelts;
Plowing without turning over the formation;
In hilly areas - plowing across the slopes and tinning the land;
Regulation of livestock grazing.
Disturbed, contaminated lands can be restored; this process is called reclamation. Such restored lands can be used in four ways: for agricultural use, for forest plantations, for artificial reservoirs and for residential or capital construction. Reclamation consists of two stages: mining (preparing areas) and biological (planting trees and low-demanding crops, for example, perennial herbs, industrial legume cereals).
Among the most important environmental problems of our time is the protection water resources. It is difficult to overestimate the role of the ocean in the life of the biosphere, which carries out the process of self-purification of water in nature with the help of plankton living in it; stabilizing the planet's climate, being in constant dynamic equilibrium with the atmosphere; producing huge biomass. But for life and economic activity, people need fresh water. Austerity needed fresh water and preventing its contamination.
Saving fresh water should be carried out in everyday life: in many countries, residential buildings are equipped with water meters, this greatly disciplines the population. Pollution of water bodies is destructive not only for humanity, which needs drinking water. It contributes to a catastrophic decline in fish stocks both globally and internationally. Russian level. In polluted water bodies, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases and fish die. It is obvious that strict environmental measures are needed to prevent pollution of water bodies and to combat poaching.
Recycling
The use of secondary raw materials as a new resource base is one of the most dynamically developing areas of processing polymer materials in the world. Interest in obtaining cheap resources, which are secondary polymers, is very noticeable, so global experience in their recycling should be in demand.
In countries where environmental protection is of great importance, the volume of recycling of recycled polymers is constantly increasing. Legislation obliges legal entities and individuals to throw away polymer waste (flexible packaging, bottles, cups, etc.) in special containers for their subsequent disposal. Today, not only waste disposal is on the agenda. various materials, but also restoration of the resource base. However, the possibility of using waste for re-production is limited by its instability and worse mechanical properties compared to the original materials. The final products using them often do not meet aesthetic criteria. For some types of products, the use of recycled materials is generally prohibited by current sanitary or certification standards.
For example, in a number of countries there is a ban on the use of certain recycled polymers for the production of food packaging. The process of obtaining finished products from recycled plastics poses a number of difficulties. Reuse of recyclable materials requires special reconfiguration of parameters technological process due to the fact that the secondary material changes its viscosity and may also contain non-polymer inclusions. In some cases, the finished product has special mechanical requirements that simply cannot be met when using recycled polymers. Therefore, to use secondary polymers, it is necessary to achieve a balance between the specified properties of the final product and the average characteristics recycled material. The basis for such developments should be the idea of creating new products from recycled plastics, as well as partially replacing primary materials with secondary ones in traditional products. IN Lately The process of replacing primary polymers in production has become so intensified that in the USA alone, more than 1,400 types of products are produced from recycled plastics, which were previously produced only using primary raw materials.
In this way, recycled plastic products can be used to produce products previously made from virgin materials. For example, it is possible to produce plastic bottles from waste, i.e. closed-cycle recycling. Also, secondary polymers are suitable for the manufacture of objects whose properties may be worse than those of analogues made using primary raw materials. The latest solution is called “cascade” waste processing. It is successfully used, for example, by the FIAT auto company, which recycles bumpers from used cars into pipes and mats for new cars.
Protection of Nature
Nature conservation is a set of measures for the conservation, rational use and restoration of natural resources and the environment, including the species diversity of flora and fauna, the wealth of subsoil, the purity of waters, forests and the Earth's atmosphere. Nature conservation has economic, historical and social significance.
Methods of environmental work are usually divided into groups:
Legislative
Organizational,
Biotechnical
Educational and propaganda.
Legal protection of nature in the country is based on all-Union and republican legislative acts and relevant articles of criminal codes. Supervision over their proper implementation is carried out by state inspectorates, nature conservation societies and the police. Groups of public inspectors can be created under all these organizations. The success of legal methods of nature conservation depends on the efficiency of supervision, strict adherence to principles in the performance of their duties on the part of those who carry it out, and on the knowledge of public inspectors of ways to take into account the state of natural resources and environmental legislation.
The organizational method of nature conservation consists of various organizational measures aimed at the economical use of natural resources, their more expedient consumption, and the replacement of natural resources with artificial ones. It is also envisaged to solve other problems related to the effective conservation of natural resources.
The biotechnical method of nature conservation includes numerous methods of directly influencing the protected object or environment in order to improve their condition and protect them from adverse circumstances. Based on the degree of impact, a distinction is usually made between passive and active methods of biotechnical protection. The first includes commandment, order, prohibition, fencing, the second includes restoration, reproduction, change in use, salvation, etc.
The educational and propaganda method combines all forms of oral, printed, visual, radio and television propaganda to popularize the ideas of nature conservation and instill in people the habit of constantly taking care of it.
Activities related to nature conservation can also be divided into the following groups:
Natural science
Technical and production,
Economic,
Administrative and legal.
Nature conservation activities can be carried out on an international scale, a national scale or within a specific region.
The world's first measure to protect free-living animals in nature was the decision to protect chamois and marmots in the Tatras, adopted in 1868 by the Zemstvo Sejm in Lviv and the Austro-Hungarian authorities on the initiative of Polish naturalists M. Nowitsky, E. Janota and L. Zeisner.
The danger of uncontrolled changes in the environment and, as a result, the threat to the existence of living organisms on Earth (including humans) required decisive practical measures to protect and preserve nature, and legal regulation of the use of natural resources. Such measures include cleaning the environment, streamlining the use of chemicals, stopping the production of pesticides, restoring land, and creating nature reserves. Rare plants and animals are listed in the Red Book.
In Russia, environmental protection measures are provided for in land, forestry, water and other federal legislation.
In a number of countries, as a result of the implementation of government environmental programs, it was possible to significantly improve the quality of the environment in certain regions (for example, as a result of a multi-year and expensive program, it was possible to restore the purity and quality of water in the Great Lakes). On an international scale, along with the creation of various international organizations The UN Environment Program works on certain environmental issues.
Increasing the level of human ecological culture
Ecological culture is the level of people’s perception of nature, the world around them and an assessment of their position in the universe, a person’s attitude towards the world. Here it is necessary to immediately clarify that what is meant is not the relationship between man and the world, which also implies feedback, but only the relationship of himself to the world, to living nature.
Ecological culture refers to the entire complex of skills of living in contact with the natural environment. An increasing number of scientists and specialists are inclined to believe that overcoming the environmental crisis is possible only on the basis of an ecological culture, the central idea of which is the joint harmonious development of nature and man and the attitude towards nature not only as a material, but also as a spiritual value.
The formation of an ecological culture is considered as a complex, multifaceted, long-term process of approval in the way of thinking, feelings and behavior of residents of all ages:
Ecological worldview;
Careful use of water and land resources, green spaces and specially protected areas;
Personal responsibility to society for the creation and preservation of a favorable environment;
Conscious compliance with environmental rules and requirements.
“Only a revolution in people’s minds will bring the desired changes. If we want to save ourselves and the biosphere on which our existence depends, everyone... - both old and young - must become real, active and even aggressive fighters for environmental protection,” concludes his book with these words, William O. Douglas, Dr. rights, former member Supreme Court USA.
The revolution in people's minds, which is so necessary to overcome the environmental crisis, will not happen on its own. It is possible with targeted efforts within the framework of state environmental policy and an independent function government controlled in the field of environment. These efforts should aim environmental education of all generations, especially young ones, education of feelings careful attitude to nature. It is necessary to form an ecological consciousness, individual and social, based on the idea of harmonious relationships between man and nature, human dependence on nature and responsibility for its preservation for future generations.
At the same time, the most important prerequisite for solving environmental problems in the world is the targeted training of ecologists - specialists in the field of economics, engineering, technology, law, sociology, biology, hydrology, etc. Without highly qualified specialists with modern knowledge on the entire range of issues of interaction between society and nature, especially in In the process of making environmentally significant economic, management and other decisions, planet Earth may not have a worthy future.
However, even having organizational, human, material and other resources to solve environmental issues, people must acquire the necessary will and wisdom to adequately use these resources.
Ignoring by man the holistic, dialectical nature of nature often leads to negative consequences for both nature and society. Bitter evidence that humanity does not want to learn from its own mistakes can be seen in our rivers that have become shallow after deforestation, fields that are salted as a result of poor irrigation and unsuitable for farming, dried up seas, extinct species of flora and fauna, etc. Today, the environmental situation in the world can be described as close to critical, and environmental problems can be classified as global.
Global are called universal human problems that manifest themselves on a global scale. They have a number of common essential features:
global problems affect the interests of every person, state, region and humanity as a whole;
solving global problems requires the combined efforts of all people, the entire world community;
global problems are an objective factor in world development and cannot be ignored by anyone;
the unresolved nature of global problems may lead in the future to serious and even irreparable consequences for all of humanity and, in general, for the sphere of its habitat;
All global problems are in such a complex relationship that solving one of them necessarily involves taking into account the influence of other problems on it.
All global problems can be divided into groups:
Problems associated with contradictions between different states:
Eliminating war from the life of society and ensuring a just world. First of all, there is a need to eliminate the possibility of thermonuclear war, since its consequences are incompatible with all other problems and pose a threat to life on Earth. The establishment of a new world order is carried out through recognition of the priority of universal human values (planetary humanism), through the renunciation of war when resolving controversial issues, through the search for peaceful ways to resolve social conflicts, through the recognition of the right of self-determination for all peoples, through an understanding of the modern world as integral and multipolar, as an interconnected community of people.
Establishment of a new international economic order.
Bridging the growing gap in the level of economic and cultural development between developed industrial and developing countries.
Problems associated with the functioning of the “person-society” system.
Demographic problem. Today, the world's population has crossed the six billion mark and continues to grow at a rate of 1.7% per year, which means, unless the growth rate slows down, the population will double every 40 years. The reason for this jump in population, which began in the second half of the 20th century, is the entry of the majority of humanity into the first phase of the demographic transition (low birth rate - low death rate). But the demographic transition has two phases that do not coincide in time: a phase of declining mortality and a phase of declining fertility. And if the developed countries of the world have already completed the demographic transition as a whole, then the developing countries, which make up the majority of humanity, have only just entered the first phase of the demographic transition, the phase of declining mortality, since the middle of the 20th century.
The consequences of demographic growth include:
social instability, crime, epidemics, etc., caused by demographic growth in third world countries;
growth of migration and migration pressure on developed countries from poor countries under the influence of the demonstration effect.
What are the prospects for population growth and is it possible to stabilize the human population? According to calculations by S.P. Kapitsa, the world’s population will reach its growth limit somewhere in the second half of the 22nd century, reaching 12 billion people. From now on, the population will only reproduce. Such a criterion for the development of humanity as the growth of its numbers will fade into the shadows and the main criteria for development will be an increase in the quality of life and a qualitative change in the human individuals themselves. For now, artificial regulation of demographic processes is almost impossible. However, as the experience of Western Europe and the United States shows, an artificial, civilizational influence on demographic processes is still possible. The growth of education, the involvement of people in creative activities, the increase in the scale of artificial equipment that modern man needs in the conditions of post-industrial civilization (comfortable housing, transport, information technology, medical care, etc.) - all this makes family planning necessary and possible. reduction in birth rates. Society will undoubtedly increase its regulatory role in these processes, because otherwise humanity will face insoluble food, energy, environmental and other problems. The experience of China already confirms the possibility of such regulation.
2) The problem of health care, the spread of AIDS, etc.
3) The problem of education (literacy as such).
4) Timely anticipation and prevention of various negative consequences of the scientific and technological revolution and the effective use of its achievements for the benefit of man and society.
5) International terrorism.
6) Spread of drug addiction and alcoholism.
III. Global environmental problems:
Destruction of thousands of species of plants and animals, destruction of forest cover. Many species of flora and fauna have long been listed in the Red Book. The unreasonable destruction of all living things leads to changes in the ecological environment, ecological niches with their food chains.
Rapid depletion of mineral reserves. As you know, earth resources are the basis of production. Minerals are non-renewable resources, the quantity of which is limited by their reserves (oil, coal, natural gas, all kinds of ores, minerals, etc.). Until recently, many minerals were mined or open method, or at a depth of 500-600 meters, today the situation has changed dramatically. The development of sites is now carried out at a depth of 8-10 km or on the ocean floor. This requires large capital investments and corresponding technical developments.
Loss of the function of regulating natural processes by the World Ocean. Eutrophication is becoming a dangerous phenomenon, i.e., the death of water bodies as a result of the growth of blue-green algae caused by the discharge of nutrients (phosphates, nitrates, etc.) into wastewater. Algae growing on the surface of reservoirs absorb oxygen, it evaporates from the upper layer of water, and from below is wasted on the decomposition of plankton remains. Without oxygen, the reservoir becomes dead, although the water seems clear and clean. Treatment plants do not provide for the elimination of nutrients.
Extreme air and water pollution. There are several types of anthropogenic atmospheric pollution: aerosols (particles in a suspended, undissolved state); the formation of nitric and sulfuric acid in the atmosphere, which causes acid rain; tropospheric nitrogen, i.e. a gas that forms in layers of the atmosphere close to the ground and has a detrimental effect on the growth of trees; greenhouse effect, emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, fluorochlorocarbons - gases that absorb emissions coming from the Earth infrared radiation and warming the Earth; finally, the destruction of ozone in the stratosphere, which leads to the removal of protection from harmful ultraviolet rays.
Surface contamination and disfigurement of natural landscapes.
It is becoming vitally necessary for humanity to change the very philosophy of attitude towards nature. During the study of the problems of relationships between society and nature, various approaches and principles for solving them have been developed. Curious “laws” were proposed and substantiated by the American scientist B. Commoner:
Everything is interconnected.
Everything has to go somewhere.
Everything is worth something.
Nature knows better than us.
What are the approaches to solving environmental problems?
The natural biological approach emphasizes the fundamental role of biota (i.e., a single complex of plants, animals and microorganisms) in ensuring the sustainability of the biosphere. A sharp change in flora and fauna, disturbances in biological diversity can radically change the fate of the Earth in a few decades. Over billions of years of Earth's evolution, the biota has “learned” to reproduce, with an accuracy of 0.0001, recycling the substances it needs (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, etc.). Tenfold excess permissible norm deformation of the biota gives grounds for supporters of the natural-biological solution to the environmental problem to put forward the demand that within a few decades there should be either a tenfold decrease in the Earth's population, or a tenfold decrease in energy consumption by modern civilization without reducing the population. Only after this the biota and biosphere will return to their undistorted state and then it will be possible to rely on the self-regulating role of the biosphere and not be afraid. Thus, to solve the environmental problem, according to the requirements of most ecologists, it is necessary to return to pristine nature as much as possible, it is necessary to turn entire continents and oceans into protected areas, or, at a minimum, to make about 80% of the Earth's territory protected. Now these protected areas make up no more than 2%.
The artificial-technological approach involves artificial technological regulation of biosphere processes with a stable closed cycle of substances. However, this approach raises a number of objections: firstly, it will be necessary to manage a gigantic number of objects, but it is almost impossible to calculate their behavior, secondly, it is necessary to spend 99% of civilization’s resources on maintaining the closedness and correlation of the biosphere system, which will create enormous stress for civilization, and the result will be the same to which the biosphere itself would have come through natural self-regulation.
The utopianism of both approaches to overcoming the environmental crisis lies in the fact that modern humanity cannot implement either one or the other solution to the problem.
What are the ways to solve global environmental problems?
1) Greening of production: environmentally friendly technologies, mandatory environmental assessment of new projects, creation of waste-free closed-cycle technologies.
2) Reasonable self-restraint in the consumption of natural resources, especially energy sources (oil, coal), which are of utmost importance for the life of mankind.
3) Search for new, efficient, safe and most environmentally friendly sources of energy, including space energy.
4) Uniting the efforts of all countries to save nature. The first attempt at such an international association took place at the beginning of the 20th century. Then, in November 1913, the first international meeting on environmental issues was held in Switzerland with the participation of representatives of 18 of the largest countries in the world. Nowadays, interstate forms of cooperation are reaching a qualitative level new level. International conventions on environmental protection are concluded (fish quotas, a ban on whaling, etc.), and a variety of joint developments and programs are carried out. The activities of public organizations for environmental protection have intensified - “green” (“Greenpeace”);
5) Formation of ecological consciousness in society - people’s understanding of nature as another living being that cannot be dominated without damage to it and oneself. Environmental education and upbringing in society should be placed at the state level and carried out with early childhood. In this regard, the socio-philosophical concept of co-evolution is very interesting, that is, such a friendly development of nature and society in which the collective mind and collective will are able to ensure the joint development of humanity and its natural habitat. It has long been clear that without this joint evolution, humans have no future.
Ecological problems land– these are environmental crisis situations that are relevant for the entire planet, and their solution is possible only with the participation of all humanity.
It should immediately be noted that any environmental problems of the earth are closely related to other global world problems, they influence each other and the emergence of some leads to the emergence or aggravation of others.
1. Climate change
First of all, we are talking here about global warming . This is precisely what has been worrying environmentalists and ordinary people around the world for several decades.
The consequences of this problem are completely bleak: rising sea levels, a decrease in agricultural production, a shortage of fresh water (primarily this concerns lands that are located north and south of the equator). One of the main causes of climate change is greenhouse gases.
Ecologists have proposed the following solutions to this problem:
– reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
– transition to carbon-free fuels
– development of a more economical fuel use strategy
2. Overpopulation of the planet
During the second half of the 20th century, the world's population grew from 3 to 6 billion. And according to current forecasts, by 2040 this figure will reach 9 billion people. This will lead to shortages of food, water and energy. The number of diseases will also increase.
3. Ozone depletion
This environmental problem leads to an increase in the flow of ultraviolet radiation to the Earth's surface. To date, the ozone layer over countries with temperate climate has already decreased by 10%, which causes irreparable harm to human health and can cause skin cancer and vision problems. Depletion of the ozone layer can also harm agriculture, as many crops are damaged by excessive ultraviolet radiation.
4. Declining biodiversity
Due to intense human activity, many animals and plants have disappeared from the face of the earth. And this trend continues. The main reasons for the decline in biological diversity are considered to be loss of habitat, overexploitation of biological resources, environmental pollution, and the influence of biological species brought from other territories.
5. Pandemics
Recently, almost every year new dangerous diseases appear, caused by previously unknown viruses and bacteria. Which caused outbreaks of epidemics around the world.
6. Freshwater crisis
About a third of people on earth suffer from a lack of fresh water. Currently, virtually nothing is being done to preserve existing water sources. According to the UN, most cities around the world do not properly treat their wastewater. Because of this, nearby rivers and lakes are susceptible to pollution.
7. Widespread use of chemicals and toxic substances, heavy metals
Over the past two centuries, humanity has been actively using chemicals, toxic substances, and heavy metals in industry, which causes enormous harm to the environment. An ecosystem contaminated with toxic chemicals is very difficult to clean, and even real life Rarely anyone does this. Meanwhile, reducing the production of harmful compounds and minimizing their emissions is an important part of preserving the environment.
8. Deforestation
Deforestation around the world is occurring at alarming rates. Russia ranks first in this environmental problem: from 2000 to 2013, 36.5 million hectares of forest were cut down. This problem is causing irreparable harm to the vital habitats of many plants and animals and is leading to loss of biodiversity and deterioration of important ecosystems, as well as increased greenhouse effect due to a decrease in the volume of photosynthesis.
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The term “ecology” was first coined by the German biologist Ehaeckel (1834-1919) in 1866, which meant the science of the relationship of living organisms with environment. Currently, this term has acquired a new meaning and essentially reflects the ideas of social ecology - a science that studies the problems of interaction between society and the environment.
Currently, modern humanity faces two main dangers - the danger that it will destroy itself in the fire of a nuclear war, and the danger of an environmental catastrophe, which has become a reality today. This is confirmed by the accident at Chernobyl, negative consequences which will affect future generations of people. Already now children are being born with serious defects and pathological changes, the number of people with oncological diseases and thyroid diseases. The deterioration of the environmental situation is due to the fact that humanity annually extracts over 100 billion tons of various mineral resources from the bowels of the Earth. The predominant part of them - from 70 to 90% - turns into various kinds industrial waste that pollutes the environment, leading to the death of flora and fauna.
One of the serious problems today is the reduction of available mineral reserves, as well as the future increase in the population of our planet. According to UN experts, in the 21st century the growth rate of the world population will slow down somewhat, but the absolute increase will continue, and the world population will be 6 billion people by 2005, 10 billion people by 2050, and 14 billion by 2100. people This amount of population will be enough to destroy all ecosystems of the planet.
The current environmental situation can be described as critical. It has acquired a global character and its solution is possible only through the joint efforts of the governments of all civilized countries of the world.
An important measure towards solving modern environmental problems is the greening of production:
- development of waste-free technologies based on closed cycles;
- complex processing of raw materials;
- use of secondary resources;
- search for new energy sources;
- widespread introduction of biotechnologies;
- mandatory environmental assessment of new production projects;
- development of environmentally sound forms of management Agriculture with constant refusal of pesticides, etc.
An important direction for improving the modern environmental situation is also reasonable self-restraint in the consumption of resources, especially energy sources, which are of utmost importance for life.
Another measure to solve the environmental problem is the formation of environmental consciousness in society. Ecological and should be placed at the state level, and in relation to university education become the most important element training of specialists of any profile.
Planets are a real scourge of the 21st century. Many people also think about the issue of preserving and restoring the environment. Otherwise, future generations will only get a lifeless surface.
No man is an island!
It is likely that at least once in our lives each of us asked ourselves the question: “What environmental problems of the planet currently exist and what can I do to solve them?” It would seem, indeed, that just one person can do this? Nevertheless, each of us is capable of much. First, start taking care of the environment yourself. For example, throw away garbage in strictly designated containers, and it would also be a good idea to pay attention to separating waste into specific materials (glass in one bin, and plastic in another). In addition, you can regulate and gradually reduce the consumption of both electricity and other resources (water, gas) necessary for your comfortable living. If you are a driver and are faced with choosing a suitable vehicle, then you should pay attention to cars that have a reduced content of harmful compounds in exhaust gases. It will also be correct - both for you and for the entire planet as a whole - to have a small engine size installed in the selected car model. And, as a result, reduced fuel consumption. With such simple and accessible measures to everyone, we can solve the environmental problems of the planet.
Let's help the whole world
Despite everything described earlier, you will not be alone in this fight. As a rule, the policies of many modern states are aimed at the well-known environmental problems of the planet and, of course, ways to solve them. In addition, there is an active propaganda program, the goal of which is to limit and exterminate rare representatives of flora and fauna. Nevertheless, such a policy of world powers is quite purposeful and makes it possible to create conditions for the normal functioning of the population, which do not disturb natural ecosystems.
Environmental problems of the planet: list
Modern scientists identify about several dozen basic issues that require special attention. Such planets arise as a result of significant changes in the natural environment. And those, in turn, are the result of devastating natural disasters, as well as the ever-increasing Environmental problems of the planet are quite simple to list. One of the first places is occupied by air pollution. Each of us knows from an early age that, thanks to the content of a certain percentage of oxygen in the air space of the planet, we are able to exist normally. However, every day we not only consume oxygen, but also exhale carbon dioxide. But there are also factories and factories, cars and planes travel around the world and trains knock on the rails. All of the above objects, in the process of their operation, emit substances of a certain composition, which only aggravates the situation and increases the environmental problems of planet Earth. Unfortunately, even though modern production facilities are equipped with the latest developments in purification systems, the condition of the airspace is gradually deteriorating.
Deforestation
We know from our school biology course that representatives flora help maintain the balance of substances in the atmosphere. Thanks to natural processes such as photosynthesis, the green spaces of the Earth not only cleanse the air of harmful impurities, but also gradually enrich it with oxygen. Thus, it is easy to conclude that the destruction of flora, in particular forests, only aggravates the global environmental problems of the planet. Unfortunately, human economic activity leads to the fact that deforestation is carried out on a particularly large scale, but the replenishment of green spaces is often not carried out.
Declining fertile land
Similar environmental problems of the planet arise as a result of the previously mentioned deforestation. Besides, misuse various agricultural techniques and incorrect farming also lead to depletion of the fertile layer. And pesticides and other chemical fertilizers poison not only the soil, but also all living organisms that are interconnected with it for many years. But, as you know, layers of fertile soil are restored much more slowly than forests. It will take more than one century to fully replace the lost land cover.
Declining fresh water supplies
If you are asked: “What environmental problems of the planet are known?”, you have the right to immediately remember life-giving moisture. Indeed, in some regions there is already an acute shortage of this resource. And over time, this state of affairs will only worsen. Consequently, the above topic can be considered one of the most important in the list of “Ecological problems of the planet”. Examples of improper water use can be found everywhere. Starting from the pollution of lakes and rivers with all kinds of industrial enterprises and ending with irrational consumption of resources at the household level. In this regard, many natural reservoirs are already closed areas for swimming. However, this is not the end of the planet's environmental problems. The list can also be continued with the next paragraph.
Extermination of flora and fauna
Scientists have calculated that in the modern world, every hour one representative of the planet’s animal or plant world dies. It is important to remember that not only poachers are involved in such actions, but also ordinary people who consider themselves respectable citizens of their country. Every day, humanity is conquering more and more new territories both for the construction of its own housing and for agricultural and industrial needs. And animals have to move to new lands or die, remaining to live in an ecosystem destroyed by anthropogenic factors. Among other things, it must be remembered that all of the above factors also have a detrimental effect on the state of flora and fauna, both current and future. For example, pollution of water bodies, destruction of forests, etc. entails the disappearance of the diversity of flora and fauna that our ancestors are accustomed to seeing. Even over the last hundred years, species diversity has declined significantly under the direct or indirect influence of anthropogenic factors.
Earth's protective shell
If the question arises: “What environmental problems of the planet are currently known?”, then it is easy to remember the holes in ozone layer. Modern human economic activity involves the release of special substances that cause a thinning of the Earth's protective shell. Consequently, the formation of new so-called “holes”, as well as an increase in the area of existing ones. Many people know this problem, but not everyone understands how all this can turn out. And this leads to dangerous solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, which negatively affects all living organisms.
Desertification
The global environmental problems presented earlier become the cause of the development of a severe catastrophe. We are talking about desertification of lands. As a result of improper agricultural practices, as well as pollution of water resources and deforestation, gradual weathering of the fertile layer, soil drying, and other Negative consequences, under the influence of which land covers become unsuitable not only for further use for economic purposes, but also for human habitation.
Declining mineral reserves
A similar topic is also present in the list “Environmental problems of the planet”. It is quite simple to list the resources currently in use. These are oil, coal of all kinds, peat, gas and other organic components of the Earth's solid shell. According to scientists, mineral reserves will come to an end in the next hundred years. In this regard, humanity has begun to actively implement technologies that operate on renewable resources, such as wind, solar, and others. However, the use of alternative sources is still quite small compared to more familiar and traditional ones. In connection with this state of affairs, modern governments are conducting various incentive programs that contribute to a deeper introduction of alternative energy sources both in industry and in the everyday life of ordinary citizens.
Overpopulation
Over the last century, there has been a significant increase in the number of people around the globe. In particular, over a period of just 40 years, the planet's population has doubled - from three to six billion people. Scientists predict that by 2040 this number will reach nine billion, which, in turn, will lead to particularly acute food shortages, shortages of water and energy resources. The number of people living in poverty will increase significantly. There will be an increase in deadly diseases.
Municipal solid waste
In the modern world, people produce several kilograms of garbage every day - these are cans from canned food and drinks, and polyethylene, and glass, and other waste. Unfortunately, at present, their recycling is carried out only in countries with a highly developed standard of living. Similar in all others household waste are taken to landfills, the territory of which often occupies huge areas. In countries with a low standard of living, heaps of garbage can lie right on the streets. This not only contributes to soil and water pollution, but also increases the growth of pathogenic bacteria, which in turn leads to widespread acute and sometimes fatal diseases. It should be noted that even the Earth’s atmosphere is filled with tons of debris left after the launches of research probes, satellites and spaceships to the vastness of the Universe. And since it is quite difficult to get rid of all these traces of human activity naturally, it is necessary to develop effective methods processing solid waste. Many modern states are introducing national programs that promote the distribution of easily recyclable materials.