Human pollution of nature is one of the most ancient problems in the history of civilization. Man has long considered the environment mainly as a source of resources, striving to achieve independence from it and improve the conditions of his existence. While the population and scale of production were not large, and the natural spaces were so vast, then in order to achieve their goals, people were willing to sacrifice part of the untouched nature, as well as a certain degree of frequency of air and water.
But, obviously, this process in our relatively closed, unlimited world cannot continue indefinitely. As production grew, its environmental consequences became more severe and widespread, and natural spaces continually shrank. Expanding the scope of his activities, man began to create an artificial habitat - the technosphere, in place of the natural environment - the biosphere. However, any sphere of human practical activity requires knowledge of the laws of nature. Power engineers designing hydroelectric power plants are faced with problems of preserving spawning grounds and fish stocks, disruption of natural watercourses, climate change in the area of reservoirs, and exclusion of fertile land areas from economic use. Draining swamps in order to expand the area of agricultural land in many cases led to the opposite effect - a decrease in groundwater levels, the death of pastures and forests, and the transformation of huge areas into areas covered with sand and peat dust. Enterprises, especially chemical, metallurgical, and energy enterprises, with their emissions into the atmosphere, discharges into rivers and reservoirs, and solid waste, destroy flora and fauna and cause diseases in people. The desire to obtain higher yields led to the use of mineral fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. However, their excessive use leads to high concentrations of harmful substances in agricultural products, which can cause poisoning to people. Before talking about specific examples of pollution of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, it is necessary to consider their definition and essence.
Let's start with the environment. Ecology is the science of the relationships of living organisms with each other and with the environment. The term "ecology" was first introduced by the German biologist Haeckel in 1869. It is formed from two Greek words: "oikos", which means house, dwelling, "logos" - study or science. So literally ecology means something like the science of living environment.
A section of human ecology, or social ecology, has been formed, where the patterns of interaction between society and the environment and practical problems of environmental protection are studied. The most important section of ecology is industrial ecology, which considers the impact of industrial, transport and agricultural facilities on the natural environment - and, conversely, the influence of environmental conditions on the work of enterprises in their complexes and technosphere regions,
The ecological system (ecosystem) of our planet or its separate region is a set of equal species of organisms living together and the conditions of their existence, which are in a natural connection with each other. An imbalance in an ecosystem, causing irreversible changes in it and its gradual disruption (death), is called an ecological crisis.
An environmental disaster is a relatively quickly occurring chain of events leading to hard-to-reverse natural processes (severe desertification or pollution, contamination), making it impossible to manage any type of economy, leading to a real danger of serious illness or even death of people.
Now let’s move on to the interaction between the biosphere and humans. Currently, human economic activity is acquiring such a scale that the basic principles of the natural structure of the biosphere are being violated: the energy balance, the existing circulation of substances, and the diversity of species and biological communities is being reduced.
According to the concept of the outstanding Russian scientist Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, the biosphere is a shell of the Earth, including both the area of distribution of living matter and this matter itself.
Thus, the biosphere is the lower part of the atmosphere, the entire hydrosphere and the upper part of the lithosphere of the Earth, inhabited by living organisms.
The biosphere is the largest (global) ecosystem on Earth.
The biosphere exists on the principle of circulation: practically without waste. Man uses the planet's substance very inefficiently, generating a huge amount of waste - 98% of the natural resources used, and the resulting useful social product is no more than 2%. By polluting the biosphere, a person becomes a consumer of the most contaminated food products.
Moreover, substances have appeared that change the normal structure of genes - mutagens. Mutagenesis - changing genes under the influence of the environment - constantly occurs in every organism. This process in itself is natural, but in conditions of increasing environmental pollution it is out of the control of natural mechanisms, and the task of a person is to learn to manage his health in a real environment.
Types of biosphere pollution:
1. Ingredient pollution - the entry into the biosphere of substances that are quantitatively and qualitatively alien to it. Substances that pollute the biosphere can be gaseous and vaporous, liquid and solid.
2. Energy pollution - noise, heat, light, radiation, electromagnetic.
3. Disruptive pollution - deforestation, disruption of watercourses, quarrying of minerals, road construction, soil erosion, land drainage, urbanization (growth and development of cities) and others, that is, representing changes in landscapes and ecological systems as a result of the transformation of nature by man.
4. Biocenotic pollution - consisting of an impact on the composition, structure and type of population of living organisms.
Air pollution.
The atmosphere is the gaseous envelope of the Earth, consisting of a mixture of many gases and dust. Its mass is very small. However, the role of the atmosphere in all natural processes is enormous. The presence of an atmosphere around the globe determines the general thermal regime of the surface of our planet, protects it from cosmic radiation and ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Atmospheric circulation influences local climatic conditions, and through them the processes of relief formation.
The current composition of the atmosphere is the result of the long historical development of the globe. Air consists by volume of nitrogen - 78.09%, oxygen - 20.95%, argon - 0.93%, carbon dioxide - 0.03%, neon - 0.0018% and other gases and water vapor.
Currently, human economic activity has a great influence on the composition of the atmosphere. A significant amount of impurities has appeared in the air of populated areas with developed industry. The main sources of air pollution include enterprises of the fuel and energy complex, transport, and industrial enterprises. They cause pollution of the natural environment with heavy metals. Lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, nickel, zinc, chromium, vanadium are almost permanent components of the air in industrial centers. A modern hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 24 million kW consumes up to 20 thousand tons of coal per day and emits 120-140 tons of solid particles (ash, dust, soot) into the atmosphere.
In the vicinity of a power plant that emits 280-360 tons of CO2 per day, the maximum concentrations on the leeward side at a distance of 200-500, 500-1000 and 1000-2000 m are 0.3-4.9, respectively; 0.7-5.5 and 0.22-2.8 mg/m2.
In total, industrial facilities in Russia emit about 25 million tons of pollutants into the atmosphere annually.
Currently, according to the data given in the comments to the Law of the Russian Federation “On Environmental Protection,” more than 70 million people breathe air that is five or more times higher than the maximum permissible pollution.
An increase in the number of cars, especially in large cities, also leads to an increase in emissions of harmful products into the atmosphere. Motor vehicles are moving sources of pollution in residential areas and recreational areas. The use of leaded gasoline causes atmospheric air pollution with toxic lead compounds. About 70% of lead added to gasoline with ethyl liquid enters the atmosphere in the form of compounds with exhaust gases, of which 30% settles on the ground immediately after the cut of the car's exhaust pipe, 40% remains in the atmosphere. One medium-duty truck emits 2.5 - 3 kg of lead per year.
More than 250 thousand tons of lead worldwide are emitted into the air annually through vehicle exhaust gases, which account for up to 98% of the lead entering the atmosphere.
Cities with persistently elevated levels of air pollution include: Bratsk, Grozny, Yekaterinburg, Kemerovo, Kurgan, Lipetsk, Magnitogorsk, Novokuznetsk, Perm. Usolye-Sibirskoye, Khabarovsk, Chelyabinsk, Shelekhov, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
In cities, there is a certain connection between the dust content in the outside air and the air in the living spaces of modern city apartments. In the summer period of the year, with an average outside temperature of 20°C, more than 90% of chemicals from the outside air penetrate into living spaces, and in the transition period (at a temperature of 2 - 5°C) - 40%.
Soil pollution
The lithosphere is the upper solid shell of the Earth.
As a result of the interaction of geological, climatic, and biochemical factors, the upper thin layer of the lithosphere has turned into a special environment - soil, where a significant part of the metabolic processes between living and inanimate nature occurs.
As a result of unreasonable human economic activity, the fertile layer of soil is destroyed, it becomes polluted and its composition changes.
Significant land losses are associated with intensive human agricultural activities. Repeated plowing of land makes the soil defenseless against winds and spring floods, resulting in accelerated wind and water erosion of the soil and its salinization.
Due to wind and water erosion, salinization and other similar reasons, 5-7 million hectares of arable land are lost annually in the world. Accelerated soil erosion alone over the last century on the planet has resulted in the loss of 2 billion hectares of fertile land.
The widespread use of fertilizers and chemical poisons to control pests and weeds predetermines the accumulation of substances unusual for it in the soil. Finally, huge areas of soil are destroyed during mining operations, during the construction of enterprises, cities, roads, and airfields.
One of the consequences of the increasing technogenic load is intensive contamination of the soil cover with metals and their compounds. About 4 million chemical substances have been introduced into the human environment. In the process of production activities, humans disperse metal reserves concentrated in the earth's crust, which are then reaccumulated in the upper soil layer.
Every year, at least 4 km3 of rocks and ores are extracted from the bowels of the earth, with an increase of about 3% per year. If in ancient times a person used only 18 elements of the periodic table, by the 17th century - 25, in the 18th century - 29, in the 19th century - 62, then at present all elements known in the earth's crust are used.
As measurements show, of all the metals classified as the first hazard class, soil contamination with lead and its compounds is the most widespread. It is known that during the smelting and refining of lead, for each ton produced, up to 25 kg of this metal is released into the environment.
Due to the fact that lead compounds are used as additives to gasoline, motor vehicles are perhaps the main source of lead pollution. Therefore, you cannot pick mushrooms, berries, apples and nuts along roads with heavy traffic.
Mining metallurgy enterprises and wastewater from mines are the most widespread sources of soil contamination with copper. Soil contamination with zinc occurs from industrial dust, especially from mines, and through the use of superphosphate fertilizers, which contain zinc.
Radioactive elements can enter the soil and accumulate in it as a result of fallout from atomic explosions or during the disposal of liquid and solid radioactive waste from industrial enterprises and research institutions involved in the study and use of atomic energy. Radioactive isotopes from soils enter plants and animal and human organisms, accumulating in certain tissues and organs: strontium - 90 - in bones and teeth, cesium -137 - in muscles, iodine - 131 - in the thyroid gland.
In addition to industry and agriculture, residential buildings and household enterprises are sources of soil pollution. Here, among the pollutants, household waste, food waste, feces, construction waste, worn-out household items, and garbage thrown out by public institutions: hospitals, hotels, shops predominate.
Soil self-purification practically does not occur or occurs very slowly. Toxic substances accumulate, which contributes to a gradual change in the chemical composition of soils, from where toxic substances can enter plants, animals, and people and cause undesirable consequences.
The simplest definition of pollution is the introduction or emergence of new pollutants into the environment or an excess of the natural long-term average level of these pollutants.
From an environmental point of view, pollution is not simply the introduction of components alien to it into the environment, but their introduction into ecosystems. Many of them are chemically active and capable of interacting with molecules that make up the tissues of living organisms or being actively oxidized in air. Such substances are poisons to all living things.
Environmental pollution is divided into natural, caused by some natural causes: volcanic eruptions, faults in the earth's crust, natural fires, dust storms, etc., and anthropogenic, arising in connection with human economic activities.
Among anthropogenic pollution, the following types of pollution are distinguished: physical, mechanical, biological, geological, chemical.
To physical pollution include thermal (thermal), light, noise, vibration, electromagnetic, ionizing pollution.
Sources of increasing soil temperature are underground construction and the laying of communications. An increase in soil temperature stimulates the activity of microorganisms, which are agents of corrosion of various communications.
Light pollution - disruption of natural light in the environment. Leads to disruption of the rhythms of activity of living organisms. An increase in water turbidity in water bodies reduces the supply of sunlight to depth and the photosynthesis of aquatic vegetation.
Sound volume depends on the amplitude of sound vibrations. Sound impact assessed by the relative intensity of sound (noise level), which is expressed numerically in decibels (dB).
Sources of noise are all types of transport, industrial enterprises, household appliances, etc. Airports are powerful sources of noise; airplanes create the greatest noise during takeoff. Intense noise is created by railway transport. There are a large number of noise sources in residential premises: operating elevators, fans, pumps, televisions, loud conversations, etc.
Noise has a negative impact on human health. Sudden sharp sounds of high frequency are especially difficult to bear. At a noise level of more than 90 dB, gradual weakening of hearing occurs, diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, mental disorders, etc.
The consequences of exposure to infrasound and ultrasound are especially significant. Infrasound causes resonance in various internal organs of a person, vision, the functional state of the nervous system, internal organs are disrupted, nervous excitement occurs, etc.
Vibration pollution - associated with acoustic vibrations of different frequencies and infrasonic vibrations. Sources of infrasound vibrations, and associated vibrations are compressor, pumping stations, fans, vibration platforms, air conditioners, cooling towers, turbines of diesel power plants. Vibrations propagate through the metal structures of equipment and through their bases reach the foundations of public and residential buildings and are transmitted to the enclosing structures of individual premises.
Vibrations negatively affect people, cause irritation and interfere with work and leisure. When vibrations are transmitted, uneven settlement of foundations and foundations occurs, which can lead to deformation and destruction of engineering structures.
4. Melting glaciers.
Modern glaciation of the Earth can be considered one of the most sensitive indicators of ongoing global changes. Satellite data show that there has been a decrease in snow cover of about 10% since the 1960s. Since the 1950s, in the Northern Hemisphere, sea ice extent has decreased by almost 10-15% and thickness has decreased by 40%. According to the forecasts of experts from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (St. Petersburg), in 30 years the Arctic Ocean will completely open up from under the ice during the warm period of the year.
According to scientists, the thickness of the Himalayan ice is melting at a rate of 10-15 m per year. At the current rate of these processes, two-thirds of the glaciers will disappear by 2060, and by 2100 all glaciers will completely melt. Accelerating glacier melt poses a number of immediate threats to human development. For densely populated mountain and foothill areas, avalanches, flooding or, conversely, a decrease in the full flow of rivers, and as a consequence a decrease in fresh water supplies, pose a particular danger.
5. Agriculture.
The impact of warming on agricultural productivity is controversial. In some temperate areas, yields may increase with small increases in temperature, but will decrease with large temperature changes. In tropical and subtropical regions, yields are generally projected to decline.
The biggest blow could be to the poorest countries, those least prepared to adapt to climate change. According to the IPCC, the number of people facing hunger could increase by 600 million by 2080, double the number of people currently living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
6. Water consumption and water supply.
One of the consequences of climate change may be a shortage of drinking water. In regions with arid climates (Central Asia, the Mediterranean, South Africa, Australia, etc.), the situation will become even worse due to a decrease in precipitation levels.
Due to the melting of glaciers, the flow of the largest waterways of Asia - the Brahmaputra, Ganges, Yellow River, Indus, Mekong, Saluan and Yangtze - will significantly decrease. A lack of fresh water will not only affect human health and agricultural development, but will also increase the risk of political divisions and conflicts over access to water resources.
7. Human health.
Climate change, according to scientists, will lead to increased health risks for people, especially the less affluent segments of the population. Thus, a reduction in food production will inevitably lead to malnutrition and hunger. Abnormally high temperatures can lead to exacerbation of cardiovascular, respiratory and other diseases.
Rising temperatures may change the geographic distribution of various disease-carrying species. As temperatures rise, the ranges of heat-loving animals and insects (for example, encephalitis ticks and malaria mosquitoes) will spread further north, while the people inhabiting these areas will not be immune to new diseases.
According to environmentalists, humanity is unlikely to be able to completely prevent the predicted climate changes. However, it is humanly possible to mitigate climate change and curb the rate of temperature rise in order to avoid dangerous and irreversible consequences in the future.
First of all, due to:
1. Restrictions and reductions in the consumption of fossil carbon fuels (coal, oil, gas);
2. Increasing the efficiency of energy consumption;
3. Introduction of energy saving measures;
4. Increased use of non-carbon and renewable energy sources;
5. Development of new environmentally friendly and low-carbon technologies;
6. Through the prevention of forest fires and forest restoration, since forests are natural absorbers of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The greenhouse effect does not only occur on Earth. A strong greenhouse effect is on the neighboring planet, Venus. The atmosphere of Venus consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide, and as a result the planet's surface is heated to 475 degrees. Climatologists believe that the Earth avoided such a fate thanks to the presence of oceans. The oceans absorb atmospheric carbon and it accumulates in rocks such as limestone - thereby removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. There are no oceans on Venus, and all the carbon dioxide that volcanoes emit into the atmosphere remains there. As a result, the planet experiences an uncontrollable greenhouse effect.
Analysis of total ozone (TO) data confirmed the decreasing trend in atmospheric ozone noted in WMO reviews back in 1995. From 1979 to the present, annual ozone has decreased by 4-5% globally and by ~7% in the mid-latitudes of both hemispheres. In recent decades, a significant decrease in TO, previously observed mainly over Antarctica, has become noticeable in the Arctic and adjacent areas of the Northern Hemisphere.
Research work carried out by the Central Aerological Observatory (CAO) and the Main Geophysical Observatory (GGO) established that if in the period 1979-1993. There was a decrease in the average annual TO, then the situation subsequently stabilized. With an increase in the volume of observations, which make it possible to quantitatively describe the evolution of the ozone layer in more detail, new evidence is emerging that the changes occurring are associated not only with anthropogenic impacts, but also to a large extent with changes in atmospheric circulation.
Monitoring of the state of the ozone layer over Russia is ensured by TO measurements at 30 Roshydromet stations; 16 Russian stations are located in the latitude zone 60-85.N, which greatly increases the value of the information received at them. There are 3 stations in the area of responsibility of the Northern UGMS: Arkhangelsk, Dikson, Pechora. Observations on them have been carried out under the methodological guidance of the State Geophysical Observatory using M-124 filter ozonometers for more than 30 years. Currently, an installation is being tested at one station, with the help of which it will be possible to make direct measurements of UV radiation from the Sun penetrating the Earth's surface.
UV radiation in moderate doses has preventive and therapeutic value, having a general beneficial effect on the human body. UV-B radiation (wavelength from 280 to 315 nm) has the strongest impact on humans and the biosphere. An overdose of natural UV-B radiation is dangerous to human health, causing skin burns in people, in some cases malignant melanoma with a high tendency to metastasize, as well as cataracts and immunodeficiency.
Chemicals used in agriculture, construction and everyday life have become a massive source of environmental pollution: mineral fertilizers, pesticides, solvents, aerosols, varnishes and paints. 5 million different types of chemicals and compounds are produced or used on the planet. The toxicity of action has been studied only in 40 thousand substances.
Agriculture.
The second main consumer of water is agriculture, which uses it to irrigate fields. The water flowing from them is saturated with salt solutions and soil particles, as well as chemical residues that help increase productivity. These include insecticides; fungicides that are sprayed over orchards and crops; herbicides, a famous weed control agent; and other pesticides, as well as organic and inorganic fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other chemical elements. In addition to chemical compounds, a large volume of feces and other organic residues from farms where meat and dairy cattle, pigs or poultry are raised enter the rivers. A lot of organic waste also comes from the processing of agricultural products (during the cutting of meat carcasses, processing of leather, production of food and canned food, etc.).
In developing countries, up to 9 million people die every year from water pollution. According to scientists, already in 2000, more than 1 billion people lacked drinking water. In general, there is a lot of water on Earth. The hydrosphere contains approximately 1.6 billion km3 of free water; 1.37 billion km3 of it falls on the World Ocean. On the continents there are 90 million km3, of which 60 million km3 of water is underground - almost all of this water is salty, 27 million km3 of water is stored in the glaciers of Antarctica, the Arctic, and highlands. The useful supply of available fresh water, concentrated in rivers, lakes and underground to a depth of 1 km, is estimated at 3 million km3. All fresh water, at the current rate of its use in industry and agriculture, would have been used up long ago if its circulation in nature did not exist. Thanks to the energy of the Sun, water from the surface of the ocean evaporates and is spread throughout the planet in the form of precipitation.
Saturating the soil with moisture and nourishing all life on Earth, the water flows back into the ocean. And the cycles repeat endlessly, linking together all the water resources of the planet. The available fresh water would be sufficient for humanity both now and in the future. On average, in the world, 30 m3 of water per person is consumed per year for domestic water supply, of which about 1 m3 is intended for drinking. Despite the enormous consumption of water for industrial and agricultural needs, the world's clean water reserves would be sufficient for 20-25 billion people. However, we are facing a water crisis in the near future. And not because there is not enough water, but because people pollute it, making it unsuitable not only for drinking, but in general for the life of all inhabitants of reservoirs and rivers. To save and protect water from harmful influences means to preserve life on Earth.
The problem of lack of fresh water arose for three main reasons:
1) an intensive increase in demand for water due to the rapid growth of the planet’s population and the development of industries that require huge amounts of water resources;
2) loss of fresh water due to a reduction in river water flow and other reasons;
3) pollution of water bodies with industrial and domestic wastewater.
Fresh water losses can happen for various reasons. An important place in this is occupied by the phenomenon of reduction in water flow, which is characteristic of most rivers in the world. It is associated with deforestation, plowing of meadows, drainage of floodplain swamps, etc., which causes, on the one hand, an increase in surface runoff and an increase in water flowing into the sea, and on the other, a reduction in the level of groundwater that feeds rivers and maintains their water content . For this reason, groundwater supplies are being severely reduced in many countries. In the USA, for example, from 1910 to 1957 its reserves decreased from 490 to 62 billion m3.
Large losses of water occur during its use. In most cities around the world, water is supplied unmetered, creating a false impression of a limitless supply and making it overused. A lot of water is lost as a result of filtration through the walls of irrigation canals.
Pollution of water bodies with industrial and domestic wastewater especially affected by the lack of fresh water. The water of many polluted rivers and lakes becomes unsuitable not only for drinking, but also for other domestic and industrial needs.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
The process by which the ability of ecosystems to maintain a consistent quality of life is reduced. An ecosystem can be defined in very general terms as the interaction of living organisms with their environment. The results of such interactions on land are usually stable communities, i.e. collections of animals and plants associated with each other, as well as with the resources of soil, water and air. The field of science that studies the functioning of ecosystems is called ecology. The nature of ecosystem interactions varies from purely physical, such as the influence of winds and rains, to biochemical ones, which include, for example, meeting the metabolic needs of different organisms or the decomposition of organic waste, returning certain chemical elements to the environment in a form suitable for recycling. use.
If, under the influence of some factors, these interactions become unbalanced, then the internal connections in the ecosystem change, and its ability to support the existence of a variety of organisms can be significantly reduced. The most common cause of environmental degradation is human activity, which constantly damages soil, water and air. Natural changes in ecosystems tend to occur very gradually and are part of the evolutionary process. However, many changes are caused by external influences to which the system is not adapted. Most often these impacts are associated with human activities, but sometimes they are the result of natural disasters. For example, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the northwestern United States led to profound changes in a number of natural ecosystems.
Maintaining the normal functioning of terrestrial ecosystems depends on four factors: water quality, soil quality, air quality and biodiversity conservation. Awareness of the threat to the environment. Human activities that are destructive to the natural environment are usually the over-intensive exploitation of any resources or the pollution of ecosystems with synthetic toxic substances, the effects of which cannot be completely neutralized by natural processes. In most cases, the degradation of the natural environment begins to truly concern society only when it sees that, as a result of human activity, the productivity of ecosystems has suddenly decreased significantly.
Thus, the 1960s and 1970s became a period of serious concern about the vulnerability of various ecosystems and individual species to pollution caused by industrial and urban development. The widespread use of two chlorinated hydrocarbons, DDT and dieldrin, as pesticides in the 1940s and 1950s was found to have severe consequences for the populations of many bird species. These substances, entering the body of birds with food, accumulated in them in high concentrations and caused thinning of the egg shells - this prevented reproduction and led to a significant reduction in numbers. Particularly affected were birds such as the bald eagle and some species of falcons.
see also PESTICIDES. However, as often happens in other cases related to environmental problems, opinions differ about the benefits and harms of pesticides. For example, the practice of using DDT is by no means limited to negative consequences. In Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1948 there were 2.8 million cases of malaria, but the use of DDT to exterminate mosquitoes carrying the causative agent of this disease led to the fact that in 1963 only 17 cases of malaria were observed. In 1964, the use of DDT was banned in Sri Lanka, and by 1969 the number of malaria cases had risen again to 2 million people. It should be noted, however, that the success achieved with DDT may have been temporary, since mosquitoes, like other insects, can develop resistance to pesticides over a number of generations.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
Is it possible to restore a damaged ecosystem? In some cases, environmental degradation is reversible, and in order to return the system to its original state, it is enough to simply stop further pollution and allow the system to cleanse itself through natural processes. In other cases, such as attempts to restore the forests of West Africa or the salt marshes (wetlands) on the east coast of North America, progress has been very modest. Often, by the time environmental degradation becomes apparent, the ecosystems involved are so damaged that they cannot be restored.
Between 1960 and 1990, the world's population almost doubled, reaching 5.3 billion people, and by 2025 it is expected that it will be 8.5 billion. Because as the population grows, so do the needs for food, housing, etc. , and the developed space is limited, human activity begins to spread to regions that were previously considered unsuitable for settlement (marginal), being too wet, or too dry, or too remote. In the future, the main activity in the field of nature conservation will apparently unfold in such marginal ecosystems - in wetlands and arid areas, as well as in tropical rainforests.
Among the causes of depletion, pollution and destruction of the natural environment emanating from anthropogenic human activity, one can distinguish objective and subjective ones. The following can be classified as objective.
Firstly, these are the ultimate abilities of earthly nature for self-purification and self-regulation. Until a certain time, earthly nature processes and purifies waste from human production, as if protecting itself from their harmful effects. But its capabilities are limited. The capacity of the natural environment does not allow processing the ever-increasing scale of waste from human economic activity, and its accumulation creates a threat of global environmental pollution.
Secondly, the physical limitation of the land territory within the framework of one planet. As a result, reserves of minerals - coal, oil and others, which are used by humans, are gradually consumed and cease to exist. Humanity faces new, more ambitious tasks in finding alternative energy sources.
Thirdly, waste-free production in nature and waste-free human production. In nature, production is carried out in a closed cycle. It is waste-free. The final product of production activity becomes the source for a new production cycle. Unlike natural production, human production in its mass and its basis is waste. In other words, the final product of production is not and does not become the source for the next cycle, but goes to waste. It is estimated that for human life it is necessary to consume at least 20 tons of natural resources per year. Of this, only 5-10% goes to products, and 90-95% goes to waste. The extreme waste of human production creates environmental pollution with harmful substances that are not characteristic of nature, which leads to premature depletion of the natural environment and ultimately to the destruction of natural ecological systems.
Fourthly, man’s knowledge and use of the laws of natural development. The fact is that a person is forced to learn the laws of the development of nature, which determine the consequences of human activity, not speculatively and not through laboratory tests, but in the process of using nature, by accumulating experience in farming.
Here we should mention two features of the manifestation of the results of human impact on the natural environment. The first concerns influence over time. The results of production and economic activities, environmental pollution, and the destruction of its ecological connections manifest themselves not only in the present, during the life of a given generation, but also in the future, during the life of other generations, where a person cannot witness the harmful consequences of his domination over nature.
The second feature relates to the manifestation of the consequences of economic activity in space. The impact that management has on nature in a certain place, at a certain point, thanks to the current laws of unity and interconnection of the natural environment, has an impact on other regions remote from the point of human impact on the environment. Such originality can create a false impression of the supposedly harmless nature of this or that economic activity, of the absence of directly harmful, or more precisely, negative symptoms of economic activity.
It is through its sad experience of managing nature that humanity learns the harmful consequences of its activities. Humanity is learning that the destruction of forests leads to the disappearance of soil cover, deprives it of soils necessary for agriculture, to shallowing, and subsequently to the disappearance of rivers and reservoirs, to a decrease in the oxygen supply of the planet and deprivation of the environment of other environmental protection functions that forests perform ; that massive environmental pollution creates diseases, leads to degradation of the human personality, and has a harmful effect on the health of future generations.
Thus, the current generation - the younger one - can already feel the results of the pollution noted in the 70-80s, when this generation was formed, born and grew up. This is confirmed by data on nervous diseases and an increase in the percentage of births of defective people (from 4% increased to 11%). Unfortunately, a person learns all these sad results in the process of accumulating his experience. But, enriched by this experience, he constantly predicts the elimination of negative consequences for the present and future of people, for the entire environment.
The second group consists of subjective reasons. Among them, it is necessary to note, first of all, the shortcomings of the organizational, legal and economic activities of the state in environmental protection. Secondly, defects in environmental education and upbringing. Despite the achievements of social and technological progress, the end of the 20th century, unfortunately, is characterized by the dominance of human consumer psychology in relation to nature.
Man was born and raised on consumer psychology in relation to nature. He always considered nature primarily as the source of his existence, as a resource, and not as an object of his care and protection.
Despite numerous discussions about the rational management of natural resources, which naturally intensified at the turn of the two centuries, the psychology of the bulk of people remained at the consumer level. This is evidenced by numerous data from sociological surveys of the population, and in particular, one of the surveys conducted among Muscovites. It asked two questions. The first - the most important social problems requiring urgent solutions - 50% named improving medical care, 44% - food supply; 37% put housing problems in first place, 30% - pension provision. The problem of environmental protection is classified among other issues and does not receive a significant percentage in this list. Of course, we must make allowances for the difficulties of the period we are going through, but in general, such answers indicate a person’s consumer psychology.
Research by scientists on environmental protection problems shows a close connection between measures to protect nature and the state of not only human health, but also morality. There is a dialectical relationship between man and nature. Man influences nature, adapting it to solve his practical problems. Nature transformed by man, adapted by him to solve his problems through a feedback system, influences man, shapes his personality, his moral and spiritual character.
Interesting and original studies on the connection between alcoholism and environmental pollution are described by A.V. Yablokov in the book “No Other is Given” (Progress, 1988, p. 253). An experiment was conducted: rats were placed in a normal ecological environment, with clean water and water diluted with a weak alcohol solution placed in front of them. The rats chose clean water. Then they changed the ecological environment, polluting it with carbon dioxide at levels that are close to large cities. The rats began to drink not water, but a solution diluted with alcohol. This experiment leads us to believe that the deterioration of the environmental situation, especially in large cities where the population concentration is high, leads to outbreaks of alcoholism, drug addiction and other harmful social vices.
Among the subjective factors influencing the state of the environment, two more should be mentioned. This is environmental ignorance and ecological nihilism. What they have in common is a disregard for the knowledge and use of environmental laws in communication between man and the environment - a kind of ecological anarchism. The characteristics of these factors are not significant. Ecological ignorance - reluctance to study the laws of the relationship between man and the environment; ecological nihilism is an unwillingness to be guided by these laws, a disdainful attitude towards them. A nihilist may have knowledge of these laws, but be dismissive of their application and ignore them in economic activity. Ecological ignorance and environmental nihilism, combined with consumer psychology, have taken a dominant place among the problems of environmental protection.
The most common type of negative human impact on the biosphere is pollution, which is associated in one way or another with the most acute environmental situations. Pollution call the entry into the natural environment of any solid, liquid, gaseous substances, microorganisms, energy (in the form of sound waves, radiation) in quantities harmful to human health, animals, the condition of plants and other forms of life.
polluter- this is a substance, a physical factor, a biological species that is present in the environment in quantities beyond the limits of their natural content in nature. In other words, a pollutant is everything that is present in the environment in the wrong place, at the wrong time, or in the wrong quantity.
Any substance or factor can become a pollutant under certain circumstances. For example, sodium cations are necessary for the body to maintain electrolytic balance, conduct nerve impulses, and activate digestive enzymes. However, in large quantities, sodium salts are poisonous; Thus, 250 g of table salt is a lethal dose for humans.
Consequences of pollution of any type can become:
– disruption of life support systems at the local, regional, global levels: climate change, reduction in the natural rate of circulation of substances and energy necessary for the normal functioning of humans and other living beings;
– harm to human health: the spread of infectious diseases, irritation and diseases of the respiratory tract, changes at the genetic level, changes in reproductive function, cancerous degeneration of cells;
– damage to vegetation and wildlife; decreased productivity of forests and food crops, harmful effects on animals, which leads to their extinction;
– damage to property: corrosion of metals, chemical and physical destruction of materials, buildings, monuments;
– unpleasant and aesthetically unacceptable effects: unpleasant smell and taste, decreased visibility in the atmosphere, soiling of clothing.
Pollution of the natural environment can be controlled at the input and output. Input controls prevent a potential pollutant from entering the environment or dramatically reduce its entry. For example, sulfur impurities can be removed from coal before it is burned, which will prevent or dramatically reduce the release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which is harmful to plants and the respiratory system. Output control aims to eliminate waste that has already entered the environment.
Classification of pollutants
Distinguish natural and anthropogenic sources of pollution. Natural pollution is associated with the activity of volcanoes, forest fires, mudflows, and the release of polymetallic ores to the surface of the earth; the release of gases from the bowels of the earth, the activity of microorganisms, plants, animals. Anthropogenic pollution is associated with human economic activities.
Classification of anthropogenic (technogenic) impacts caused by environmental pollution includes the main categories:
1.Material and energy characteristics of impacts: mechanical, physical (thermal, electromagnetic, radiation, acoustic), chemical, biological factors and agents, their various combinations. In most cases, such agents are emissions (i.e. emissions - emissions, sinks, radiation, etc.) from various technical sources.
2.Quantitative characteristics of impact: strength and degree of danger (intensity of factors and effects, mass, concentration, “dose-effect” characteristics, toxicity, permissibility according to environmental and sanitary standards); spatial scales, prevalence (local, regional, global).
3.Temporal parameters of impacts according to the nature of the effects: short-term and long-term, persistent and unstable, direct and indirect, having pronounced or hidden trace effects, reversible and irreversible, actual and potential, threshold effects.
4.Impact categories: various living recipients (capable of perceiving and reacting) - people, animals, plants, as well as environmental components, which include: the environment of settlements and premises, natural landscapes, soil, water bodies, atmosphere, near-Earth space; structures.
Within each of these categories, a certain ranking of the environmental significance of factors, characteristics and objects is possible. In general, in terms of the nature and scale of current impacts, chemical pollution is the most significant, and the greatest potential threat is associated with radiation. Recently, a particular danger has been posed not only by the growth of pollution, but also by their total impact, which often exceeds the final effect of a simple summation of impacts, which has a “peak” effect - synergy. As for the objects of influence, the person comes first.
Sources anthropogenic environmental pollution is caused by industrial enterprises, energy, agriculture, construction, transport, food production and consumption, and the use of household items.
Sources of technogenic emissions can be organized And unorganized, stationary and mobile. Organized sources are equipped with special devices for the directed removal of emissions (chimneys, ventilation shafts, discharge channels), emissions from unorganized sources are arbitrary. Sources also differ in geometric characteristics (point, linear, area) and in operating mode - continuous, periodic, burst.
The sources of chemical and thermal pollution are thermochemical processes in the energy sector - fuel combustion and associated thermal and chemical processes. Associated reactions are associated with the content of various impurities in the fuel, with the oxidation of air nitrogen and with secondary reactions already in the environment.
All these reactions accompany the operation of thermal stations, industrial furnaces, internal combustion engines, gas turbine and jet engines, metallurgy processes, and roasting of mineral raw materials. The greatest contribution to energy-dependent environmental pollution comes from energy and transport. On average, in the fuel thermal power industry, about 150 kg of pollutants are emitted per 1 ton of standard fuel.
Let's consider the balance of substances of an “average” passenger car with a fuel consumption of 8 liters (6 kg) per 100 km. With optimal engine operation, combustion of 1 kg of gasoline is accompanied by the consumption of 13.5 kg of air and the emission of 14.5 kg of waste substances. Up to 200 compounds are recorded in emissions. The total mass of pollution - on average about 270 g per 1 kg of gasoline burned, in terms of the entire volume of fuel consumed by passenger cars in the world, will be about 340 million tons; for all road transport – up to 400 million tons.
By scale pollution may be local, local, characterized by a high content of pollutants in small areas (city, industrial enterprise); regional when large areas are affected (river basin, state); global when pollution is detected anywhere on the planet (biosphere pollution) and cosmic(garbage, spent spacecraft stages).
As a rule, many anthropogenic pollutants are no different from natural ones, with the exception of xenobiotics, substances alien to nature. These are artificial and synthetic compounds produced by the chemical industry: polymers, surfactants. In nature there are no agents for their decomposition and absorption, so they accumulate in the environment.
Distinguish primary and secondary pollution. At primary In pollution, harmful substances are formed directly during natural or anthropogenic processes. At secondary pollution, harmful substances are synthesized in the environment from primary substances; the formation of secondary pollutants is often catalyzed by sunlight (a photochemical process). As a rule, secondary pollutants are more toxic than primary pollutants (phosgene is formed from chlorine and carbon monoxide).
All types of environmental pollution can be combined into groups: chemical, physical, physicochemical, biological, mechanical, informational and complex.
Chemical pollution associated with the release of chemicals into the environment. Physical pollution associated with changes in the physical parameters of the environment: temperature (thermal pollution), wave parameters (light, noise, electromagnetic); radiation parameters (radiation and radioactive). Shape physical and chemical pollution is aerosol (smog, smoke).
Biological contamination is associated with the introduction and reproduction of organisms undesirable for humans into the environment, with the penetration or introduction of new species into natural systems, which causes negative changes in biocenoses. Contamination of the environment with materials that have an adverse mechanical effect without physical and chemical consequences (garbage) is called mechanical contamination. Complex pollution environment – thermal and and informational, caused by the combined effect of various types of pollution .
Some pollutants acquire toxic properties after entering the body through the process of chemical transformations that occur there. The same substance or factor can cause multiple effects on the body.
The effect of pollutants on the human body manifests itself in different ways. Poisons act on the liver, kidneys, hematopoietic systems, blood, and respiratory organs. Carcinogenic and mutagenic effects – as a result of changes in the information properties of germ and somatic cells, fibrogenic– appearance of benign tumors (fibromas); teratogenic– deformities in newborns; allergenic– causing allergic reactions: damage to the skin (eczema), respiratory tract (asthma); n neuro- and psychotropic effect associated with the effect of a toxicant on the central nervous system of the human body.
According to the mechanism of action of the pollutant on the body, they are distinguished:
– irritating substances that change the pH of the mucous membrane or irritate nerve endings;
– substances or factors that change the ratio of oxidative and reduction reactions in the body;
– substances that irreversibly bind to organic or inorganic compounds that make up tissues;
– fat-soluble substances that disrupt the functions of biological membranes;
– substances that replace chemical elements or compounds in the cell;
– factors influencing electromagnetic and mechanical oscillatory processes in the body.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION– the introduction of new, uncharacteristic physical, chemical and biological agents or exceeding their natural level.
Any chemical contamination is the appearance of a chemical substance in a place not intended for it. Pollution arising from human activity is the main factor in its harmful effects on the natural environment.
Chemical pollutants can cause acute poisoning, chronic diseases, and also have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. For example, heavy metals can accumulate in plant and animal tissues, causing toxic effects. In addition to heavy metals, particularly dangerous pollutants are chlorodioxins, which are formed from chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons used in the production of herbicides. Sources of environmental pollution with dioxins are by-products of the pulp and paper industry, waste from the metallurgical industry, and exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. These substances are very toxic to humans and animals even at low concentrations and cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and immune system.
Along with environmental pollution by new synthetic substances, great damage to nature and human health can be caused by interference in natural cycles of substances due to active production and agricultural activities, as well as the generation of household waste.
At first, human activity affected only the living matter of land and soil. In the 19th century, when industry began to rapidly develop, significant masses of chemical elements extracted from the bowels of the earth began to be involved in the sphere of industrial production. At the same time, not only the outer part of the earth’s crust began to be exposed, but also natural waters and the atmosphere.
In the middle of the 20th century. some elements began to be used in quantities that are comparable to the masses involved in natural cycles. The low efficiency of most modern industrial technology has led to the generation of a huge amount of waste, which is not recycled in related industries, but is released into the environment. The masses of polluting waste are so large that they pose a danger to living organisms, including humans.
Although the chemical industry is not the main source of pollution (Fig. 1), it is characterized by emissions that are most dangerous for the natural environment, humans, animals and plants (Fig. 2). The term “hazardous waste” applies to any kind of waste that may cause harm to health or the environment when stored, transported, processed or discharged. These include toxic substances, flammable wastes, corrosive wastes and other reactive substances.
Depending on the characteristics of mass transfer cycles, the polluting component can spread over the entire surface of the planet, over a more or less significant area, or have a local character. Thus, environmental crises resulting from environmental pollution can be of three types - global, regional and local
One of the global problems is the increase in carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere as a result of man-made emissions. The most dangerous consequence of this phenomenon may be an increase in air temperature due to the “greenhouse effect.” The problem of disrupting the global carbon mass exchange cycle is already moving from the environmental sphere to the economic, social and, ultimately, political spheres.
In December 1997 in Kyoto (Japan) it was adopted Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(dated May 1992) (). The main thing in Protocol– quantitative obligations of developed countries and countries with economies in transition, including Russia, to limit and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily CO 2, into the atmosphere in 2008–2012. Russia's permitted level of greenhouse gas emissions for these years is 100% of the 1990 level. For EU countries as a whole it is 92%, for Japan - 94%. The US was supposed to have 93%, but this country refused to participate in the Protocol, since reducing carbon dioxide emissions means lower levels of electricity generation and, therefore, stagnation of industry. On October 23, 2004, the Russian State Duma decided to ratify Kyoto Protocol.
Regional-scale pollution includes many industrial and transport wastes. First of all, this concerns sulfur dioxide. It causes the formation of acid rain, which affects plants and animals and causes diseases in the population. Technogenic sulfur oxides are distributed unevenly and cause damage to certain areas. Due to the transfer of air masses, they often cross state borders and end up in territories remote from industrial centers.
In large cities and industrial centers, the air, along with carbon and sulfur oxides, is often polluted by nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emitted by automobile engines and smokestacks. Smog formation is often observed. Although these pollutions are local in nature, they affect many people living compactly in such areas. In addition, damage to the environment is caused.
One of the main environmental pollutants is agricultural production. Significant masses of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are artificially introduced into the circulation system of chemical elements in the form of mineral fertilizers. Their excess, not absorbed by plants, is actively involved in water migration. The accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in natural bodies of water causes increased growth of aquatic vegetation, overgrowing of water bodies and pollution of them with dead plant debris and decomposition products. In addition, an abnormally high content of soluble nitrogen compounds in the soil entails an increase in the concentration of this element in agricultural food products and drinking water. It can cause serious illness in people.
As an example showing changes in the structure of the biological cycle as a result of human activity, we can consider data for the forest zone of the European part of Russia (table). In prehistoric times, this entire area was covered with forests; now their area has decreased by almost half. Their place was taken by fields, meadows, pastures, as well as cities, towns, and highways. The decrease in the total mass of some elements due to the general decrease in the mass of green plants is compensated by the application of fertilizers, which involves significantly more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in biological migration than natural vegetation. Deforestation and soil plowing contribute to increased water migration. Thus, the content of compounds of certain elements (nitrogen, potassium, calcium) in natural waters increases significantly.
| Table 3. MIGRATION OF ELEMENTS IN THE FOREST ZONE OF THE EUROPEAN PART OF RUSSIA(million tons per year) in the prehistoric period (on a gray background) and currently (on a white background) | ||||||||||
| Nitrogen | Phosphorus | Potassium | Calcium | Sulfur | ||||||
| Precipitation | 0,9 | 0,9 | 0,03 | 0,03 | 1,1 | 1,1 | 1,5 | 1,5 | 2,6 | 2,6 |
| Biological cycle | 21,1 | 20,6 | 2,9 | 2,4 | 5,5 | 9,9 | 9,2 | 8,1 | 1,5 | 1,5 |
| Receipts from fertilizers | 0 | 0,6 | 0 | 0,18 | 0 | 0,45 | 0 | 12,0 | 0 | 0,3 |
| Harvest removal, forest cutting | 11,3 | 0 | 1,1 | 0 | 4,5 | 0 | 5,3 | 0 | 0,6 | |
| Water runoff | 0,8 | 1,21 | 0,17 | 0,17 | 2,0 | 6,1 | 7,3 | 16,6 | 5,4 | 4,6 |
Organic waste is also a water pollutant. Their oxidation requires additional oxygen. If the oxygen content is too low, the normal life of most aquatic organisms becomes impossible. Aerobic bacteria that require oxygen also die; instead, bacteria develop that use sulfur compounds for their vital functions. A sign of the appearance of such bacteria is the smell of hydrogen sulfide, one of their metabolic products.
Among the many consequences of the economic activities of human society, the process of progressive accumulation of metals in the environment is of particular importance. The most dangerous pollutants include mercury, pigs and cadmium. Technogenic inputs of manganese, tin, copper, molybdenum, chromium, nickel and cobalt also have a significant impact on living organisms and their communities (Fig. 3).
Natural waters can be contaminated with pesticides and dioxins, as well as oil. Oil decomposition products are toxic, and the oil film, which isolates water from air, leads to the death of living organisms (primarily plankton) in the water.
In addition to the accumulation of toxic and harmful substances in the soil as a result of human activity, land damage is caused by the burial and dumping of industrial and household waste.
The main measures to combat air pollution are: strict control of emissions of harmful substances. It is necessary to replace toxic starting products with non-toxic ones, switch to closed cycles, and improve gas purification and dust collection methods. Of great importance is the optimization of the location of enterprises to reduce transport emissions, as well as the competent application of economic sanctions.
International cooperation is beginning to play a major role in protecting the environment from chemical pollution. In the 1970s, a decrease in O 3 concentration was discovered in the ozone layer, which protects our planet from the dangerous effects of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. In 1974 it was established that ozone is destroyed by atomic chlorine. One of the main sources of chlorine entering the atmosphere are chlorofluorocarbon derivatives (freons, freons) used in aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners. The destruction of the ozone layer occurs, perhaps, not only under the influence of these substances. However, measures have been taken to reduce their production and use. In 1985, many countries agreed to protect the ozone layer. Exchange of information and joint research on changes in atmospheric ozone concentrations continue.
Taking measures to prevent the entry of pollutants into water bodies includes the establishment of coastal protective strips and water protection zones, the abandonment of toxic chlorine-containing pesticides, and the reduction of discharges from industrial enterprises through the use of closed cycles. Reducing the risk of oil pollution is possible by increasing the reliability of tankers.
To prevent contamination of the Earth's surface, preventive measures are needed - to prevent contamination of the soil with industrial and domestic wastewater, solid household and industrial waste, sanitary cleaning of the soil and the territory of populated areas where such violations have been identified is necessary.
The best solution to the problem of environmental pollution would be waste-free production that does not have wastewater, gas emissions and solid waste. However, waste-free production today and in the foreseeable future is fundamentally impossible; to implement it, it is necessary to create a unified cyclic system of flows of matter and energy for the entire planet. If the loss of matter, at least theoretically, can still be prevented, then environmental problems in the energy sector will still remain. Thermal pollution cannot be avoided in principle, and so-called clean energy sources, such as wind farms, still cause damage to the environment.
So far, the only way to significantly reduce environmental pollution is low-waste technologies. Currently, low-waste industries are being created in which emissions of harmful substances do not exceed maximum permissible concentrations (MPC), and waste does not lead to irreversible changes in nature. Complex processing of raw materials, combination of several industries, and use of solid waste for the production of building materials are used.
New technologies and materials, environmentally friendly fuels, and new energy sources are being created that reduce environmental pollution.
Elena Savinkina
Scientific and technological progress makes life easier for people, but improved technologies often lead to environmental pollution. The main types of environmental pollution are anthropogenic sources, that is, those caused by human activity. It is important to learn how to identify polluting factors, eliminate them and prevent the emergence of new ones.
Environment concept
The concept of “environment” includes natural conditions characteristic of a particular area, as well as the ecological state of objects located on it. For a person, the environment is determined by the objects that are around him and with which he is in contact. These include elements of living and inanimate nature. The environment includes the following components:
- Atmosphere is a gaseous shell surrounding the planet.
- Hydrosphere is the watery shell of the planet.
- Lithosphere - the earth's crust, mantle.
- Biosphere is the habitat of living organisms.
Conventionally, two types of environment are distinguished: microenvironment and macroenvironment. Microenvironment is the local environment of a person, which is located in close proximity to it. Macroenvironment is a broader concept that includes biotic (living) and physical (non-living) objects.
The law establishes that people must ensure the normal functioning of all ecosystems. Thus, Federal Law No. 7-FZ “On Environmental Protection” establishes the basic protective principles, defines the concepts that are used in this area, distributes the powers of government bodies, and explains the rights and responsibilities of citizens and organizations in the field.
Types of pollution
The revolution in science and industry has led to massive pollution of nature, which has affected the health of humanity. When scientists discovered a direct connection between the state of the micro- and macroenvironment and human health, the science of ecology appeared.
The types of pollution that existed were classified, and the relationships of living organisms with humans and the environment were studied in detail.
The following types of environmental pollution have been identified:
All types of environmental pollution harm animals, plants and humans. As a result of the action of polluting factors, thousands of birds, mammals and inhabitants of water bodies die, and people develop serious diseases. An example of the negative impact of pollution is the destruction of the planet's ozone layer, which is supposed to protect against harmful ultraviolet radiation. As a result of the destruction of the ozone layer, there is an increase in the number of cancers and diseases of the retina.
Fight against pollutants
Depending on what types of pollution are known, scientists create programs to combat environmental pollutants. Protective measures are becoming a priority for most countries; environmental and environmental measures have reached the level of international cooperation. Anti-pollution measures:
Global environmental pollution can lead to the death of all life on the planet, including humans. The task of humanity is to stop pollution of nature and save life.