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Since the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in the middle of the 18th century, the planet has been facing different large-scale environmental problems. The overexploitation of renewable and non-renewable resources for production is increasingly abusive and its effects, as a consequence, are increasingly dangerous.
If you want to know what are the environmental problems that our planet is suffering and some of the solutions that can be taken to address them, then continue reading this interesting article by Green Ecologist in which we talk about what is an environmental problem and examples to better understand it, as well as the consequences and possible solutions of these various environmental issues.
What is an environmental problem
A Environmental problem is a alteration or negative modification on natural systems of the planet. Therefore, an environmental problem that can be local or become global, always begins with some type of negative impact on nature.
We encourage you to learn more about what is a negative and positive environmental impact with examples with this other article.
Causes of environmental problems
As we have mentioned before, environmental problems arise as a result of the impact of the industrial revolution on the environment. Therefore, it could be said that causes of global environmental problems are due to the environmental impact of anthropic activities such as:
- Production carried out in factories.
- Burning fossil fuels for energy.
- The dumping of waste.
- The mismanagement of waste from products for human consumption.
- Mining.
- Deforestation.
Examples of environmental problems
After knowing what is an environmental problem and what are the most frequent causes of the negative impacts that these problems generate, here we talk about several examples of environmental problems:
Deforestation
It is the elimination of the vegetation cover through fellings and fires, whether they are herbaceous, shrub or arboreal species, at a higher rate than their regeneration. As a consequence, there is a fragmentation of the landscape, an impoverishment of the quality of the soil, loss of species and contamination. The objective of deforestation, in addition to obtaining raw material for the timber industry, is to expand the territory for livestock and intensive agriculture.
Here you can discover the different causes of deforestation.
Desertification
Irreversible elimination of the vegetation cover, causing the loss of soil fertility and its inability to produce plants, as a consequence in desertified areas the appearance of hunger is a reality. In addition, the lack of vegetation also produces a modification of the climate. In this other post you can learn more about Desertification: definition, causes and consequences.
Biodiversity loss
The biodiversity of species is lost in most cases due to anthropic activities: the alteration of the habitat of the species, hunting, illegal trade, pollution or the introduction of species into other ecosystems. The total or partial fragmentation of habitats is the action with the greatest impact on biodiversity. In this link you will see more information about the Causes and consequences of the loss of biodiversity.
Climate change and greenhouse effect
The earth has an optimal temperature for life thanks to the greenhouse effect, this is due to the fact that the gases that exist naturally in the atmosphere absorb solar radiation from the earth's surface (30% of 100% solar radiation that receives the Earth, is returned to the atmosphere).
With the increase in greenhouse gases produced by anthropic activities, there is an increase in gases in the atmosphere and, therefore, an increase in global temperature, since the retained solar radiation is greater, in addition this has an effect on ocean currents and winds. This increase in the greenhouse effect that produces an increase in global warming accelerates climate change.
Here you can read about the Differences between greenhouse effects and climate change and their relationship.
Air, water and soil pollution
Air pollution, water pollution and soil pollution are interrelated, since if a pollutant is found in one of these media it can eventually end up in the others. For example, a contaminant that is in the ground can end up in groundwater all the way to the sea. The pollution of these media has its origin in anthropic activities: industries, waste wastes, agriculture, livestock, etc.
Find out more about these contaminations in these other interesting and comprehensive articles on:
- Air pollution: causes, consequences and solutions.
- Causes and consequences of water pollution.
- Soil pollution: causes, consequences and solutions.
Residuous generation
The consumer model of life and overpopulation make the generation of waste increase more and more. The main consequences of this are the exploitation of natural resources that are in danger of being depleted and the contamination of natural spaces.
Extense livestock farming
The excessive consumption of meat, approximately 100 kilos of meat per person per year, means that large spaces are used for cultivation to feed livestock. This not only degrades the soil and increases the deforestation of natural spaces, it also entails a problem with water, since large volumes of water are needed not only for the irrigation of crops, but also for the production of meat.
Lack of water
Agricultural and livestock activities and large-scale industry in general are unsustainably exploiting all water resources. In addition, pollution also causes the quality of the water to be lost, making it a danger to living beings. Water scarcity not only brings a problem to the environment and its living beings, but is also a trigger for wars and conflicts. We advise you to read this article about Water Scarcity: what it is, causes and consequences.
If you want to discover many more problems in the environment, we recommend this other post about 20 environmental problems and their solutions.
Consequences of environmental problems
The consequences of all these environmental problems are many and some of them are irreversible. Enter the consequences of environmental problems we highlight:
- Air pollution will be one of the main causes of mortality.
- The accumulation of waste not only pollutes the areas where it is disposed of, but it will also cause an increase in diseases and damage to biodiversity.
- Health risk from exposure to toxic spills that have not been properly managed.
- Water shortage in many areas of the planet, due to the increase of this in the industry.
- Increase of gases to the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and therefore the global temperature.
- Loss of biodiversity, causing the appearance of new diseases.
- Lower capacity to regenerate CO2 due to the great deforestation.
- Loss of the soil's production capacity, affecting agriculture and, therefore, creating a lack of food.
Solutions to environmental problems
In order to address environmental problems, a model of sustainable living and respectful with the environment and, therefore, it is also necessary to inform and raise awareness about environmental problems. Some measures to solve environmental problems are:
- Reduction of consumption to only buy the products that are needed.
- Reduction in meat consumption, opting for a diet richer in vegetables, fruit and legumes.
- Promote the use of clean and renewable energy.
- Reduction of the use of plastic, using reusable or biodegradable packaging.
- Recycle all waste that is discarded.
- Reduce car use, opting for public transport or cycling.
- Creation of strict laws that, for example, consider aggressively modifying natural areas as a criminal offense.
- Bet on a circular economy, based on reduction, reuse and repair.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is an environmental problem and examples, we recommend that you enter our category of Other environment.
Bibliography- Bordehore, C. RUA. Institutional Repository of the University of Alicante. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, HUMAN PROBLEMS: https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/2725/8/cap8.pdf
- CSR commitment. (March 19, 2012). The 10 most alarming environmental consequences of the current economy: https://www.compromisorse.com/rse/2012/03/19/las-10-consedamientos-medioambientales-mas-alarmantes-de-la-economia-actual/
