Essential Natural Resources, Environmental Protection and Global Goals

Principal Natural Resources

• Air
• Soil
• Minerals
• Energy: Renewable and non-renewable
• Biological: Overexploitation of plant resources, hunting, and marine resource exploitation
• Water: A limited resource requiring purification and cleansing

Sewage Treatment Process

1. Pretreatment

Wastewater enters a tank and reaches the pumping station. It undergoes grinding, screening, desanding, and degreasing. Sand and grease are removed before reaching primary sedimentation.

2. Primary Treatment

Sludge reaches primary beds.

3. Secondary Treatment

Utilizes bacterial reactors and secondary clarifiers to process secondary sludge.

4. Tertiary Treatment

Final sieving occurs before water is discharged into rivers.

5. Sludge Treatment

Biological production methods are used to create digested and thickened sludge, which is then disposed of or used in agriculture.

Acid Rain

Consists of sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and nitric acid (HNO3). It causes significant damage to soil and plants by washing away essential nutrients and minerals.

Ozone Layer Destruction

The ozone layer is essential for life and is located in the atmosphere between 12 and 50 km. When ultraviolet radiation from the sun hits oxygen (O2), it transforms into ozone (O3), which absorbs harmful radiation. The presence of chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)—found in refrigerators and aerosol sprays—depletes the ozone layer, negatively impacting ecosystems and species' DNA. Governments have implemented bans to replace these harmful components.

Measurable Global Goals

• 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: Reduce the proportion of people living on less than one dollar a day.
• 2. Achieve universal primary education: Ensure all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.
• 3. Promote gender equality: Eliminate gender inequality in primary and secondary education.
• 4. Reduce child mortality: Decrease the mortality rate for children under 5 years old.
• 5. Combat AIDS and other diseases: Halt and reverse the spread of major diseases.
• 6. Ensure environmental sustainability: Improve water access and quality of life.
• 7. Develop a global partnership for development: Increase assistance to poor countries and implement debt relief measures.