Understanding Environmental Impact: Resources, Pollution, and Climate Change

Understanding Environmental Impact

Appeal refers to anything that humanity uses to meet their basic needs and desires. These resources can be categorized based on their origin:

• Natural resources: such as water and air.
• Human resources: resulting from our activities.

Based on availability, resources can be:

• Renewable: capable of regeneration (e.g., solar, wind).
• Non-renewable: finite and not easily replenished (e.g., oil, minerals).

Several factors impact resource availability and environmental health:

• Demographic explosion: High population growth leads to increased demand and utilization of resources, resulting in overfishing and ecosystem changes.
• Uncontrolled development: Prioritizes the production of goods without considering environmental degradation.
• Conservationism: Focuses on preserving nature, potentially hindering economic advancement.
• Sustainable development: Aims to balance economic development with environmental protection.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Environmental Impact

Environmental impact is any alteration to the environment caused by human activity that affects environmental quality.

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of any substance into the air, water, or soil that can be harmful.

Water Pollution

Water pollution can originate from natural sources or human activities. Pollutants can be:

• Physical: Suspended solids.
• Chemical: Organic matter, nitrogen compounds, and heavy metals.
• Biological: Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms.

Effects of water pollution: Birds can be harmed by oil spills, fish stocks can decline, and coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable.

The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

The greenhouse effect is caused by the presence of gases like carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane. It is a natural and beneficial process that maintains an average temperature of 15°C on Earth, allowing life to exist.

However, in recent decades, human activities have increased the emission of greenhouse gases, leading to excessive heating of the atmosphere, known as global warming. This contributes to climate change, which can have serious consequences, including increased desertification, melting of ice masses, and rising sea levels.

Ozone Layer Depletion

The ozone layer filters ultraviolet (UV) rays, preventing them from reaching the Earth's surface and harming living beings. UV radiation can cause diseases in humans and animals, such as blindness, cataracts, and skin cancer.

In the late twentieth century, an ozone hole was detected in Antarctica. Nitrogen oxides from combustion and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in aerosols and refrigerants contribute to ozone depletion.

Acid Rain

Acid rain is caused by sulfur and nitrogen oxides emitted into the atmosphere by human activities. These oxides become sulfuric and nitric acid, which dissolve in water droplets and can be transported long distances before falling to the surface as precipitation.