Water and Air Degradation: Global Environmental Impacts

Problems Affecting Water Sources and the Atmosphere

Alterations to Water Sources

Overexploitation of Water Resources

Overexploitation is the excessive consumption of freshwater as a result of agrarian, urban, and industrial usage. River discharge levels fall, as do lake and aquifer water levels. This problem primarily affects semi-arid environments.

Water Pollution

Pollution affects both freshwater and saltwater sources. It is caused by chemical products used in agriculture, industrial and urban waste, and accidents involving oil tankers, which give rise to oil slicks. The quality of water supplies is reduced, and aquatic plants and animals disappear.

Affected water sources include sections of rivers and coasts near industrial and urban areas, enclosed seas, and the waters of major global shipping routes. This issue is particularly serious in the poorest countries where waste dumping is not controlled, and there is insufficient capital or technology to combat the problem.

Alterations to the Atmosphere

Global Warming

Global warming is caused by the increasing greenhouse effect, primarily due to emissions of CO2 and other gases produced by power stations, industry, traffic, and central heating systems.

The result is a progressive increase in the Earth's average temperature. Global warming results in:

• An increase in droughts and desertification.
• Increased occurrence of flooding.
• A rise in sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice caps.
• The extinction of many living beings.

This phenomenon affects the entire planet but is most serious for the arid and semi-arid environments of Africa, several countries in Southern Asia, and small island states undergoing economic development.

Atmospheric Pollution

Atmospheric pollution involves harmful emissions from power stations, central heating systems, industry, and transport. Its consequences include acid rain and the pollution of urban air with particles that damage buildings, living organisms, and increase the risk of people suffering from respiratory problems and cancer.

Developed countries have reduced their polluting emissions to levels close to those established by the World Health Organization. However, significant challenges remain in overpopulated cities in poorer countries, where coal is used for household heating and the use of leaded petrol is common in urban car and motorbike traffic.