With this Environment day, many organizations and NGOs are creating awareness regarding the many issues of environment and the related aftermaths. If one sees over the internet, they will get to know the negative affects we all are causing to mother earth and indirectly everything is coming back to us. Several studies have revealed the dark future the planet will face if we do not change our habits and activities in an unimaginable level. I was going through one such article when I came across 6 most pressing issues we are currently facing. Thus, I thought of writing over these issues, for my side of contribution of instigating some awareness.
Although we are facing many endangering issues but there are few which are the cause of many other issues. They are:
Water
We all know is one of our basic necessity to stay alive and thankfully much of the Earth is made up of it. Yet we face major problems where the life-sustaining liquid is concerned. Although there is technically enough freshwater available for all 6.8 billion of us, one-fifth of the world’s population is still living in areas of physical water scarcity. Vast improvements in infrastructure are required in order provide freshwater to areas which remain without water, and also to ensure continued access in the face of widespread pollution, wastage and drought. The continuous degradation of water quality not only poses supply problems for our population, but also has a huge, inevitable impact on marine life. Whether it’s through storm water runoff from cities or farms, dumping from industry, or ill-regulated efforts to drill for yet more oil, we’re increasingly filling our rivers, seas and oceans with toxic pollutants. From dolphins to coral, life in our seas is suffering tremendously. Thus, definitely this is one of the gravest issues in present scenario.
Deforestation
Deforestation has long posed a threat to our Earth. Forests cover 30 percent of the planet’s land, and provide vital protection from sandstorms and flooding as well as the substantive natural habitat for wildlife. They are one of our greatest resources for offsetting some of our outrageous carbon emissions and without the canopy we leave areas vulnerable to intense heat, further driving climate change. Yet every single year we lose a large area of forest in the wake of building of roads, urbanization, mining, cattle ranching etc. We’ve all heard it before, but really, we need to stop destroying and start replanting. There are incredible instances of ambitious efforts to replant our woodland areas, from a man in India, Jadav Payeng, who single-handedly planted a 1,360 acre forest, to the South Korean founder of Future Forest, Kwon Byong Hyon, who has led desert tree-planting efforts throughout Mongolia and China. It’s the time for us to sit up and follow their examples for a better future tomorrow.
Food Production and wastage
Food production comes with a hefty carbon footprint, with damage caused by deforestation, the use of fertilizers which pollute our water, and pesticides which kill our bees. And, as we noted, food demand is expected to rise sharply — the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that by 2050 a population of 8.9 billion will eat, on average, a diet with 340 calories more than the 2000 average of 2790, other studies posit that our food demand will double by that same date. Some of this projected increase is attributed to an expectation that areas which currently have inadequate access to nutrition will see improvements in the coming decades, a huge, important and challenging development. Then on top of it the wastage that is produced by us. After so much labor and pain and decreasing environmental conditions, we still have the audacity of wasting the food on our plates. Huge changes are needed in agricultural infrastructure to stem this wastage. But while changes must be made in how we farm and how we then sell that food in order to ensure that the right amount of food is grown for supply food where it is needed, there’s also a great deal of progress we could make by simply avoiding unhealthily oversized portions.
Energy
In the course of turning non-renewable resources into energy we’re releasing all manner of toxic gases into the atmosphere, driving climate change and creating a hazardous environment for all living beings. The fact that we’re destroying the planet for a short term quick-fix of energy resources that will run out is a pretty good reason to give pause and change course. Yet massive corporations wielding immense political strength continue to drive increased, fundamentally experimental and ill-regulated fossil fuel sourcing missions.
Transportation
In spite of lot of measures to curb the traffic issues and pollution control, transportation is still pressing to be a major issue. A large percentage of greenhouse gas emissions come directly out of the tailpipes. All over the globe some or the other measures are being taken to avoid the emissions generating fuels altogether. Similar emissions reducing advancements are much needed in the aerospace industry.
Waste
As a growing population, we have a lot of stuff. From consumer electronics to clothing to diapers, a worrying proportion of our ‘stuff’ is made using finite resources, with environmentally destructive practices only to be used for a relatively short amount of time before being tossed into landfill. The use of reusable and recyclable products are on an increase since people are getting more aware of the wastage and availability of alternatives. But there are always ways we can do more to use less, use better, reuse and recycle. Mining for metals commonplace in items from consumer electronics to jewelry causes widespread environmental destruction, polluting water and releasing greenhouse gases into the environment. And many of these metals, when used in consumer electronics, still often find their way into landfill, allowing lead, cadmium and mercury to seep into ground water.
All of these are causing Global warming and yet there are many other who are still gaining a place in the contribution. There are studies that show that in the past similar naturally occurring carbon emissions were the cause of the end of the Ice age and they were pretty less that our current surge. Still there are some notable personalities who are saying in their campaign strategies that carbon emissions do not pose a threat to our environment. So as we all work towards a greener, more sustainable future, adopting responsible practices to lower and eliminate emissions of all greenhouse gases, it’s time for climate change deniers to finally give in to the evidence.
Share This Article
