Humans consume nonrenewable fossil fuels; increase atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases; disrupt the planet’s water cycle; degrade soil quality through overgrazing, mining, logging, urbanization and chemical pollution – these activities represent humanity’s foremost environmental challenge. This practice of “biotic impoverishment,” or decreasing Earth’s capacity to support life on Earth has become its foremost environmental challenge.
Water
Water is an invaluable natural resource that serves numerous functions on Earth’s climate system: connecting air, clouds, atmosphere lakes oceans wetlands and groundwater systems together as well as being traded globally long distance. Furthermore it supplies industry with raw material as well as being consumed directly by people and animals as drinking water sources.
Water pollution poses a severe threat to human health and wellbeing. Prolonged exposure to polluted water can result in disease, disability and even death; and its disruption of chemical balance increases acidity or alkalinity which has effects on wildlife as well as humans alike.
Clean drinking water remains a top concern in developing countries. Two billion people currently lack access to safe water supplies, which has the potential to lead to disease outbreaks and early deaths. Water scarcity is expected to worsen with climate change creating drought conditions that reduce supplies.
Quality drinking water depends heavily on its source. Reliable access and collection means having an ample supply, such as drilling wells in aquifers or pumping water from rivers and lakes; desalinization seawater may be costly but feasible in coastal arid regions.
Irrigation of agricultural fields consumes considerable water resources and alters the hydrologic cycle in ways that could wreak havoc with downstream resources, leading to reduced availability of surface and groundwater, soil degradation, ecosystem disturbances and runoff carrying pesticides, phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, antibiotics, petroleum products and sediment into lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands.
Sediments deposited in lakes, streams and rivers can dramatically degrade water quality by blocking sunlight and oxygen from entering. It may stimulate aquatic weed and algae growth that degrade fish habitat and threaten boating activities and water storage capacities as well as degrade the appearance of lakes or streams. Pollutants like fertilizers, pesticides, petroleum detergents and sewage waste also pose risks that threaten human and animal health with diseases like diarrhea, blindness or cancer being spread through their consumption of the polluted waters.
Air
Air pollution (or ambient air) refers to any presence of harmful substances that pollute the atmosphere, harming humans, animals, and plants as well as buildings. It’s often caused by human activities, like burning fossil fuels for energy generation; or natural events like wildfire smoke or dust storms from volcanoes. Sometimes referred to as “smog”, air pollution has been known to cause health problems like bronchitis, heart attacks and even death for individuals; deplete the ozone layer; reduce visibility; increase humidity levels; increase humidity; and increase humidities or acid rain for this planet Earth’s inhabitants.
Carbon dioxide pollution is the most widely produced form of air pollution, released into the atmosphere when humans burn fossil fuels to power cars and planes, heat homes and run factories. Methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases also exist in our air; some come from human activities while some such as methane and nitrous oxide may come from animal or plant sources.
Nitrogen is an integral component of air, and plays an integral part in various biological processes. When nitrogen cycles become disrupted, harmful compounds may form. Nitrogen oxides are one of the major polluters contributing to ozone and nitric acid formation; in turn, ozone damages lung tissue while nitric acid produces acid rain.
Volatile organic compound emissions (VOCs) are another main source of air pollution. VOCs are organic compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen that are released when fossil fuels such as coal or oil are burned, or during manufacturing of plastics and rubber products. Many VOCs have been listed by the World Health Organization as potential carcinogens.
Smog-causing particulate matter contains not only volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but also polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), an organic group containing carbon and hydrogen found in exhaust fumes from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Haze is harmful to insects, and prolonged periods of low visibility result in decreased pollination of flowering plants; thus disrupting ecosystems while decreasing plants’ capacity to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Land
Land pollution can occur almost anywhere on Earth and is the result of various causes, such as unsustainable agricultural practices, improper disposal of waste (hazardous or nonhazardous), mining activities or illegal dumping activities. No surface or space on our planet remains free from land pollution – it has serious repercussions for both nature and humans alike.
As populations continue to expand, land demand continues to increase and this will have significant environmental consequences. Under pressure to provide land for cultivation purposes, wildlands could be converted to agricultural use which has devastating results on biodiversity and wildlife populations.
Chemical use on land can have a lasting effect on our natural environment and human health, from fertilizers and pesticides used to increase crop production, as well as controlling weeds and insects, to those used to control weeds and insects. All these chemicals can have serious adverse consequences on both fronts.
Land use can have an adverse impact on the environment through erosion and other issues, with topsoil being washed away, leading to decreased fertility and an increase in waterway nutrient levels, potentially diminishing their quality of life for animals and plants.
Chemical use on land can have an adverse impact on water resources, including using fertilizers and pesticides that run off into streams, rivers and lakes contaminating these bodies of water. Furthermore, such use promotes the spread of invasive species which threaten natural ecosystems.
Land use can also have an effect on climate change. Land uses can have direct implications on how much carbon is stored or released by Earth; conversion of forest land to agricultural fields releases large amounts into the atmosphere, for instance. Furthermore, using land may also have indirect consequences by altering surface albedo or surface-atmosphere energy exchanges – two key aspects that contribute to global warming.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is a broad term encompassing all plant and animal species on Earth. This concept also encompasses their genetic variation within species as well as ecosystem services they provide to humanity. Unfortunately, humans continue to wreak havoc on ecosystems by altering ecosystems and driving species extinction; some scientists refer to this period as the Anthropocene era (“The Era of Humans”).
Biomass, or the total living material present in an area, is often used as a measure of biodiversity. Unfortunately, however, this only represents surface-level diversity without taking into account other important considerations, such as an area’s ability to provide essential ecosystem services like food, water, energy and shelter; additionally it’s essential that ecosystems interact among each other for an accurate measure.
Loss of biodiversity has direct repercussions, which include reduced ecosystem services that support human lives, leading to diminished quality of life. Loss can cut supplies of freshwater and foodstuffs essential to human health; additionally, increased risks posed by infectious diseases transmitted from wild animals can increase and potentially threaten public health.
There are various strategies to prevent biodiversity loss, such as planting more trees. Doing this will protect soils and water resources while simultaneously decreasing air pollution and noise pollution levels. Furthermore, using less pesticides and fertilizers will improve crop quality.
Education of the public about biodiversity is vitally important, whether through schools, museums or parks. Furthermore, protecting natural areas from development must also be prioritized.
Biodiversity is an indispensable resource that must be preserved to sustain human life on Earth. Finding innovative solutions to address biodiversity loss and create a more sustainable future are of critical importance; solutions should emphasize diverse ecosystems over monocultures while including various economic sectors from agriculture to tourism in their implementation.