What other environmental problems of the planet are you aware of? Write. What environmental problems of the planet do you know?

I think that any person can immediately name five environmental problems of our planet. However, there are also those that are little talked about, and even more difficult to confront directly. So I decided to prepare the TOP 3 hidden problems.

Hidden environmental problems of the Earth

Environmental problems are transformations in the environment that lead to disruption of the functioning of the structure of nature. They can be caused by both human activity (anthropogenic) and natural forces (natural). Anthropogenic sources cause greater damage to nature. Many of them are latent (hidden) in nature, and their impact on people does not appear immediately. I would classify these problems as:

• genetic engineering;
• ozone layer destruction;
• ineffective waste disposal.

However, all of the above problems are completely solvable.

Harm of genetic engineering

When growing crops or breeding meat and dairy breeds of livestock, people use various additives (pesticides) that change the genetic code of the final product.

By consuming such products, a person receives a fair share of toxins that the body is unable to resist. Therefore, only organic food does not harm human health.

Threat of ozone layer depletion

The ozone layer, which protects the Earth from solar radiation, is constantly being destroyed under the influence of harmful emissions produced by humans: factory smoke, burning of toxic household waste, car exhaust.

Reducing such emissions and filtering them will help solve this problem.

Expansion of waste dumps

This problem is typical for megacities and urban agglomerations. As the urban population grows, so does the volume of waste it produces as a result of its life activities. This is how country landfills appear. Soon they begin to grow and come close to the borders of settlements. Often fires occur on them, which, due to the size of the area, cannot be controlled.

Such fires can burn for years. The problem can be solved by sorting waste and recycling it.

Forests enrich the atmosphere with oxygen, which is so necessary for life, and absorb carbon dioxide released by animals and humans in the process of breathing, as well as by industrial enterprises in the process of work. They play a major role in the water cycle. Trees take water from the soil, filter it to remove impurities, and release it into the atmosphere, increasing the humidity of the climate. Forests influence the water cycle. Trees raise groundwater, enriching soils and keeping them from desertification and erosion - it’s not for nothing that rivers immediately become shallow when deforestation occurs.

According to reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, deforestation continues at a rapid rate around the world. Every year, 13 million hectares of forest are lost, while only 6 hectares grow.

This means that Every second a forest the size of a football field disappears from the face of the planet.

A significant problem is that the organization receives these data directly from the governments of countries, and governments prefer not to indicate in their reports losses associated, for example, with illegal logging.

Ozone layer depletion

About twenty kilometers above the planet extends the ozone layer - the Earth's ultraviolet shield.

Fluorinated and chlorinated hydrocarbons and halogen compounds released into the atmosphere destroy the structure of the layer. It is depleted and this leads to the formation of ozone holes. The destructive ultraviolet rays penetrating through them are dangerous for all life on Earth. They have a particularly negative effect on human health, his immune and gene systems, causing skin cancer and cataracts. Ultraviolet rays are dangerous for plankton - the basis of the food chain, higher vegetation, and animals.

Today, under the influence of the Montreal Protocol, alternatives have been found for almost all technologies that use ozone-depleting substances, and the production, trade and use of these substances is rapidly declining.

As you know, everything in nature is interconnected. The destruction of the ozone layer and, as a consequence, the deviation of any seemingly insignificant environmental parameter can lead to unpredictable and irreversible consequences for all living things.

Declining Biodiversity

According to experts, 10-15 thousand species of organisms disappear every year. This means that over the next 50 years the planet will lose, according to various estimates, from a quarter to half of its biological diversity. The depletion of the species composition of flora and fauna significantly reduces the stability of ecosystems and the biosphere as a whole, which also poses a serious danger to humanity. The process of biodiversity reduction is characterized by an avalanche-like acceleration. The less biodiversity the planet has, the worse the conditions for survival on it.

As of 2000, 415 species of animals are listed in the Red Book of Russia. This list of animals has increased one and a half times in recent years and does not stop growing.

Humanity, as a species with a huge population and habitat, does not leave suitable habitat for other species. Intensive expansion of the area of ​​specially protected natural areas is necessary to preserve endangered species, as well as strict regulation of the extermination of commercially valuable species.

Water pollution

Pollution of the water environment has occurred throughout human history: from time immemorial, people have used any river as a sewer. The greatest danger to the hydrosphere arose in the 20th century with the emergence of large multimillion-dollar cities and the development of industry. Over the past decades, most of the world's rivers and lakes have been turned into sewage ditches and sewage lagoons. Despite hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in treatment facilities, which are able to prevent the transformation of a river or lake into a fetid slurry, they are not able to return the water to its former natural purity: the growing volumes of industrial wastewater and solid waste dissolving in water are stronger than the most powerful treatment units.

The danger of water pollution is that a person largely consists of water and, in order to remain a person, he must consume water, which in most cities on the planet can hardly be called suitable for drinking. About half the population of developing countries does not have access to sources of clean water, is forced to drink contaminated with pathogenic microbes, and is therefore doomed to premature death from epidemic diseases.

Overpopulation

Humanity today perceives its huge numbers as the norm, believing that people, with all their numbers and all their life activity, do not harm the planet’s ecosystem, and also that people can continue to increase their numbers, and that this supposedly does not in any way affect the ecology, animal and plant life. the world, as well as the life of humanity itself. But in fact, already today, already now, humanity has crossed all the boundaries and boundaries that the planet could tolerate. The earth cannot support such a huge number of people. According to scientists, 500 thousand is the maximum permissible number of people for our Planet. Today, this limit figure has been exceeded 12 times, and according to scientists’ forecasts, by 2100 it may almost double. At the same time, the modern human population of the Earth for the most part does not even think about the global harm caused by further growth in the number of people.

But an increase in the number of people also means an increase in the use of natural resources, an increase in areas for agricultural and industrial needs, an increase in the amount of harmful emissions, an increase in the amount of household waste and areas for their storage, an increase in the intensity of human expansion into nature and an increase in the intensity of the destruction of natural biodiversity.

Humanity today simply must restrain its growth rate, rethink its role in the ecological system of the Planet, and begin to build human civilization on the basis of a harmless and meaningful existence, and not on the basis of animal instincts of reproduction and absorption.

Oil contaminated

Oil is a natural oily flammable liquid common in the Earth's sedimentary layer; the most important mineral resource. A complex mixture of alkanes, some cycloalkanes and arenes, as well as oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Nowadays, oil, as an energy resource, is one of the main factors in economic development. But oil production, its transportation and processing are invariably accompanied by its losses, emissions and discharges of harmful substances, the consequence of which is environmental pollution. In terms of scale and toxicity, oil pollution represents a global danger. Oil and petroleum products cause poisoning, death of organisms and soil degradation. Natural self-purification of natural objects from oil pollution is a long process, especially in low temperature conditions. Enterprises of the fuel and energy complex are the largest source of environmental pollutants in industry. They account for about 48% of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, 27% of polluted wastewater discharges, over 30% of solid waste and up to 70% of the total volume of greenhouse gases.

Land degradation

Soil is the guardian of fertility and life on Earth. It takes 100 years for a layer 1 cm thick to form. But it can be lost in just one season of thoughtless human exploitation of the earth. According to geologists, before people began to engage in agricultural activities, rivers annually carried 9 billion tons of soil into the ocean. With human assistance, this figure has increased to 25 billion tons per year. The phenomenon of soil erosion is becoming increasingly dangerous, because... There are fewer and fewer fertile soils on the planet, and it is vitally important to preserve at least what is currently available, to prevent the disappearance of this only layer of the earth's lithosphere on which plants can grow.

Under natural conditions, there are several reasons for soil erosion (weathering and washing out of the top fertile layer), which are further aggravated by humans. Millions of hectares of soil are being lost

More than 50 billion tons of waste from energy, industrial, agricultural production and the municipal sector are released into nature annually, including more than 150 million tons from industrial enterprises. About 100 thousand artificial chemicals are released into the environment, of which 15 thousand require special attention.

All this waste is a source of environmental pollution instead of being a source for the production of secondary products.

Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation

Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky

Faculty of Economics

ABSTRACT

“Environmental problems of the planet”

Nizhny Novgorod, 2007

Man, planet and environmental crisis

Water, its death is our death

Oxygen is the most important factor of our time

Air pollution and climate change

Poison is a gift of civilization

Chemical pollutants

Green cover of the earth

Water flows

Plants, animals and insects

Forests are the clothes of the earth

Nature conservation is a universal concern. Ways of implementation

Man, planet and environmental crisis

Two aspects of the environmental problem can be distinguished:

Environmental crises arising as a consequence of natural processes;

And crises caused by anthropogenic impact and irrational environmental management.

The advance of glaciers, volcanic eruptions, the formation of mountains, earthquakes and associated tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods - all these are earthly natural factors. They seem to be natural on our dynamic planet. On average, one catastrophic earthquake, 18 strong, 120 destructive and moderate, and about a million weak tremors occur annually on the globe.

What man has done to the surrounding nature is already catastrophic in its scale. As a result, water is polluted in the air, the atmosphere itself is polluted, millions of hectares of fertile soil are destroyed, the planet is contaminated with pesticides and radioactive waste, deforestation and desertification have reached enormous proportions, and much, much more.

The main problems are the planet's ability to cope with human waste, with the function of self-cleaning and repair. The biosphere is being destroyed. The risk of self-destruction of humanity as a result of its own life activity is very high.

Nature is influenced by society in the following areas:

Using environmental components as a resource base for production;

The impact of human production activities on the natural environment (its pollution);

Demographic pressure on nature (agricultural use of land; population growth, growth of large cities).

Many global problems of humanity are intertwined here - resource, food, demographic - all of them have, to one degree or another, an impact on environmental issues. But it also has a great influence on these and other problems of humanity.

Water, its death is our death

The importance of water for humans and humanity is difficult to overestimate. It participates in the biological cycle, during which it undergoes a number of changes. Being a solvent, water practically does not occur in nature in its pure form. It contains mineral and organic substances, both useful, used as nutrients, and harmful, which are the result of pollution, in particular, wastewater generated as a result of human activity.

Aqueous solutions are the most important form of finding chemical elements for living organisms. Without them, human life is practically impossible, and the composition of these solutions largely controls its safety. As already indicated, the bulk of natural aqueous solutions are often separated into a separate shell of the Earth - the hydrosphere. Most of it falls on the share of the World Ocean, a smaller part - on the underground and surface waters of the continents. In most cases, it is the presence of water that controls the development of living organisms. Water is also the main natural solvent of minerals, gases and man-made compounds that have no analogues in nature. It is believed that in water the interaction between ions is 80 times weaker than in crystals. Therefore, it is easier for plants and animals to selectively receive the ions they need from aqueous solutions.

Without water, the life of organisms that now exist on Earth is impossible. Moreover, for most of them, including people, they need not just water, but fresh water, i.e., one in which the dry residue content is less than 1 g in 1 liter. And such water is found on Earth only about 2% of it total reserves. Most of the waters have a fairly high degree of mineralization. Thus, the average salinity of the seas and oceans (which is more than 70% of the entire hydrosphere) is 3.5 g/l, and the salinity of the mineralized groundwater of continents often reaches 200 g/l.

People use fresh water not only for drinking, but also in a wide variety of technogenic processes. It is believed that the total annual consumption is about 3500 km3, i.e. per person there is about 800 m3 of water. The presence of fresh water, to an even greater extent than large accumulations of certain minerals, determines the emergence and development of human settlements. Almost all major cities are located on rivers. However, quite often river beds are confined to weakened zones of the lithosphere. In the event of earthquakes, the greatest displacements of the earth's crust occur in these zones, causing destruction of buildings and death of residents. This must be taken into account when organizing the life safety of residents of such settlements.

Oxygen is the most important factor in life

Air pollution and climate change

The most important environmental consequences of global air pollution include:

1) possible climate warming (“greenhouse effect”);

2) violation of the ozone layer;

3) acid rain.

Most scientists in the world consider them to be the biggest environmental problems of our time.

Possible climate warming

Currently, the observed climate change, which is expressed in a gradual increase in average annual temperature, starting from the second half of the last century, is associated by most scientists with the accumulation in the atmosphere of so-called “greenhouse gases” - carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), chlorofluorocarbons (freons), ozone (O 3), nitrogen oxides, etc.

Greenhouse gases, and primarily CO 2, prevent long-wave thermal radiation from the Earth's surface. The atmosphere, saturated with greenhouse gases, acts like the roof of a greenhouse. On the one hand, it allows most of the solar radiation to pass in, but on the other hand, it almost does not allow the heat re-emitted by the Earth to pass out.

Due to the burning of more and more fossil fuels by humans: oil, gas, coal, etc. (annually more than 9 billion tons of standard fuel), the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere is constantly increasing. Due to emissions into the atmosphere during industrial production and in everyday life, the content of freons (chlorofluorocarbons) increases. The methane content increases by 1-1.5% per year (emissions from underground mine workings, biomass burning, emissions from cattle, etc.). The content of nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere is also increasing to a lesser extent (by 0.3% annually).

A consequence of the increase in the concentrations of these gases, which create the “greenhouse effect,” is an increase in the average global air temperature at the earth’s surface. Over the past 100 years, the warmest years were 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987 and 1988. In 1988, the average annual temperature was 0.4 degrees higher than in 1950-1980. Calculations by some scientists show that in 2005 it will be 1.3 °C more than in 1950-1980. The report, prepared under the auspices of the UN by an international group on climate change, states that by 2100 the temperature on Earth will increase by 2-4 degrees. The scale of warming over this relatively short period of time will be comparable to the warming that occurred on Earth after the Ice Age, which means the environmental consequences could be catastrophic. This is primarily due to the expected increase in the level of the World Ocean, due to the melting of polar ice, reduction in areas of mountain glaciation, etc. By modeling the environmental consequences of a rise in sea level of only 0.5-2.0 m by the end of the 21st century, scientists found that this will inevitably lead to disruption of the climate balance, flooding of coastal plains in more than 30 countries, degradation of permafrost, swamping of vast areas and other adverse consequences.

Ozone layer depletion

Ozone layer (ozonosphere) covers the entire globe and is located at altitudes from 10 to 50 km with a maximum ozone concentration at an altitude of 20-25 km. The saturation of the atmosphere with ozone is constantly changing in any part of the planet, reaching a maximum in the spring in the polar region.

The depletion of the ozone layer first attracted the attention of the general public in 1985, when an area with reduced ozone content (up to 50%) was discovered above Antarctica, called "ozone hole". WITH Since then, measurement results have confirmed a widespread decrease in the ozone layer throughout almost the entire planet. Currently, the depletion of the ozone layer is recognized by all as a serious threat to global environmental security. Declining ozone concentrations weaken the atmosphere's ability to protect all life on Earth from harsh ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation). Living organisms are very vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation, because the energy of even one photon from these rays is enough to destroy the chemical bonds in most organic molecules. It is no coincidence that in areas with low ozone levels, there are numerous sunburns, there is an increase in people getting skin cancer, etc. For example, according to a number of environmental scientists, by 2030 in Russia, if the current rate of depletion of the ozone layer continues, there will be additional cases of skin cancer 6 million people. In addition to skin diseases, it is possible to develop eye diseases (cataracts, etc.), suppression of the immune system, etc.

.Acid rain

One of the most important environmental problems associated with the oxidation of the natural environment is - acid rain. They are formed during industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, which, when combined with atmospheric moisture, form sulfuric and nitric acids. As a result, rain and snow become acidified (pH number below 5.6). In Bavaria (Germany) in August 1981 there were rains with acidity pH = 3.5. The maximum recorded acidity of precipitation in Western Europe is pH=2.3.

The total global anthropogenic emissions of the two main air pollutants - the culprits of acidification of atmospheric moisture - SO 2 and NO - amount annually to more than 255 million tons (1994). Over a vast area, the natural environment is acidifying, which has a very negative impact on the state of all ecosystems. It turned out that natural ecosystems are subject to destruction even with a lower level of air pollution than that which is dangerous for humans. “Lakes and rivers devoid of fish, dying forests - these are the sad consequences of the industrialization of the planet.”

A striking example of the negative impact of acid precipitation on natural ecosystems is acidification lakes It occurs especially intensively in Canada, Sweden, Norway and southern Finland. This is explained by the fact that a significant part of sulfur emissions in such industrialized countries as the USA, Germany and Great Britain fall on their territory. Lakes are the most vulnerable in these countries, since the bedrock that makes up their bed is usually represented by granite-gneisses and granites, which are not capable of neutralizing acid precipitation, unlike, for example, limestone, which creates an alkaline environment and prevents acidification. Many lakes in the northern United States are also highly acidified.

Acidification of lakes around the world

Acidification of lakes is dangerous not only for populations of various fish species (including salmon, whitefish, etc.), but often entails the gradual death of plankton, numerous species of algae and its other inhabitants. The lakes become almost lifeless.

Abstract >> Ecology

Environmental problems cities The concepts of “environment”, “urban... use of the environment in the climate of the entire planets Sometimes irreversible changes occur, especially...

Planets are a real scourge of the 21st century. Many people also think about the issue of preserving and restoring the environment. Otherwise, future generations will only get a lifeless surface.

One warrior in the field!

It is likely that at least once in our lives each of us asked ourselves the question: “What environmental problems of the planet currently exist and what can I do to solve them?” It would seem, indeed, that just one person can do this? Nevertheless, each of us is capable of much. First, start taking care of the environment yourself. For example, throw away garbage in strictly designated containers, and it would also be a good idea to pay attention to separating waste into specific materials (glass in one bin, and plastic in another). In addition, you can regulate and gradually reduce the consumption of both electricity and other resources (water, gas) necessary for your comfortable living. If you are a driver and are faced with choosing a suitable vehicle, then you should pay attention to cars that have a reduced content of harmful compounds in exhaust gases. It will also be correct - both for you and for the entire planet as a whole - to have a small engine size installed in the selected car model. And, as a result, reduced fuel consumption. With such simple and accessible measures to everyone, we can solve the environmental problems of the planet.

Let's help the whole world

However, despite everything described earlier, you will not be alone in this fight. As a rule, the policies of many modern states are aimed at the well-known environmental problems of the planet and, of course, ways to solve them. In addition, there is an active propaganda program, the goal of which is to limit and exterminate rare representatives of flora and fauna. Nevertheless, such a policy of world powers is quite purposeful and makes it possible to create conditions for the normal functioning of the population, which do not disturb natural ecosystems.

Environmental problems of the planet: list

Modern scientists identify about several dozen basic issues that require special attention. Such planets arise as a result of significant changes in the natural environment. And those, in turn, are the result of devastating natural disasters, as well as the ever-increasing Environmental problems of the planet are quite simple to list. One of the first places is occupied by air pollution. Each of us knows from an early age that, thanks to the content of a certain percentage of oxygen in the air space of the planet, we are able to exist normally. However, every day we not only consume oxygen, but also exhale carbon dioxide. But there are also factories and factories, cars and planes travel around the world and trains knock on the rails. All of the above objects, in the process of their operation, emit substances of a certain composition, which only aggravates the situation and increases the environmental problems of planet Earth. Unfortunately, even though modern production facilities are equipped with the latest developments in purification systems, the condition of the airspace is gradually deteriorating.

Deforestation

We know from our school biology course that representatives of the plant world help maintain the balance of substances in the atmosphere. Thanks to natural processes such as photosynthesis, the Earth's green spaces not only cleanse the air of harmful impurities, but also gradually enrich it with oxygen. Thus, it is easy to conclude that the destruction of flora, in particular forests, only aggravates the global environmental problems of the planet. Unfortunately, human economic activity leads to the fact that deforestation is carried out on a particularly large scale, but the replenishment of green spaces is often not carried out.

Declining fertile land

Similar environmental problems on the planet arise as a result of the previously mentioned deforestation. In addition, improper use of various agricultural techniques and incorrect farming also lead to depletion of the fertile layer. And pesticides and other chemical fertilizers poison not only the soil, but also all living organisms that are interconnected with it for many years. But, as you know, layers of fertile soil are restored much more slowly than forests. It will take more than one century to fully replace the lost land covers.

Declining fresh water supplies

If you are asked: “What environmental problems of the planet are known?”, you have the right to immediately remember life-giving moisture. Indeed, in some regions there is already an acute shortage of this resource. And over time, this state of affairs will only worsen. Consequently, the above topic can be considered one of the most important in the list of “Ecological problems of the planet”. Examples of improper water use can be found everywhere. Starting from the pollution of lakes and rivers by all kinds of industrial enterprises and ending with the irrational consumption of resources at the household level. In this regard, many natural reservoirs are already closed areas for swimming. However, this is not the end of the planet's environmental problems. The list can also be continued with the next paragraph.

Extermination of flora and fauna

Scientists have calculated that in the modern world, every hour one representative of the planet’s animal or plant world dies. It is important to remember that not only poachers are involved in such actions, but also ordinary people who consider themselves respectable citizens of their country. Every day, humanity is conquering more and more new territories both for the construction of its own housing and for agricultural and industrial needs. And animals have to move to new lands or die, remaining to live in an ecosystem destroyed by anthropogenic factors. Among other things, it must be remembered that all of the above factors also have a detrimental effect on the state of flora and fauna, both current and future. For example, pollution of water bodies, destruction of forests, etc. entails the disappearance of the diversity of flora and fauna that our ancestors are accustomed to seeing. Even over the last hundred years, species diversity has declined significantly under the direct or indirect influence of anthropogenic factors.

Earth's protective shell

If the question arises: “What environmental problems of the planet are currently known?”, then it is easy to remember the holes in the ozone layer. Modern human economic activity involves the release of special substances that cause a thinning of the Earth's protective shell. Consequently, the formation of new so-called “holes”, as well as an increase in the area of ​​existing ones. Many people know this problem, but not everyone understands how all this can turn out. And this leads to dangerous solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, which negatively affects all living organisms.

Desertification

The global environmental problems presented earlier become the cause of the development of a severe catastrophe. We are talking about desertification of lands. As a result of improper farming, as well as pollution of water resources and deforestation, gradual weathering of the fertile layer, drying out of soils and other negative consequences occur, under the influence of which land covers become unsuitable not only for further use for economic purposes, but also for living people.

Declining mineral reserves

A similar topic is also present in the list “Environmental problems of the planet”. It is quite simple to list the resources currently in use. These are oil, coal of all kinds, peat, gas and other organic components of the Earth's solid shell. According to scientists, mineral reserves will come to an end in the next hundred years. In this regard, humanity has begun to actively implement technologies that operate on renewable resources, such as wind, solar, and others. However, the use of alternative sources is still quite small compared to more familiar and traditional ones. In connection with this state of affairs, modern governments are conducting various incentive programs that contribute to a deeper introduction of alternative energy sources both in industry and in the everyday life of ordinary citizens.

Overpopulation

Over the last century, there has been a significant increase in the number of people around the globe. In particular, over a period of just 40 years, the planet's population has doubled - from three to six billion people. Scientists predict that by 2040 this number will reach nine billion, which, in turn, will lead to particularly acute food shortages, shortages of water and energy resources. The number of people living in poverty will increase significantly. There will be an increase in deadly diseases.

Municipal solid waste

In the modern world, people produce several kilograms of garbage every day - these are cans from canned food and drinks, and polyethylene, and glass, and other waste. Unfortunately, at present, their recycling is carried out only in countries with a highly developed standard of living. In all other cases, such household waste is disposed of in landfills, the territory of which often occupies huge areas. In countries with a low standard of living, heaps of garbage can lie right on the streets. This not only contributes to soil and water pollution, but also increases the growth of pathogenic bacteria, which in turn leads to widespread acute and sometimes fatal diseases. It should be noted that even the Earth’s atmosphere is filled with tons of debris left over from the launches of research probes, satellites and spacecraft into the vastness of the Universe. And since it is quite difficult to get rid of all these traces of human activity naturally, it is necessary to develop effective methods for processing solid waste. Many modern states are introducing national programs that promote the distribution of easily recyclable materials.

Every modern inhabitant of the Earth knows perfectly well that the environmental problems of the planet are a real scourge of the 21st century. Many people also think about the issue of preserving and restoring the environment. Otherwise, future generations will only get a lifeless surface.

One warrior in the field!

It is likely that at least once in our lives each of us asked ourselves the question: “What environmental problems of the planet currently exist and what can I do to solve them?” It would seem, indeed, that just one person can do this? Nevertheless, each of us is capable of much. First, start “taking care” of the environment yourself. For example, throw away garbage in strictly designated containers, and it would also be a good idea to pay attention to separating waste into specific materials (glass in one bin, and plastic in another). In addition, you can regulate and gradually reduce the consumption of both electricity and other resources (water, gas) necessary for your…

Question 1. What are maximum permissible concentrations (MPC)?

The maximum permissible concentration (MAC) is the maximum amount of a harmful substance per unit volume or mass, which, with daily exposure for an unlimited time, does not cause any painful changes in the human body. MPC is established for heavy metals (lead, copper, mercury), nitrogen and sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and a large number of organic compounds (for example, containing benzene and phenols).

Question 2. What methods of reducing environmental pollution are used at industrial enterprises?

The most effective and modern way to reduce environmental pollution is to organize closed production cycles at industrial enterprises. In this case, for example, water is not discharged into rivers at all, but is used again and again in technological processes. If such a discharge does occur, a deep wastewater treatment system is required...

Deforestation

Forests enrich the atmosphere with oxygen, which is so necessary for life, and absorb carbon dioxide released by animals and humans in the process of breathing, as well as by industrial enterprises in the process of work. They play a major role in the water cycle. Trees take water from the soil, filter it to remove impurities, and release it into the atmosphere, increasing the humidity of the climate. Forests influence the water cycle. Trees raise groundwater, enriching soils and keeping them from desertification and erosion - it’s not for nothing that rivers immediately become shallow when deforestation occurs.

According to reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, deforestation continues at a rapid rate around the world. Every year, 13 million hectares of forest are lost, while only 6 hectares grow.

This means that every second a forest the size of a football field disappears from the face of the planet.

A significant problem is that the organization receives this data...