Environmental Issues

Environmental issues are harmful effects of human activity on the biophysical

environment. Environmentalism, a social and environmental movement, addresses
environmental issues through advocacy, education and activism. Some of the issues are
listed and discussed as follows.

1. Human overpopulation
The term human overpopulation often refers to the relationship between the entire human
population and its environment: the Earth, or to small geographical areas such as
countries. In other words it means that the population of a particular place exceeds the
actual accommodation by that place.This occurs because of increase in birth, less
morality rate due to new tools and techniques, immigration and many other such reasons.

2. Energy Conservation
Energy conservation is defined as reducing energy consumption through using less of an
energy service. Energy conservation differs from efficient energy use, which refers to
using less energy for a constant service. However with the world changing and new
gadgets coming into play means usage a lot of energy.Energy conservation issues,
including renewable energy for home and business, energy efficiency, and fossil fuel
depletion.

3. Land Use
Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or
wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as
arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. It also has been defined as "the total of
arrangements, activities, and inputs that people undertake in a certain land cover type.

4. Contamination of Drinking Water

Contamination of fresh water used for household needs, including pollution of oceans,
rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, ranks top on the list of environmental concerns for many
Americans. More than half of respondents stated they worry about the safety of their
drinking water a great deal.

5. Wildlife Conservation
More than 40 percent of Americans expressed concern about wildlife conservation and
associated environmental issues, such as endangered species, animal and plant extinction,
coral bleaching, introduction of invasive species, poaching, and loss of natural animal
habitats resulting in relocation and a break in the food chain.

6. Ecosystem
Ecosystem destruction and associated environmental concerns, such as aquaculture,
estuaries, shellfish protection, landscaping, wetlands, and ecological restoration.

Remedy
Listed above are the few from many environmental issues that we are currently facing as
the new generation era, and if we don’t do something to control the situation, it could
lead to such disastrous situations such as poor air that could kill people. Water that with
one drink could cause cancers and many more unimaginable consequences.
Though there is many issues, there are some solutions that can be applied daily by regular
people.
1.Human overpopulation: we could take steps to lighten the area. To do so people can
be educated about birth control,how it helps there family and economy in general. Also if
there is careful planning regarding human resources there wouldn’t be over population
due to immigration.

2. Land use: if people especially farmers are educated as to how to do agriculture,the

problem regarding land use can be greatly reduced. If farmers are shown how to take care
of the land such as doing rotational cropping, planting legumes rather than using
chemicals and fertilizers,this would atleast reduce problems.

3. Drinking water: people should be advised not to ever throw rubbish away anyhow,
specially into running waters or any kind of water. Always look for the correct waste bin.
If there is none around, please take it home and put it in your trash can. This includes
places like the beach, riverside and water bodies.

4. Wildlife Conservation: Everybody should be aware of species that are rare and to be
protected. The endangered species should be kept in care in places such as wildlife parks
and sanctuary.

5. Air pollution: To help reduce air pollution,using methods such as car pooling, walking
and not using of materials that produces pollution or methods of filtering the things to
reduce air pollution also is a method for it.

6. Energy conservation: Energy can be conserved by using the 3R’s method which are
further discussed in detail in following pages. 3R namely are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Reduce: Reducing the use of things that causes the depletion of the natural energy.
Reuse: Reusing of the things to lessen the strain on environment
Recycle: Recycling of things so that energy is not exploited again for the same reason.

3R’s for conservation

3R’s namely Reduce, Reuse and Recycle needs to work intricately for the conservation of
energy.
1. Reduce: "Reduce" means using fewer resources in the first place. This is the most
effective of the three R's and the place to begin. However reduce doesn’t mean to
completely not use the things rather it means cutting back on some things in daily life.

For example;When you shop, shop differently. Look for things that will last -- things that
are not just durable and well-made, but useful and beautiful enough to please you for a
long time. The extra money you spend on their acquisition will be offset by the money
you do not spend replacing them.

Some others ways to apply REDUCE for the resources

 Buy products made from post-consumer recycled materials, especially paper and
bathroom tissue.
 Choose electronics and appliances that are energy-efficient. Ditto for cars, which you
can also share.
 Buy stuff made close to home. Less energy was used transporting them to the store.
 Buy used. craigslist and eBay make it easy.
 Avoid goods made with materials whose extraction or processing are especially
destructive, such as tropical woods and most gold jewelry.
 Avoid overly packaged goods. The packaging is a total throw-away.
 Avoid things made with toxic materials, such as most household cleansers.
 Cut back on water use at home.
 Waste less energy on lights and equipment.
 Eat less meat.

2. Reuse: Reuse means using again of things that once already had been used.
Before you recycle or dispose of anything, consider whether it has life left in it. A jam jar
can store leftovers. Food scraps can become compost. An old shirt can become a pajama
top. An opened envelope can become a shopping list. A magazine can be shared. DVDs
can be traded. A dishwasher can be repaired. A computer can be upgraded. A car can be
resold. A cell phone can be donated. Returnable bottles can be, well... returned.

Reusing keeps new resources from being used for a while longer, and old resources from
entering the waste stream. It's as important as it is unglamorous. Think about how you
can do it more.

3. Recycle: Recycling is the "R" that has caught on the best. Partly, this is because there
are so many curbside recycling programs today (8,660 as of 2006, according to the EPA),
which makes recycling so darned easy. What keeps it from being a total piece of cake is
the rules. Every municipality has its own, and they are not always as straightforward as
they could be.
Importance of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Recycling is important in today’s world if we want to leave this planet for our future
generations. It is good for the environment, since we are making new products from the
old products which are of no use to us. Recycling begins at home. If you are not throwing
away any of your old product and instead utilizing it for something new then you are
actually recycling. When you think of recycling you should really think about the whole
idea; reduce, reuse and recycle. We’ve been careless up to this point with the way we’ve
treated the Earth and it’s time to change; not just the way we do things but the way we
think.

We should recycle because:

 To Make Environment Clean
 Conservation of Materials
 To Save Energy
 Reduce Garbage in Landfills
 Recycling is good for the environment, in the sense, we are using old and waste
products which are of no use and then converting them back to same new products.
Since we are saving resources and are sending less trash to the landfills, it helps in
reducing air and water pollution. Energy saving is important if we are to reduce the
future effects of global warming. If we recycle one aluminum can, we are able to
save enough energy to run a TV for around 3 hours. This will obviously depend on
the energy consumption of your TV, but it gives you a great idea as to just how much
energy can be saved during the process of recycling products.
It is believed that (the U.S.) cut approximately 40 million newspapers each day, leading
to the equivalent of about half a million trees ending in landfills every week. We’ve been
careless up to this point with the way we’ve treated the Earth and it’s time to change; not
just the way we do things but the way we think. Paper, plastic, glass, aluminum cans are
examples of some products that are recycled in large quantities.

When you think of recycling you should really think about the whole idea; reduce, reuse
and recycle. Think about it; if you don’t need it, don’t get it. If you have to get it, get
something that can be used again and if you get something that needs to be recycled by
the professionals, put it in the recycle bin. Conservation is an important part of recycling
issue. When you produce less garbage it helps in reducing the landfills and also helps in
giving the land back to the nature.

Recycling serve 2 purpose: First, it avoid landfills and helps in reducing air and water
pollution and secondly, valuable material like aluminum cans and plastic and glass are
reused in other forms and not wasted. Be mindful of what you do, pay attention to the
items you buy and always check yourself to see if you really need it or if it comes in a
package with less waste. We can all do our part and we will make a huge difference.
Environmental Benefits of Recycling

There will always be many environmental benefits of recycling, regardless of the times
we live in.
Especially in a world like today, where natural resources (eg. fuels, metals, etc) and
energy are being used up at an alarming rate, rapid deforestation is wiping out the earth’s
forests and massive tons of waste is produced every second, the importance of recycling
(and reducing and reusing) cannot be over-emphasized.Reduce pollution. Help the
environment by recycling.One important reason for recycling is because recycling helps
reduce pollution.

The manufacturing process (including the extraction of virgin materials from the earth)
for many products releases waste that pollutes the environment. For example, chemicals
used in the manufacturing process contribute to water pollution, especially if the
contaminated water is not properly treated before its release to the environment. The
power plants that provide the energy needed in the manufacturing process produce gases
that pollute the air.

Hence, when we reduce and reuse (instead of buying new things all the time), and we
recycle (instead of using own virgin materials), we reduce the pollution that results from
manufacturing the new products. We can also minimize pollution from the burning of fuel
in power plants that generate energy needed in the manufacturing process. These
constitute part of the benefits of recycling.

The more we buy (as opposed to reducing), and the more we throw away (instead of
reusing and recycling them), the more waste we create.

The waste we produce may come in the form of bottles, boxes, cans, refuse, furniture,
clothing, paper products, packaging waste, glass, aluminium, plastic, metals and
paperboard. This waste releases poisonous gases and chemicals into the environment
during the disposal process.

For example, when the non-biodegradable products in our waste are burned, they often
emit gases that deplete the ozone layer in the atmosphere, which in turn allows more
ultraviolet radiation to reach our living atmosphere, giving rise to global warming and
rising sea levels.

Benefits of Recycling

Imagine if the various materials (especially the non-biodegradable ones) in our waste can
be sent for recycling, the amount of waste that needs to be incinerated or buried in
landfills would be reduced. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency asserts that 75
percent of the rubbish thrown away in the US could be recycled. Imagine how much
more waste we could reduce, if we recycle (and reduce and reuse) more!

In turn, the poisonous gases and chemicals that would be released into the air, water and
land from the rubbish in the landfills or burning of certain materials (eg. plastic) in the
incinerators could be lessened. With less waste, there would also be less need for landfills
and incinerators. These lands could then be freed up for other uses.
In other words, the benefits of recycling (and reducing and reusing) in preventing
pollution are tremendous!

1. Conserve resources by recycling

Other important benefits of recycling include conserving resources.

The amounts of resources on the earth’s surface are finite. Fossil fuels and metals cannot
be replenished by nature within our lifetime. And the more we extract these resources the
less we leave for ourselves, and our future generations.

By recycling, there is less need for raw or virgin materials, less need for the resources that
has to be planted, grown and harvested or extract from underground and less need for
space in which to propagate these materials. By using recovered scrap materials (through
recycling) in place of virgin ones, there is less demand for forestry and mining practices,
which are environmentally devastating.

Recycling also helps us make full use of the precious materials that we have spent much
resources, energy and effort to extract from the earth.With such benefits of recycling, we
should really start recycling now!

2. Conserve energy by recycling

Amongst the benefits of recycling is its importance in conserving energy. It takes much
less energy to make products using recycled materials as compared making products from
raw materials.

This is because when products are made from raw materials, energy is not only expended
in the production process. Energy is also required in the extraction of the virgin materials
from the earth and the transportation of these virgin materials to the manufacturing
plants.

Whereas for production using recycled materials, the raw materials are already available
and the recyclables merely need to be broken down into their basic components for use in
manufacturing (read more on the recycling process).

For example, approximately 95 percent of the energy used to produce an aluminium can
from virgin materials can be saved by using recycled aluminium instead. This energy
saved can in fact be used to run a television set for three hours!

The same is true for other materials (read more about the recycling statistics). Although
the amount of energy saved differs by materials, almost all recycling processes achieve
significant energy savings compared to virgin material production.
Paper, which can easily be recycled, can be made from recycled paper instead of newly
cut trees. Glass cullet, the broken down glass destined for recycling, can be melted at
lower temperatures allowing the glass production industry to reduce furnace times and
temperature.

By reducing the amount of energy required in production of new materials through

recycling, we are also conserving our energy resources, for ourselves as well as our future
generations.
There is no doubt about the benefits of recycling. We have to start now!

3. Reduce deforestation by recycling

Last, but not least, one of the benefits of recycling includes reducing deforestation.
Recycling reduces the need for raw materials, so that our forests can be preserved.We
obtain many resources from our forested land, including wood for paper, fuel and
furniture, and even herbs for medicine.

Unfortunately, in meeting our unsatisfiable needs, the world is witnessing large scale
deforestation and felling of trees, at a rapidly increasing rate beyond our
imagination.With every tree lost, a price is incurred, and this price we would have to
continue paying.

Massive deforestation worldwide has had a large impact on the climate – the entire planet
is scorching and temperatures are rising all over the world leading to the melting of the
Arctic ice. We are seeing more extreme weather conditions, where summers are
becoming too hot and winters too cold, and the earth experiences either floods or famine
instead of steady rainfall like before.

No other species could have done this except for us, human beings!Now that the damage
is done, we can only start thinking of ways and means to reduce this damage and re-
create a healthier, safer, and more balanced environment. One simple but extremely
effective method of conserving forests and creating a greener world is by recycling (and
reducing and reusing)!

Let’s consider the benefits of recycling paper. By recycling paper (AND using recycled
paper), less trees need to be cut down to make paper, and more forests can be saved. In
fact, by using one ton of recycled paper, we can effectively save close to 15 trees.

But it is not only about recycling (and reducing and reusing paper). There are many
reasons why massive deforestation is taking place. But definitely, as we conserve our
resources and energy sources through recycling (and reducing and reusing), and reducing
the amount of waste we produce and hence the amount of space needed for landfills and
incinerators, we can help reduce deforestation rates.

The benefits of recycling (and reducing and reusing) on deforestation and the
environment cannot be imagined!In fact, there are also other reasons why is recycling
important, including economic, political and ethical ones.