The environmental priorities are those problems related to the alteration of the environment that must be addressed urgently. This is because if the necessary corrections are not implemented, the ecological balance of the planet would be seriously affected..
Establishing priorities is necessary, since the environmental problem is global and very complex. Therefore, it must be defined which problems to attack first and which ones later to be able to draw up effective plans, this is what priorities are about.
Among these environmental priorities is considered the state of the fundamental elements for life. These are water, air and soil, in terms of ensuring that they are not contaminated by foreign agents that affect their fundamental services..
This in turn determines other priorities, such as the problem of garbage disposal and pollution in general. In addition, in direct relation to human needs, it includes problems such as the quality of food.
As well as the conservation of forests and jungles, and of biodiversity in general. On the other hand, today the planetary climatic alteration caused by global warming has taken on special relevance..
Water is a fundamental element for life on Earth, so ensuring its availability and quality is a priority. Today the pollution of rivers, lakes and oceans is increasing, altering the properties of the waters.
Those affected in the first place are aquatic organisms that depend on certain levels of oxygen and salts in the water. Likewise, to develop properly, they require that the water be free of toxic agents..
Currently untreated sewage, oil spills, garbage, and eutrophication problems threaten water quality. Especially eutrophication (decreased oxygen in the water consumed by populations of algae with uncontrolled growth).
This growth of algae populations is due to the contamination of the waters by substances rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, such as fertilizers, detergents, organic matter and others. Coral reefs are especially susceptible to water pollution, being the most diverse and productive marine ecosystems.
Most life is aerobic (it relies on oxygen in the air to exist) and therefore preventing air pollution is a priority issue. In fact, the presence in the air of solid particles in suspension is the main cause of serious respiratory diseases.
In addition, the increased concentration in the air of gases such as COtwo it is negative for humans and many other animals. Similarly, the air can be contaminated with disease-causing agents, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi..
In addition, many air pollutants cause other problems such as the so-called greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming..
Therefore, reducing the concentration of solid particles in suspension are priority problems to be addressed. As well as the emission of gases that cause the greenhouse effect, either by retaining heat or damaging the ozone layer..
The human being requires healthy foods that are those with healthy natural properties and that do not present toxicity. Today the use of agrochemicals, the contamination of water, air and soil, cause food contamination problems.
For example, many times water is used for irrigation that does not meet adequate sanitary conditions. This can cause the human being to become infected with bacteria or pathogenic protozoa through the vegetables consumed.
Similarly, there have been frequent cases of contamination of seafood with dangerous chemicals such as mercury.
According to the World Bank report, 2,010 million tons of garbage were produced in the world in 2016. A figure that does not stop growing as the population and consumption increase.
However, the real problem is the disposal of such garbage, which in most cases ends up in rivers and oceans. Another important percentage of garbage is burned and pollutes the air, or buried, damaging the soil..
Therefore, it is a priority to have systems to process and dispose of garbage, where the practice of the three Rs is of great importance. It is about reducing the production of garbage, reusing objects instead of throwing them away, and recycling or processing discarded materials to produce new objects..
This has become the highest priority environmental problem on the planet, due to the serious consequences it causes for life. Although the climate has changed many times in the history of the Earth, the problem today is that it does so too fast and because of us.
Indeed, especially since the mid-nineteenth century, human-produced industrial development has increased the amount of COtwo in the atmosphere. As well as other gases such as nitrous oxide (NtwoO), methane (CH4), hydrofluorocarbons (HCH) and other.
These are the gases called Greenhouse Effect, because they cause effects that cause an increase in the earth's temperature, which causes various environmental problems, affecting many species, altering the winds, sea currents and melting the polar ice..
The forests and jungles of the planet are the terrestrial ecosystems with the greatest biological diversity on the planet. They also play an important role in regulating the climate and especially in the water cycle..
Therefore, the loss of forests and jungles represents a serious problem that must be addressed with high priority. Especially considering the accelerated speed at which forests and jungles are being lost.
According to the FAO, forests and jungles were lost at the rate of 4.7 million hectares per year between 2010 and 2020. On the other hand, when the forest cover is lost, soils and water are lost and life is extinguished. The priority in this area is to stop the deforestation of jungles and forests.
Life on Earth is a network of relationships, so when one species disappears there is a risk that others will disappear. So the problem of the loss of biological diversity and the need to conserve species is a high priority..
Furthermore, the conservation of species is closely related to the general conservation of the environment. Just consider, for example, the role that birds, bats and bees play in pollinating plants and maintaining forests..
One of the biggest environmental problems we face in the modern world is pollution. This is due to the fact that human activities generate large amounts of liquid, gaseous and solid waste, which end up in the environment, altering it..
This problem includes the contamination of water, soil, air and food. Today there are few places on Earth that are not affected by pollutants of human origin. From fertilizers in waters and greenhouse gases, to large islands of plastics in the middle of the oceans.
Soils are currently affected by pollution and desertification, meaning that many areas are turning into deserts. According to world data, soils are degraded at a rate of 20 million hectares per year. In fact, desertification already affects a quarter (25%) of the planet's surface.
This results in the loss or contamination of soils reducing the ability to produce food. As well as the natural terrestrial ecosystems, whose base is the soil, from which the plants take their nutrients, are also affected.
Yet No Comments