UNIT4 Environmnetal Issues

1) GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Greenhouse effect is the process by which radiations from the sun are
absorbed by the greenhouse gases and not reflected back into space.

OR
Greenhouse effect, a warming of Earth’s surface and troposphere (the
lowest layer of the atmosphere) caused by the presence of water
vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, and certain other gases in the air.

Greenhouse Gases
“Greenhouse gases are the gases that absorb the infrared radiations and
create a greenhouse effect. For eg. carbon dioxide and
chlorofluorocarbons.”

The major contributors to the greenhouse gases are factories,

automobiles, deforestation, etc. The increased number of factories and
automobiles increases the amount of these gases in the atmosphere. The
greenhouse gases never let the radiations escape from the earth and
increase the surface temperature of the earth
Causes of Greenhouse Effect
The major causes of the greenhouse effect are:

1) Burning of Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are an important part of our lives. They are widely used in
transportation and to produce electricity. Burning of fossil fuels releases
carbon dioxide. With the increase in population, the utilization of fossil
fuels has increased. This has led to an increase in the release of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
2) Deforestation
Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Due to the
cutting of trees, there is a considerable increase in the greenhouse gases
which increases the earth’s temperature.

3) Farming
Nitrous oxide used in fertilizers is one of the contributors to the
greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.
 4) Industrial Waste and Landfills
The industries and factories produce harmful gases which are released in
the atmosphere.
Landfills also release carbon dioxide and methane that adds to the
greenhouse gases.

Effects of Greenhouse Effect

The main effects of increased greenhouse gases are:
1) Global Warming
It is the phenomenon of a gradual increase in the average temperature of
the Earth’s atmosphere. The main cause for this environmental issue is
the increased volumes of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and
methane released by the burning of fossil fuels, emissions from the
vehicles, industries and other human activities.
2) Depletion of Ozone Layer
Ozone Layer protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays from the
sun. It is found in the upper regions of the stratosphere. The depletion of
the ozone layer results in the entry of the harmful UV rays to the earth’s
surface that might lead to skin cancer and can also change
the climate drastically.
The major cause of this phenomenon is the accumulation of natural
greenhouse gases including chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide,
methane, etc.
3) Smog and Air Pollution
Smog is formed by the combination of smoke and fog. It can be caused
both by natural means and man-made activities.
Smog is generally formed by the accumulation of more greenhouse
gases including nitrogen and sulfur oxides. The major contributors to the
formation of smog are automobile and industrial emissions, agricultural
fires, natural forest fires and the reaction of these chemicals among
themselves.
4) Acidification of Water Bodies
Increase in the total amount of greenhouse gases in the air has turned
most of the world’s water bodies acidic. The greenhouse gases mix with
the rainwater and fall as acid rain. This leads to the acidification of water
bodies.
Also, the rainwater carries the contaminants along with it and falls into
the river, streams and lakes thereby causing their acidification.

Prevention of greenhouse effect

• Afforestation: Afforestation on a large scale area helps in

decreasing the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Conservation of energy: Switching to renewable sources of
energy such as solar energy, wind energy, etc will reduce the use
of fossil fuels. This eventually reduces the release of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Policy intervention: When the government comes up with strict
policies to maintain the overall air quality of the city.

2) GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth’s temperature generally due to

the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and
other pollutants.

Causes of global warming

The following are the global warming causes that are contributing to the climate
problem.
1) Deforestation- Plants are the main source of oxygen. They
take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen thereby
maintaining environmental balance. Forests are being
depleted for many domestic and commercial purposes. This
has led to an environmental imbalance, thereby giving rise to
global warming.

2) Waste: Because of the amount of packaging used and the

short life cycle of items, humans are producing more waste
than ever before. Many things, garbage, and packaging are
not recyclable, so they end up in landfills. When rubbish in
landfills decomposes/breaks down, it emits toxic gases into
the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

3) Power plants: Power plants use fossil fuels to run, and as a

result, they emit a range of pollutants. The pollution they
produce ends up not just in the atmosphere but also in the
waterways, which contributes significantly to global
warming.

4) Industrialization- The waste generated by this industry is all

disposed of in landfills or in our surrounding environment.
Chemicals and minerals used in industrialization can damage
not just the atmosphere, but also the land beneath it.

5) Oil and gas: Oil and gas are ubiquitous in practically every
business. It is most commonly seen in automobiles,
buildings, manufacturing, and the generation of power. When
 we burn coal, oil, and gases, we contribute significantly to
the climate problem. The usage of fossil fuels also poses a
hazard to wildlife and the surrounding ecosystem due to the
toxicity that destroys plant life and renders areas
uninhabitable.
6) Chlorofluorocarbon- With the excessive use of air
conditioners and refrigerators, humans have been adding
CFCs into the environment which affects the atmospheric
ozone layer. The ozone layer protects the earth surface from
the harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. The CFCs
have led to ozone layer depletion making way for the
ultraviolet rays, thereby increasing the temperature of the
earth.
7) Agriculture- Various farming activities produce carbon
dioxide and methane gas. These add to the greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere and increase the temperature of the earth.
8) Overpopulation- An increase in population means more
people breathing. This leads to an increase in the level of
carbon dioxide, the primary gas causing global warming, in
the atmosphere.
9) Use of Vehicles- The use of vehicles, even for a very short
distance results in various gaseous emissions. Vehicles burn
fossil fuels which emit a large amount of carbon dioxide and
other toxins into the atmosphere resulting in a temperature
increase
Effects of Global Warming
Following are the major effects of global warming:
1) Rise in Temperature
Global warming has led to an incredible increase in earth’s temperature.
The earth’s temperature has increased by ~1 degrees. This has resulted
in an increase in the melting of glaciers, which have led to an increase in
the sea level. This could have devastating effects on coastal regions.
2) Threats to the Ecosystem
Global warming has affected the coral reefs that can lead to the loss of
plant and animal lives. Increase in global temperatures has made the
fragility of coral reefs even worse.
 3) Climate Change
Global warming has led to a change in climatic conditions. There are
droughts at some places and floods at some. This climatic imbalance is
the result of global warming.
4) Spread of Diseases
Global warming leads to a change in the patterns of heat and humidity.
This has led to the movement of mosquitoes that carry and spread
diseases.
5) High Mortality Rates
Due to an increase in floods, tsunamis and other natural calamities, the
average death toll usually increases. Also, such events can bring about
the spread of diseases that can hamper human life.
6) Loss of Natural Habitat
A global shift in the climate leads to the loss of habitats of several plants
and animals. In this case, the animals need to migrate from their natural
habitat and many of them even become extinct. This is yet another major
impact of global warming on biodiversity.

Methods to Prevent Global Warming

Some Methods to Prevent Global Warming are given below:
• Reduce your driving time.
• Increase your recycling efforts.
• Cut back on the amount of hot water you use.
• Avoid items with a lot of packing.
• Think about planting a tree.