Environmental

Protection
NSTP Chapter IV
Environmental protection
 is the practice of protecting the natural
environment by individuals, organizations and
governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural
resources and the existing natural environment
and, where possible, to repair damage and reverse
trends.
Environmental protection
 Due to the pressures of overconsumption, population
growth and technology, the biophysical environment is
being degraded, sometimes permanently. This has been
recognized, and governments have begun placing
restraints on activities that cause environmental
degradation. Since the 1960s, environmental
movements have created more awareness of the
multiple environmental problems. There is disagreement
on the extent of the environmental impact of human
activity, so protection measures are occasionally debated.
Climate change
 Climate change is the global phenomenon of
climate transformation characterized by the
changes in the usual climate of the planet
(regarding temperature, precipitation, and wind)
that are especially caused by human activities. As
a result of unbalancing the weather of Earth,
the sustainability of the planet’s ecosystems is
under threat, as well as the future of humankind
and the stability of the global economy.
Climate change
 climate change says it is “a broad range of global
phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil
fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to Earth’s
atmosphere. These phenomena include the increased
temperature trends described by global warming, but
also encompass changes such as sea-level rise; ice
mass loss in Greenland, Antarctica, the Arctic and
mountain glaciers worldwide; shifts in flower/plant
blooming; and extreme weather events.”
Causes of Climate Change
Below are a few of the ways humans are accelerating
climate change.
 Greenhouse Gases
 Solar Activity
 Agriculture
 Deforestation
 Human Activity
 Livestock
Greenhouse Gases
 Greenhouse gases play a vital role in the earth’s climate cycles. As
the planet gets hit with the sun’s rays, some of the energy is
absorbed, and the rest of that energy and heat gets reflected into
space. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap the reflected energy,
redirecting it back down to the earth and eventually contributing to
global warming. Various gases play this role, including:
 Water vapor
 Carbon dioxide (CO2)
 Methane
 Nitrous oxide
 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Greenhouse Gases
 While some of these greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, are naturally
occurring, others, such as CFCs, are synthetic. CO2 is released into the
atmosphere from both natural and human-made causes and is one of the
leading contributors to climate change. CO2 has been increasing at an
alarming rate and has the potential to stay in the earth’s atmosphere for
thousands of years unless it gets absorbed by the ocean, land, trees, and
other sources. However, as CO2 production has steadily risen, the earth’s
natural resources to absorb it has also been diminished. This is already
occurring in many ways as earth's resources are disappearing from things
like deforestation. Some studies even predict that plants and soil will be
able to absorb less CO2 as the earth continues to warm—possibly
accelerating climate change even further.
Solar Activity
 Solar activity, as mentioned above, does play a
role in the earth’s climate. While the sun does go
through natural cycles, increasing and decreasing
the amount of energy that it emits to the earth, it is
unlikely that solar activity is a major contributor to
global warming or climate change. Since scientists
began to measure the sun’s energy hitting our
atmosphere, there has not been a measurable
upward trend.
Agriculture
 There are many significant ways in which agriculture
impacts climate change. From deforestation in places like the
Amazon to the transportation and livestock that it takes to
support agricultural efforts around the world, agriculture is
responsible for a significant portion of the world’s
greenhouse gas emissions. However, agriculture is also an
area that is making tremendous strides to become more
sustainable. As productivity increases, less carbon is being
emitted to produce more food. Agriculture also has the
potential to act as a carbon sink, and could eventually absorb
nearly the same amount of CO2 it emits.
Deforestation
 Deforestation and climate change often go hand in hand.
Not only does climate change increase deforestation by
way of wildfires and other extreme weather, but
deforestation is also a major contributor to global
warming. According to the Earth Day Network,
deforestation is the second leading contributor to global
greenhouse gasses. Many people and organizations
fighting against climate change point to reducing
deforestation as one of, if not the most, important issues
that must be addressed to slow or prevent climate change.
Human Activity
 According to the Environmental Protection
Agency, the most significant contributor to climate
change in the United States is the burning of fossil
fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Of
these factors, transportation in the form of cars,
trucks, ships, trains, and planes emits the largest
percentage of CO2–speeding up global warming
and remaining a significant cause of climate
change.
Livestock
 While interconnected to many of the agricultural
and deforestation issues we have already touched
on, livestock in the form of cattle, sheep, pigs, and
poultry play a significant role in climate change.
According to one study, “Livestock and Climate
Change,” livestock around the world is responsible
for 51% of annual global greenhouse gas
emissions.
Effects of Climate Change
Extreme Weather
 Changes to weather are perhaps the most noticeable effect of climate change for
the average person. One reason for this is the financial impact severe weather
events can have. So far in the U.S. during 2019, there have been six climate
disasters, most costing more than $1 billion. According to the National Climate
Assessment, extreme weather events will continue to increase in frequency and
intensity as climate change continues to happen. Extreme weather influenced
by climate change includes:
 Stronger storms & hurricanes
 Heat waves
 Wildfires
 More flooding
 Heavier droughts
Safety & Economic Challenges
 Climate change is likely to cause economic
challenges in many parts of the world. Some
estimates have the U.S. already spending around
$240 billion annually due to human-caused
climate change, and future costs are projected to
be even higher. However, putting an exact number
on the real costs of climate change is difficult once
you consider the staggering costs of losing natural
resources like clean air and water.
Health
 There are many ways in which climate change could impact people’s
health. Depending on age, location, and economic status, climate
change is already affecting the health of many and has the potential
to impact millions more. According to the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, climate change-related health risks may
include:
 Heat-related illness
 Injuries and fatalities from severe weather
 Asthma & cardiovascular disease from air pollution
 Respiratory problems from increased allergens
 Diseases from poor water quality
 Water & food supply insecurities
Negative Impact in Ecosystems
 Ecosystems are interconnected webs of living
organisms that help support all kinds of plant and
biological life. Climate change is already changing
seasonal weather patterns and disrupting food
distribution for plants and animals throughout the
world, potentially causing mass extinction events.
Some studies estimate that nearly 30% of plant
and animal species are at risk of extinction if
global temperatures continue to rise.
Water & Food Resources
 Climatechange could have a significant impact on
food and water supplies. Severe weather and
increased temperatures will continue to limit crop
productivity and increase the demand for water.
With food demand expected to increase by nearly
70% by 2050, the problem will likely only get
worse.
Sea Levels Rising
 Rising sea levels could have far-reaching effects
on coastal cities and habitats. Increasing ocean
temperatures and melting ice sheets have steadily
contributed to the rise of sea levels on a global
scale. At current rates the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration estimate sea levels to
rise by at least 8 inches by 2100, potentially
causing increased flooding and decrease in ocean
and wetland habitats.
Shrinking Ice Sheets
 While contributing to rising sea levels, shrinking
ice sheets present their own set of unique
problems, including increased global temperatures
and greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change has
driven summer melt of the ice sheets covering
Greenland and Antarctica to increase by nearly
30% since 1979.
Ocean Acidification
 The ocean is one of the main ways in which CO2
gets absorbed. While at first glance that may sound
like a net positive, the increasingly human-caused
CO2 is pushing the world’s oceans to their limits
and causing increased acidity. As pH levels in the
ocean decrease, shellfish have difficulty
reproducing, and much of the oceans’ food cycle
becomes disrupted.
SOLID-WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid-waste management
 the collecting, treating, and disposing of solid material that
is discarded because it has served its purpose or is no
longer useful. Improper disposal of municipal solid
waste can create unsanitary conditions, and these conditions
in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and to
outbreaks of vector-borne disease—that is, diseases spread
by rodents and insects. The tasks of solid-waste
management present complex technical challenges. They
also pose a wide variety of administrative, economic, and
social problems that must be managed and solved.
Solid-waste management
6 main types of SWM
 Municipal Solid Waste
 Hazardous wastes
 Industrial Wastes
 Agricultural Wastes
 Bio-Medical Wastes
 Waste Minimization
Municipal Solid Waste
 The term municipal solid waste (MSW) is generally used to
describe most of the non-hazardous solid waste from a city,
town or village that requires routine collection and transport
to a processing or disposal site, Sources of MSW include
private homes, commercial establishments and institutions, as
well as industrial facilities.
 However, MSW does not include wastes from industrial
processes, construction and demolition debris, sewage sludge,
mining waste or agricultural wastes. MSW is also called as
trash or garbage. In general, domestic waste and MSW are
used as synonyms.
A. Municipal Solid Waste
 Municipal solid waste contains a wide variety of materials. It
can contain food waste (like vegetable and meat material,
leftover food, eggshells etc, which is classified as wet
garbage as well as paper, plastic, tetra-pack, plastic cans,
newspaper, glass bottles, cardboard boxes, aluminium foil,
meta items, wood pieces, etc., which is classified as dry
garbage
B. Hazardous waste
 are those that can cause harm to human and the
environment.
Characteristics of Hazardous Wastes:
1. Toxic wastes:
 Toxic wastes are those that are poisonous in small or
trace amounts. Some may have acute or immediate effect
on human or animals. Carcinogenic or mutagenic
causing biological changes in the children of exposed
people and animals. Examples: pesticides, heavy metals.
B. Hazardous Waste
2. Reactive wastes:
 Reactive wastes are those that have a tendency to react vigorously with air or
water are unstable to shock or heat, generate toxic gases or explode during
routine management. Examples: Gun powder, nitro glycerin.
3. Ignitable waste:
 Are those that burn at relatively low temperatures (< 60 °C) and are capable of
spontaneous combustion during storage transport or disposal. Examples:
Gasoline, paint thinners and alcohol.
4. Corrosive wastes:
 Are those that destroy materials and living tissues by chemical reactions?
Examples: acids and base.
5. Infectious wastes:
 Included human tissue from surgery, used bandages and hypoderm needles
hospital wastes.
C. Industrial Wastes
 These contain more of toxic and require special
treatment.
Source of Industrial Wastes:
 Food processing industries, metallurgical chemical
and pharmaceutical unit’s breweries, sugar mills,
paper and pulp industries, fertilizer and pesticide
industries are major ones which discharge toxic
wastes. During processing, scrap materials,
tailings, acids etc.
D. Agricultural Wastes
Sources of Agricultural Wastes:
 The waste generated by agriculture includes waste
from crops and live stock. In developing countries,
this waste does not pose a serious problem as most
of it is used e.g., dung is used for manure, straw is
used as fodder. Some agro-based industries produce
waste e.g., rice milling, production of tea, tobacco
etc. Agricultural wastes are rice husk, degasses,
ground nut shell, maize cobs, straw of cereals etc.
E. Bio-Medical Wastes
 Bio-medical waste means any waste, which is
generated during the diagnosis, treatment or
immunization of human beings or animals or in
research activities pertaining thereto or in the
production or testing of biological.
F. Waste Minimization
 Waste production can be minimized by adopting
the 3 R’s principle: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
a. Reduce the amount and toxicity of garbage and trash
that you discard.
b. Reuse containers and try to repair things that are
broken.
c. Recycle products wherever possible, which includes
buying recycled products i.e., recycled paper books,
paper bags etc.
Reduce (Waste Prevention)
 Waste prevention, or “source reduction,” means
consuming and discarding less, is a successful method
of reducing waste generation. Backyard composting,
double sided copying of papers, purchasing durable,
long- lasting environmentally friendly goods; products
and packaging that are free of toxics, redesigning
products to use less raw material production and
transport packaging reduction by industries are the
normal practices used and have yielded substantial
environmental benefits.
Reuse
 Reuse is the process, which involves reusing items
by repairing them, donating them to charity and
community groups, or selling them. Reusing
products is an alternative to recycling because the
item does not need to be reprocessed for its use
again. Using durable glassware, steel using cloth
napkins or towels, reusing bottles, reusing boxes,
purchasing refillable pens and pencils are
suggested.
Recycling
 Recycling can create valuable resources and it
generates a host of environmental, financial, and
social benefits. Materials like glass, metal,
plastics, and paper are collected, separated and
sent to processing centers where they are
processed into new products.