KEY ENVIRONMENT

ISSUES
DR. MARIUM MINHAS BANDEALI
LECTURE 4
 MAJOR PROBLEMS EARTH IS FACING:

• Some of the problems the earth and humanity now face include:

• Deforestation
• Air pollution
• Water pollution
• Overpopulation
• Climate change
• Reduction of biodiversity
• Depletion of natural resources
DEFORESTATION:

• Forest are being destroyed for timber, and to open land for
building or farming.
• Deforestation causes extinction, changes to climatic conditions,
desertification, and displacement of populations.
• Establishment of nature reserves and reduced resource
consumption can limit this.
AIR POLLUTION

• Primarily caused by emissions from factories and means of transportation.

• Harmful effects on humans include increased heart disease, difficulty in
breathing, emphysema, asthma, and premature mortality.
• More efficient technology, and significantly reduced reliance on fossil fuels
are primary means of improving air quality.
WATER POLLUTION

• Sources include toxic wastes from industries, pesticides and fertilizers, and
city sewage.
• Polluted water is unfit for drinking or agriculture, and harmful to plants,
animals, fish and birds. It disturbs the entire eco-system.
• Means of prevention include organic farming, strict regulation of industrial
waste disposal, and using natural household products.
OVERPOPULATION

• More people on Earth increases demand for resources and exacerbates

every other environmental problem.
• Estimated figures suggest that the world population will be more than 9
billion by the year 2050.
• Ways of addressing the problem include improved education, health care,
family planning, tax incentives, and sex education
CLIMATE CHANGE

• Nearly all climate scientists agree that human activities are changing the
Earth’s climate—mainly through the consumption of fossil fuels.
• Rising global temperatures can lead to more extreme weather, rising sea
levels, massive ecological disruption, and economic catastrophes.
• There is hope that new technologies can slow or stop climate change, but the
only feasible solution may be drastic reduction of carbon emissions
REDUCTION OF BIODIVERSITY

•
The number of species going extinct has increased drastically over the last
few centuries and can have a grave impact on ecological balance.
• The primary cause is destruction of wilderness, but other causes include
overhunting, invasive species, and pollution, and climate change.
• The most effective way of maintaining biodiversity is to preserve and protect
natural habitats.
DIMINISHING NATURAL RESOURCES

• Humanity is depleting Earth’s supplies of clean water, crude oil, minerals,

natural gas, and more.
• Besides the shortages of resources we are due to face at current rates, this
level of consumption causes great disturbance of ecological systems.
• The common mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle is a good guide to lowering
resource consumption, with reducing being the most important.
 SUMMARY: WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

• Establish and protect nature reserves

• Reduce consumption of natural resources
• Reduce use of fossil fuels
• Develop alternative energy sources
• Effectively regulate industrial waste disposal
• Provide health care
• family planning
• sex education
• Support and encourage organic farming