EM Unit 04 Current Environmental Problems.pdf

7/28/2019 EM Unit 04 Current Environmental Problems.pdf

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Fundamentals of Environment Unit 04

Page No. 322

Unit 04 Current Global Environmental Problems

Structure

04.1 Introduction

Objective

04.2 Overview of global environmental issues

04.3 Globe warming and climate change impacts

Forestry impacts

Agricultural impacts

Impacts on Energy sector

Human health impacts

04.4 Ozone Depletion

04.5 Resource Depletion

04.6 Pollution Hazards including transboundary effects

04.7 Summary

04.8 Glossary

04.9 Terminal Questions

04.10 Answers

04.1. Introduction

In the previous unit, we discussed the trends in human populations and their

impact on environment. In this unit let us learn about the current

environmental issues like global warming, ozone depletion, resource

depletion that can severely affect the lives of humans and the environment

as a whole.Many early scientists such as Svante Arrhenius (the Swedish scientist -

1896) predicted that human activities would interfere with earth physical

process and may result in global warming and sudden change in climatic


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conditions. This prediction has become true. The instable climatic conditions

are now disrupting the global environmental stability. Human interventionshave caused environmental change such as land use and unintentional by-

products like pollutants. For example, climate change is caused by emission

of different greenhouse gases, deforestation and land-use practices. The

ability to create and transfer environmental pressures varies from one

region to another. Affluent societies have high levels of production,

consumption and trade. They tend to create more global and transboundary

environmental pressures than the less affluent societies. Less affluent

societies can also create environmental pressures but usually interact with

the environment in a more direct fashion. Regardless of any particular

country, region or race, environmental degradation affects all kinds of living

being on a global scale. The entire world being a stakeholder raises issues

on who has to do what to overcome environmental degradation.

Objectives

After studying this unit you will be able to

discuss an overview of environmental and ecological problems

across the globe

list the impacts of climate change on agriculture, energy production

and human health

discuss impacts caused by ozone depletion in Southern Hemisphere explain different aspects of pollution related issues in the world

04.2 Overview of Global Environmental Issues

Climatic changes is intensely affecting human health, food

production, food security and resource availability.

Extreme atmospheric condition is affecting vulnerable and poor

human communities.

Many premature deaths are occurring due to indoor and outdoor

pollution. Land degradation is reducing agricultural productivity. This has also

lowered incomes and affected food security.


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Reduction in the supply of safe water is produces severe effects on

human health and economic activity. Fish stocks are decreasing drastically. This has created economic

losses and a loss of food supply.

Increase in the species extinction rates are resulting in the loss of

genetic pools that are unique in nature and are the potential sources

for future agricultural and medical advances.

Table 04.1: Environmental Issues by region


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(Source: Geo Environment Outlook 3, Earthscan Publications Ltd, London

Sterling, VA)

04.3 Global Warming and Climate Change Impacts

Global emission of greenhouse gases is expected to grow by 37% in the

near future and may reach upto 52% by 2050 as shown in figure 04.1. This

can increase the global temperature in the range of 1.7-2.4 Celsius by

2050. Increase in global temperature can cause droughts, heat waves,

storms and floods, thereby damaging the key infrastructure and crops.

Due to climate change and unsustainable use and management of

resources the issue of water scarcity is expected to worsen. The number of

people living in areas prone to severe water stress is likely to grow by 1

billion to over 3.9 billion. Air pollution is also expected to increase worldwide

causing severe health impacts, premature deaths, etc. Developing

countries, which are less equipped to manage and adapt to environmental

issues, may probably face the greatest environmental impacts.

Figure 04.1:Green house gas emissions by region

(Source: OECD environmental outlook to 2030)

04.3.1 Forestry impacts


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Climate can be considered as the important determinant of vegetation

patterns throughout the world. It has a significant effect on the distribution,structure and ecology of forests. Studies conducted by the Third

Assessment Report of IPCC (Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change)

that the climate change can significantly impact the forest ecosystems in the

near future. Global warming of 12C (the estimate is much less than the

recent projection of warming) can also impact the ecosystems and

landscapes causing changes in species composition, productivity and

biodiversity. Thus, the people who depend on forest resource for their living

can be seriously affected by the climate change.

The future forest conditions can be determined based on the following

climate factors:

Air temperature

Precipitation amount and seasonal distribution

Carbon dioxide concentrations in atmosphere

Frequency and intensity of wildfire events

Climatic variability

Frequency and intensity of extreme events

Indirect effects on pollution levels such as tropospheric ozone

Forest location, composition and productivity are expected to vary due to

the changes in global temperature. Tree species are likely to migrate due to

the variations in climatic condition, causing changes in the geographic

distribution of forest types further having new combination of species in the

forests. In North America, many tree species are likely to move towards

north or to higher elevations.

Climate change can cause forest disturbance such as fire or disease. This

can produce a significant impact on the future of forests and the market for

the forest products such as timber. Many areas or regions have becomedrier due to climate change. These areas are more susceptible to the slight

increase in temperatures, causing the risk of fire in those drier areas.

Climate change can also contribute to the rapid increase of diseases and

pests that harm the tree species. These kinds of disturbances also can be


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harmful to forests. However, this may have less impact at the market level

due to salvage operations, which include harvesting timber from the dyingforests.

The impact of climate change can be seen everywhere. For example, the

snows of Kilimanjaro are shrinking and are expected to disappear within

next few decades. Glaciers and sea ice are gradually shrinking and by the

end of this century, there may be no Arctic sea ice in summer. The Antarctic

ice sheet is less likely to lose mass as it is in a very colder climate. Existing

areas that are preferred for vegetation and crops may move towards the

poles to adapt to the farming practices and ecosystems. However, there is

limited scope for many species and ecosystem to move due to a wide

variety of barriers. The most recent study estimates that approximately aquarter of the world's known animals and plants (more than a million

species) are likely to die because of global warming, which is expected to

increase in the next fifty years.

04.3.2 Agricultural impacts

The impacts of climate change on agriculture depend on the level of carbon

dioxide in the atmosphere, rising temperatures and availability of water and

nutrient resources. Increased levels of carbon dioxide can fertilise plants

and crops. This is referred to as carbon dioxide fertilization effect. Rising

temperature increases the rate of photosynthesis in the plants, therebyincreasing the rate at which plant releases carbon dioxide. A slight increase

in the level of temperature increases growth. However an extreme increase

in the level of temperature can decrease the growth rate of plants. As the

temperature rises, the rate of evaporation also increases, causing the soils

to dry out. This results in insufficient water supply, which adversely affects

the plant growth.

Climate change produces extreme weather conditions such as high

temperature, heavy rainfall, floods, drought, etc., that directly affects the

agricultural yield. It also produces some indirect effects on agricultural yield

mainly through changes in soil quality, pests, and diseases. As thetemperature increases, pest population also increases, resulting in pest

related problems in the agricultural fields. According to Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), food production is expected to decline in

low-latitude regions (particularly in the seasonally dry tropics) as even a mild


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increase in temperature decreases the agricultural yields in these areas. It is

also expected that crop yield in tropical countries like India, Malaysia,Indonesia, etc., will reduce by at least 30% by 2050, causing severe impact

on the country's food security. Today, many developing countries in Asia are

facing a high risk of food shortage due to decline in crop production, rapid

population growth and urbanisation.

The IPCC projections indicate that in Africa, the land area suitable for

agriculture is significantly reduced. Drought-prone areas of Africa are more

vulnerable to food shortage. Some rain-fed yields are also expected to

decline as much as 50% by 2020. African coral reef and mangroves is likely

to degrade, producing negative effects on fisheries. Fish supplies in Africa

may also reduce due to the rising lake temperatures and over fishing.

In the higher latitudes, the winter season will be shorter and the growing

season will be longer. Hence, rise in temperature generally benefit the

agriculture in these areas. With the local average temperature ranging from

2 to 5F (1 to 3C), regions such as Northern Europe, North America, New

Zealand, and parts of Latin America benefit from increased growing season

length, depending on the crop. Generally, these areas expect more flooding.

If the local average temperature goes beyond this range, then agricultural

yields can reduce in some of these regions.


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Box 1. Climate Change likely to affect adversely in Bangladesh

The climate all over the world is becoming more unsustainable. In recentyears, many countries like the United States and the United Kingdom

have been struck by unexpected floods, hot days and snow falls. This

indicates that our climate is changing at a rapid rate, causing many

changes in our lives and communities.

Scientists predicted that in Bangladesh, the impact of climate change will

be in the form of floods, salinity and droughts, causing severe affect on

crop productivity and food security. The costal zones of Bangladesh

might face the risk of rise in sea water level, lack of fresh water and river

erosion. During the raining season, Bangladesh faces flooding of

different scales. Climate change might increase the intensity and

duration of such floods, producing devastating effects on society and

economy of the country.

Bangladesh is a densely populated country with over 1000 people per

square kilometre. It has a low per capita income. More than 40 percent

of the population lives in poverty while a significant percentage is hard

core poor. This densely populated country is facing many natural

problems such as cyclones, floods, droughts, etc as well as socio-

economic problems such as poverty, poor health, high unemployment,

etc. In future, Bangladesh might also have to face adverse effect ofclimate change.

(Source: The Financial Express, Dhaka, Monday, October 10, 2011)


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Box 2. Europeans fear climate change more than financial turmoil

According to the new Euro barometer poll, Europeans consider that the

impacts of climate change on environment is more serious than the

current financial turmoil. The poll suggests that a large number of people

in the European Union consider global warming as one of the world's

most serious problems. Among these one-fifth considers it as the single

most serious problem. Overall respondent consider climate change as

the second most serious problem in the world, after poverty.

This survey also showed that the Europeans do not consider the

economic challenges as the only problem faced by the country. Majority

of Europeans expect political as well as business leaders to deal withthe serious challenges of climate change. According to poll, the number

of people considering climate change as a very serious problem has

increased from 64% in 2009 to 68% in 2011. People ranked the

seriousness of the problem as 7.4 out of 10, which was slightly high

compared to the score of 7.1 two years ago.

People also believed that the country can gain economic benefits by

tackling issues created from climate change. Eight out of 10 people

considered that by addressing the serious climate challenges, country

can boost its economy and create jobs. Two years ago, just two-third of

the people considered climate change as serious problem. Around 68%

of people across the European Union supported for imposing taxes to

penalise the one involved in greenhouse gas emissions, thus

encouraging energy efficiency. Many Europeans claimed that they took

appropriate action like recycling household waste to combat climate

change and minimise greenhouse gas emission in the past six months.

However, this measure ranks fairly low with regard to the reduction of

greenhouse gas emissions. European commission hailed the results of

the Eurobarometer poll as an evidence so that people across member

states support the measures to deal with problems caused due to

climate change.

Source: The Guardian, Friday 7, October 2011

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment)


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Projected impacts of climate change on Indian agriculture

Increase in carbon dioxide to 550 ppm increases the production ofcrops such as rice, wheat, legumes and oilseeds by 10-20%.

The production of crop decreased even with slight increase in

temperature. A 1oC rise in temperature reduces the yields of wheat,

soybean, mustard and groundnut. With 1oC increase in temperature,

the yields of potato decreases by 3-7%.

The production of crops is expected to decrease marginally by 2020,

and by 10-40% by 2100.

The production of chickpea, rabi maize, sorghum and millets, and

coconut may possibly improve in west coast.

North-western India may possible experience less loss in potato,

mustard and vegetables due to reduced frost damage.

Increase in droughts and flood can increase production variability and

can have considerable impact on insects, microbes and pathogens.

Rise in sea and water temperature may possible affect fish breeding,

migration, and harvests.

Increase in water, shelter and energy requirements to maintain

livestock.

Animal distress due to heat. Further, climate change produces

negative effects on reproduction, causing loss of 1.5 million tons of

milk by 2020.

Instability in food trade because of positive effects on North America

and Europe, and negative impacts on us.

(Source:

http://moef.nic.in/downloads/othersVulnerability_PK%20Aggarwal.pdf)

Self Assessment Questions1. Mild increase in temperature levels generally favourable for __________

sector.

(a) Energy (b) Information technology (c) Construction (d) Agricultural


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2. Climatic factors play an essential role in forest development. Say true or

false.04.3.3 Impacts on Energy sector

There is an impact of energy production and use on climate (Figure 15.2).

Climate change impacts energy supply and demand depends not only on

climatic factors, but even on land use, patterns of economic growth,

population growth, technology change and different social and cultural

trends that bring significant changes in the actions of the individuals and

institutions.

Hydropower is the energy source which is susceptible to changes in

precipitation and temperature. Hence, Hydropower generation is likely to bedirectly affected by the climate change. It is difficult to project changes in

precipitation at regional scale. This means, depending on the region, climate

change may affect hydropower either positively or negatively.

Climate change could possibly affect the infrastructure of energy production,

transmission and distribution. For example, if there are extreme weather

events in a region such as windstorms, ice storms, floods, tornadoes and

hail, then the electric power transmission systems could have a higher rate

failure, imposing a huge attendant costs.

Operations of power plants can also be affected by high degree of heat

waves. For example, during extreme temperature, the intake of water used

to cool power plants become warm.

Climate change also affects some renewable sources of energy. It is difficult

to predict the climatic conditions. If climate change causes cloudiness, then

the production of solar energy decreases. Climate change can also affect

the production of wind energy. If the speed of wind is above or below the

acceptable range of the technology, then it affects the production of wind

energy. Climate change causes changes in growing conditions which in turn

affects the biomass production and power plant fuel source, which has

begun to receive more attention (IPCC, 2007).

In northern hemisphere, as the world experience warm climate, the

consumption of energy probably changes in climate-sensitive sectors.

Following are the possible effects:


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(1) Energy utilised in commercial, residential and industrial buildings for

space heating decreases and space cooling increases.(2) Energy used for water heating in residential, commercial, and

industrial buildings decreases, whereas energy used for refrigeration

and cooling increases.

(3) Energy utilised to supply other resources for climate-sensitive work

such as pumping water for irrigated agriculture and municipal uses

increases.

(4) Balance of energy used such as electricity used for air conditioning

and natural gas used for heating changes.

(5) Energy consumption in major climate-sensitive sectors of economy,which include transportation, construction, agriculture, and others,

also changes.

Figure 04.2: Energy resources and uses


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(Source: Michael Grubb 2006, Climate change impacts, energy, and

development, Paper to World Bank)04.3.4 Human Health Impacts

The local climatic conditions prevalent throughout the world influence the

human health and the occurrence of some diseases. Extreme temperature

can causes serious threats to life. Climate-related disturbances such as

increase in the range of infective parasites in the ecological systems can

result in the rise of many serious infectious diseases. Warm temperature

can also increase air and water pollution, causing threats to human health.

Human health can be affected by many factors such as urbanisation,

affluence, individual behaviour and vulnerability (genetic makeup, nutritionalstatus, and economic status), scientific developments, etc. The impacts of

climate change on human health differ by region, extent of exposure to

climate change, vulnerability of population groups and societys ability to

adapt to the changes. According to IPCC, changing weather patterns

directly affects the health of human beings, whereas, changes in water, air,

food quality and quantity, ecosystems, agriculture, and economy imposes

indirect impact on the human beings. The effects are expected to

progressively increase throughout the world.

Temperature: The average temperatures are predicted to raise the level of

heat waves and intensify the incidence of hot extremes. By the end of thecentury, Chicago is predicted to experience 25% more heat waves and Los

Angles is projected to experience a four-to-eight-fold rise in heat wave.

People with heart problems or asthma, including the particular segments of

population such as the elderly, the very young and the homeless, can be

vulnerable to extreme heat.

Extreme Events: Extreme weather events such as flood, drought,

hurricanes, etc., can seriously affect the human health and well-being. The

U.S Global Change Research Program is investigating how climate change

increases the frequency and severity of these events. If the frequency of

extreme events increases, then there will be increase in number of deaths,

injuries, infectious diseases, and stress-related disorders.

Climate-Sensitive Diseases: As the climate changes, the risk of some

infectious diseases also increases. In warm areas, mosquitoes and other


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insects spread diseases like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and

encephalitis. As the temperature increases, the algal blooms occur morefrequently in areas with polluted waters. This makes the diseases, like

cholera, that accompany algal blooms to become more frequent. Higher

temperature and favourable rainfall patterns can sustain disease

transmission seasons in the areas where diseases already exist. Heat

waves, especially in urban "heat islands" can directly affect the people

having heart problems or respiratory disease. Rise in temperatures can

increase ground-level ozone as well as accelerate the onset of pollen

season, leading to asthma attacks.

The research conducted by IPCC showed that the risk of vector-borne

diseases such as malaria is likely to increase globally by 220-400 million inthe next century. The risk of vector-borne diseases is predicted to occur

more in Africa. Other countries such as Britain, Australia, India and Portugal

may also face some increased risk of such diseases.


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Box 3 Climate Change in India: A Case Study of Sundarbans

mangroves

The Sunderbans, world's largest mangrove ecosystem, spread across

Bangladesh and India, covering an area of 6,000 Sq.km. The Ganges,

Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers meet at Sunderbans and flow into the Bay

of Bengal. Sunderbans has 20,000 square km network of creeks and

canals, tidal rivers and estuaries. It has about one hundred islands

supporting rich biodiversity. The Sunderbans has the largest tiger population

and is considered as the only mangrove tiger habitat in the world. Bengal

tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) are very strong and uses a large territory.

The IPCC has forecast that the extreme weather conditions, which include

severe storm surges, droughts and flood, in Sunderbans may become

worse. The sea level is also expected to rise, which may submerge the

entire Sunderbans. It is also estimated that rise in sea level (about 45cm)

can inundate 75% of the area while a 1m rise can completely inundate and

submerge the Sunderbans, destroy productive lands, wipe out species, and

devastate ecosystem goods and services. Scientists predict that about 15%

of 12 islands of Sunderbans are identified as the most vulnerable and may

possibly disappear by 2020. More than a million people in India and

Bangladesh may likely be affected by 2050. In last few years, the region has

experienced a rise in sea level (more than 2.5 cm/year), also the monsoon

has been shifted for a period of 15 20 days, increases the vulnerability of the

community and the ecosystem. About 65% of the people in Sunderbans

depend upon agriculture and they strongly suspect climate change to be

responsible for causing rise in sea level, delay in monsoon seasons,

prolonged summer seasons and a drastic increase in rainfall over the past

15 years. The key threats to agriculture in Sunderbans include crop

vulnerability due to changing weather patterns, exposure to pests and

salinity in freshwater supplies.. Communities in Sunderbans have started to

adapt to the climate change by changing crop types, increasing rainwater

harvesting, changing the timing of cropping and constructing mud-barrages

around the island.

(Source: http://assets.wwfindia.org)


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04.4 Ozone Depletion

Stratospheric ozone and causes for its depletion is discussed in detail inprevious chapters. The hole in the stratospheric ozone layer, over the

Antarctic, is now the largest ever. Over the last 20 years, the emissions of

ozone-depleting substances (ODS) have considerably decreased. However,

the concern about the condition of stratospheric ozone still exists. Many

industrialised countries have taken precautionary measures, way before the

impacts were evident, to protect stratospheric ozone layer. Their

responsiveness for making the reductions in the manufacture and

consumption of ODS was successful throughout the world. Even though

emissions of ODS have minimised in the last 20 years, it is estimated that

the stratospheric ozone layer may not recover completely until between2060 and 2075, assuming full Montreal Protocol compliance.

Some degree of stratospheric ozone layer depletion can be seen

everywhere, except over the tropics. Seasonal stratospheric ozone layer

depletion is intense over the poles (the Antarctic in particular). The inhabited

areas that are affected by the increase in ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation include

parts of Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. It is not possible to

determine whether the area under the ozone hole has hit its peak because

the ozone hole varies every year. The largest hole was seen in 2000, 2003

and 2006. On 25 September 2006, the ozone hole was over 29 million

square kilometres, recorded as the largest ozone loss (World Meteorological

Organisation 2006). Chemistry climate models indicate that recovery to pre-

1980 Antarctic ozone levels is possible by 2060-2075.

The atmosphere above the Antarctic region is much colder than the

atmosphere above the Arctic region. Hence the possibility of ozone

depletion over the Arctic zone is likely to be less severe than the Antarctic

region. Stratospheric meteorological conditions vary from one winter to

another. Thus ozone depletion is highly variable during the Arctic winter and

spring. Some unexpected ozone losses were also noticed over central

Europe in summer of 2005. A future ozone hole above Arctic region may notappears as severe as that of the Antarctic ozone hole, however the

population at risk from the Arctic ozone hole is much higher than the

Antarctic ozone hole (UNEP 2006).


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Figure 04.3: Ozone layer depletion over Antarctic region

(Source: NASA, 2006)

The incidence of ozone depletion can impose a major effect on lives or

ecosystems. Even if there is a minute hole in the ozone layer, a huge

amount of ultraviolet light from the sun reaches the surface of the planet

Earth. If 1% of the ozone layer is lost, then 2% of ultraviolet light is able to

reach the Earth. As huge amount of ultraviolet light reaches the Earth,

harmful consequences of ozone depletion also increases, causing skincancer. Enormous exposure to this ultraviolet light can increase the cancer

levels. According to EPA, around 60 million Americans born by the year

2075 would suffer from skin cancer, mainly due to ozone depletion. The

EPA estimates that about one million of these people would die due to the

complications. Some research also shows that increase in ozone depletion

would also increase the occurrence of malaria and other infectious

diseases. The EPA also expects to have 17 million more cases of cataracts.

The ozone depletion would produce a negative effect on the environment.

This would change the life cycle of plants, further disrupting the food chain.

There would be severe effects on the animals, which would be very difficultto predict. Oceans would also be negatively affected by ozone depletion.

Microscopic organisms like plankton may possibly die out. If that happened,

then all other animals in the food chain (above plankton) would possibly not

survive. Other ecosystems such as forests and deserts would also be


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affected by ozone depletion. The depletion of the ozone layer would also

affect the planet's climate. This would change the wind patterns which inturn result in climatic changes throughout the world.

04.5. Resource Depletion

Many comprehensive studies such as Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

showed that long-term changes in the condition of natural resources

produces negative impacts on society and economy. Over the past two

centuries , the world has seen many impressive developments in human

science and technology. However, the factors responsible for creating this

highly sophisticated society possible are rapidly being depleted, ultimatelythreatening human survival.

Current industrial civilization is built on a trinity of elements like metals,

hydrocarbons (fossil fuels) and electricity. Each element is dependent on

the other two. Electricity and metals are used to extract the hydrocarbons

(fossil fuels), which create electricity and process metals from ore. Fossil

fuels are used to generate electric power. Among the three elements,

electricity is the most fragile element. Electrical failure gives a signal that the

entire basis of current society is expected to collapse. In the period between

1990 and 2008, the use of electricity was increased by 70% throughout the

world. The generation of global energy per capita is not increasing to thelevel at which (41% per capita) usage of electricity is increasing. In short,

the rate at which energy is being used is faster than the rate at which it is

produced.

In fact, global economy is dependent on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and

natural gas. Petroleum products not only provide fuel but also provide other

products such as asphalt, fertilizer, lubricants, paint and plastics. The

world's population has used about half of the estimated 2 trillion barrels of

petroleum in the period between 1850 and 2010. Presently, people use

about 30 billion barrels of oil annually. Some analysts also estimated that by

2030, the production of oil will fall to about half of the amount. Coal and

natural gas reserves are also on the decline.

Meanwhile, global mineral depletion is not easy to determine. This is

because of the following reasons:


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Recycling can recover usable minerals

Economic trade makes it difficult to monitor the usage of minerals

One mineral can replace another

The U.S. Geological Survey however indicates that most non-renewable

resources have passed their peak amounts. Among these are bauxite

(peaking in 1943), copper (1998), iron ore (1951), magnesium (1966),

phosphate rock (1980), potash (1967), rare earth metals (1984), tin (1945),

titanium (1964), and zinc (1969). In spite of recycling, the non-renewable

resources continue to bevulnerable to depletion.In some location, clean water is more valuable than fossil fuel. That is

because the production of fresh, clean water is considerably declining.

According to the United Nations' Global Environment Outlook 4 report, by

2050, around two billion people (a third of the world's current population) are

expected to live in regions with water scarcity, whereas, remaining two-

thirds may possibly be under water stress. This means that they will reach

the threshold beyond which there will not be enough water to support

agriculture, industry, energy production and domestic life.

The lands suitable for cultivation of food crops are declining. From a global

resource depletion viewpoint, the future of the world appears barren. The

question to be answered is, whether mankind will be able to make decisionsabout population and energy conservations to preserve the human species

before it is too late.

Self Assessment Questions

3. Montreal Protocol deals about control of ozone depletion substance: say

Yes or No

4. __________may lead to the changes in the geographic distribution of

forest types.

a) Landslides b) Tsunami c) Climate change d) floods

5. Natural resource depletion may leads to negative impacts on society.

Say: Yes or No


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04.6. Pollution Hazards including Transboundary Effects

Environmental pollution is the main cause for the increased incidences of

diseases (up to 20%) in developing countries. Poor women, in particular,

are vulnerable to respiratory diseases due to exposure to the indoor air

pollution. Acute respiratory infections are the main cause of death in

children. Children under the age of five die due to Pneumonia (respiratory

disease). Unsafe water and poor sanitation can be considered as the

worlds second biggest killer of children. Due to diarrhoea (caused by

infection and food poisoning), about 1.8 million children die every year and

about 443 million school days are missed.

Urban air pollution is severely affecting health of living beings and has

become one of the most widespread environmental problems throughout

the world. Air pollution has reduced in many industrialised countries,

however in some countries, particularly in Asia, air pollution has

considerably increased. Rapid growth of population, economic development

and urbanisation are the factors responsible for deterioration of air quality

and exploitation of fossil fuels. According to WHO, more than 1 billion

people in Asian countries are exposed to air pollutant levels exceeding their

guidelines (WHO 2000). WHO conducted a survey in 2002 which showed

that more than 800,000 people died prematurely due to the effects of PM10.


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Figure 04.4: Premature Deaths Due to Outdoor Urban PM10 Pollution by

Region in 2000(Source: Geo Environment Outlook 4)

Human activities on land either alter water availability or generate water

pollutants, causing changes in water quality. The quality of water is good in

upstream and in the open oceans, whereas the quality of water is degraded

in downstream and in estuarine and coastal areas. Pollutants like microbial

contaminants and excessive nutrient loads are a primary cause for

concern. Groundwater found in some parts of Bangladesh and adjacent

parts of India has high natural arsenic content. In many areas fluoride

content is found in groundwater, causing major health impacts. Some of the

main origins of pollutants are nutrients, Persistent Organic Pollutants

(POPs), microbial pathogens, heavy metals and oxygen-consuming

materials. The main origins of pollutants are pesticides, oxygen-consuming

materials, suspended sediments and nutrients. Highly saline water andradioactive materials are also pollutants of primary concern in some

locations. Inadequate sanitation facilities, improper wastewater disposal and

animal waste cause microbial pollution, leading to severe human illness

and death. Wastewater pollution on coastal waters causes several health

impacts as well as imposes an economic cost of US$12 billion/year.

A pollution that originates in one country and is able to spread to anothercountry, through pathways like water or air, thereby affecting the country's

environment is called Transboundary pollution. This type of pollution can be

spread across hundreds and thousands of kilometres. It is not contained

within the boundaries of any single nation. Hence it is called Transboundary

Pollution. The major problem caused by this pollution is that it can carry

pollution from a nation whose emissions are very high onto a nation where

emissions are relatively low.

04.7 Summary

Let us recapitulate some important points discussed in this unit:

Anthropogenic environmental ramifications are being considered

responsible for millions of human deaths, early extinction of species

and climate change.


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In spite of innovative measures and enforcements, the

environmental problems continue to grow in different shapes. To alleviate the environmental problems at global level more tools

like strategic environmental assessments that incorporate

environmental concerns into policies should be made mandatory.

The United States and Canada were the first to introduce the

environmental assessments for planned policies in the 1970s. Such

reforms in developing countries can check further environmental

deterioration.

04.8 Glossary

Transboundary pollution: A pollution that originates in one country and is

able to spread to another country, through pathways like water or air,

affecting the country's environment.

ODS: Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) such as CFCs.

POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants, which is responsible for point source

pollution

04.9 Terminal Questions

1. Describe in detail about global environmental issues.

2. List out some of the impacts of climate change on human health.

3. Discuss- Impact of climate change on Indian agriculture sector.

4. How resource depletion would affect humanity.

5. Discuss in detail about transboundary pollution.

04.10 Answers

SAQ

1. (d) Agricultural

2. Yes


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3. Yes

4. c) Climate change

5. Yes

Terminal Questions

1. Refer section 04.2



4. Refer section 04.55. Refer section 04.6

References

1. Global Environment Outlook 4(2007), United Nations Environment

Programme

2. OECD ENVIRONMENTAL OUTLOOK TO 2030, (2008), ISBN 978-

92-64-04048-9 IPCC, (2007), Climate Change 2007: Impacts,

Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Exit EPA Disclaimer Contribution ofWorking Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Eds:Parry, Martin L.,

Canziani, Osvaldo F., Palutikof, Jean P., van der Linden, Paul J.,

and Hanson, Clair E.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,

United Kingdom, 1000 pp.

E-References

1. http://epa.gov/climatechange/effects/health.html. Accessed on

October 2011.

2. http://library.thinkquest.org/ 26026/ Environmental_Problems/ozone_depletion.html. Accessed on October 2011

3. http://environmental-issues.org/content/resource-depletion,

http://www.inforesources.chf.Accessed on October 2011


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EM Unit 04 Current Environmental Problems.pdf

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