Introduction

Environmental degradation is an umbrella concept which covers a variety of issues including

pollution, biodiversity loss & animal extinction, deforestation & desertification, global
warming, and a lot more.

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of

resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of
wildlife. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be
deleterious or undesirable.

Environmental degradation is one of the ten threats officially cautioned by the High-level
Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change of the United Nations. The United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines environmental degradation as "The
reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and
needs". Environmental degradation is of many types. When natural habitats are destroyed or
natural resources are depleted, the environment is degraded. Efforts to counteract this
problem include environmental protection and environmental resources management.

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of

resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction;
the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment
perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.[1] As indicated by the I=PAT equation, environmental
impact (I) or degradation is caused by the combination of an already very large and increasing
human population (P), continually increasing economic growth or per capita affluence (A), and the
application of resource-depleting and polluting technology (T).[2][3]
Environmental degradation is one of the ten threats officially cautioned by the High-level Panel on
Threats, Challenges and Change of the United Nations. The United Nations International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction defines environmental degradation as "the reduction of the capacity of the
environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs".[4] Environmental degradation
comes in many types. When natural habitats are destroyed or natural resources are depleted, the
environment is degraded. Efforts to counteract this problem include environmental
protection and environmental resources management.
There are many examples of environmental degradation throughout the world. A recent example is
the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires. The Amazon makes up 60% of all rainforests. It is the earth's
lungs and with it getting destroyed is posing a huge threat to the environment and the whole world.
The effects of the deforestation will pose major impacts on the world around us. The constant cutting
down of trees is getting rid of our oxygen supply as well as the absorption of co2. With the
continuation of deforestation we will have less available oxygen in the world which could be a
detrimental problem for human health. An alternate issue that results from this is the
overconsumption and waste of the paper products that come from those trees. The waste it typically
produces does not get recycled, therefore, immense amount of waste is created. An additional
harmful result from this is the degradation of the soil. The constant deforestation causes the soil to
become less nutrient which will make it harder to be used again.

Meaning
 Environmental degradation is a process through which the natural environment is
compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the general health of the
environment. This process can be entirely natural in origin, or it can be accelerated or
caused by human activities. Many international organizations recognize environmental
degradation as one of the major threats facing the planet, since humans have only been
given one Earth to work with, and if the environment becomes irreparably
compromised, it could mean the end of human existence. Environmental degradation
are defined as actions taken by people that cause the planet Earth or its systems
(air, water, etc.) to become damaged or harmed in some way.

The deforestation of the rain forests is an example of environmental degradation.

Environmental degradation is the deterioration (causing degenerative

harm) of the environment through exhaustion of natural assets such as
water, soil, and air including the ecosystem, habitat intrusion, wildlife
extermination, and environmental pollution. It is an apparent change in
the environment deemed undesirable or pernicious. Environmental
degradation has captured the attention of the globe and necessary
actions and policies have been established to control the state of affairs.
An increase in population over the years has led to rapid economic
growth through utilization of resource-depleting activities and pollution
technology. The general efforts applied to counteract this menace is
environmental management and protection.

Objective

To create awareness, conduct research and training for the protection and
promotion of public interest, environmental justice with a focus on India and
other South Asian Countries.
To help victims of pollution and environmental degradation to seek and
obtain social environmental justice.
To work actively for the protection of environment and cultural heritage of
India. To work for the protection of Himalayas, rain forests, mangroves, coastal
ecology, water, conservation of natural resources, health education,
population control and food security.
To implement community oriented research and training programs in the area
of public interest and sustainable development.
To set up an information, resource, cultural and environmental law and justice
center.

Important

Some environmental life species require substantial areas to help provide food, living
space, and other different assets. These creatures are called area specific. At the point
when the biome is divided, the vast patches of living space don’t exist anymore. It gets to
be more troublesome for the wildlife to get the assets they need in order to survive. The
environment goes on, even though the animals and plant life are not there to help sustain
it properly.

1. Land Disturbance: A more basic cause of environmental degradation is land damage.

Numerous weedy plant species, for example, garlic mustard, are both foreign and
obtrusive. A rupture in the environmental surroundings provides for them a chance to
start growing and spreading. These plants can assume control over nature, eliminating the
local greenery. The result is territory with a solitary predominant plant which doesn’t
give satisfactory food assets to all the environmental life. Whole environments can be
destroyed because of these invasive species.

2. Pollution: Pollution, in whatever form, whether it is air, water, land or noise is harmful
for the environment. Air pollution pollutes the air that we breathe which causes health
issues. Water pollution degrades the quality of water that we use for drinking
purposes. Land pollution results in degradation of earth’s surface as a result of human
activities. Noise pollution can cause irreparable damage to our ears when exposed to
continuous large sounds like honking of vehicles on a busy road or machines producing
large noise in a factory or a mill.

3. Overpopulation: Rapid population growth puts strain on natural resources which

results in degradation of our environment. Mortality rate has gone down due to better
medical facilities which has resulted in increased lifespan. More population simple means
more demand for food, clothes and shelter. You need more space to grow food and
provide homes to millions of people. This results in deforestation which is another factor
of environmental degradation.

4. Landfills: Landfills pollute the environment and destroy the beauty of the city.
Landfills come within the city due the large amount of waste that gets generated by
households, industries, factories and hospitals. Landfills pose a great risk to the health of
the environment and the people who live there. Landfills produce foul smell when burned
and cause huge environmental degradation.

5. Deforestation: Deforestation is the cutting down of trees to make way for more homes
and industries. Rapid growth in population and urban sprawl are two of the major causes
of deforestation. Apart from that, use of forest land for agriculture, animal grazing,
harvest for fuel wood and logging are some of the other causes of deforestation.
Deforestation contributes to global warming as decreased forest size puts carbon back
into the environment.

6: Natural Causes: Things like avalanches, quakes, tidal waves, storms, and wildfires
can totally crush nearby animal and plant groups to the point where they can no longer
survive in those areas. This can either come to fruition through physical demolition as the
result of a specific disaster, or by the long term degradation of assets by the presentation
of an obtrusive foreign species to the environment. The latter frequently happens after
tidal waves, when reptiles and bugs are washed ashore.
Of course, humans aren’t totally to blame for this whole thing. Earth itself causes
ecological issues, as well. While environmental degradation is most normally connected
with the things that people do, the truth of the matter is that the environment is always
changing. With or without the effect of human exercises, a few biological systems
degrade to the point where they can’t help the life that is supposed to live there.

Effects of Environmental Degradation

1. Impact on Human Health: Human health might be at the receiving end as a result of
the environmental degradation. Areas exposed to toxic air pollutants can cause
respiratory problems like pneumonia and asthma. Millions of people are known to have
died of due to indirect effects of air pollution.

2. Loss of Biodiversity: Biodiversity is important for maintaining balance of the

ecosystem in the form of combating pollution, restoring nutrients, protecting water
sources and stabilizing climate. Deforestation, global warming, overpopulation and
pollution are few of the major causes for loss of biodiversity.

3. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is responsible for protecting earth from harmful
ultraviolet rays. The presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the
atmosphere is causing the ozone layer to deplete. As it will deplete, it will emit harmful
radiations back to the earth.

4. Loss for Tourism Industry: The deterioration of environment can be a huge setback
for tourism industry that rely on tourists for their daily livelihood. Environmental damage
in the form of loss of green cover, loss of biodiversity, huge landfills, increased air and
water pollution can be a big turn off for most of the tourists.
5. Economic Impact: The huge cost that a country may have to borne due to
environmental degradation can have big economic impact in terms of restoration of green
cover, cleaning up of landfills and protection of endangered species. The economic
impact can also be in terms of loss of tourism industry.

As you can see, there are a lot of things that can have an effect on the environment. If we
are not careful, we can contribute to the environmental degradation that is occurring all
around the world. We can, however, take action to stop it and take care of the world that
we live in by providing environmental education to the people which will help them pick
familiarity with their surroundings that will enable to take care of environmental
concerns thus making it more useful and protected for our children and other future
generations.

Suggestion

To protect environment, following suggestions are given:

(i) Social Awareness:
It is the need of the hour to spread social awareness about the dangers
of pollution. It is also required how each individual can contribute to
check this problem.

(ii) Population Control:

If environment is to be protected it is essential to check population
growth.

(iii) Strict Application of Environment Conservation Act:

The Environment (Protection) Act was passed in 1986 in India. Its
objective was to check deterioration in the quality of environment.
This legislative measure should be strictly enforced.
(iv) Control over Industrial and Agricultural Pollution:
It is necessary for environmental protection that air and water
pollution caused by industrial development should be controlled
properly. To avoid agricultural pollution, use of pesticides and
chemical fertilizers should be minimized.

(v) Afforestation Campaign:

Extensive afforestation campaign should be launched in the interest of
environment protection.

(vi) Water Management:

River waters should be made clean. Moreover, provision should be
made to supply clean drinking water to the rural population.

(vii) Management of Solid Waste:

Planned management of solid waste is very essential. It is suggested
that rural garbage be converted into compost.

(viii) Improvement in Housing:

Living places of the people should be made neat and clean. Slums
should be replaced by airy and well lighted dwelling houses. To
conclude the discussion, it is said that economic development and
environment protection should be made complementary to each other.
Clean environment is the basic requirement of healthy living.
Conclusion

In conclusion, environmental degradation, increased poverty, financial crisis, food, and energy
crisis are the main global issues of concern contemporarily. According to Babonea and Joia
(2012), the main causes of these issues are increased global pollution and the increased adoption
of development technology that is not sustainable in nature. Therefore, these issues called for
major deliberations worldwide focusing on how to address them. Some of the major
recommendations aimed at addressing the issues arose from the Rio+20 conference that
advocated for a shift to the green economy. The conference established that a shift to green
economy is the best way of spurring global development that is sustainable in nature. Therefore,
according to the recommendations of the conference, this was the best way of addressing the
current global needs, financial crisis, and poverty in a manner that is sustainable. However, the
concept of green economy came across many objections from the developing countries, which
held that the move did not address their issues in any way. In spite of these arguments, it is vital
for all the countries to shift towards the green economy. It is essential for all countries to shift
towards the green economy if they intend to address their present needs without compromising
their future ability of addressing the needs (Babonea &Joia, 2012).

environmental problems leads us to conclude that a new balance of research

programs may be helpful. This report describes a framework for conducting
research in a way that will help alleviate the problems of the moment while
providing a basis for solving tomorrow's problems.

In the past, pressing environmental issues have been addressed primarily through
focused research efforts directed toward solving particular problems. Although this
approach to environmental research can be effective, has often been necessary, and
will surely continue, it also has limitations. In order to address the abundance of
established, emerging, and as-yet-unknown environmental issues, an expanded
understanding of the scientific principles underlying environmental systems is
needed. Achieving this understanding will require innovative, interdisciplinary
approaches.

To develop the knowledge needed to address current and emerging

environmental issues, EPA should undertake both problem-driven
research and core research. Problem-driven research is targeted at understanding
and solving identified environmental problems, while core research aims to provide
broader, more generic information that will help improve understanding of many
problems now and in the future. Core research includes three components: (1)
understanding the processes that drive and connect environmental systems; (2)
development of innovative tools and methods for understanding and managing
environmental problems; and (3) long-term collection and dissemination of
accurate environmental data.

Research activities within problem-driven and core research programs may often
overlap. Fundamental discoveries can be made during the search for a solution to a
narrowly defined problem; likewise, as illustrated earlier in this report,
breakthroughs in problem-solving often occur as a result of core research efforts.
Both kinds of investigations are needed, and feedback between them will greatly
enhance the overall environmental research endeavor (see Figure 5-1).
Because EPA's task of protecting the environment and human health is so vast
and difficult, and because resources to undertake the necessary research are
very limited, choices will have to be made among many worthwhile
projects. The approaches for making these choices will be different in the core and
problem-driven portions of the research program. The former should seek better
understanding of fundamental phenomena and generate broadly relevant research
tools and information. The latter will be more responsive to regulatory activities
and other immediate needs and should be guided by the paradigm of risk reduction.
Because there are so many specific issues of importance to the public, the Congress,
and EPA's own program and regional offices, there is a temptation to include many
problems for attention. It is important to resist this trend: it will inevitably lead
either to the dilution of efforts to solve the most pressing problems or to the
reduction of funding available for critical core research needs.