Environmental Issues Dismantling the World

Made by: Ненад Јаковчевски Клас III-6

Скопје, Декември, 2021 година

 ♦Most Prevalent Environmental Issues
Brief Overview:
The climate crisis is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, and we are not ready for it.
While the crisis has many factors that play a role in its exacerbation, some warrant more attention
than others do. Our environment faces several problems, and many of these seem to be worsening
with time, bringing us into a time of a true environmental crisis. It is therefore becoming
increasingly important to raise awareness of the existence of these issues, as well as of what must
be done to reduce their negative impact.
Some of the key issues are:
(1) Pollution
Pollution is any undesirable change in physical,
chemical or biological characteristics of air, land, water
or soil. Agents that bring about such an undesirable
change are called as pollutants. Pollution of the air,
water and soil caused by toxins such as plastics, heavy
metals and nitrates, caused by factors such as toxins
and gases released by factories, combustion of fossil
fuels, acid rain, oil spill and industrial waste.

(2) Overpopulation
We are facing a shortage of resources such as food, water and fuel to
sustain the rising global population, particularly in developing countries.
Intensive agriculture attempting to lessen the problem actually leads to more
damage through the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides.

(3) Waste disposal & Ocean acidification

An excessive amount of waste is produced and dumped in the oceans. Nuclear
waste is particularly dangerous, as well as plastics and electronic waste. The
increase in the production of carbon dioxide by humans causes the oceans’ acidity to rise, which
has a negative impact on marine life.

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 (4) Deforestation & Loss of biodiversity
Loss of trees in order to make space for
residential, industrial or commercial projects
means that less oxygen is produced, and
temperature and rainfall are affected. Species
and habitats are becoming extinct due to human
activity. This causes an imbalance in natural
processes like pollination and poses a threat to
ecosystems – coral reef destruction is
particularly affected.

(5) Acid rain & Ozone layer depletion

Pollutants in the atmosphere such as sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen oxides cause acid rain, which has negative
consequences for humans, wildlife and aquatic species.
Pollution caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the air
creates a hole in the ozone layer, which protects the earth
from harmful UV radiation.
(6) Global warming
The emission of greenhouse gases due to human activity causes global
warming, which in turn causes an increase in temperature that then leads to rising
sea levels, melting of polar ice caps, flash floods and desertification. Increase in
the level of greenhouse gases has led to considerable heating of Earth leading to
global warming. During the past century, the temperature of Earth has increased
by 0.6 oC, most of it during the last three decades.

! - Scientists believe that this rise in temperature is leading to

deleterious changes in the environment and resulting in odd climatic
changes (e.g. El Nino effect), thus leading to increased melting of polar ice caps as well
as of other places like the Himalayan snow caps. Over many years, this will result in a
rise in sea level that can submerge many coastal areas. The total spectrum of changes
that global warming can bring about is a subject that is still under active research.

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 Timeline and History Overview - Climate Change:
900 / 1300 - The Medieval Warm Period brings warm weather to Europe, thanks to an unusually
strong North Atlantic Oscillation bringing in extra heat.
1350 / 1650 - The Little Ice Age chills parts of the northern hemisphere.
1709 - As the Little Ice Age comes to an end, Europe experiences a freakishly cold winter.
The Discovery of Global Warming
1800-1870
Level of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the atmosphere, as later measured in ancient ice, is about
290 ppm (parts per million). Mean global temperature (1850-1890) is roughly 13.6°C.
First Industrial Revolution. Coal, railroads, and land clearing speed up greenhouse gas emission,
while better agriculture and sanitation speed up population growth.
1824 - Fourier calculates that the Earth would be far colder if it lacked an atmosphere.
1827 - French polymath Jean-Baptiste Fourier predicts an atmospheric effect keeping the Earth
warmer than it would otherwise be. He is the first to use a greenhouse analogy.
1859 - Tyndall demonstrates that some gases block infrared radiation, and notes that changes in
the concentration of the gases could bring climate change.
1863 - Irish scientist John Tyndall publishes a paper describing how water vapor can be a
greenhouse gas.
1879 - International Meteorological Organization begins to compile and standardize global
weather data, including temperature.
1890s - Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius and an American, P C Chamberlain, independently
consider the problems that might be caused by CO2 building up in the atmosphere. Both
scientists realized that the burning of fossil fuels could lead to global warming, but neither
suspects the process might already have begun.
1896 - Arrhenius publishes first calculation of global warming from human emissions of CO2.
1897 - Chamberlin produces a model for global carbon exchange including feedbacks.
1870 / 1910 - Second Industrial Revolution. Fertilizers and other chemicals, electricity, and
public health further accelerate growth.
1890s / 1940s - Average surface air temperatures increase by about 0.25 °C. Some scientists see
the American Dust Bowl as a sign of the greenhouse effect at work.
1914 / 1918 - World War I; governments learn to mobilize and control industrial societies.
1920 / 1925 - Opening of Texas and Persian Gulf oil fields inaugurates era of cheap energy.

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 1930s - Global warming trend since late 19th century reported. Milankovitch proposes orbital
changes as the cause of ice ages.
1938 - Callendar argues that CO2 greenhouse global warming is underway, reviving interest in
the question.
1940s / 1970s - Worldwide cooling of 0.2°C. Scientific interest in greenhouse effect wanes.
Some climatologists predict a new ice age.
1939 / 1945 - World War II. Military grand strategy is largely driven by a struggle to control oil
fields.
1945 - U.S. Office of Naval Research begins generous funding of many fields of science, some
of which happen to be useful for understanding climate change.
1955 - Phillips produces a convincing computer model of the global atmosphere.
1956 - Ewing and Donn offer a feedback model for abrupt climate change. Plass calculates that
adding CO2 to the atmosphere will have a significant effect on the radiation balance.
1957 - Launch of Soviet Sputnik satellite. Cold War concerns support 1957-58 International
Geophysical Year, bringing new funding and coordination to climate studies. US oceanographer
Roger Revelle warns that humanity is conducting a “large-scale geophysical experiment” on the
planet by releasing greenhouse gases. Colleague David Keeling sets up first continuous
monitoring of CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Keeling soon finds a regular year-on-year rise.
1958 - Telescope studies show a greenhouse effect raises temperature of the atmosphere of
Venus far above the boiling point of water.
1960 - Mitchell reports downturn of global temperatures since the early 1940s. Keeling
accurately measures CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere and detects an annual rise. The CO2 level is
315 ppm. Mean global temperature (five-year average) is 13.9°C.
1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis, peak of the Cold War.
1963 - Calculations suggest that feedback with water vapor could make the climate acutely
sensitive to changes in CO2 level. First meeting of experts concerned with global warming warns
that a rise in sea level is likely, with "immense flooding" of shorelines
1965 - Boulder, Colorado meeting on causes of climate change: Lorenz and others point out the
chaotic nature of the climate system and the possibility of sudden shifts.
1966 - Emiliani's analysis of deep-sea cores and Broecker's analysis of ancient corals show that
the timing of ice ages was set by small orbital shifts, suggesting that the climate system is
sensitive to small perturbations.
1967 - International Global Atmospheric Research Program established, mainly to gather data
for better short-range weather prediction, but including climate. Manabe and Wetherald make a
convincing calculation that doubling CO2 would raise world temperatures a couple of degrees.

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 1968 - Studies suggest a possibility of collapse of Antarctic ice sheets, which would raise sea
levels catastrophically.
1969 - Astronauts walk on the Moon, and people perceive the Earth as a fragile whole. Budyko
and Sellers present models of catastrophic ice-albedo feedbacks. Nimbus III satellite begins to
provide comprehensive global atmospheric temperature measurements.
1970 - First Earth Day. Environmental movement attains strong influence, spreads concern about
global degradation. Creation of US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the world
leading funder of climate research. Aerosols from human activity are shown to be increasing
swiftly. Bryson claims they counteract global warming and may bring serious cooling.
1971 - SMIC conference of leading scientists reports a danger of rapid and serious global change
caused by humans, calls for an organized research effort. Mariner 9 spacecraft finds a great dust
storm warming the atmosphere of Mars, plus indications of a radically different climate in the
past.
1972 - Ice cores and other evidence show big climate shifts in the past between relatively stable
modes in the space of a thousand years or so, especially around 11,000 years ago. =>Rapid
change Droughts in Africa, Ukraine, India cause world food crisis, spreading fears about climate
change.
1973 - Oil embargo and price rise bring first "energy crisis".
1974 - Cooling from aerosols suspected to be as likely as warming; some journalists talk of a
new ice age but scientists doubt all theories, call for more research.
1975 - Warnings about environmental effects of airplanes lead to investigations of trace gases in
the stratosphere and discovery of danger to ozone layer. Manabe and collaborators produce
complex but plausible computer models, which show a temperature rise of a few degrees for
doubled CO2.
1976 - Studies show that CFCs (1975) and methane and ozone (1976) can make a serious
contribution to the greenhouse effect. Deep-sea cores show a dominating influence from
100,000-year Milankovitch orbital changes, emphasizing the role of feedbacks. Deforestation
and other ecosystem changes are recognized as major factors in the future of the climate. Eddy
shows that there were prolonged periods without sunspots in past centuries, corresponding to
cold periods.
1977 - Scientific opinion tends to converge on global warming, not cooling, as the chief climate
risk in the next century.
1978 - Attempts to coordinate climate research in US end with an inadequate National Climate
Program Act, accompanied by rapid but temporary growth in funding.
1979
Second oil "energy crisis." Strengthened environmental movement encourages renewable energy
sources, inhibits nuclear energy growth.

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 US National Academy of Sciences report finds it highly credible that doubling CO2 will bring
1.5-4.5°C global warming. World Climate Research Program launched to coordinate
international research.
1981 - Election of Reagan brings backlash against environmental movement to power. Political
conservatism is linked to skepticism about global warming. IBM Personal Computer introduced.
Advanced economies are increasingly delinked from energy. Hansen and others show that sulfate
aerosols can significantly cool the climate, raising confidence in models that incorporate aerosols
and show future greenhouse warming. Some scientists predict greenhouse warming "signal"
should become visible around the year 2000.
1982 - Greenland ice cores reveal drastic temperature oscillations in the space of a century in the
distant past.
1983 - Reports from US National Academy of Sciences and Environmental Protection Agency
spark conflict; greenhouse warming becomes a factor in mainstream politics.
1985 - Ramanathan and collaborators announce that global warming may come twice as fast as
expected, from rise of methane and other trace greenhouse gases. Villach Conference declares
consensus among experts that some global warming seems inevitable, calls on governments to
consider international agreements to restrict emissions.
1987 - Warmest year since records began. The 1980s turn out to be the hottest decade on record,
with seven of the eight warmest years recorded up to 1990. Even the coldest years in the 1980s
were warmer than the warmest years of the 1880s.
1988 - News media coverage of global warming leaps upward following record heat and
droughts plus statements by Hansen.
1989 - Fossil-fuel and other U.S. industries form Global Climate Coalition to persuade
politicians and the public that climate science is too uncertain to justify action.
1990 - First IPCC report says world has been warming and future warming seems likely.
1991 - Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines, throwing debris into the stratosphere that
shields the Earth from solar energy, which helps interrupt the warming trend. Average
temperatures drop for two years before rising again. Scientists point out that this event shows
how sensitive global temperatures are to disruption.
1992 - Climate Change Convention, signed by 154 nations in Rio, agrees to prevent “dangerous”
warming from greenhouse gases and sets initial target of reducing emissions from industrialized
countries to 1990 levels by the year 2000.
1995 - Second IPCC report detects "signature" of human-caused greenhouse effect warming,
declares that serious warming is likely in the coming century. Reports of the breaking up of
Antarctic ice shelves and other signs of actual current warming in Polar Regions begin affecting
public opinion.

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 1997 - Toyota introduces Prius in Japan, first mass-market electric hybrid car; swift progress in
large wind turbines, solar electricity, and other energy alternatives. International conference
produces Kyoto Protocol, setting targets for industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions if enough nations sign onto a treaty (rejected by U.S. Senate in advance).
1998 - A "Super El Niño" makes this an exceptionally warm year, equaled in later years but not
clearly exceeded until 2014. Borehole data confirm extraordinary warming trend.
1999 - Criticism that satellite measurements show National Academy of Sciences panel
dismisses no warming.
2000 - Global Climate Coalition dissolves as many corporations grapple with threat of warming,
but oil lobby convinces US administration to ignore the problem.
2001 - Warming observed in ocean basins; match with computer models gives a clear signature
of greenhouse effect warming. Third IPCC report states baldly that global warming,
unprecedented since the end of the last ice age, is "very likely," with highly damaging future
impacts and possible severe surprises. Effective end of debate among all but a few scientists.
2002 - Studies find surprisingly strong "global dimming," due to pollution, has retarded arrival of
greenhouse warming, but dimming is now decreasing.
2004 - First major books, movie, and artwork featuring global warming appear.
2006 - China overtakes the United States as the world’s biggest emitter of CO2.
2007 - Fourth IPCC report warns that serious effects of warming have become evident; cost of
reducing emissions would be far less than the damage they will cause. Greenland and Antarctic
ice sheets and Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover found to be shrinking faster than expected.
1997 - Princess Diana dies in a car crash. Britain gives control of Hong Kong to China.
2011 - Reaction to nuclear reactor disaster at Fukushima (Japan) ends hopes for a renaissance of
nuclear power.
2015 - Researchers find collapse of West Antarctic ice sheet may be irreversible, bringing meters
of sea-level rise over future centuries. Paris Agreement: nearly all nations pledge to set their own
targets for greenhouse gas cuts and to report their progress.
2018 - IPCC report explains that to avoid disastrous warming, the world’s greenhouse gas
emissions must be in sharp decline by 2030.
2019 - Increasing disasters (tropical cyclones, wildfires, etc.) join scientists' warnings to spur
public demonstrations and civil disobedience. Mean global temperature is 14.8°C, the warmest in
tens of thousands of years. Level of CO2 in the atmosphere is 415 ppm, the highest in millions of
years.

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 Outcome:
As of December 2021, some devastating impacts of global warming are now unavoidable,
a major new scientific report finds. However, there is still a short window to stop things from
getting even worse. There is a 40% chance that average global temperature in one of the next five
years will be at least 1.5 °C warmer than pre-industrial levels

♦How can we prevent global warming?

The measures include cutting down use of fossil fuel, improving efficiency of energy usage,
reducing deforestation, planting trees and slowing down the growth of human population.
International initiatives are also being taken to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere.

(1) Eliminate Food Waste

Food waste in the US occurs mostly in stores and at home—either because it
spoils on the store shelf or before we can eat it. According to an NRDC study,
Americans throw away up to 40 percent of the food they buy. We can combat
food waste by shopping for what you need, eating leftovers, composting
scraps, and donating excess to food banks. You can find a local food bank at
FeedingAmerica.org. Project Drawdown estimates that curbing food waste
could avoid a whopping 70.5 gigatons of CO2—that’s a bigger impact than
restoring 435 million acres of tropical forest.

(2) Eat Plant-Based

Transitioning to a vegetarian diet can cut your carbon
footprint in half, and going vegan, even lower. Even
shifting from high to low meat consumption can shrink
your footprint by a third, according to a University of
Oxford study. If half of the world’s population reduced
meat consumption and avoided the associated
deforestation caused by agriculture, we could reduce
carbon emissions by 66 gigatons.

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 (3) Use LED Lighting
LEDs (light-emitting diodes) use 90 percent less energy than
incandescent bulbs and half as much as compact fluorescents. They
convert electrons to photons, effectively using electricity to create
light without giving off heat, which wastes energy. Switching your
home to LED lights will reduce cooling bills. They also last longer
than other bulbs, so choosing them will bring long-term savings.
According to Project Drawdown, universal adoption of LEDs could
prevent 7.8 gigatons of carbon emissions.

(4) Recycle
Acquiring virgin resources—from logging trees to mining minerals—
exploits more resources than recycling existing materials. For example,
recycled aluminum products use 95 percent less energy than creating
new ones. About 50 percent of recycled materials come from
households; if that number were to increase to 65 percent, at-home
recycling could prevent 2.8 gigatons of carbon emissions. However,
recycling wrong can slow the system and create more waste, so be sure
to rinse out your recyclables and stay up to date on local regulations to
make sure what you recycle isn’t causing contamination.
(5) Buy Less
Choosing to buy less or not at all is the original mantra for saving money. Add “refuse” to the three
Rs you’ve already heard of: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Additionally, when you don’t buy, you cut
down on the amount that you contribute to landfills. The carbon footprint of refusing is hard to
calculate because it varies from person to person, but tools like footprintcalculator.org can help
you determine your current ecological footprint and offer actionable solutions for change,
including buying less.
AFTERMATH IF NOTHING CHANGES:
Change Will Continue Through This Century and Beyond
Global climate is projected to continue to change over this century and
beyond. The magnitude of climate change beyond the next few decades
depends primarily on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally,
and how sensitive the Earth’s climate is to those emissions.

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 Temperatures Will Continue to Rise
Because human-induced warming is superimposed on a naturally
varying climate, the temperature rise has not been, and will not be,
uniform or smooth across the country or over time.

Arctic Likely to Become Ice-Free & Sea Level Will Rise 1-8 feet by 2100
The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free in summer before
mid-century. In the next several decades, storm surges and high tides could
combine with sea level rise and land subsidence to further increase flooding in
many regions. Sea level rise will continue past 2100 because the oceans take a
very long time to respond to warmer conditions at the Earth’s surface. Ocean
waters will therefore continue to warm and sea level will continue to rise for
many centuries at rates equal to or higher than those of the current century.

Sources:
https://history.aip.org/climate/timeline.htm
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9912-timeline-climate-change/
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-global-warming-varies-greatly-depending-where-you-live
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00121/full
https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/lebo116.pdf
https://earth.org/the-biggest-environmental-problems-of-our-lifetime/
https://www.dw.com/en/five-of-the-worlds-biggest-environmental-problems/a-35915705
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/top-25-environmental-concerns.php
https://thebluegreenjourney.com/blog/10-major-current-environmental-problems/
https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

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