ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

Introduction to Environmental Crisis:-

Environmental Crisis are the harmful effect of human activities on the environment. These include
pollution, climate change, global warming, the greenhouse effect, etc.

What is Environmental crisis?

An Ecological or Environmental crisis occurs when changes to the environment of a species or population
destabilizes its continued survival.

Origin of Environmental Crisis:

During the late 1960s, an 'Environmental Crisis' took shape as a series of environmental catastrophes
and revelatory books transformed the American environmental consciousness.

Types of Environmental Crisis:-

1. Environmental Degradation- Degradation refers to the loss or depletion and environmental

degradation refers to the loss of biodiversity through depletion and exploitation of natural resources.
There are different types of degradation, land and soil degradation, water degradation, and atmospheric
degradation.

2. Resource Depletion- Resource depletion is the exhaustion of raw materials within a region. Resources
are commonly divided between renewable resources and non-renewable resources. Use of either of
these forms of resources beyond their rate of replacement is considered to be resource depletion
(Resource depletion is the consumption of a resource faster than it can be replenished).

3. Pollution- Pollution is defined as undesirable changes which affect the healthy state of the
environment. It includes contamination of the air, water, and soil via various pollutants. Pollution affects
the life of living organisms directly or indirectly.

4. Climate Change- Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such
shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun's activity or large volcanic eruptions.

Causes of Environmental Crisis:-

It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to deleterious or undesirable. It

occurs when the earth's natural resources are depleted, and the environment is compromised in the
form of extinction of species, pollution in the air, water and soil and rapid growth in population.

1. Deforestation- Deforestation is when humans remove or thin forests for lumber or to use the land
where the trees stood for crops, grazing, extraction (mining, oil, or gas), or development as the
population increases and people migrate.
2. Biodiversity Loss- Biodiversity Loss is termed as a decrease in biological diversity within a species,
ecosystems, place and the earth as a whole. If there is a loss of a species in a given area or loss in the
number and genetic variability of any area, it is often described as a loss in Biodiversity.

3. Overpopulation- Overpopulation means that the ecosystem has more number of organism than it can
sustain. If an ecosystem is overpopulated it will face many problems most importantly scarcity of food
and place.

4. Global Warming- “Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth's temperature generally due to
the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.

5. Ozone Layer Depletion- “Ozone layer depletion is the gradual thinning of the earth's ozone layer in the
upper atmosphere caused due to the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous bromine or
chlorine from industries or other human activities.”

6. Ocean Acidification- Ocean acidification refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended
period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

7. Urbanization- Urbanization is the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities.
Urbanization occurs because people move from rural areas (countryside) to urban areas (towns and
cities). This usually occurs when a country is still developing.

Effects of Environmental Crisis:-

Consequences include increased poverty, overcrowding, famine, weather extremes, species loss, acute
and chronic medical illnesses, war and human rights abuses, and an increasingly unstable global
situation that portends Malthusian chaos and disaster.

1. Poverty- Poverty is explained as an inability to fulfill the basic necessities like – house, food, clothing,
health facilities and health, etc. Extreme poverty refers to the complete lack of the means of needs to be
met, basic food, shelter and clothing.

2. Famine- Famine is a term that refers to acute food shortage and insufficiency. It is a phenomenon that
happens across a large region of land owing to a variety of environmental and biological factors.

3. Chronic Medical Illness- Chronic disease is a disease that occurs gradually and lasts for years, maybe
an entire lifetime. Typically, when the disease persists for three months, it is categorized as a chronic
disease. It causes severe damage to the organs and organ systems, affecting the quality of life.

4. War- War is an intense armed conflict between governments, states, paramilitary groups, tribes,
militias, or others.

5. Malthusian Chaos- A Malthusian catastrophe (also known as a Malthusian trap, population trap,
Malthusian check, Malthusian crisis, Malthusian spectre, or Malthusian crunch) occurs when population
growth outpaces agricultural production, causing famine or war, resulting in poverty and depopulation.

6. Disaster- A disaster is described as a major disturbance, whether natural or man-made, which occurs
over short or long periods of time. Disasters may lead to human, material, economic or environmental
difficulties that may be beyond the affected society's bearable ability.
Prevention of Environmental Crisis:-

Environmental Crisis can be prevented in the following ways:

1. Replace disposables with reusables- By cutting back or eliminating single-use items, you can save the
energy and materials that went into them and prevent waste.

2. The use of paper should be avoided- Paper production causes deforestation, uses enormous amounts
of energy and water, and contributes to air pollution and waste problems. Pulp and paper is the 3rd
largest industrial polluter of air, water and soil.

3. Conserve water- Water conservation is the practice of using water efficiently to reduce unnecessary
water usage. According to Fresh Water Watch, water conservation is important because fresh clean
water is a limited resource, as well as a costly one.

4. Conserve electricity- Switching to low-flow showerheads which consume a lot of energy. When you
limit your energy usage, you lower your impact on the environment. The longer we go without making
significant changes, the greater the threat of global warming and climate change become to our daily
lives.

5. Support environmental friendly practices- More effectively meeting the product and service needs and
expectations of customers who value environmentally friendly practices—they will feel positive after
purchasing products from a business that is proving to do no harm or minimizes harm to the
environment.

6. Recycle waste to conserve natural resources- Recycling reduce the negative impacts that the
extraction and processing of virgin materials has on the environment. Implementing recycling habits into
your daily life is one of the most effective ways to help lessen landfill waste, conserve natural resources,
save habitats, reduce pollution, cut down on energy consumption, and slow down global warming.

Conclusion:-

Human beings are the main reason for Environmental Crisis. The resources are extracted at a more rapid
pace than its regeneration, then we say that the carrying capacity of the environment reduces. In such
situation, environment fails to perform its function of sustaining life, thereby, resulting in environmental
crises. In other words, environmental crises are an aggregate outcome of excessive exploitation of
natural resources and excessive generation of wastes.

Environmental Crisis should be prevented. As ecosystems unravel, the quality of life for all species,
including humans, will diminish. When ecosystems are compromised, the natural goods that they
provide – clean air and water, crop pollination and storm protection– inevitably will decline.

Bibliography:-

1. en.wikipedia.org

2. byjus.com
3. toppr.com

4. press.un.org

5. journals.sagepub.com

6. health.gov

7.