Environmental Issues

Global Environmental Issues

 'Global Environmental Issues' is a phrase that refers to the
effect on the climate of human actions, in particular the on fire of
fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) and large-scale deforestation, which
cause emissions to the atmosphere of large amounts of
'greenhouse gases', of which the most important is carbon
dioxide.
 It includes: pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain,
depletion of natural resources, overpopulation, waste disposal,
deforestation and loss of biodiversity. 
 Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the
Earth’s surface and troposphere (the lowest layer of
the atmosphere). When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s
atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is
absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.
 Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane,
nitrous oxide, ozone and some artificial chemicals such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
 The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the
Earth. This process maintains the Earth’s temperature and allowing
life on Earth to exist.
 The heat trapped inside can’t escape out and warms the
greenhouse which is essential for the growth of the plants.
 Causes of Greenhouse Effect
 Burning of Fossil Fuels: Fossil fuels (Coal, crude oil,
natural gas etc) are an important part of our lives. They are
widely used in transportation and to produce electricity.

 Burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide. With the increase in

population, the utilization of fossil fuels has increased. This has led to
an increase in the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
 Causes of Greenhouse Effect
 Deforestation: Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and
release oxygen. Due to the cutting of trees, there is a
considerable increase in the greenhouse gases which
increases the earth’s temperature.
 When the wood is burnt, the stored carbon in converted back into
carbon dioxide.
 Causes of Greenhouse Effect
 Increase in Population: Over the last few decades, there
have been huge increase in the population. Now, this has
resulted in increased demand for food, cloth and shelter. New
manufacturing hubs have come up cities and towns that
release some harmful gases into the atmosphere which
increases the greenhouse effect.

 Also, more people means more usage of fossil fuels which in turn
has aggravated the problem.
Farming: Nitrous oxide used in fertilizers is one of the
contributors to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.
 Causes of Greenhouse Effect
 Industrial Waste and Landfills:  Industries which are
involved in cement production, fertilizers, coal mining
activities, oil extraction produce harmful greenhouse gases.
 Landfills filled with garbage produce carbon dioxide and methane
gas contributing significantly to greenhouse effect.
 Effects of Greenhouse Effect
 Global Warming: It is the phenomenon of a gradual
increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s
atmosphere.

 The main cause for this environmental issue is the increased

volumes of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane
released by the burning of fossil fuels, emissions from the vehicles,
industries and other human activities.
 Effects of Greenhouse Effect
 Depletion of  Ozone Layer: Ozone Layer protects the earth
from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.
 It is found in the upper regions of the stratosphere.
 The depletion of the ozone layer results in the entry of the harmful
UV rays to the earth’s surface that might lead to skin cancer and can
also change the climate drastically.
 The major cause of this phenomenon is the accumulation of natural
greenhouse gases including chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide,
methane, etc.
 Effects of Greenhouse Effect
 Smog and Air Pollution : Smog is formed by the
combination of smoke and fog. It can be caused both by
natural means and man-made activities.
 In general, smog is generally formed by the accumulation of
more greenhouse gases including nitrogen and sulfur oxides.
 The major contributors to the formation of smog are the automobile
and industrial emissions, agricultural fires, natural forest fires and the
reaction of these chemicals among themselves.
 Effects of Greenhouse Effect
 Acidification of Water Bodies: Increase in the total amount
of greenhouse gases in the air has turned most of the world’s
water bodies acidic. The greenhouse gases mix with the
rainwater and fall as acid rain. This leads to the acidification
of water bodies.
 Also, the rainwater carries the contaminants along with it and falls
into the river, streams and lakes thereby causing their acidification.
 Effects of Greenhouse Effect
 Runaway Greenhouse Effect: This phenomenon occurs
when the planet absorbs more radiations than it can radiate
back. Thus, the heat lost from the earth’s surface is less and
the temperature of the planet keeps rising. Scientists believe
that this phenomenon took place on the surface of Venus
billions of years ago.
 In simple words, increasing the greenhouse effect gives rise to a
runaway greenhouse effect which would increase the temperature of
the earth to such an extent that no life will exist in the near future.
 Effects of Greenhouse Effect
 Runaway Greenhouse Effect: This phenomenon is believed
to have occurred in the following manner:
 A runaway greenhouse effect arises when the temperature of a planet
rises to a level of the boiling point of water. As a result, all the water from
the oceans converts into water vapour, which traps more heat coming
from the sun and further increases the planet’s temperature. This
eventually accelerates the greenhouse effect. This is also called the
“positive feedback loop”.
There is another scenario giving way to the runaway greenhouse effect.
Suppose the temperature rise due to the above causes reaches such a
high level that the chemical reactions begin to occur. These chemical
reactions drive carbon dioxide from the rocks into the atmosphere. This
would heat the surface of the planet which would further accelerate the
transfer of carbon dioxide from the rocks to the atmosphere, giving rise
to the runaway greenhouse effect.
 Solutions to Greenhouse Effect
 Use less energy: Taking steps to use less electricity, especially
when it comes from burning coal or gas, can take a big dent out of
greenhouse gas emissions.
 Generate electricity without emissions: Renewable energy
sources include solar energy, geothermal, wind turbines,
ocean wave and tidal energy, waste and biomass energy, and
hydropower.
 Travel without greenhouse gas: Most of the ways we have
to get from place to place currently rely on fossil fuels -
gasoline for vehicles and jet fuel for planes.
 Solutions to Greenhouse Effect
 Shrink the footprint of food: Today, about a fifth of global
carbon emissions come from raising farm animals for meat.
For example, as cattle digest food, they burp, releasing
methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and their manure
releases the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and nitrous
oxide. And forests, which take carbon dioxide out of the air,
are often cut down so that cattle have space to graze..
 Reduce emissions from industry.
 Take carbon dioxide out of the air.
 Ozone Layer
 Ozone Layer: The ozone layer
is a thin part of the Earth's
atmosphere that absorbs almost
all of the sun's harmful
ultraviolet light.

 The ozone layer is one layer of

the stratosphere, the second
layer of the Earth’s atmosphere.
 Ozone Layer Depletion
 Ozone Layer Depletion : It
is the gradual thinning of the
earth’s ozone layer present in
the upper atmosphere. 
  Ozone depletion is a major
environmental problem
because it increases the
amount of ultraviolet (UV)
radiation that reaches Earth’s
surface, which increases the
rate of skin cancer, eye
cataracts, and genetic
and immune system damage.
Ozone Layer Depletion
 Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)
Ozone-Depleting Substances Sources

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Refrigerators, air-conditioners,

solvents, dry-cleaning agents,
etc.

Halons Fire-extinguishers
Carbon tetrachloride Fire extinguishers

Methyl chloroform Adhesives, aerosols

Hydrofluorocarbons Solvent cleaning, fire
extinguishers
• Sunspots
Causes
• Stratospheric winds
• Volcanic eruptions
• CFCs
• Halons
• Carbon Tetrachloride
• Methyl chloroform
• Methyl bromide
• HCFCs
• Human behavior
 Sunspots
• Sunspots can have serious negative effects on the
ozone layer since sunspots usually come along with
an increase in UV-B radiation which in turn can
change the ozone concentrations in the atmosphere.
 Stratospheric winds
• Another natural cause for the depletion of the ozone
layer are stratospheric winds.
• Stratospheric winds lead to an increase of nitrogen
oxides in the atmosphere, which in turn amplifies the
depletion of the ozone layer.
 Volcanic eruptions
• Volcanic eruptions can play an indirect role in the
ozone layer destruction process.
• Volcanoes emit large amounts of particles and aerosols
when they erupt.
• These emitted particles create a surface on which
chemical reactions can take place which in turn can
harm the ozone layer.
 Halons
• Halons contribute to the ozone layer depletion since they
contain bromine which has the potential to destroy the ozone
in the stratosphere.
• Halons can be ten times more harmful to the ozone layer
than CFCs. Halons are primarily used in fire extinguishers.
• Although Halons are more harmful than CFCs to the ozone
layer, CFCs are much more used than Halons.
• Thus, the overall impact of CFCs on the depletion of the
ozone layer is bigger than the impact of Halons.
 Carbon Tetrachloride
• Carbon tetrachloride also contributes to the ozone
layer depletion since it contains chlorines which can
harm the ozone layer.
• Carbon tetrachloride is used in refrigerators as well as
for soaps and insecticides.
 Methyl chloroform
• Methyl chloroform is used for a variety of
industrial processes.
• It is mainly used to clean electronic and metal
parts.
• Ultraviolet radiation breaks up the substance into
chlorine, which in turn can harm the ozone layer.
 Methyl bromide
• Methyl bromide is usually used as a fumigant in order
to control pests in shipping and agriculture.
• Methyl bromide is a serious ozone-depleting
substance which is classified as Class I ozone-
depleting substance.
 HCFCs
• HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) are another source for
the ozone layer depletion problem.
• Although they have only a weak impact on the depletion
of the ozone layer, HCFCs are still quite harmful to the
environmental system since they are strong greenhouse
gases.
• HCFCs are currently replaced by HFCs since they do not
contain chlorine and are therefore considered less
damaging to the environmental system.
 Chlorofluorocarbons

Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs are the main cause of ozone

layer depletion. These are released by solvents, spray aerosols,
refrigerators, air-conditioners, etc.
 The molecules of chlorofluorocarbons in the stratosphere are
broken down by the ultraviolet radiations and release chlorine atoms.
These atoms react with ozone and destroy it.
 Unregulated Rocket Launches

Researches say that the unregulated launching of rockets

result in much more depletion of ozone layer than the CFCs
do. If not controlled, this might result in a huge loss of the
ozone layer by the year 2050.
Effects and Associated Hazards
 Carcinoma
• One big health issue are carcinoma caused by an excessive exposure
to radiation caused by ozone layer depletion.
• This is especially true for squamous and basal cell carcinomas,
which scientists link to an exposure to UVB radiation.
• The absorption of UVB radiation causes changes in the DNA
structure which in turn result in transcription errors when the DNA
parts replicate (heredity problems).
• Thus, ozone layer depletion contributes to an increased probability
for carcinomas.
 Melanoma
• Another form of skin cancer is melanoma, which can
also be caused by radiation due to ozone layer
depletion.
• Since ozone layer depletion leads to an increase in
UVB exposure, it can be seen as a cause for
Melanoma.
 Effects on human health
• Apart from serious health conditions like cancer,
the ozone layer depletion can also have
additional adverse effects on human health.
• For example, it can lead to sunburns, cataracts,
aging or also to a weak immune system which in
turn can lead to additional diseases.
 Increased troposphere ozone
• The depletion of the ozone layer also leads to
an increase in tropospheric ozone which in
turn can lead to health issues.
• These health issues can be especially severe
for elderly persons, children, or all persons
which have respiratory difficulties.
 Increased vitamin D production
• Ozone layer depletion can also lead to an increase in vitamin
D production since vitamin D is produced by ultraviolet light in
the skin.
• An increase in vitamin D in moderate amounts is rather
uncritical or may even be beneficial to human health.
• However, if the increase is too big, it can cause severe health
conditions and can also increase the probability for mortality.
 Effects on marine life
• Ozone layer depletion can also harm marine
life in a severe way.
• An increase in UVB radiation due to the
depletion of the ozone layer can harm the
growth of plankton.
• Since plankton is consumed by many sea
animals, a decrease in plankton may harm
many other sea animals as well.
• A decrease in plankton will therefore lead to
a disruption of the whole marine food chain.
 Effects on animals
• The depletion of the ozone layer not only has adverse
effects on marine life, but also on many other animals.
• Similar to humans, animals can also suffer from skin cancer
and additional diseases caused by UVB radiation.
• The increase in UVB radiation is even more harmful to
animals since they are not able to protect against it, in
contrast to humans who can use sun protection measures.
 Effects on crops
• The depletion of the ozone layer may also affect crop
yields.
• UVB radiation is known to be able to change parts of
the plants DNA.
• This may lead to reduced crop yields or other issues
related to it.
 Economic impact
• Since an increase in UVB radiation is likely to lead to lower
crop yields and other harmful effects, the depletion of the
ozone layer is likely to imply serious financial downsides on a
global scale.
 Effects on the Environment
Strong ultraviolet rays may lead to minimal growth,
flowering and photosynthesis in plants. The forests also
have to bear the harmful effects of the ultraviolet rays.
 Solutions to Ozone Layer Depletion
 Avoid Using Pesticides: Natural methods should be implemented
to get rid of pests and weeds instead of using chemicals. One can
use eco-friendly chemicals to remove the pests or remove the
weeds manually.
 Minimize the Use of Vehicles: The vehicles emit a large amount
of greenhouse gases that lead to global warming as well as ozone
depletion. Therefore, the use of vehicles should be minimized as
much as possible.
 Use Eco-friendly Cleaning Products: Most of the cleaning
products have chlorine and bromine releasing chemicals that find
a way into the atmosphere and affect the ozone layer. These
should be substituted with natural products to protect the
environment.
 Solutions to Ozone Layer Depletion
 Use of Nitrous Oxide should be Prohibited: The government
should take actions and prohibit the use of harmful nitrous oxide
that is adversely affecting the ozone layer. People should be made
aware of the harmful effects of nitrous oxide and the products
emitting the gas so that its use is minimized at the individual level
as well.
Renewable energies: The use and extension of renewable energies is a
crucial step in order to meet the ozone depletion issue.

Apart from nuclear energy, fossil resources like coal are an important source for
electricity generation.

However, the combustion of coal leads to the emission of CFCs, which in turn
lead to a depletion of the ozone layer.
 Recycle and reuse
• We should also reuse our products as much as possible.
• If we do not use them anymore, we should make sure that they can be
recycled properly.
• In this way, we can decrease the demand for natural resources.
• Therefore, we can also avoid the adverse effect of the extraction process of
resources to the environment.
• Through the reduction in energy demand, we can decrease the emission of
harmful gases and thus lower the adverse effect on the ozone layer.
 Avoid the excessive use of fertilizers
• Since many fertilizers contain nitrogen and other harmful
substances, an excessive use of these fertilizers can harm the
ozone layer.
• Thus, we have to make sure that fertilizers are used in a
responsible way.
• This could be done through government regulations and also
through education of farmers on the adverse effects of the use
of nitrogen-based fertilizers on the ozone layer.
 Reduce CFCs
• As we have seen in our previous analysis, CFCs are a major factor for
ozone depletion.
• CFCs are used in many industries and for the production of a huge variety
of products.
• This includes refrigerators, air conditioning and aerosol sprays.
• Thus, if we are able to replace the CFCs through other substances, we
would be able to greatly reduce CFC emission and therefore to protect the
ozone layer.
 Government regulations
• Governments and other institutions have the responsibility to take measures against ozone layer
depletion.

• It is in our collective interest that we sustain the ozone layer. Otherwise, we would suffer from
dramatic health consequences.

• Therefore, governments should ban substances like CFCs or nitrous oxides wherever they can be
replaced by other substances which do not harm the ozone layer.

• Moreover, it would make sense to increase tax rates for substances that are harmful to the ozone
layer.

• Through the increase in taxes, industries would have a financial incentive to substitute harmful
substances like CFCs through other harmless substances which would in turn mitigate the ozone
depletion issue.
 Convince others
• We can all make our contribution to a reduction of ozone depletion on a daily basis.

• This may include small measure like the substitution of cars through public transport or other
measures of transport.

• It may also include buying local food instead of products that have been produced in foreign
countries in order to avoid the adverse consequences of long transportation distances.

• However, our contribution is not enough! We should also convince others.

• This may include convincing your family and friends to change their daily life behavior.

• By doing so, you can convince many people who in turn may further convince other people.

• Thus, you can make a big impact in order to save the ozone layer.
 Limit transportation networks
• Transportation networks are an additional important contributor to ozone depletion. In all different kinds of industries, huge
amounts of goods have to be carried from A to B in order to be able to meet the local demand for food and other things.

• This transportation behavior leads to an emission of large quantities of greenhouse gases and thus also hurts the ozone
shield.

• Therefore, a reduction in transportation processes would mitigate the ozone depletion issue to a certain degree. In order to
accomplish a reduction in transportation networks, it is crucial that many things are manufactured in local industries.

• In this way, the distances from A to B can be reduced. However, there are many issues with this idea.

• For many goods, it is much cheaper to produce it abroad in foreign countries rather than in the countries where this goods are
finally used.

• Thus, industries do not have an incentive to produce locally.

• This means that governments or municipalities have to subsidize local industries in order to make them competitive and to
avoid the excessive use of transportation networks.
 Deforestation
 Deforestation : It is the permanent removal of trees to make
room for something besides forest. This can include clearing the
land for agriculture or grazing, or using the timber for fuel,
construction or manufacturing. 
 Causes of Deforestation
 Human Activities:
Agricultural Activities – small-scale and large scale farming (to
meet the increased demand for food).
Livestock Ranching - Livestock is believed to be responsible for
about 14% of global deforestation. Farmers often clear the land by cutting
down trees and burning them to raise livestock and grow food.
Logging – cutting of trees for use as raw material in various
industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture, etc. 
 Mining –demand for minerals.
 Desertification of Land - Many industries in petrochemicals
release their waste into rivers, which results in soil erosion and
make it unfit to grow plants and trees.
 Causes of Deforestation
 Overpopulation - The overpopulation requires more land to establish housing
and settlements. It generates a significant need for food and farmland to grow food
and raise livestock. It automatically requires many more roads and highways for
transport and communication—all these results in deforestation. Logging industries
cut down trees for furniture, paper, building materials, and many more products.
 Urban expansion and infrastructure – clearing of forest area for the
construction of infrastructure.
 The construction of homes and other buildings.
 The construction of roads, dams, and other infrastructure.
 Causes of Deforestation
 Natural Causes:
 Destruction of forests due to hurricanes, drought, floods, and other
natural calamities.
 Invasion of the forest ecosystem by parasites that destroy trees.
 Forest fires that are sparked by lightning and other natural
phenomena
 Effects of Deforestation
 Climate Imbalance and Climate Change
 Increase in Global Warming
 Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
 Soil Erosion
 Floods and droughts
 Wildlife Extinction & Habitat Loss
Acidic Oceans
 Food Insecurity in the Future
 Solutions to Deforestation
 Government Regulations
 Banning Clear-Cutting of Forests
 Reforestation and Afforestation
 Reduce Consumption of Paper
 Educate Others
 Purchase from Sustainable, Forest-Friendly Companies
OVERPOPULATION
 Human Population Growth
 Causes of Human Population Growth:
 decline in death rate
 Better Medical Facilities
 More hands to overcome poverty
 Technological advancement in Fertility Rate
 Immigration
 Lack of family planning measures
 Early Marriage and Universal Marriage System
 Age old cultural norm
 Human Population Growth
 Effects of Human Population Growth:
 Depletion of natural resources
Degradation of environment
Threat to Biodiversity
 Rise in Unemployment
Pressure on infrastructure
Conflicts and wars
High cost of living
Pandemic and epidemics
Lower life expectancy
Faster climate change
 Human Population Growth
 Effects of Human Population Growth
 Extinction of species
 Manpower Utilization
 Decreased Production and increased cost
 Inequitable Income distribution
 Global Warming
 Pollution: air, water or sound
 Coastal and Marine Environments
 Generation of Waste
 Urbanization
 Environmental problems associated with urbanization:
 Intensive urban growth can lead to greater poverty, with local
governments unable to provide services for all people like fresh
water.
 Concentrated energy use leads to greater air pollution with
significant impact on human health.
 Automobile exhaust produces elevated lead levels in urban air.
 Large volumes of uncollected waste create multiple health hazards.
 Urban development can magnify the risk of environmental hazards
such as flash flooding.
 Pollution and physical barriers to root growth promote loss of
urban tree cover.
 Animal populations are inhibited by toxic substances, vehicles, and
 Urbanization
 Environmental problems associated with urbanization:
 Increasing energy consumption, which results in a reduction of
non-renewable resources.
 High consumption of drinking water, which affects the lowering of
groundwater levels
 Excessive use of space
 Problems of waste disposal sites, particularly radioactive
 Industrialization
 Environmental problems associated with industrialization :
 It leads to the depletion of natural resources.
 It leads to air pollution, water pollution and soil pollution.
 Global warming, climatic changes are the major consequences of
industrialization.
 It causes acid rain.
 It leads to the degradation of land quality.
 It leads to the generation of hazardous waste whose safe disposal
become a big problem.
 These industries are responsible for the following adverse diseases
and ill effect like silicosis and pneumoconiosis, tuberculosis, skin
diseases and deafness.
 Industrialization
 Environmental problems associated with industrialization :
 Industrial wastes including toxins enter in the food chain causes
number of undesirable effects to living beings and animals.
 Industrial effluent damages the natural biological purification
mechanism of sewage treatment causing several soil and water borne
diseases.
 Radioactive industrial pollutant cause undesirable disease when
food containing radio-nuclides is taken by human.
 Habitat Destruction
 Degradation of Ground Water
 Modernization of agriculture
 Modern agriculture :
 It is an evolving approach to agricultural innovations and farming
practices that help farmers increase efficiency and reduce the number
of natural resources like water, land, and energy necessary to meet
the world’s food, fuel, and fiber needs.
 The agribusiness, intensive farming, organic farming, and
sustainable agriculture are other names of modern agriculture
 Modernization of agriculture
 Environmental problems associated with modernization of
agriculture:
 Soil Erosion: The top fertile soil of the farmland is removed due to
the excessive water supply. 
 Contamination of groundwater: From agricultural fields,
nitrogenous fertilizers leach into the soil and finally contaminate
groundwater. 
 Water-logging and salinity: The salinity of the soil is one of the
reasons of low productivity just because of the improper management
of farm drainage. In this situation, the roots of plants do not get
enough air to respiration then it leads to low crop yield as well as low
mechanical strength.
 Modernization of agriculture
 Environmental problems associated with modernization of
agriculture:
 Eutrophication : It refers to the addition of artificial or non-artificial
substances such as nitrates and phosphate, through fertilizers or
sewage, to a freshwater system. It leads to an increase in the primary
productivity of the water body or the 'bloom' of phytoplankton.
 Excessive use of fertilizers that consists of nitrogen and phosphorus
leads to over nourishment of the lakes/water bodies and gives rise to the
phenomenon of eutrophication (EU = more, trophication= nutrition).
 Excessive use of Pesticide : many pesticides are non-
biodegradable, which also linked to the food chains which are harmful
to the human being.  
 Modernization of agriculture
 Environmental problems associated with modernization of
agriculture:
 Deforestation
 Waste: Plasticulture is the use of plastic mulch in agriculture.
Farmers use plastic sheets as mulch to cover 50-70% of the soil and
allow them to use drip irrigation systems to have better control
over soil nutrients and moisture.
 Soil degradation: Soil degradation is the decline in soil quality that
can be a result of many factors, especially from agriculture.
 Genetic engineering