ENVIRONMENTAL

Problems
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
• The Earth is currently facing lot
of environmental concerns, a lot
of factors affect every human,
animal and nation on this planet
• i.e. Degradation, Agri land,
Deforestation, Soil erosion etc
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
• Ecological footprint - the amount
of biologically productive land
and water needed to indefinitely
supply the people in a particular
country or area with renewable
resources and to absorb and
recycle the wastes and pollution
produced by such resource use
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
• The distinctive nature of the present environmental
problems is that they are caused more by
anthropogenic activities than the natural
phenomena
• It is the exhaustion of the worlds natural resources
such as land, air, water & soil
• Disposing of wastes that pollute the environment at
rates exceeding the wastes’ rate of decomposition or
dissipation
 ENVIRONMENTAL
DEGRADATION
• Over using of renewable resources such as
agricultural soils, forest trees, ocean fisheries at
rates exceeding their natural abilities to renew
themselves
• Destruction of ecosystems, habitat destruction,
the extinction of wildlife & pollution
CONVERSION OF AGRI LAND
• Process of changing the current
physical use of agricultural land
into some other use for
another agricultural use other
than agricultural activities
• From traditional farming use, to
alternative farming practices, to
urban development and to non-
agricultural use
 DEFORESTATION
• Process of exhaustion
and depletion of forest
resources due to high
demand for wood as
fuel, construction
materials, paper, wildlife
habitat and erosion
control
 DEFORESTATION
• Runoff of eroded soil into aquatic systems
• Premature extinction of species with specialized niches
• Loss of habitat for native species and migratory species
such as birds and butterflies
• Regional climate change from extensive clearing
• Release of CO₂ into atmosphere (global warming)
• Acceleration of flooding
• Decreased soil fertility from erosion
 DEFORESTATION
• Natural causes: hurricanes,
fires, parasites and floods
• Human causes: agricultural
expansion, cattle breeding,
timber extraction, mining,
oil extraction, dam
construction and
infrastructure development
 SOIL EROSION
• Like water and air, soil is also
equally important for living
organisms. It supports plants on
which all other living organisms
depend. The process of soil
formation is so slow that the
soil may be regarded as a non-
renewable source
 SOIL EROSION
• Soil erosion is a naturally occurring process that affects all
landforms
• In agriculture, soil erosion refers to the wearing away of a
field's topsoil by the natural physical forces of water and
wind or through forces associated with farming activities
such as tillage(process of preparing land for growing crops)
• Soil erosion reduces cropland productivity and contributes
to the pollution of adjacent watercourses, wetlands and
lakes
 TYPES OF SOIL EROSION
1. Normal or geologic erosion - occurs under normal
natural conditions by itself without any interference
of man. It is a very slow process, and equilibrium
between loss and build up is lost, only when there is
some major disturbance by a foreign agent
2. Accelerated soil erosion - soil is very rapid and never
keeps pace with the soil formation. This is generally
caused by an interference of an agency like man and
other animals
 AGENTS OF SOIL
A EROSION
. WATER EROSION
Water removes the soil by
falling on as rain drops, a well as
by its surface flow action. It may
be of 3 types:
1. SHEET EROSION
the removed soil is like a thin
covering from large area. This
sheet is more or less uniform
SHEET EROSION
 AGENTS OF SOIL
2. RILL EROSION EROSION
If sheet erosion occurs with
full force, the run off water
moves rapidly over the soil
surface. It cuts well-defined
finger-shaped groove like
structures, It appears as thin
channels or streams. These
are known as rill erosions
RILL EROSION
 AGENTS OF SOIL
EROSION
3. GULLY EROSION
This results due to the
convergence of several rills or
thin channels formed during rill
erosion towards the steep
slope. When they join together,
they form wider channels of
water, known as gullies. In case
of further rains these gullies
may become still wider and
deeper GULLY EROSION
 AGENTS OF SOIL
B. WIND EROSIONEROSION
• Soil erosion by wind is
common in dry (arid) regions
Two characteristics of such
region are:
1. The soil is chiefly sandy
2. The vegetation is very poor
or even absent
Wind erosion can be severe on long,
unsheltered, smooth soil surfaces
 AGENTS OF SOIL
1. SALTATION EROSION
Saltation takes place in the arid regions
2. SUSPENSION
The wind throws away smallest soil particles into air, these
particles move as fine dust with the wind. By this way soils
are transported to long distances
3. SURFACE CREEP
The heavier particles of soil which the wind cannot easily
throw up are pushed or spread along the surface by wind
 AGENTS OF SOIL
EROSION
4. LANDSLIDES OR SLIP EROSION
The hydraulic pressure which is caused by heavy rains, increases
the weight of the rocks at cliffs. As a result they come under the
gravitational force and finally slip or fall off. Sometimes the
whole hillock may slide down
5. STREAM BANK EROSION
The rivers during floods splash their water against the banks. In
this way the water cuts through them. Particularly at curves,
water strikes with great speed and the bank caves in alongside.
This type of erosion is also known as riparian erosion
 DE CRE AS I NG
FO R ES T LA ND
• Forest area is constantly
decreasing especially in
the developing and
underdeveloped
countries. Some of the key
causes of this include,
need for agricultural
space, wood, overgrazing,
urbanization etc.
 IMPACT OF DECREASING
FORESTLAND
• Forest loss also reducing the availability of renewable
resources like timber, medicinal plants, nuts fruits, etc.
• When forest cover is lost, runoff rapidly flows into
streams, elevating river levels and subjecting
downstream villages, cities and agricultural fields leads to
flooding especially during the rainy season
• During the dry season, such as areas downstream of
deforestation can be prone
 POLLUTION
• Pollution is the
introduction of
harmful materials into
the environment.
• It is process of making
land, air, water and
other parts of the
environment dirty and
not safe or suitable to
use.
 POLLUTION
Pollution –
human additions
of undesirable
substances to the
environment
 AIR POLLUTION
Air Pollution – significant health hazard,
acute can cause death while lower prolonged
levels also adversely affect health, can be
caused by excessive emissions of pollutants
and insufficient atmospheric dispersal
 AIR POLLUTION
Ambient air quality- the chemical
characteristics of air that exists in the
environment, measures pollutant
concentrations
 AIR POLLUTION
Air Pollution – significant health hazard,
acute can cause death while lower prolonged
levels also adversely affect health, can be
caused by excessive emissions of pollutants
and insufficient atmospheric dispersal
 AIR POLLUTION
Sources of Air Pollutants (non-natural)

1. Stationary – site specific such as stock emissions

from refineries, smelters, electric power plants
etc
2. Mobile – not site specific such as automobiles,
motorcycles etc
 AIR POLLUTION
Sources of Air Pollutants (natural)

1. Volcanic Eruptions
2. Forest Fires
3. Wind Erosion
 WATER POLLUTION
WATER
• Most common substance on earth
• Able to store large amount of heat
• Excellent solvent
• Dissolves substance without reaction
 WATER POLLUTION
- Substantial human additions to a stream or
lake’s load of an impurity
- A polluted stream must be defined relative to its
condition unaffected by human activity rather
than in absolute terms
 WATER POLLUTION
• FRESHWATER POLLUTION
• MARINE/OCEAN POLLUTION-mostly caused by
oil spills, hazardous materials and dumping of
solid waste materials
 WATER POLLUTION
SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION

1. Point Source- specific location such as factory or

municipal sewage outfall
2. Non-point Source- dispersed and often difficult
to identify (originates from a large, poorly
defined are such as runoff, subsurface flow and
atmospheric sources)
 MAJOR WATER
POLLUTANTS
1. Oxygen-demanding wastes (domestic sewage,
animal manure, some industrial waste)
2. Disease-causing agents (bacteria, parasites, and
viruses)
3. Inorganic wastes and minerals (acids, salts and
toxic metals)
4. Organic chemicals (pesticides, plastics,
detergents, industrial waste, oil
 MAJOR WATER
POLLUTANTS
5. Plant nutrients (nitrates, and phosphates from
fertilizers)
6. Sediments (soils, silt, and other solids from land
erosion)
7. Heat (industrial and power plant cooling)
 WATER POLLUTION
DAO 90-34
AMBIENT WATER QUALITY MONITORING STANDARDS
• Establishments of water bodies beneficial use,
identification of water quality indicators (or criteria
pollutants) and water quality suitable for each use.
• In the Philippines classification is a very important
component of water quality management since the
application of effluent standards are dependent on
this classification
 WATER POLLUTION

Effluent Quality Monitoring is the process of

checking, evaluating or investigating the
quality of the effluent or wastewater
discharges from an industry, establishment
or facility
 SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
SOLID WASTE

- discarded household, commercial waste, non-

hazardous institutional and industrial waste, street
sweepings, construction debris, agriculture waste,
and other non-hazardous/non-toxic solid waste
 SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
RA 9003-Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of
2000
The systematic administration of activities which:
provide for segregation at source, segregated
transportation, storage, transfer, processing,
treatment, and disposal of solid waste and all other
waste management activities which do not harm the
environment
1. Compostable Wastes
fruit and vegetable peelings
left-over foods
yard waste
seeds
egg shells

Fruits & Vegetable

Peelings

Left –over foods

Fish Entails

Yard waste
Egg Shells Seeds
2. Recyclable Waste
paper rubber
glass plastics

Glass

Paper
Plastic

Metals
3. Residual Waste
ceramics plastic
candy wrappers
napkins diapers

Ceramics Candy Wrappers

plastic

Sanitary Napkins Disposable Diapers

 paints batteries
4. Special Waste thinners tires
 Household hazardous waste is any waste, produced in the home,
which is flammable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive. Common discarded appliances
examples include:
 Paints
 Pesticides
 Automotive fluids
 Hobby chemicals
 Cleaning products
 Thinners and strippers
 Batteries
 Acids/Bases
 Incandescent Bulb
Batteries

Paints Thinners Discarded Appliances

 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF RA 9003

Biodegradable Recyclable Special Residual

wastes Wastes Wastes Wastes

Separate
Collection
Schedule or
Use of
Compart-
mentalized
BARANGAY Vehicle
MRF SLF

recycling
TREATER
GARDENS/ JUNKSHOPS/
FARMS RECYCLING PLANT

BARANGAY’S Role CITY/MUNICIPALITY’S Role

 COMPLIANCE to RA 9003
Sec 21 – Segregation at Source
Sec 24 – Segregated Collection
Sec 32 - Establishment of MRF
Sec 37 – Closure of Open Dumps and
Controlled Disposal Facilities
Sec 41 – Establishment of Sanitary
Landfill
POPULATION GROWTH
Is the increase in the number of individuals in a
population.
IMPACTS OF HIGH GROWTH
POPULATION
1. LACK OF WATER
2. GENERATION OF WASTE
3. RESOURCE CONSUMPTION
4. INCREASED INTENSIVE FARMING
5. URBANIZATION
6. LAND DEGRADATION
 POPULATION GROWTH
• ZERO POPULATION GROWTH
Refers to the number of births that will simply
replace the population without further growth
 ACTIVITY 4
1. What are the major air and water pollutants and their
harmful effects? Add images and a brief discussion for each
pollutant.
2. Investigate the solid waste management system and its
best practices in your locality (i.e. barangay or
municipality). Interview key informants in your barangay or
municipality.
3. Give at least five (5) impacts of human population growth
and population explosion? Discuss each impact thoroughly.
You may add images to elaborate your answers.