According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), about one-third of the world's population lives in countries suffering from freshwater scarcity, and in less than 25 years, two-thirds of humanity will live in countries with freshwater scarcity. Countries have unequal water potential. But the habit of thinking that Russia is a power with inexhaustible supplies of clean fresh water can do a lot of harm. The omnipresent anthropogenic factor is changing the order of things in our water-rich country. Suffice it to recall the once largest reservoir of pure fresh water in the world, Lake Baikal, or the vast Volga-Caspian basin, perhaps the most polluted in Russia.

Water quality problems are no less serious than water availability problems, but they receive relatively little attention. This is especially true for densely populated areas and territories of large industrial enterprises and agricultural complexes.

In Russia in 2003, on average, every fifth to seventh of the tested drinking water samples did not meet hygienic requirements.

WATER SOURCES. ALL INCLUSIVE

Water from natural surface sources is increasingly less suitable for direct use. Be it for production purposes, agriculture or human drinking water needs. The reasons are long-term discharge of untreated and under-treated wastewater from industrial and agricultural enterprises, runoff from fields, radioactive pollution, lack of sewerage systems, thermal pollution, etc.

The quality of natural water sources is also reflected in the state of the atmosphere, since reservoirs are replenished by precipitation, which, unfortunately, carries a significant amount of undesirable dissolved elements.

The main pollutants from surface sources are petroleum products, phenols, easily oxidized organic substances, copper and zinc compounds, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen. Some hazardous substances, for example, salts of heavy metals, lurk in bottom sediments in stagnant or weakly flowing water bodies and pose a significant threat, especially in the event of a strong drop in water level.

The second half of the last century was marked by the emergence of another major water use problem. Organic substances, nitrogen and phosphorus, entering water bodies from fields with residues of mineral fertilizers, as well as with municipal wastewater and wastewater from livestock farms, cause eutrophication of water bodies.

As a result, in some cases, dirty water cannot even enter industrial water circulation systems without pre-treatment; it is not suitable for irrigation of agricultural land and, of course, for drinking.

There is a well-known example of the city of Salekhard, which stands at the confluence of the huge Ob River with its large tributary Poluy and experiences difficulties with drinking water. The pollution of the river basins with petroleum products is so severe that tap water is completely unfit for drinking, and drinking water is transported throughout the city in tanks.

According to the UN, approximately a third of the world's population uses water from underground sources for drinking. But this resource is not able to provide us with clean, safe water. Firstly, underground sources are a rather heterogeneous class of aquifers and are not always artesian. An analysis of only a small number of wells in our country showed that in most of them the water is unsuitable for drinking.

According to UNEP estimates, in 1999 there were more than 2,700 groundwater sources in Russia classified as contaminated. In densely populated, industrial and agricultural areas, soils can become so saturated with toxic substances that they have lost both their filtering and buffering properties.

In addition, the underground communications system in many areas is not perfect. Difficult to control and therefore unrepairable leaks, for example from sewer pipes, add to the problems. All this leads to the same unwanted substances penetrating into groundwater.

SIP. IS IT A LOT OR A LITTLE?

Total water pollution affects people's health.

International experts estimate that in 2000, due to the consumption of poor-quality water, 2 billion people were at risk of contracting malaria (with an estimated constant number of cases of 100 million and an annual mortality rate of 1-2 million people from this disease).

Every year, there are approximately 4 billion cases of diarrhea and 2.2 million deaths from diarrhea worldwide, which is equivalent to 20 large airliner crashes every day. More than 10% of the population in the developing world is affected by helminthic diseases. About 6 million people have lost their sight due to trachoma. 200 million people suffer from schistosomiasis. Even in relatively prosperous Europe, there are isolated outbreaks of intestinal infections associated with drinking water. Moreover, according to statistics, among those affected by unfavorable environmental conditions, two thirds are children.

Unfortunately, in Russia the quality of drinking water is unacceptably low. This is often associated with the country's lagging behind other industrialized countries in terms of average life expectancy. The cost of risk and loss of public health from the consumption of poor-quality drinking water in Russia as a whole is estimated at approximately 33.7 billion rubles per year.

In 2003, according to statistical reporting, on average, every fifth to seventh of the studied drinking water samples from the distribution network did not meet hygienic requirements, including 90% for organoleptics, 9% for the content of chemicals exceeding the maximum permissible concentration on sanitary and toxicological grounds harmfulness; every ninth sample is microbiological, and more than 60% of the negative samples show a real epidemic danger, since sometimes the level of bacterial contamination is 20 or more times higher than the established standard.

The impact of chemical, as well as radiation, pollution cannot always be traced directly. The result of systematic consumption of low-quality water can affect you much later. According to the observations of experts, chlorides and sulfates affect the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular areas. Excess nitrogen and chlorine compounds cause complications on the kidneys and liver. Aluminum negatively affects the central and immune systems. Iron contributes to the occurrence of allergic diseases.

“SWIMMING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED!”

About 30 infectious outbreaks associated with water supply are recorded annually.

The unfavorable state of reservoirs has another unpleasant consequence. The water becomes unsafe to swim in.

It is estimated that swimming in polluted seas causes approximately 250 million cases of gastroenteritis and upper respiratory illnesses each year, resulting in an economic loss of US$1.6 billion per year. What can we say about much smaller reservoirs, and even with standing water?

The “poisoning” of food products by water should not be overlooked. A well-known example is the level of nitrates in crop products exceeding established hygienic regulations. Salts of heavy metals and radionuclides are also detected.

Eating shellfish and crustaceans from sewage-contaminated waters is responsible for 2.5 million cases of infectious hepatitis each year. About 25 thousand cases of this disease end in death, and the same number result in serious liver damage and long-term loss of ability to work.

It is estimated that the annual impact of such “delicacies” on global health is equivalent to labor losses of 3.2 million person-years and costs the global community $10 billion.

CLEANING PROBLEMS

Water purification remains a pressing issue.

Moreover, this task is becoming more complicated day by day: the corresponding engineering structures are quite worn out and no longer meet the requirements of today's technology. The water treatment system created decades ago was not designed for the modern volumes and condition of the substance being purified. And the fact that the necessary actions to maintain the existing system in a functioning state are not carried out or are carried out in insufficient quantities leads to the fact that many elements of the water management complex become dangerously unsafe for the population.

In Russia, approximately 50% of the distribution water supply network is in emergency or close to that condition, mainly due to corrosion and organic and chemical deposits that saturate the water with undesirable and sometimes harmful elements.

Sometimes corrosion leads to gaps in pipelines. If such a pipeline is underground, dirt will flow through the holes. All this leads to the fact that the output water, even with optimal purification, does not meet drinking standards.

At the parliamentary hearings on March 18, 2003 “On the national program of environmental management of the Russian Federation for the long term,” First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Nikolai Tarasov, summing up the discussion of the main problems of the water sector of the Russian Federation, especially noted the unsatisfactory state of domestic drinking water supply associated with the low quality of water supplied to the population due to contamination of surface and groundwater, unsatisfactory condition of water supply networks, and also, importantly, insufficient use of modern methods of drinking water purification.

At a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation in the summer of 2003, it was stated that the ecological condition of many water bodies in the most populated and industrialized regions of Russia is unsatisfactory.

The main rivers: Volga, Don, Kuban, Dnieper, Northern Dvina, Pechora, Ural, Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Kolyma, Amur - are assessed as “polluted”, in some places - as “very dirty”; large tributaries: Oka, Kama, Tom, Irtysh, Tobol, Miass, Iset, Tura - as “very dirty”, and in some places as “extremely dirty”. The ecological state of a number of smaller rivers is considered catastrophic. Although groundwater is on average less polluted than surface water, there is now a tendency for its ecological condition to deteriorate.

The sanitary condition of water bodies of water use categories 1 and 2 in Russia remains unsatisfactory. Almost half of the centralized water supply sources from open reservoirs do not meet sanitary standards. The volume of wastewater discharged into surface water bodies is more than 55 cubic meters. km, while only 11% undergo “regulatory clearance”.

In 2001, 22% of water samples in places of water intake from open reservoirs did not meet hygienic standards for microbiological indicators, and 28% - for chemical ones. The proportion of water samples that isolate pathogens of infectious diseases is increasing; in 2002 it reached almost 1.5%. In the country as a whole, only 1% of the initial water from surface sources meets the standards that guarantee the production of drinking water of adequate quality. 34% of water supply systems with water intake from open reservoirs do not have a full range of treatment facilities, and 20% do not have disinfection installations. Modern water treatment technologies are being introduced extremely slowly, and high deterioration of distribution networks remains - up to 60%. In 2001, 19.5% of water samples supplied directly to consumers did not meet hygienic requirements for sanitary and chemical indicators.

The highest rates of microbial contamination of water bodies of category 1 are typical for St. Petersburg: 80.3% of standard samples (with the isolation of infectious disease agents in 12.3%, with the national average percentage being 2.27). As a result of the consumption of poor-quality, contaminated drinking water, from 15 to 30 outbreaks of acute intestinal infections, typhoid fever and viral hepatitis A are registered annually in the country with the number of victims up to 2.5-3 thousand people.
www.regnum.ru

DEBT PAYMENT IS RED

Any natural system always strives for self-purification. But its resources are still limited. It is not able to “extinguish” too much pollution, especially when it comes to substances not of natural origin, but invented by man. Therefore, in order to avoid problems in the future, it is worth putting a powerful barrier against further poisoning of water sources.

The experience of Western European countries has shown that wastewater treatment can be very effective. For example, since the beginning of the 80s of the last century, the discharge of phosphorus into natural reservoirs with effluents from urban water treatment plants has decreased by 50-80%, which has led to a significant decrease in the phosphorus content in many lakes that are “unfavorable” in terms of this indicator.

Unfortunately, Russia has not yet taken tangible steps in creating an effective system for collecting and treating wastewater, and, moreover, by the end of the last century, the discharge of polluted water into rivers increased.

This is especially unfortunate due to the fact that, according to some data, overall production in Russia has become “dirtier.” The reason lies in outdated equipment, low-quality raw materials with a high content of harmful substances.

It is clear that such backward enterprises have poor or non-functioning water treatment systems. There are also completely unacceptable cases of discharging industrial waste directly into water bodies or into city sewers, which are not equipped to treat such waters, which leads to deterioration in the performance of its treatment systems.

The unfavorable trend of worsening water-related problems that has emerged and taken hold in the last century poses an urgent task for the world community to overcome the crisis. And the search for new, economical ways to purify water, both for technical purposes and for drinking water, is one of the components of the program of necessary actions to stabilize the environmental situation.

Interesting facts:

WHO: a billion people drink dirty water. Experts are sounding the alarm: More than one billion people on Earth drink dirty, unsafe water, and 2.6 billion - almost 40 percent of the world's population - live in unsanitary conditions, reports Reuters.

UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy and World Health Organization (WHO) experts said in their report that this situation poses the greatest danger to children.

About 1.8 million people die each year from intestinal infections, most of them children under 5 years of age, the report says.

The issue takes on greater urgency with reports that in 20 years the amount of water needed to produce food will increase by a quarter, and many rapidly developing countries will not be able to produce it without damaging ecosystems.
Agency Mednovosti.ru, 08.26.04

Tsunami2. Infectious diseases are common accompaniments of natural disasters. They were observed after major floods in Sudan in 1980, in West Bengal in 1998, in Mozambique in 2000. And the number of victims was comparable to the floods themselves.

The reasons are obvious: after natural disasters, communications and housing were destroyed, masses of people were forced to live crowdedly in camp conditions, water sources and drinking water preparation systems were polluted, local medical services were paralyzed. And aggressive microorganisms, out of control, are just waiting for the opportunity to conquer new spaces. The greatest danger is represented by intestinal infections: dysentery, hepatitis A, cholera, typhoid fever.
T. Bateneva, Izvestia Nauki, 01/19/05

Microbial and viral contamination of drinking water Both centralized and non-centralized water supply creates a risk of the population becoming ill with intestinal infections, primarily viral hepatitis A.
IA Regions.ru, 01/25/2005

How humans pollute the hydrosphere, you will learn from this article.

How does a person pollute water?

Hydrosphere is an aquatic environment that includes groundwater and surface water. Today, man's activities have led to massive water pollution.

Main types of pollution:

• Pollution from petroleum products and oil. Oil slicks prevent sunlight from reaching the water column and slow down the process of photosynthesis.
• Wastewater pollution due to mineral and organic soil fertilization and industrial production. Algae in reservoirs begin to actively reproduce and lead to waterlogging and death of other ecosystems.
• Pollution with heavy metal ions.
• Acid rain.
• Radioactive contamination.
• Thermal pollution. Emissions from nuclear power plants and thermal power plants contribute to the development of blue-green algae and water blooms.
• Mechanical contamination.
• Biological and bacterial contamination promotes the development of pathogenic organisms and fungi.

How do people pollute the ocean and seas?

Every year more than 10 million tons of oil enter the Ocean. Today, about 20% of its area is covered with an oil film. The problem of pollution from industrial waste and household waste is especially acute. Often, marine inhabitants swallow plastic and bags and die either from suffocation or from the fact that this garbage gets stuck in the body. A serious environmental threat to the world's oceans and seas is human burial of radioactive waste and the dumping of radioactive liquid waste.

How do people pollute rivers and lakes?

In the process of human industrial activity, large amounts of petroleum products, wastewater, and radioactive liquid substances enter the waters of lakes and rivers. Pesticides are especially dangerous. Once in the water, they instantly dissipate and reach a maximum degree of concentration. Waste from nuclear fuel and weapons-grade plutonium destroys the fauna of these water bodies.

How do people pollute groundwater?

They suffer greatly from oil fields, filtration fields, the mining industry, slag dumps, chemical fertilizer and waste storage facilities, metallurgical plant dumps, and sewers. As a result, groundwater is polluted with phenols, copper, zinc, petroleum products, nickel, mercury, sulfates, and chlorides.

We hope that from this article you learned how people pollute water.

Water is one of the most important natural resources, and we have the power to prevent its pollution. Small changes in habits, such as using natural cleaning products instead of toxic chemicals in the home or growing trees and flowers in the garden, can make a huge difference. For larger-scale changes, try not to hush up the facts of discharges of dirty wastewater from enterprises into local water bodies. Any action can lead to a positive result.

Steps

Changing housekeeping habits

Use as few chemicals as possible when cleaning your home. This simple step can make a big difference. Using toxic chemicals like bleach or ammonia is not only harmful to water resources, but they are simply unnecessary. Natural cleaning products are also effective for cleaning your household, but they do not harm the environment or the planet's water resources.

Dispose of waste correctly. Never pour waste that does not decompose down the drain. When you use toxic substances such as paints or ammonia, take steps to dispose of them properly. If you are unsure how to properly dispose of them, consult your hazardous waste collection point or search online for information. Here is a list of some substances that should never be poured down the drain:

• Paints
• Motor oil
• Solvents and Cleaners
• Ammonia
• Pool chemicals

1. Do not flush medications down the drain. Medicines are made from substances that may be harmful to the environment. If you have expired medications, take them to a hazardous waste collection point, such as mobile collection points called Ecomobiles. This way, medications will not get into the water body and cause harm to people and animals.

   Do not flush trash down the drain. Flushing items such as diapers, wet wipes, and plastic tampon applicators down the toilet can create drainage problems. In addition, these items will clog rivers and lakes, and this can kill fish and other river and sea life. Instead of flushing such items down the toilet, simply throw them in the trash.

   • You can use cloth diapers, recycled toilet paper, biodegradable tampons to minimize items that end up in landfill.

2. Save as much water as possible. Saving water is very important for preserving the planet's water resources. Purifying drinking and household water requires a lot of effort and energy, so save as much water as possible, especially during droughts. Here are some healthy habits that will help you save water:

   Try not to use plastic. Since plastic is not biodegradable, it accumulates in rivers, lakes, and seas because it has nowhere else to go. For example, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or the Eastern Garbage Continent, or the Pacific Garbage Pit - garbage accumulated in the Pacific Ocean. Garbage polluting rivers, seas and lakes harms marine life and people. If possible, use glass containers or cloth bags instead of plastic.

3. Collect and compost garden waste. If waste is stored haphazardly, it can end up in sewers, ditches, and drains. Even if your waste does not contain herbicides or pesticides, large amounts of branches, leaves, and grass clippings can oversaturate the water with nutrients.

   • Store compost in a bin or barrel to prevent the compost from washing out across the area. In some countries, these boxes are provided free of charge or at a low cost.
   • Use a mulching lawn mower instead of a bag lawn mower. A mulching lawn mower adds a natural layer of compost to your lawn, plus you don't have to deal with disposing of grass clippings.
   • Properly dispose of garden waste and grass clippings. If you don't have compost, find out if there are compost recycling facilities in your area.

4. Monitor the condition of your car. If your car leaks gasoline or other liquids, remember that they enter through the soil. Carry out regular technical inspections of the machine and eliminate all faults in a timely manner.

   • In addition to the above, remember to properly dispose of your motor oil instead of simply pouring it down the drain.

   Dissemination of your ideas and achievements

   1. Be active at school or at work. You can take the same steps at school or work as you do at home. Review your school or office policies and determine what areas need to be changed to improve the health of the water and the environment in general. Involve friends, teachers, and colleagues in this process, tell them about the possibilities of keeping water clean.

      • For example, you can recommend environmentally friendly cleaning products for your school or office, and tell which of these products are most effective.
      • You can put up signs to remind people to conserve water in the kitchen and bathroom.

   2. Help clean up trash around waterways. If you live near a local water source, there is a lot you can do to protect it from pollution. Find out if community clean-ups are organized to clean up areas close to the reservoir; be sure to participate in such cleaning as a volunteer to clean the banks of a river, lake, or sea.

      • Think bigger. You're probably thinking that a small gas leak in your car isn't a big deal at all. However, if you take such a small leak from thousands, or even millions of cars, the extent of the damage can be compared to an oil tanker accident. You may not be able to fix all the leaks in the world, but you can fix them in your car. Be part of the solution to a big problem.
      • If you are unsure whether a particular waste is hazardous, contact your local waste disposal or environmental authority, or search the Internet for information.
      • Some runoff from agricultural enterprises causes more environmental damage than runoff from industrial areas of the city. If you are involved in agricultural activities, contact your local environmental protection office with questions about how to reduce your negative impact on the environment.
      • Talk to your family, friends and neighbors about ways to reduce their contribution to water pollution. If your area doesn't have environmental education programs, pollution control guidelines, or hazardous waste disposal facilities, then it's time to take the initiative.

The presence of fresh, clean water is a necessary condition for the existence of all living organisms on the planet.

The share of fresh water suitable for consumption accounts for only 3% of its total quantity.

Despite this, people mercilessly pollute it in the process of their activities.

Thus, a very large volume of fresh water has now become completely unusable. A sharp deterioration in the quality of fresh water has occurred as a result of its contamination with chemical and radioactive substances, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and sewage, and this is already.

Types of pollution

It is clear that all types of pollution that exist are also present in the aquatic environment.

This is a fairly extensive list.

In many ways, the solution to the pollution problem will be .

Heavy metals

During the operation of large factories, industrial wastewater is discharged into fresh water, the composition of which is replete with various types of heavy metals. Many of them, when entering the human body, have a detrimental effect on it, leading to severe poisoning and death. Such substances are called xenobiotics, that is, elements that are alien to a living organism. The class of xenobiotics includes elements such as cadmium, nickel, lead, mercury and many others.

There are known sources of water pollution with these substances. These are primarily metallurgical enterprises and automobile factories.

Natural processes on the planet can also contribute to pollution. For example, harmful compounds are found in large quantities in products of volcanic activity, which from time to time fall into lakes, polluting them.

But, of course, the anthropogenic factor is decisive here.

Radioactive substances

The development of the nuclear industry has caused significant harm to all life on the planet, including fresh water reservoirs. During the activities of nuclear enterprises, radioactive isotopes are formed, as a result of the decay of which particles with different penetrating abilities are released (alpha, beta and gamma particles). All of them are capable of causing irreparable harm to living beings, since when these elements enter the body, they damage its cells and contribute to the development of cancer.

Sources of pollution can be:

• atmospheric precipitation falling in areas where nuclear tests are carried out;
• wastewater discharged into a reservoir by nuclear industry enterprises.
• ships operating using nuclear reactors (in case of an accident).

Inorganic contaminants

The main inorganic elements that deteriorate the quality of water in reservoirs are considered to be compounds of toxic chemical elements. These include toxic metal compounds, alkalis, and salts. As a result of these substances entering water, its composition changes for consumption by living organisms.

The main source of pollution is wastewater from large enterprises, factories, and mines. Some inorganic pollutants increase their negative properties when they are in an acidic environment. Thus, acidic wastewater coming from a coal mine contains aluminum, copper, and zinc in concentrations that are very dangerous for living organisms.

Every day, huge amounts of water from sewage flow into reservoirs.

Such water contains a lot of pollutants. These include particles of detergents, small remains of food and household waste, and feces. These substances in the process of their decomposition give life to numerous pathogenic microorganisms.

If they enter the human body, they can provoke a number of serious diseases, such as dysentery and typhoid fever.

From large cities, such wastewater flows into rivers and the ocean.

Synthetic fertilizers

Synthetic fertilizers used by humans contain many harmful substances such as nitrates and phosphates. When they enter a body of water, they provoke excessive growth of a specific blue-green algae. Growing to enormous sizes, it interferes with the development of other plants in the reservoir, while the algae itself cannot serve as food for living organisms living in the water. All this leads to the disappearance of life in the reservoir and its waterlogging.

How to solve the problem of water pollution

Of course, there are ways to solve this problem.

It is known that most of the pollutants enter water bodies along with wastewater from large enterprises. Water purification is one of the ways to solve the problem of water pollution. Business owners should be concerned about installing high-quality wastewater treatment facilities. The presence of such devices, of course, is not capable of completely stopping the release of toxic substances, but they are quite capable of significantly reducing their concentration.

Household filters will also help combat contaminants in drinking water and purify it in the house.

People themselves must take care of the purity of fresh water. Following a few simple rules will help significantly reduce the level of water pollution:

• Tap water should be used sparingly.
• Avoid disposing of household waste into the sewer system.
• If possible, clear debris from nearby bodies of water and beaches.
• Do not use synthetic fertilizers. The best fertilizers are organic household waste, grass clippings, fallen leaves or compost.
• Dispose of discarded trash.

Despite the fact that the problem of water pollution is currently reaching alarming proportions, it is quite possible to solve it. To do this, each person must make some efforts and treat nature more carefully.

Classmates

2 Comments

Everyone knows that the percentage of water in the human body is large and our metabolism and overall health will depend on its quality. I see ways to solve this environmental problem in relation to our country: cutting water consumption standards to the minimum, and what is more - at inflated tariffs; The funds received will be used for the development of water treatment facilities (activated sludge treatment, ozonation).

Water is the source of all life. Neither people nor animals can live without it. I didn't think the problems with fresh water were that big. But it’s impossible to live a full life without mines, sewers, factories, etc. In the future, of course, humanity will have a solution to this problem, but what to do now? I believe that people should actively address the issue of water and take action.

Continuous technological progress, the continuing enslavement of nature by man, industrialization, which has changed the surface of the Earth beyond recognition, have become the causes of a global environmental crisis. Currently, the world's population faces particularly acute environmental problems such as air pollution, ozone layer depletion, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, soil pollution, ocean pollution and overpopulation.

Global environmental problem No. 1: Air pollution

Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air, which contains, in addition to vital oxygen, a whole list of harmful suspended particles and gases. Atmospheric pollutants are conventionally divided into 2 types: natural and anthropogenic. The latter prevail.

Things are not going well for the chemical industry. Factories emit harmful substances such as dust, fuel oil ash, various chemical compounds, nitrogen oxides and much more. Air measurements have shown the catastrophic situation of the atmospheric layer; polluted air becomes the cause of many chronic diseases.

Atmospheric pollution is an environmental problem that is familiar firsthand to residents of absolutely all corners of the earth. It is felt especially acutely by representatives of cities where enterprises of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, energy, chemical, petrochemical, construction and pulp and paper industries operate. In some cities, the atmosphere is also heavily poisoned by vehicles and boiler houses. These are all examples of anthropogenic air pollution.

As for the natural sources of chemical elements that pollute the atmosphere, these include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion (scattering of soil and rock particles), the spread of pollen, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radiation.

Consequences of air pollution

Atmospheric air pollution negatively affects human health, contributing to the development of heart and lung diseases (in particular, bronchitis). In addition, air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide destroy natural ecosystems, destroying plants and causing the death of living creatures (particularly river fish).

The global environmental problem of air pollution, according to scientists and government officials, can be solved in the following ways:

• limiting population growth;
• reducing energy use;
• increasing energy efficiency;
• waste reduction;
• transition to environmentally friendly renewable energy sources;
• air purification in particularly polluted areas.

Global Environmental Problem #2: Ozone Depletion

The ozone layer is a thin strip of the stratosphere that protects all life on Earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the Sun.

Causes of environmental problem

Back in the 1970s. Environmentalists have discovered that the ozone layer is being destroyed by chlorofluorocarbons. These chemicals are found in refrigerator and air conditioner coolants, as well as solvents, aerosols/sprays, and fire extinguishers. To a lesser extent, other anthropogenic impacts also contribute to the thinning of the ozone layer: the launch of space rockets, the flights of jet aircraft in high layers of the atmosphere, nuclear weapons testing, and the reduction of forest lands on the planet. There is also a theory that global warming is contributing to the thinning of the ozone layer.

Consequences of ozone layer depletion

As a result of the destruction of the ozone layer, ultraviolet radiation passes unhindered through the atmosphere and reaches the earth's surface. Exposure to direct UV rays has detrimental effects on people's health, weakening the immune system and causing diseases such as skin cancer and cataracts.

World environmental problem No. 3: Global warming

Like the glass walls of a greenhouse, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor allow the sun to heat our planet while preventing infrared radiation reflected from the earth's surface from escaping into space. All these gases are responsible for maintaining temperatures acceptable for life on earth. However, the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and water vapor in the atmosphere is another global environmental problem called global warming (or the greenhouse effect).

Causes of global warming

During the 20th century, the average temperature on earth increased by 0.5 - 1? C. The main cause of global warming is considered to be an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to an increase in the volume of fossil fuels burned by people (coal, oil and their derivatives). However, according to the statement Alexey Kokorin, head of climate programs World Wildlife Fund(WWF) Russia, “the largest amount of greenhouse gases is generated as a result of the operation of power plants and methane emissions during the extraction and delivery of energy resources, while road transport or flaring of associated petroleum gas causes relatively little harm to the environment”.

Other causes of global warming include overpopulation, deforestation, ozone depletion and littering. However, not all ecologists blame the rise in average annual temperatures entirely on anthropogenic activities. Some believe that global warming is also facilitated by a natural increase in the abundance of oceanic plankton, leading to an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Consequences of the greenhouse effect

If the temperature during the 21st century increases by another 1? C – 3.5? C, as scientists predict, the consequences will be very sad:

• the level of the world's oceans will rise (due to the melting of polar ice), the number of droughts will increase and the process of desertification will intensify,
• many species of plants and animals adapted to exist in a narrow range of temperatures and humidity will disappear,
• Hurricanes will become more frequent.

Solving an environmental problem

According to environmentalists, the following measures will help slow down the process of global warming:

• rising prices for fossil fuels,
• replacing fossil fuels with environmentally friendly ones (solar energy, wind energy and sea currents),
• development of energy-saving and waste-free technologies,
• taxation of environmental emissions,
• minimizing methane losses during its production, transportation through pipelines, distribution in cities and villages and use at heat supply stations and power plants,
• implementation of carbon dioxide absorption and sequestration technologies,
• tree planting,
• reduction in family size,
• environmental education,
• application of phytomelioration in agriculture.

Global environmental problem No. 4: Acid rain

Acid rain, containing products of fuel combustion, also poses a danger to the environment, human health and even to the integrity of architectural monuments.

Consequences of acid rain

Solutions of sulfuric and nitric acids, aluminum and cobalt compounds contained in polluted sediments and fog pollute the soil and water bodies, have a detrimental effect on vegetation, causing dry tops of deciduous trees and inhibiting conifers. Because of acid rain, agricultural yields fall, people drink water enriched with toxic metals (mercury, cadmium, lead), marble architectural monuments turn into plaster and are eroded.

Solving an environmental problem

In order to save nature and architecture from acid rain, it is necessary to minimize emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.

Global Environmental Problem #5: Soil Pollution

Every year people pollute the environment with 85 billion tons of waste. Among them are solid and liquid waste from industrial enterprises and transport, agricultural waste (including pesticides), household waste and atmospheric fallout of harmful substances.

The main role in soil pollution is played by such components of technogenic waste as heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, thallium, bismuth, tin, vanadium, antimony), pesticides and petroleum products. From the soil they penetrate into plants and water, even spring water. Toxic metals enter the human body along a chain and are not always quickly and completely removed from it. Some of them tend to accumulate over many years, provoking the development of serious diseases.

Global Environmental Problem #6: Water Pollution

Pollution of the world's oceans, groundwater and surface waters is a global environmental problem, the responsibility for which lies entirely with humans.

Causes of environmental problem

The main pollutants of the hydrosphere today are oil and petroleum products. These substances penetrate into the waters of the world's oceans as a result of tanker wrecks and regular wastewater discharges from industrial enterprises.

In addition to anthropogenic petroleum products, industrial and domestic facilities pollute the hydrosphere with heavy metals and complex organic compounds. Agriculture and the food industry are recognized as the leaders in poisoning the waters of the world's oceans with minerals and nutrients.

The hydrosphere is not spared by such a global environmental problem as radioactive pollution. The prerequisite for its formation was the burial of radioactive waste in the waters of the world's oceans. Many powers with a developed nuclear industry and nuclear fleet deliberately stored harmful radioactive substances in the seas and oceans from the 49th to the 70th years of the 20th century. In places where radioactive containers are buried, cesium levels often go off scale even today. But “underwater test sites” are not the only radioactive source of hydrosphere pollution. The waters of the seas and oceans are enriched with radiation as a result of underwater and surface nuclear explosions.

Consequences of radioactive water contamination

Oil pollution of the hydrosphere leads to the destruction of the natural habitat of hundreds of representatives of ocean flora and fauna, the death of plankton, seabirds and mammals. For human health, poisoning the waters of the world's oceans also poses a serious danger: fish and other seafood “contaminated” with radiation can easily end up on the table.

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Ian 31.05.2018 10:56
To prevent all this from happening, it is all necessary to solve this not for the state budget, but for free!
And besides, you need to add environmental protection laws to your country’s constitution
namely, strict laws that should prevent at least 3% of environmental pollution
not only your homeland but also all countries of the world!

24werwe 21.09.2017 14:50
The cause of air and soil pollution is crypto-Jews. On the streets every day there are degenerates with the characteristics of Jews. Greenpeace and environmentalists are vile crypto-Jewish TV. They study eternal criticism according to the Catechism of the Jew in the USSR (according to the Talmud). Dosed poisoning is promoted. They do not name the reason - the deliberate destruction of all living things by Jews hiding under the labels of “peoples”. There is only one way out: the destruction of the Jews and their agriculture and the cessation of production.