oil spills.docx

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Oil Spills

Though oil spills are not new phenomena, the recent scale at which they have affected the

environment cannot go unnoticed. Oil spills are perhaps the biggest environmental issues with one

occurring as often as three to four times a year on an average. Oil spills damage the prime source of

water for various cities, marine life, and even affect birds. Indirectly they cause severe harm to the

environment and are perhaps, among the most important issues to reckon with.

Climate Change

The high amounts of air pollution due to the development of several industries, and water pollution

due to discarding of toxic waste in oceans and other water bodies, and the high rate of

deforestation, are also contributing towards a drastic climate change. This widespread misuse is

causing global warming like never before. Erratic changes in weather, brutal blizzards and floods,

and vicious heat waves, are now affecting lands where such phenomena were not so common.

Overpopulation

Population growth and the subsequent overpopulation is another among the many global

environmental issues that has affected every nation. With the advancement in medicine and

technology, life expectancy has increased, which is a boon in its own way, but has adversely affected

the environment. Earth is now overpopulated, and because of the other problems that are affecting

it, it is not going to be able to sustain this excess for very long. Also, though family planningmeasures have been strictly implemented in several countries, they are still not as effective to

control the rapidly increasing population.

Pollution

Pollution is having a horrific impact on the planet and us human beings. Water pollution, air

pollution, acid rain due to air pollution, land pollution, noise pollution, are all adversely affecting the

environment and people. Some countries are so polluted that children are born with birth defects,

such as mutations of different body parts, while several others develop such defects later in life, due

to their exposure to different types of pollution.

Land Degradation

Fast-paced urban life has had a deep impact on the land that we live on. For one, to accommodate

the rising urban population, a lot of deforestation has taken place. This not only affects the climate,

but also destroys the natural habitat of other life forms, leading to the increasing number of extinct

animals and endangered animals, and thereby disturbing the natural cycle of the environment.

Agricultural practices such as intensive farming, overgrazing, and use of harsh pesticides, render


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several agricultural lands useless. Furthermore, soil erosion contributes to land degradation and its

subsequent effects on humankind.

Nuclear Issues

The use of nuclear energy has led to the threat and instances of emission of nuclear radiations that

have harmed the environment in unimaginable ways, causing immense environmental pollution.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still recovering from the effects of atom bombs that were dropped in

these cities. Though the scale of nuclear radiation affecting people is not the same, it is still slowly

showing its effects in different manners on us human beings and is, in fact, increasing in today's day

and time.

Resource Depletion

Due to overpopulation, and the relaxed manner in which different natural resources are utilized,

there is a serious lack of resources that can be used by us human beings now. We are experiencing

the phenomenon of rising fuel prices due to their constantly decreasing amounts. Several countries

face huge water problems where some houses get water only for an hour a day, and where the

ability to provide water to people depends on the erratic rains that elude those who solely depend

on it as a source of water. Electricity is another serious problem in certain countries that is not

available to everyone. Due to the continuous depletion of all these natural resources, experts have

predicted that survival on planet Earth is only going to get further challenging and difficult. The least

we can do is try to adopt some energy-saving methods so that it is efficiently utilized, evenly

distributed and made available to everyone.

Loss of Biodiversity

Earth comprises several life forms that together contribute to the biological diversity that exists on

the planet. Because of the aforementioned environmental problems, we are experiencing

degeneration of biodiversity. Biodiversity is important because all life species on this planet play a

crucial role in its sustenance. Moreover, healthy biodiversity ensures its own sustenance, and allows

for the development of further species, which in turn is likely to enhance the overall quality of life of

the planet.

This was just a broad overview of the current environmental issues that are plaguing life on this

planet. The list of issues that affect the environment is never-ending, with every action contributing

to different environmental problems. The least we can do is understand these problems, and try to

make an effort on our part to reduce the suffering of mankind and nature. If every one of us tries to

make a difference, we are likely to have a positive overall outcome, leading to a better, healthier life

for all living species on this planet.


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Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/environmental-issues-list.html

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