Geography Project
The Environment
Here are 8 significant current environmental issues, where human beings play an important role in its
cause.
1. Pollution: More than half of the human population knows what is pollution, but we are still not
ready to face its damaging consequences. Pollution is not only limited to water, soil and noise but has
extended to light, visual, point and non-point sources. Human beings and their actions are majorly
responsible for causing all types of pollution. Water pollution is essentially cause by oil spills, urban
runoff and ocean dumping. Air pollution rises from burning of fossil fuels, hydraulic fracturing and
gases emitted by vehicles. Water and soil pollution are majorly cause from industrial waste.
2. Climate Change: Climate change today is less of a natural process. It is rapidly occurring due to
the ill effects of human actions responsible for disturbing and harmful out comings such as global
warming, greenhouse effect, urban heat, coal industry etc. Climate change is not only changing the
overall weather scenario, but has larger and harmful effects. Some of these include: melting of polar
regions, occurrence of new diseases and permanent inhibition in growth of certain plants essential for
human survival.
3. Global Warming: Global warming is another environmental issue which is increase in earth’s
temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases called carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour and other
gases. These gases possess heat trapping capacity that are needed to create greenhouse effect so that
this planet remains warm for people to survive. Without these gases, this planet would turn be cold for
life to exist.
During past several decades, the accumulation of greenhouse gases have grown rapidly, which means
more heat gets trapped in the atmosphere and few of these gases escapes back into the space. These
gases heat up the earth’s surface and this results in global warming. According to Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) reports, the earth’s temperature has increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius over
the past century. Global warming is a serious public health and environmental concern. Global
warming can have long lasting effects which can result in melting of glaciers, climate change,
droughts, diseases and increase in hurricanes frequency.
4. Deforestation: With population growing at a rapid pace, the demand for food, shelter and cloth has
almost tripled in last few decades. To overcome growing demand, a direct action that we have come
to recognize as “Deforestation” occurs. Deforestation means, clearing of forests or green cover for
means of agriculture, industrial or urban use. It involves permanent end of forest cover to make that
land available for residential, commercial or industrial purpose.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an estimated 18 million
acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest are lost each year. The long term effects of deforestation can be
severely devastating and alarming as they may cause floods, soil erosion, increase in global warming,
climate imbalance, wildlife extinction and other serious environmental issues.
5. Overpopulation: This is a never-ending human tragedy which is responsible for causing all types
of environmental issues. Water pollution, resources crisis, gender imbalance, pollution, land pollution,
urban sprawling, deforestation, over production are some common examples of dangerous effects
cause by overpopulation. Despite efforts taken by the government in terms of family planning in
many countries, over population is difficult to control at international level. This has become more
like a subjective concern and no method seems to be 100% efficient to resolve the problem of over
population.
6. Industrial and Household Waste: At present, tons of garbage is produced by each household each
year. Items that can be recycled are sent to local recycling unit while other items become a part of the
landfills or sent to third world countries. Due to increase in demand for food, shelter and house, more
goods are produced. This resulted in creation of more waste that needs to be disposed of.
Most waste is buried underground in landfill sites. The presence of huge landfills sites across the city
pose serious environmental concerns. It affects human health, degrades soil quality, effects wildlife,
cause air pollution and results in climate change.
7. Acid Rain: Acid rain simply means rain that is acidic in nature due to the presence of certain
pollutants in the atmosphere. These pollutants come in the atmosphere due to car or industrial
processes. Acid rain can occur in form of rain, snow, fog or dry material that settle to earth. Acid rain
may cause due to erupting volcanoes, rotting vegetation and sea sprays that produce sulfur dioxide
and fires, bacterial decomposition and lightening generate nitrogen dioxide.
Acid rain can also be caused due to man-made sources which include combustion of fossil fuels
which release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Acid rain can have devastating
effects on aquatic life, forests, public health and architecture and buildings.
8. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is a layer of gas that sits 25-30 km above earth’s surface. It
mainly contains contain ozone which is a naturally occurring molecule containing three oxygen
atoms. This layer is present in the stratosphere and prevents too many harmful UV (ultra violet)
radiations from entering the earth. Ozone layer is capable of absorbing 97-99% of the harmful
ultraviolet radiations that are emitted by sun.
However, during last several decades, human and industrial activity has contributed a lot which has
resulted in considerable reduction in the ozone layer of the atmosphere. The main cause of depletion
of ozone layer is determined as excessive release of chlorine and bromine from man-made compounds
such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), halons, CH3CCl3 (Methyl
chloroform), CCl4 (Carbon tetrachloride), HCFCs (hydro-chlorofluorocarbons),
hydrobromofluorocarbons and methyl bromide are found to have direct impact on the depletion of the
ozone layer.
A literature review was carried out of the health impacts of incineration, landfill, composting,
landspreading sewage sludge and sewage discharges. A protocol for making judgements about
the strength and reliability of the evidence was applied using an algorithm with defined criteria.
Possible judgements were “convincing”, “probable”, “possible” or “insufficient”. The review
found that the evidence linking any adverse health outcomes with incineration, landfill or
landspreading sewage sludge was “insufficient” to claim a causal association. The evidence is
“insufficient” to link residence near a centralised composting facility with adverse health
outcomes but it is “possible” that working at a centralised composting facility causes health
problems. Working in sewage treatment plants “probably” causes gastrointestinal tract problems,
headache, fatigue and airways symptoms. The only “convincing” evidence is that
gastrointestinal symptoms result from bathing in sewage contaminated recreational waters.
The importance of recycling to waste management
Recycling Conserves Resources
When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to consume
natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by extracting fresh,
raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry. Recycling helps conserve important
raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future.
Recycling saves energy
Using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than that
required for producing new products from raw materials – even when comparing all associated
costs including transport etc. Plus there are extra energy savings because more energy i s
required to extract, refine, transport and process raw materials ready for industry compared with
providing industry-ready materials.
Recycling helps protect the environment
Recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and
processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution. As recycling
saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change.
Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of C02 a year – the
equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.
Recycling reduces landfill
When we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result the
amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites reduces. There are over 1,500 landfill sites in the UK,
and in 2001, these sites produced a quarter of the UK’s emissions of methane, a powerful
greenhouse gas.
Environmental impact of waste disposal
Disposing of waste has huge environmental impacts and can cause serious problems. Some
waste will eventually rot, but not all, and in the process it may smell or generate methane gas,
which is explosive and contributes to the greenhouse effect. Badly-managed landfill sites may
attract vermin or cause litter.
Incinerating waste also causes problems, because plastics tend to produce toxic substances, such
as dioxins, when they are burnt. Gases from incineration may cause air pollution and contribut e
to acid rain, while the ash from incinerators may contain heavy metals and other toxins. Because
of these problems there are active campaigns against waste incineration.
Throwing away things wastes resources. It wastes the raw materials and energy us ed in making
the items and it wastes money.
How to develop an effective waste management and
disposal strategy
[Link] the legal implications of the waste
produced in your organisation by identifying the
specific legislation that affects you.
2. Look at your general environmental issues – what
role does waste play in these?
3. Quantify and identify your waste. Where does it
arise and how much does it cost? Undertake a walk
around audit and look at your bills. Using the waste
hierarchy, identify what currently happens to the
waste as it arises.
4. Identify a waste management champion or team to
drive things forward.
5. Produce an action plan for reducing your wastes
6. Get commitment from senior management for the
action plan.
7. Identify the possible disposal options where you
cannot reduce or recycle.
8. Monitor and review your achievements.
why is the reuse and recycling of plastics essential
to waste management
It has been observed, to reduce bad effects of waste plastics, it is better to recycle and re-utilize waste
plastics in environment-friendly manners. As per statistics, about 80% of post-consumer plastic waste
is sent to landfill, 8% is incinerated and only 7% is recycled. In addition to reducing the amount of
plastics waste requiring disposal, recycling and reuse of plastic can have several other advantages,
such as:
(i) Conservation of non-renewable fossil fuels – Plastic production uses 8% of the world’s oil
production, 4% as feedstock and 4% during manufacture.
(ii) Reduced consumption of energy.
(iii) Reduced amounts of solid waste going to landfill.
(iv) Reduced emissions of carbon-dioxide (CO2), nitrogen-oxides (NOx) and sulfur-dioxide (SO2).
Post-use plastic can be described as plastic material arising from products that have undergone a first
full service life prior to being recovered. Households are the biggest source of plastic waste, but
recycling household plastics presents a number of challenges. One of these relates to collection..
How paper, metal, wood, glass and plastics are
recycled
Unlike some materials, paper can be recycled only so many times. That's because it's made from plant
fibers that become shorter during paper-making. When they're too short, they no longer make decent
paper. In practice, this means some new paper always has to be added during the papermaking
process.
One problem with recycling paper is that not all paper is the same. White office printer paper is made
of much higher quality raw material than the paper towels you'll find in a factory washroom. The
higher the quality of paper waste, the better the quality of recycled products it can be used to make. So
high-grade white paper collected from offices can be used to make more high-grade white recycled
paper. But a mixture of old newspapers, office paper, junk mail, and cardboard can generally be used
only to make lower-grade paper products such as "newsprint" (the low-grade paper on which
newspapers are printed). Corrugated cardboard (which is held together with glue) is harder to recycle
than the thin cardboard used to package groceries.
Waste documents are usually covered in ink, which has to be removed before paper can be recycled.
Using bleach to de-ink papers can be an environmentally harmful process and it produces toxic ink
wastes that have to be disposed of somehow. So, although recycling paper has many benefits, it comes
with environmental costs as well.
Metal
Most of the metal we throw away at home comes from food and drink cans and aerosols. Typically
food cans are made from steel, which can be melted down and turned into new food cans. Drinks cans
are generally thinner and lighter and made from aluminum, which can also be recycled very easily.
Mining aluminum is a very energy-intensive and environmentally harmful process. That's why waste
aluminum cans have a relatively high value and why recycling them is such a good thing to do.
Wood
People have been reusing this traditional, sustainable material for as long as human history. Waste
wood is often turned into new wooden products—such as recycled wooden flooring or garden
decking. Old wooden railroad sleepers (now widely replaced by concrete) are sometimes used as
building timbers in homes and gardens. Waste wood can also be shredded and stuck together with
adhesives to make composite woods such as laminates. It can also be composted or burned as a fuel.
Glass
Glass is very easy to recycle; waste bottles and jars can be melted down and used again and again.
You simply toss old glass into the furnace with the ingredients you're using to make brand-new glass.
Bottle banks (large containers where waste glass is collected) were the original examples of
community recycling in many countries.
Plastics
Of all the different materials we toss in the trash, plastics cause by far the biggest problem. They last a
long time in the environment without breaking down—sometimes as much as 500 years. They're very
light and they float, so plastic litter drifts across the oceans and washes up on our beaches, killing
wildlife and scarring the shoreline. The only trouble is, plastics are relatively hard to recycle. There
are many different kinds of plastic and they all have to be recycled in a different way. There's so much
plastic about that waste plastic material doesn't have much value, so it's not always economic to
collect. Plastic containers also tend to be large and, unless people squash them, quickly fill up
recycling bins.
All told, plastics are a bit of an environmental nightmare—but that's all the more reason we should
make an effort to recycle them! Different plastics can be recycled in different ways. Plastic drinks
bottles are usually made from a type of clear plastic called PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and can
be turned into such things as textile insulation (for thermal jackets and sleeping bags). Milk bottles
tend to be made from a thicker, opaque plastic called HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and can be
recycled into more durable products like flower pots and plastic pipes.
Another solution to the problem could be to use bioplastics, which claim to be more environmentally
friendly.
Integrating economic incentives to promote recycling
Economic incentives (EI) are increasingly being used to secure environmentally friendly
behavior. The rationale is based on the predictions of neoclassical economic theory, which
assumes stable preferences. However, preferences are influenced by institutions according to
the classical institutional economic theory. The involvement of EIs may change the norms by
attracting an ‘I’ rationality that focuses on own utility, instead of a ‘We’ rationality that
focuses on the social group. Existing empirical findings suggest that EIs may have the
opposite of the intended effect. Moreover, theories suggest that they may ‘crowd out’ initial
motivations or ‘reframe’ recycling from a ‘domain of morality’ to a ‘domain of economy’.
Therefore, a better understanding of the effects is called for.
This study looks upon recycling practices at the household waste level in three
municipalities in Norway where an EI has already been implemented. A thorough overview of
how the Pay-by-the-bag renovation system in the municipalities work was gained through
structured interviews with representatives from the renovation companies and municipality
offices. The first objective of the study is to investigate whether the use of EIs is effective in
increasing recycling behavior and whether it is an optimal instrument to use. The second
objective is to contribute to the literature on what motivates recycling and how they may be
influenced by economic incentives. The third objective is to support that individual
preferences and choice are influenced by the surrounding institutions, which the neoclassical
economic theory does not accept. Using semi-structured, in-depth interviews the participants
describe the effect the EI had on their motivations to recycle and recycling behaviors.
This study revealed that the main effect the EI was that 63% of the sample decreased
their delivery frequency of unsorted waste. Moreover, only a quarter of the sample increased
their recycling. Hence, 37% did not change their recycling routines and habits. Perceptions of
the EI influence the effect it had. Meanwhile, the norms surrounding recycling may have
weakened due to the EI by that it does not match the ‘domain of morality’ which recycling is
within. Also, and the monetary aspect discredits that recycling is for the environment.
‘Crowding out’ of motivations is not indicated in the results; however a reframing from ‘We’
rationality to ‘I’ rationality is may have occurred in some participants. Hence, EI are not an
optimal long term instrument. An initial study mapped out various motivations to recycle in
two institutional settings; one without an EI and one with. Three variables that had changed
between the two settings are further investigated in this study, namely; sense of duty, positive
and negative feelings. The results were that around half of the sample felt neither duty nor
feelings attached to recycling, yet they recycle. It is suggested that for some, recycling is a
habit that was learned early and not necessarily a behavior with emotions attached to it.
However, 48.4% of the sample felt ‘wrong’ if they threw a material in the wrong bin, while
51.6% felt positive feelings when they recycled. Here, the feelings are seen as consequences
of adhering or breaking a norm. Many of those who did not feel sense of duty to recycle
increased their recycling due to the EI. It is argued that the reason why some people do not
recycle or are not motivated to before the EI provided a motivation, is that they are unsure of
whether the material is actually recycled or of that it is environmentally beneficial. In view of
that only a quarter of the sample increased their recycling and the negative consequences of, it
is concluded that the EI is not an optimal instrument to use on a long term scale
how does creating recyclable products support
effective waste management
Recycling Reduces Landfill Waste
The Environmental Protection Agency's Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2014 Fact
Sheet (EPA fact sheet) states that 258 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) were generated
that year alone. From that amount, the following occured:
34.6% (89 million tons) of waste was recovered, of which 23 million tons were composted and 66
million tons were recycled (pg. 4)
33 million tons were incinerated for energy generation (pg. 4)
136 million tons (52%) ended up in the landfill (pg. 4)
The environmental problem of landfills is a difficult issue to fix. As more waste ends in landfills, the
bigger the problem gets. Products that are not biodegradable or are slow to decompose, like plastic,
can remain in landfill sites for centuries, often emitting gases that could be harmful to the
environment.
The EPA fact sheet (pg. 7, fig. 8), shows the landfill is composed of the following waste, which could
easily be recycled:
21% of food, the largest component of landfill
14% of paper and paperboard
10% of rubber, leather and textiles
18% of plastic
With increased recycling efforts, the waste destined for landfills can be further reduced, thereby
minimizing problems and helping the environment.
Conserves Natural Resources
Mining with heavy equipment
Manufacturing of products requires virgin sources of both renewable wood, and non-renewable fossil
fuels or metal ore. The National Institutes of Health Environmental Management System reports that
"94% of the natural resources used by Americans are non-renewable." The amount of these resources
such as fossil fuels and mineral ores that can be mined are limited. At their current rate of extraction
and use, the world will eventually run out of these precious natural resources. So it is vital to save
them for future generations. When products manufactured from the natural resources like metals or
plastic are discarded in landfills, they are lost to humanity forever.
Natural Resource Savings
Recycling ensures sustainable use of limited resources. For instance, [Link] lists the
following savings in natural resources through recycling one ton of a material:
Recycled office paper: Saves "17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, and 3 cubic yards of
landfill space"
Recycled plastic: Saves up to 16.3 barrels of oil
Recycled steel: Saves 1.8 barrels of oil and 4 cubic yards in landfills
Resources Wasted With Potential for Recycling Recovery.
The aluminum discarded each year is enough "to rebuild the US commercial air fleet four times over."
Similarly, the 1,200 pounds of organic garbage produced by an average American can be composted.
Reduces Energy Consumption
Large amounts of energy are required to mine raw materials, process them and transport them around
the world. So much of this energy can be saved if manufactured products like plastics, metals, or
paper are properly segregated and recycled, the American Goescience Institute (AGI) explains.
The amount of energy saved depends on the material they clarify. So recycling metals saves the most
energy. For instance, AGI states:
Only 10-15% of energy is needed to recycle glass compared to manufacturing it from scratch, as
producing glass requires a lot of heat and energy
Among all manufactured materials, aluminum production is the most energy intensive. However
recycling aluminum can save 94% of this energy.
Similarly recycling other metals like beryllium, lead, iron and steel, and cadmium reduces energy use
by 80%, 75%, 72%, and 50%, respectively, compared to new production.
In 2014, the 34.6% of MSW which was recycled saved enough energy "to provide electricity to 30
million homes," according to AGI. The EPA iwarm widget can be used by individuals to learn how
much energy they can save by recycling different domestic waste.
Decreases Pollution
Los Angeles covered in smog
Recycling reduces pollutions in two ways: by reducing manufacture of fresh materials, littering and
landfills, and avoiding incineration.
Manufacturing Process
There is environmental damage due to mining raw materials or logging for wood. This is followed by
the manufacturing process. Many specific contaminants like radionuclides, dust, metals, brine etc.
leach out and pollute the surrounding land and water during mining, according to the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. These sources of air, land and water pollution can be avoided by recycling.
For example:
Recycling plastic bottles could save up to 60% of the energy used to make more.
Steel from recycled sources cuts air emissions by 85% and cuts 76% of water pollution.
Recycling and reuse: alternative to waste management
While “recycle” may be a buzzword for an environmentally
friendly way to manage waste, a more
comprehensive approach to doing so is summarized by
the “Three Rs”:
I. Reduce: Buy only what you need because a better
way to reduce waste is by not creating it.
II. Reuse: If you have to acquire goods, try getting
used ones or obtaining substitutes.
III. Recycle: When discarding your waste, find ways to
recycle it instead of letting it go to landfill.
As a nation, we are generating more garbage and we
don’t know what to do with it. Ineffective or irresponsible
disposal of this waste can pollute the environment
and pose a public health risk. We are running out of
space in existing landfills. Citizens are discovering that
there is no easy way to get rid of the garbage they once
assumed could be buried or burned and forgotten.
Current disposal methods threaten our health, safety,
and environment, and pose additional indirect costs to
society. Most industrial, commercial, and household
waste is now being placed in landfills or surface impoundments.
Waste treated in this manner may contaminate
groundwater, rivers, and streams. When waste is
burned, it releases hazardous gases into the air and leaves
toxic residues in the form of ash. These hazardous waste
byproducts find their way into humans and animals in
one form or another.
Waste management and its effects on economic growth
Poor waste management is associated with increased health problems ranging from epidemics of
vector borne or food/borne diseases to the adverse effects due to contamination of groundwater. The
effects of such health hazards are difficult to quantify because of limited epidemiological studies. The
health hazards can be categorized as follows:
1) Direct contact with waste in the case of rag pickers who separate recyclable material from the
waste
2) Direct contact with waste in the case of workers involved in waste disposal
3) Indirect effects because of contamination of soil, air, and water as a result of poor
management of landfill sites
The municipal workers handle wastes mostly without protective devices like gloves or waterproof
boots. The workers can be infected at all stages, from collecting the waste at a source to handling it at
landfill sites. The pathogens can enter either through skin and mucous membranes or along with
inhaled air. Flies are the most visible indicator of unsanitary conditions. If the garbage contains night-
soil, pathogens like enteropathogens, Shigella, Salmonella, and Entamoeba adhere to the feet of these
flies. The flies them alight on food kept in the open and thus transmit the pathogens to those who eat
the contaminated food.
Bibvliography
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pictures
Industrial wastes
Overpopulation
Importance of recycling
Recycling
Deonar dumping ground on fire
Plastic reuse
Paper recycle
paper recycle
Recycle metal
Recycle glass
Mining and heavy equipment
municipal solid waste distribution
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