AN INTELLIGIBLE FOCUS ON THE SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
An article on” An Intelligible focus on the serious environmental issues including public health risks on this planet” has been written by Subho Ghosh, faculty cum note developer of MIES Group, and edited by Mr. Tapan Kumar Das, who is associated with MIES Institute for last 5 years as a Skill Development Officer. He has extensive experience in teaching WBCS, SSC, PSC, RAIL, Bank, School Service, Primary TET, Upper Primary TET, etc exams. Mr. S Ghosh and Mr. T K Das both are very grateful to MIES Management for giving them a chance as faculty cum note developers and also additional job responsibility to Mr. Tapan Kr Das as a Skill Development Officer at MIES Institute which is one of the best competitive coaching centers in West Bengal. In His opinion, MIES Institute is one of the top competitive exam institutes in West Bengal.
AN INTELLIGIBLE FOCUS ON SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH RISKS ON THIS PLANET.
MIES is a renowned coaching center for Govt. Job exams in West Bengal. Thousands of students appeared in Govt. service exam from MIES every year and got Government service maximum of them. MIES is the most popular institute among Government Job aspirants because of its specialty in School Service, WBCS, PSC, SSC, BANK, RAIL, Primary, and Upper Primary TET, etc exams. Students are given a huge number of Class Tests, Model Tests, and Mock Tests and also Practice a huge number of Online Tests through MIES APP in their course curriculum. MIES is a pioneer institute of West Bengal Civil Service coaching in West Bengal.
As per the student’s version, MIES is the Best Training Academy for Govt. Job exam in West Bengal.
Environmental problems or issues are the set of challenges and problems that are seriously affecting the living environment and public health all over the world.
Climate change and pollution to overpopulation and energy consumption are the main issues that have turned out to be very complex being interconnected.
The main serious environmental issues consist of the following:
(1) Air pollution
(2) Water Pollution
(3) Solid waste
(4) Radioactive waste
(5) Greenhouse effect & global warming
(6) Ozone Depletion in the Stratosphere
(7) Deforestation
Now let these be discussed methodically which are the most serious environmental issues & concerns to the existence of the entire living world.
1. AIR POLLUTION:
Air Pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
Moreover, Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities & forest fires are common sources of air pollution.
Simply speaking, it is the contamination of air by harmful gases, dust & smoke which affects plants, animals & humans drastically. Nevertheless, there is a certain percentage of gases present in the atmosphere, and an increase or decrease in the composition of these gases is harmful to survival.
Causes of air pollution:
Air pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases are suspended in the air. The particles & gases can come from cars, trucks, exhaust, factories, dust, pollen, mold spores, volcanoes, and wildfires.
NASA explains that air pollution is caused by vehicle emissions, fuel oils & natural gas to heat homes, by-products of manufacturing and power generation, particularly coal-fueled power plants, and fumes from chemical production which are called primary sources of human-made air pollution.
The main sources of pollutants to air pollution are :
Smoke stacks – from Thermal power plant
Particulate matter from plant
Carbon Monoxide, Lead (Pb) &
Nitric Oxide (No) from Automobiles (like Car)
Authorities/Agencies engaged to limit Air Pollution in India:
At present, the active participate – authorities/agencies that are vigilant in limiting the emission of air pollutants in India.
(a) The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
(b) Convention on Environment on a Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)
(c) National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
WHO’s Report on Environmental Pollution in India :
According to WHO’s report on Air Pollution in India estimated that about 1.2 million people die each year. The number is further staggering when monetized is that the economic loss to India as regards prevention & control of environmental pollution is estimated at 150 million dollars per year.
Who also report that Asthma and lung cancer from Environmental Pollution say Air Pollution even affects children before they are born.
The five top most and tough affected countries or the most polluted countries in the world are Nepal, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Pakistan & India due to Air Pollution & other pollution as per the Air Pollution Index 2020.
2. WATER POLLUTION:
How water Pollution impacts environmental pollution:
Environmental Pollution As regards Water Pollution, it stands out that water pollution is caused majorly by Domestic Sewage, Industrial Effluents, pollutants like pesticides, nitrates, petroleum products, etc.
BOD’s (Biological Oxygen Demand) measurement:
BOD’s measurement focuses on water pollution is also seriously impacting & helping increase the environmental pollution level in developing countries or many countries of the world. BOD level means Oxygen consumption by micro-organisms when they decompose organic matter in craters.
BOD can kill aquatic life:
It is the key indicator of water quality and the degree of organic pollution level can lead to rapid depletion of Oxygen in water, which can kill multifarious aquatic lives like fishes & other related lives of this sort.
Algal Bloom/Algae Bloom:
This is another type of pollutant or nutrient whose presence in water causes the growth of planktonic which deteriorates water quality & helps increase fish mortality rate.
Water toxicant:
This means an increase of toxicity in water which accumulates and concentrates toxic substances in the water causing water pollution which is called Bio-magnification. The accumulated and toxic substances or toxic organisms cannot be metabolized or exerted & thus passed on to the next higher tropic level. This phenomenon is well-known for mercury & DDT.
Another agent/element/cause like Eutrophication which is technically the process of too many plants growing on the surface of a river, lake, etc. often because chemicals that are used to help crops grow have been carried there by rain. The excessive growth of algae and plankton in the water body are indicator of further water pollution by increased toxicity in water. This is also caused by the natural aging of the river or the lake.
3. SOLID WASTES :
SOLID WASTES which badly impacts upon the environmental pollution are:
(1) Municipal Solid Wastes from homes, offices, hospitals, etc.
(2) Sanitary Landfills
(3) Electronic Wastes (E-wastes)
(4) Plastic wastes
Environmental pollution is also caused due to poor waste management ranging from non-existing collection systems to ineffective disposal – causing air pollution, and water & soil contamination. Open & Unsanitary landfills contribute to contamination of drinking water and cause infection and transmit diseases.
Remedial process to check Environment Pollution by Solid wastes:
There should be a systematic administration of activities which shall provide for segregation at source, a segregated transportation system to the marked areas & centers, where mechanically scientifically solid wastes to be processed through recycling, compositing, converting wastes to energy, and hazardous waste treatment, source reduction, bio-gas generations, etc.
Domesticity of poor Solid Waste Management – ranging from non-existing collection systems to ineffective disposal – causes air pollution, and water & soil contamination open & unsanitary landfills contribute to contamination of drinking water & can cause infection & transmit diseases.
The dispersal of debris pollutants ecosystems & dangerous substances from electronic waste or individual garbage puts a strain on the health of urban dwellers and the environment.
4. Radioactive waste :
Radioactive waste has extremely damaging effects on organisms because it causes mutations at a very high rate which creates various disorders & dangerous diseases like cancer which brings deaths is very dangerous to public life.
The solution in the context of the SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES :
To guard against radioactive radiation, one must limit his exposure time, in case distance from the sound & being shielding i.e. time, distance & shielding are the principal solutions. As regards shielding are must place a barrier between him & the source of radiation by using metals like lead, concrete, or water to block radiation.
To guard against radioactive is most important because it can damage the body’s system and cause cancer & genetic effects too.
5. Greenhouse effect & global warming:
The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is responsible for the heating of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. There are some relative contributions of various greenhouse gases to total global warming are required to be outlined as per the following gases.
Here are some names of greenhouse gases that are very injurious to public health as well as our living environment.
(a) Carbon dioxide (Co2) – 60%
(b) Methane (CH4 ) – 20%
(c) Chlorofluro Carbon (CFC) – 14%
(d) Nitrous oxide ( N2O)– 6% (Known as Laughing gas)
Due spreading and concentration of multifarious harmful gas elements on the earth resulting in Ozone Depletion in the stratosphere is causing nerve health hazards among all living beings & animals of this planet.
6. Ozone Depletion in the Stratosphere:
The Ozone is in the upper part of the atmosphere called the stratosphere having absorbed ultraviolet radiation from the sun which is highly injurious having organisms since the DNA and proteins of living organisms absorb UV rays & its high energy breaks the chemical bonds within the molecules. As a result enhancement of the Ozone degradation is caused by CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) used as refrigerants. All these together have been causing the formation of a large area of the third Ozone layer, commonly called the Ozone Hole.
Prevention measures to control the emission of Ozone depletion substances.
The Montreal Protocol (1987), and the International Treaty had taken steps to reduce the emission of CFCs and other Ozone Depleting Chemicals effective in Canada in 1987 & other countries in 1989 including India.
7. Deforestation:
Deforestation all over the world is badly affecting global warming affecting adversely the natural living environment of the planet. It is on the increase because of the:
(I) Growing human population (II) Trees are axed for timber, firewood, cattle ranching, etc. (II) Slash and burn agriculture ( Jhum cultivation )
Measures and movements to manage, protest & control environmental problems & issues of the planet.
(I) Bishnoi movement 1730 :
Bishnoi movement 1730 is the first one to mention the global movements, especially for ecological conservation, and wildlife protection of nature such as protecting the plants & trees. This movement was led by Amrita Devi at Marwar.
(II) Chipko Movement (1974):
This is a non-violent, forest conservation movement in India which means hugging & embracing trees to prevent them from being cut down by a logger which was organized in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
(III) Joint Forest Movement (JFM):
This Movement was initiated & organized in Odisha in 1988 to manage & Protect forests which involved the local communities and the Odisha State Government.
(IV) Flora & Fauna:
This couple word means all plant lives and animal lives of the plant. Plants being flowering plants and non-flowering plants may be grouped authentically as
Flora ― are palash, orchids, bamboo, rohida, etc.
Fauna such as ― Ferns, mosses, etc.
Mentionable that the largest producer of Bamboo in the World is India. Protecting the Flora & Fauna also helps reduce & prevent Ozone Layer depletion.
Role of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):
ICUN is very alert and conscious about saving and protecting the endangered species of animals in nature which have every chance of tread being slowly extinct from the earth over time. These are the Siberian Tiger, Blue-throated Macaw, Brown Spider Monkey, Siamese Crocodile, Mexican Wolf, Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, Asian Elephant, Red Panda, Black Rhino, and Orangutan.
In addition to the endangered species, there are also some Endemic species covering plants & animals that are not found anywhere but only in particular areas – these are –
(i) Asiatic Lion in Gir Forest
(ii) Nilgiri Tahr in Nilgiri Hills
(iii) Sangai Deer in Loldak Lake
(iv) Purple Frog in the Western Ghats
(v) Kashmir Stag in Kashmir Valley
(vi) Lion-Tailed Macaque in the Western Ghats
(vii) Malabar Civet in Western Ghats.
Conclusion of the SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES :
In this changing world of uncertainties, the entire animal world either humans, domestic or wild animals, trees & plants, worms & insects, or the tiniest of beings, whatsoever visible or non-visible are becoming prey to serious health hazards, physical ailments & premature deaths caused by manifold environmental problems & issue mainly created by human beings, scientific inventions & its pervasive misuse & misapplication affecting in all sphere of natural living environment & calmness of nature.
Hence people should be very minutely conscious of protecting themselves individually, collectively, and globally by following the suggestive movements & measures of the global authorities, agencies & organizations dedicated to protecting, preventing, controlling, and carving rising environmental problems and issues to help existence & survival of entire animal world & nature of this earth in which human beings are basically & wholly responsible. So mending of moral & ethical deficiencies & by increasing & inculcating humanistic values, civilities, justice & environmental discipline in everyone’s life to relieve all from the onslaught of the environmental problems & dangers.
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