Question

To describe global, regional and local problems affecting the environment

Answer 1

Ozone is an increasingly problematic pollutant near the earth's surface but it is just as critical to life as oxygen itself. When the layer disappears or is weak, all earthly life will be annihilated. Over the last few years, the thinning and depleting of the ozone layer has caused global concern. This is due to many chemical contaminants released by factories and produced by other chemical reactions. The main cause of ozone depletion is generally attributed to chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs) produced mostly by highly developed countries. CFCs are an energy source that is needed most in modern life.

Global warming is likely to have very devastating and disturbing consequences. Sea levels will rise due, among other things, to the melting of glaciers at the poles, and the oceans will warm and expand. Cities near to the coasts or in low-lying areas would be submerged and uninhabited. Wide areas of fertile land are to become desert.

Scientific and technological advancement in many ways has increased the quality of human life but, at the same time, it is also responsible for resource depletion, unsustainable use of fossil fuels, deforestation and desertification, loss of soil fertility, changes in air conditions resulting in serious problems such as depletion of ozone layer by the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Deforestation is one of the key issues surrounding environmental change and soil degradation. Forests cover about 30 per cent of the earth's surface. South America is home to dense forest regions, especially Brazil, West Central Africa and South-East Asia. In recent decades , human pressure on forests has increased significantly. The need for agricultural land, increased demand for fuel and commercial wood, increasing construction of dams, large-scale ranching and mining along with rising industrialization and urbanization have ruthlessly exploited the forests and, in turn, created volatile conditions and severe environmental imbalances.

Today, on an international level, the extinction of several species or biodiversity loss is a much debated issue among the environmentalists. Lots of animals are quickly disappearing. The estimate indicates that 20 to 75 species are becoming extinct every day due to deforestation. This biodiversity loss is primarily caused by life support system degeneration. It provides the basis for earthly life. Biodiversity represents the richness of terrestrial life.Diversity is a requirement of long-term environmental sustainability. Hence, the preservation of its dignity is recognized as essential for preserving human life. Biological diversity encompasses all plant , animal, and micro-organism organisms, as well as the environment and ecological processes of which they are a part.