What is a global environmental problem. We solve environmental problems together

An environmental problem is a certain change in state natural environment as a result of anthropogenic impact leading to failure of the structure and functioning of the natural system (landscape) and leading to negative economic, social or other consequences. This concept- anthropocentric, since negative transformations in nature are evaluated in relation to the conditions of human existence.

Classification

Lands associated with violations of landscape components are conditionally divided into six categories:

Atmospheric (thermal, radiological, mechanical or chemical pollution of the atmosphere);

Water (contamination of oceans and seas, depletion of both underground and surface waters);

Geological and geomorphological (activation of negative geological and geomorphological processes, deformation of the relief and geological structure);

Soil (soil contamination, secondary salinization, erosion, deflation, waterlogging, etc.);

Biotic (degradation of vegetation and forests, species, digression of pastures, etc.);

Landscape (complex) - degradation of biodiversity, desertification, failure of the established regime of nature protection zones, etc.

According to the main environmental changes in nature, the following problems and situations are distinguished:

- Landscape-genetic. They arise as a result of the loss of the gene pool and unique natural objects, violation of the integrity of the landscape system.

- Anthropoecological. Considered regarding changes in living conditions and health of people.

- Natural resource. Associated with loss or exhaustion natural resources, worsen the process of doing business in the affected area.

Additional division

Environmental problems of nature, in addition to the options presented above, can be classified as follows:

By main reason occurrence - ecological and transport, industrial, hydrotechnical.

By spiciness - mild, moderately spicy, spicy, extremely spicy.

In terms of complexity - simple, complex, most difficult.

By solvability - solvable, difficult to solve, almost insoluble.

In terms of coverage of affected areas - local, regional, planetary.

By time - short-term, long-term, practically non-disappearing.

By coverage of the region - the problems of the north of Russia, Ural mountains, tundra, etc.

Consequence of active urbanization

It is customary to call a city a socio-demographic and economic system, which has a territorial complex of means of production, a permanent population, an artificially created habitat and an established form of organization of society.

The current stage of human development is characterized by a rapid growth in the number and size of settlements. Large cities with more than one hundred thousand people are growing especially intensively. They occupy about one percent of the total land area of ​​the planet, but their impact on world economy And natural conditions really big. It is in their activities that the main causes of environmental problems lie. More than 45% of the world's population lives in these limited areas, producing about 80% of all emissions that pollute the hydrosphere and atmospheric air.

Environmental especially large, much more difficult to deal with. The larger the settlement, the more significantly the natural conditions are transformed. If we compare with rural areas, then in most megacities the environmental conditions of people's lives are noticeably worse.

According to the ecologist Reimer, an environmental problem is any phenomenon associated with the impact of people on nature and with the reversible impact of nature on people and their vital processes.

Natural landscape problems of the city

These negative changes are mostly associated with the degradation of the landscape of megacities. Under large settlements, all components are changing - underground and surface water, relief and geological structure, flora and fauna, soil cover, climatic features. The ecological problems of cities also lie in the fact that all living components of the system begin to adapt to rapidly changing conditions, which leads to a reduction in species diversity and a decrease in the area of ​​terrestrial plantings.

Resource and economic problems

They are associated with the huge scale of the use of natural resources, with their processing and the formation of toxic waste. The causes of environmental problems are human intervention in the natural landscape in the process of urban development and thoughtless waste disposal.

Anthropological problems

The ecological problem is not only negative changes in natural systems. It may also consist in the deterioration of the health of the urban population. The decline in the quality of the urban environment entails the emergence of a variety of diseases. The nature and biological properties of people, which have been formed over more than one millennium, cannot change as quickly as the world around. Inconsistencies between these processes often lead to conflict between the environment and human nature.

Considering the causes of environmental problems, we note that the most important of them is the impossibility of rapid adaptation of organisms to environmental conditions, and adaptation is one of the main qualities of all living things. Attempts to influence the speed of this process do not lead to anything good.

Climate

An environmental problem is the result of the interaction between nature and society, which can lead to a global catastrophe. Currently, the following extremely negative changes are observed on our planet:

A huge amount of waste - 81% - enters the atmosphere.

More than ten million square kilometers of land are eroded and deserted.

The composition of the atmosphere is changing.

The density of the ozone layer is disturbed (for example, a hole has appeared over Antarctica).

Over the past ten years, 180 million hectares of forest have disappeared from the face of the earth.

As a result, the height of its waters increases by two millimeters annually.

There is a constant increase in the consumption of natural resources.

According to scientists, the biosphere has the ability to fully compensate for anthropogenic disturbances of natural processes if the consumption of primary biological products does not exceed one percent of the total, but at present this figure is close to ten percent. The compensatory possibilities of the biosphere are hopelessly undermined, as a result, the ecology of the planet is constantly deteriorating.

The environmentally acceptable threshold for energy consumption is 1 TW/year. However, it is significantly exceeded, therefore, favorable properties are destroyed. environment. In fact, we can talk about the beginning of the third world war, which humanity is waging against nature. Everyone understands that there can be no winners in this confrontation.

Disappointing prospects

The development of the global is associated with the rapid growth of the population To meet the ever-increasing needs, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of natural high level development and contribute to the improvement of the well-being of individual states. The upper limit is twelve billion people. If there are more people on the planet, then from three to five billion will simply be doomed to death from thirst and hunger every year.

Examples of environmental problems on a planetary scale

Development " greenhouse effect" V Lately is becoming more and more threatening for the Earth. As a result, the heat balance of the planet changes and average annual temperatures increase. The culprits of the problem are "greenhouse" gases, in particular, Consequence global warming is the gradual melting of snow and glaciers, which, in turn, leads to an increase in the level of the waters of the oceans.

acid precipitation

Sulfur dioxide is recognized as the main culprit of this negative phenomenon. The area of ​​negative impact of acid precipitation is quite wide. Many ecosystems have already been seriously affected by them, but most of all the damage is done to plants. As a result, humanity may face the mass destruction of phytocenoses.

Insufficient amount of fresh water

The lack of fresh water in some regions is observed due to the active development of agriculture and utilities, as well as industry. essential role it is rather not the quantity but the quality of the natural resource that plays here.

The deterioration of the "lungs" of the planet

Thoughtless destruction, deforestation and irrational use of forest resources led to the emergence of another serious environmental problem. Forests are known to absorb carbon dioxide, which is a "greenhouse", and produce oxygen. For example, thanks to one ton of vegetation, from 1.1 to 1.3 tons of oxygen is released into the atmosphere.

The ozone layer is under attack

The destruction of the ozone layer of our planet is primarily associated with the use of freons. These gases are used in the assembly of refrigeration units and a variety of cartridges. Scientists have found that in upper layers atmosphere, the thickness of the ozone layer is decreasing. A prime example The problem is over Antarctica, the area of ​​​​which is constantly increasing and has already gone beyond the boundaries of the mainland.

Solving global environmental problems

Is it possible for humanity to avoid scale? Yes. But this requires concrete steps to be taken.

At the legislative level, establish clear norms for nature management.

Actively apply centralized environmental protection measures. These can be, for example, uniform international rules and norms for the protection of climate, forests, the World Ocean, the atmosphere, etc.

Centrally plan comprehensive restoration work to solve ecological problems regions, cities, towns and other specific objects.

To educate ecological consciousness and stimulate the moral development of the individual.

Conclusion

Technological progress is gaining more and more speed, there is a constant improvement production processes, modernization of devices, introduction innovative technologies in the most different areas. However, only a tiny part of the innovations concerns the protection of the environment.

It is very important to understand that only the complex interaction of representatives of all social groups and the state will help improve the ecological situation on the planet. Now is the time to look back to see what the future holds for us.

The global environmental problem consists in the difficulties of overcoming the ecological crisis that has arisen on our planet due to the destructive impact of people on nature. The main manifestations of the ecological crisis are most often referred to as the following:

• 1. Pollution of the air and water basins of the Earth, the formation of the greenhouse effect, “ozone holes”, “acid rain”, poisoned rivers and lakes, entire zones of ecological disaster with human diseases, etc.
• 2. Global climate change threatening a climate catastrophe in the future (general warming, weather instability, droughts, melting of polar ice caps, rising sea levels, flooding of vast territories, fertile lands, etc.).
• 3. Reduction of arable land and deterioration of soil fertility due to their overexploitation, erosion, poisoning, salinization, waterlogging, desertification, absorption by cities and industry, etc.
• 4. Destruction and extinction of forests, depletion of flora and fauna, a huge amount of waste, etc.

Man is a part of nature, and the most dangerous disasters for our planet and environmental pollution are associated with him. Scientific and technological revolution, huge growth industries and the increased productive activity of man are changing the face of our planet. In the history of mankind, a period has now come when society is forced to clearly measure its activity with the possibilities of nature. "Before, nature frightened man, and now man frightens nature" - according to the French researcher, Jacques Yves Cousteau. Having entered the era of rapid scientific and technological progress, most people do not think about possible consequences unlimited exploitation of natural resources, do not care about the fate of the biosphere, which experiences all the consequences of human economic activity.

Earth is unique heavenly body solar system and the only one of the planets has a biosphere that arose under the influence of solar energy as a result of long-term biochemical processes.

Man, as an element of the biosphere, appeared relatively recently, about 3.2 million years ago, and until the beginning of the 20th century, his activity was of a local nature. It was man who became a huge ecological and geochemical force, which greatly influenced the change environmental situation over the past 50 years. Now human activity already covers the entire biosphere and is global. Mankind has entered the industrial age of intense pressure on the environment in all areas: ground, air, underground.

Consider some environmental impact global air pollution:

• * possible climate warming ("greenhouse effect");
• * violation of the ozone layer;
• *acid rain.
• * "Greenhouse effect"

Currently, the observed climate change, which is expressed in a gradual increase average annual temperature, most scientists associate with the accumulation in the atmosphere of the so-called "greenhouse gases" - carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), chlorofluorocarbons (freons), ozone (O 3), nitrogen oxides, etc.

Greenhouse gases, primarily CO 2 , prevent long-wavelength thermal radiation from the Earth's surface. According to G. Hoefling, an atmosphere saturated with greenhouse gases acts like the roof of a greenhouse. On the one hand, it lets in most of the solar radiation, and on the other hand, it almost does not let the heat reradiated by the Earth out.

In connection with the burning of more and more fossil fuels: oil, gas, coal, the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere is constantly increasing.

The report, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations by the international group on climate change, states that by 2100 the temperature on Earth will increase by 2-4 degrees. The scale of warming over this relatively short period will be comparable to the warming that occurred on Earth after ice age, which means that the environmental consequences can be catastrophic. This is primarily due to the expected rise in the level of the World Ocean, due to melting polar ice, reduction of areas of mountain glaciation. Modeling the environmental consequences of an ocean level rise of only 0.5-2.0 m by the end of the 21st century, scientists have found that this will inevitably lead to climate imbalance, flooding of coastal plains in more than 30 countries, degradation of permafrost, and waterlogging of vast areas. and other adverse effects.

Acid rain. The term "acid rain" refers to all types of meteorological precipitation - rain, snow, hail, fog, sleet - whose pH is less than the average pH of rainwater (the average pH for rainwater is 5.6). Emitted in the process human activity sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are transformed in the earth's atmosphere into acid-forming particles. These particles react with atmospheric water, turning it into acid solutions, which lower the pH of rainwater. For the first time the term "acid rain" was introduced in 1872 by the English researcher A. Smith. His attention was drawn to the Victorian smog in Manchester. And although scientists of that time rejected the theory of the existence of acid rain, today no one doubts that acid rain is one of the causes of the death of life in reservoirs, forests, crops, and vegetation. In addition, acid rain destroys buildings and cultural monuments, pipelines, renders cars unusable, reduces soil fertility and can lead to seepage of toxic metals into aquifers.

The consequences of acid rain are observed in the USA, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, the republics of the former Yugoslavia and in many other countries of the globe.

Acid rain has a negative impact on water bodies - lakes, rivers, bays, ponds - increasing their acidity to such a level that flora and fauna die in them. Acid rain harms more than just aquatic life. It also destroys vegetation on land. Scholars believe that although today mechanism is not yet fully understood, a complex mixture of pollutants including acid rain, ozone, and heavy metals combine to lead to forest degradation.

Ozone layer. Depletion of the Earth's ozone layer is a potential threat to human, animal, plant and microbial health. Observations since 1973 show that the thickness of the ozone layer over Kazakhstan has decreased by 5-7%. Measures to control the use of substances that deplete the ozone layer, adopted in accordance with the Montreal Protocol, have contributed to a decrease in the world by 10 times compared with 1986 levels. Currently, work is underway in Kazakhstan to reduce the use of ozone-depleting substances and withdraw them from circulation, introduce new technologies using substances that do not destroy the ozone layer.

The main identified substances that deplete the ozone layer are:

• - chlorofluorocarbons (HFO or CFC);
• - partially halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (HHFO or HCFC);
• - partially halogenated bromofluorocarbons (HBFO);
• - 1,1,1 - trichloroethane (methyl chloroform);
• - bromochloromethane (BHM);
• - methyl bromide (MB);
• - carbon tetrachloride;
• - halons.

The main purposes of using substances that deplete the ozone layer are:

• - cooling units;
• - air conditioning devices;
• - warm air supply devices;
• - aerosols;
• - fire fighting systems and portable fire extinguishers;
• - insulating boards.

"Ozone Hole" - caused by the destruction of the ozone layer, especially low concentrations of ozone at the South Pole during the Arctic winter and spring. The area of ​​the "ozone hole" in last years was approximately 24,000,000 km 2 , and in satellite photographs it looks like a big hole. The thickness of the ozone layer in the region of the "ozone hole" is 100-150 DU (the normal thickness of the ozone layer is 300 DU).

consequences of destruction. As a result of the destruction of the ozone layer, an increased amount of UV-B solar radiation reaches the Earth, which has a negative impact on both living beings (humans, animals, vegetation) and objects.

Consequences of too “thin” ozone layer:

stamina decreases various materials(for example, rubber) and at the same time - the duration of use of these materials;

aquatic organisms living in the upper layers of water (benthos) die;

agricultural yields and fish catches are declining;

the immunity of the population against various diseases decreases;

increases the possibility of skin cancer and eye cataracts (both in humans and animals), diseases of the lungs and upper respiratory tract.

Ways to solve environmental problems:

• 1. Development and implementation of an agreed international program environmental protection, including such activities as:
  • a) the creation of an international environmental fund for the organization and implementation of environmental measures of global importance (to stop the deforestation of tropical forests, improve the quality drinking water etc.);
  • b) establishment of international environmental standards and control over the state of the natural environment (with the right to inspect any country);
  • c) introduction of international quotas (norms) for harmful emissions into the atmosphere;
  • d) declaring the natural environment the property of all mankind and introducing the principle of “polluter pays” into international practice (for example, the introduction of an international “green tax” on harmful emissions).
• 2. Constant, complete and truthful informing people about the state of their environment and the formation of an ecological outlook in society.
• 3. Creation of reasonable environmental legislation, which should provide for high responsibility for its violation and effective incentives to encourage environmental protection (for example, the introduction of special “environmental taxes” on the use of the most “dirty” technologies and, conversely, tax incentives for environmentally friendly industries).
• 4. Transition to a new, environmentally friendly technological culture (rational approaches to the use of natural resources, the use of the most “clean” and least rare of them, concern for the reproduction of renewable resources, the introduction of waste-free (or low-waste), resource- and nature-saving technologies, environmental protection systems and etc.).

Ecological problem is a change in the natural environment as a result of human activity, leading to a violation of the structure and functioning nature . This is an anthropogenic problem. In other words, it arises as a result of the negative impact of man on nature.

Environmental problems can be local (a certain area is affected), regional (a specific region) and global (the impact is on the entire biosphere of the planet).

Can you give an example of a local environmental problem in your region?

Regional problems cover the territories of large regions, and their influence affects a significant part of the population. For example, pollution of the Volga is a regional problem for the entire Volga region.

The drainage of the swamps of Polesye caused negative changes in Belarus and Ukraine. The change in the water level of the Aral Sea is a problem for the entire Central Asian region.

Global environmental problems are problems that pose a threat to all of humanity.

Which of the global environmental problems, in your opinion, cause the most concern? Why?

Let's take a quick look at how environmental issues have changed over the course of human history.

In fact, in a sense, the entire history of human development is a history of increasing impact on the biosphere. In fact, humanity in its progressive development went from one ecological crisis to another. But crises in ancient times were local in nature, and environmental changes were, as a rule, reversible, or not threatening people with total death.

Primitive man, engaged in gathering and hunting, involuntarily disturbed the ecological balance in the biosphere everywhere, spontaneously harmed nature. It is believed that the first anthropogenic crisis (10-50 thousand years ago) was associated with the development of hunting and overfishing of wild animals, when the mammoth, cave lion and bear disappeared from the face of the earth, on which the hunting efforts of the Cro-Magnons were directed. The use of primitive people fire - they burned the forests. This led to a decrease in the level of rivers and groundwater. Overgrazing of pastures may have had the ecological result of the creation of the Sahara Desert.

Then, about 2 thousand years ago, followed by a crisis associated with the use of irrigated agriculture. It led to the development of a large number of clay and saline deserts. But keep in mind that in those days the population of the Earth was not numerous, and, as a rule, people had the opportunity to move to other places that were more suitable for life (which is impossible to do now).

During the Age of Discovery, the impact on the biosphere increased. This is due to the development of new lands, which was accompanied by the extermination of many animal species (remember, for example, the fate of the American bison) and the transformation of vast territories into fields and pastures. However, human impact on the biosphere acquired a global scale after the industrial revolution of the 17th-18th centuries. At that time, the scale of human activity increased significantly, as a result of which the geochemical processes occurring in the biosphere began to transform (1). In parallel with the course of scientific and technological progress, the number of people has sharply increased (from 500 million in 1650, the conditional beginning of the industrial revolution, to the current 7 billion), and, accordingly, the need for food and industrial goods, for an increasing amount of fuel has increased. , metal, machines. This led to a rapid increase in the load on ecological systems, and the level of this load in the middle of the 20th century. - early XXI V. reached a critical value.

How do you understand in this context the inconsistency of the results of technological progress for people?

Mankind has entered the era of the global ecological crisis. Its main components:

• depletion of energy and other resources of the bowels of the planet
• Greenhouse effect,
• depletion of the ozone layer
• soil degradation,
• radiation Hazard,
• transboundary transfer of pollution, etc.

Mankind's movement towards an environmental catastrophe of a planetary nature is confirmed by numerous facts. People continuously accumulate the number of compounds that are not utilized by nature, develop dangerous technologies, store and transport many pesticides and explosives, pollute the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soil. In addition, the energy potential is constantly increasing, the greenhouse effect is being stimulated, etc.

There is a threat of loss of stability of the biosphere (violation of the eternal course of events) and its transition to a new state that excludes the very possibility of human existence. It is often said that one of the causes of the ecological crisis that our planet is in is the crisis of human consciousness. What do you think of it?

But for the time being humanity is able to solve environmental problems!

What conditions are necessary for this?

• The unity of good will of all the inhabitants of the planet in the problem of survival.
• Establishing peace on Earth, ending wars.
• Termination of the destructive effect of modern production on the biosphere (resource consumption, environmental pollution, destruction natural ecosystems and biodiversity).

Development of global models of nature restoration and science-based nature management.

Some of the points listed above seem impossible, or not? What do you think?

Undoubtedly, human awareness of the danger of environmental problems is associated with serious difficulties. One of them is caused by non-obviousness for modern man its natural basis, psychological alienation from nature. Hence the disdainful attitude to the observance of environmentally sound activities, and, to put it more simply, the lack of an elementary culture of attitude towards nature on various scales.

To solve environmental problems, it is necessary for all people to develop a new way of thinking, overcoming the stereotypes of technocratic thinking, ideas about the inexhaustibility of natural resources and misunderstanding of our absolute dependence on nature. An unconditional condition for the further existence of mankind is the observance of the environmental imperative as the basis for environmentally friendly behavior in all areas. It is necessary to overcome alienation from nature, to realize and implement personal responsibility for how we treat nature (for saving land, water, energy, for protecting nature). Video 5.

There is a saying “think globally, act locally”. How do you understand it?

There are many successful publications and programs devoted to environmental problems and the possibilities of their solution. IN last decade quite a lot of environmentally oriented films are being shot, and regular environmental film festivals have begun to be held. One of the most outstanding films is the environmental education film HOME (Home. A Travel Story), which was first presented on June 5, 2009 on World Environment Day by eminent photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand and renowned director and producer Luc Bessonne. This film tells about the life history of planet Earth, the beauty of nature, environmental problems caused by the destructive impact of human activity on the environment, threatening the death of our common home.

It must be said that the premiere of HOME was an unprecedented event in the cinema: for the first time the film was shown simultaneously in largest cities dozens of countries, including in Moscow, Paris, London, Tokyo, New York, in the format of an open display, and free of charge. TV viewers saw an hour and a half film on large screens installed on open areas, in cinema halls, on 60 TV channels (excluding cable networks), on the Internet. HOME was shown in 53 countries. However, in some countries, such as China and Saudi Arabia, the director was denied an aerial filming. In India, half of the footage was simply confiscated, and in Argentina, Arthus-Bertrand and his assistants had to spend a week in jail. In many countries, a film about the beauty of the Earth and its environmental problems, the demonstration of which, according to the director, "borders on a political appeal", was banned from showing.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand (fr. Yann Arthus-Bertrand, born March 13, 1946 in Paris) is a French photographer, photojournalist, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and winner of many other awards

With a story about the film by J. Arthus-Bertrand, we finish our conversation about environmental problems. Watch this movie. He better than words will help you think about what awaits the Earth and humanity in the near future; to understand that everything in the world is interconnected, that our task now is a common one for each of us - to try, as far as possible, to restore the ecological balance of the planet that we have disturbed, without which life on Earth cannot exist.

the video 6 hi den excerpt from the movie Home. The entire film can be viewed http://www.cinemaplayer.ru/29761-_dom_istoriya_puteshestviya___Home.html .

The environmental crisis is characterized by the presence of a number of problems that threaten sustainable development. Let's consider only some of them.

Destruction of the ozone layer . The content of ozone in the atmosphere

insignificant and amounts to 0.004% by volume. Ozone is formed in the atmosphere under the action of electrical discharges, synthesized from oxygen under the action of cosmic UV radiation. Within the atmosphere, elevated concentrations of ozone form the ozone layer, which is essential for life on Earth. The ozone shield attenuates deadly UV radiation in the atmosphere between 40 and 15 km above the earth's surface by about 6,500 times. The destruction of the ozone shield by 50% increases UV radiation by 10 times, which affects the vision of animals and humans and can have other detrimental effects on living organisms. The disappearance of the ozonosphere would lead to unpredictable consequences - an outbreak of skin cancer, the destruction of plankton in the ocean, mutations of flora and fauna. The appearance of the so-called ozone hole over Antarctica was first recorded by ground-based and satellite measurements in the mid-199970s. The area of ​​this hole was 5 million m², and the ozone in the air column was 30-50% less than the norm.

Several suggestions have been made about the causes of the destruction of the ozone layer: the launch of spacecraft, supersonic aircraft, the significant production of freons. Subsequently, based on scientific research it was concluded that the main cause is freons, which are widely used in refrigeration and aerosol cans.

The international community has taken a number of measures aimed at preventing the destruction of the ozone layer. In 1977, the United Nations Environment Program adopted an action plan on the ozone layer, in 1985 a conference was held in Vienna that adopted the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, a list of substances that adversely affect the ozone layer was established, and a decision was made on mutual information states on the production and use of these substances, on the measures taken.

Thus, the harmful effects of changes in the ozone layer on human health and the environment were officially declared, and that measures to protect the ozone layer required international cooperation. The signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 was decisive, according to which control over the production and use of freo-

new The protocol was signed by more than 70 countries, including Russia. In accordance with the requirements of these agreements, the production of freons harmful to the ozone layer must be stopped by 2010.

Greenhouse effect. The release of many gases into the atmosphere: carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons, i.e. methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), etc., which accumulate as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels and other production processes, leads to the greenhouse effect, although these substances are almost not dangerous as independent pollutants (except for high concentrations).

The mechanism of the greenhouse effect is quite simple. Ordinary solar radiation in cloudless weather and a clean atmosphere relatively easily reaches the Earth's surface, is absorbed by the soil surface, vegetation, etc. Heated surfaces give off thermal energy again to the atmosphere, but in the form of long-wave radiation, which is not scattered, but absorbed by the molecules of these gases (CO2 absorbs 18% of the heat given off), causing intense thermal movement of molecules and an increase in temperature.

Atmospheric gases (nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor) do not absorb heat radiation, but scatter it. The concentration of CO2 annually increases by 0.8-1.5 mg/kg. It is believed that with a doubling of the CO2 content in the air, the average annual temperature will rise by 3-5ºС, which will cause global climate warming, and in 125 years we can expect massive melting of the ice of Antarctica, a rise in the average level of the World Ocean, flooding of a significant part of the coastal territory and other negative consequences. . In addition to the greenhouse effect, the presence of these gases contributes to the formation smog.

Smog comes in wet, dry, and icy forms. wet smog (London type) - a combination of gaseous pollutants, dust and fog droplets. Thus, in a 100-200-meter layer of air, a poisonous thick dirty yellow fog-moist smog arises. It is formed in countries with a maritime climate, where fogs are frequent and relative humidity is high.

dry smog (Los Angeles type) - secondary air pollution as a result of chemical reactions accompanied by

resulting in the appearance of ozone. Dry smog does not form fog, but a bluish haze.

ice smog (Alaskan type). It occurs in the Arctic and Subarctic at low temperatures in the anticyclone. A dense fog is formed, consisting of the smallest crystals of ice and, for example, sulfuric acid.

Global warming - one of the most significant consequences of anthropogenic pollution of the biosphere. It manifests itself in climate and biota changes: the production process in ecosystems, shifting the boundaries of plant formations, and changing crop yields. Especially strong changes concern the high and middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The rise in ocean level due to warming will be 0.1-0.2 m, which may lead to flooding of the mouths of large rivers, especially in Siberia. At the regular conference of the countries-participants of the Convention on Prevention of Climate Change, held in Rome in 1996, the need for coordinated international action to solve this problem was once again confirmed.

Tropical forest destruction. Over the past 50 years, with the participation of man, 2/3 of the forests covering the Earth have been destroyed. Over the past 100 years, 40% of the forests that existed on Earth have been irretrievably lost. The tropical rainforest is one of the most important suppliers of oxygen to the atmosphere and plays a huge role in maintaining the oxygen balance. Rainforests are called the "green lungs of the planet". The problem is that these forests have already been destroyed by 40%. Every year, 15-20 million hectares of tropical forest are lost in the world, which is equivalent to half the area of ​​Finland. The greatest losses were suffered by 10 countries of the world, including Brazil, Mexico, India, Thailand. If the destruction of tropical forests continues at the same pace, then in 30-40 years it will no longer remain on Earth.

Due to the deforestation of tropical forests, the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases annually by 10-12 billion tons, and the content of carbon dioxide compared to the middle of the 20th century. increased by 10-12%. There is a risk of oxygen imbalance.

The main causes of deforestation are: the plowing of forest land for agricultural land; increase in demand for timber

spring fuel; industrial deforestation; implementation of large-scale development projects.

According to the UN, approximately 90% of the rural and 30% of the urban population in Asia, Africa and Latin America use mainly woodfuel. Commercial logging

The main works are carried out without taking into account environmental requirements and, as a rule, are not accompanied by planting trees in clearings.

After the UN conference in Rio de Janeiro (1992), developing countries confirmed their readiness to reach an international consensus on the problem of conservation of forest resources, intending to take measures on their part to ensure the sustainable development of forestry.

Water shortage. Many scientists attribute it to a continuous increase in air temperature over the past decade due to an increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is not difficult to make a chain of problems that give rise to each other: a large energy release (solution of the energy problem) - the greenhouse effect - lack of water - lack of food (crop failures). Over the past 100 years, the temperature has increased by 0.6ºС. In 1995-1998 there was a particularly large increase. Carbon dioxide, methane and some other gases absorb thermal radiation and increase the greenhouse effect.

An even more important factor is the sharp increase in water consumption for industrial and domestic purposes. The lack of water has sharply worsened the ecological situation in many regions and caused a food crisis.

Desertification. This is the name of the totality of natural and anthropogenic processes that lead to the destruction (violation) of the balance in ecosystems and to the degradation of all forms of organic life in a particular area. Desertification occurs in all natural areas peace.

The main reason for the current increase in desertification in various countries of the world is the discrepancy between the existing structure of the economic use of natural resources and the potential natural possibilities of this landscape, population growth, an increase in anthropogenic pressures, and the imperfection of the socio-economic structure of a number of countries. According to UNEP*, now deserts of anthropogenic origin

more than 9 million km² are occupied, and up to 7 million hectares of land are annually removed from productive use.

Pollution of the oceans. The World Ocean, covering 2/3 of the earth's surface, is a huge reservoir, the mass of water in which is 1.4 10²¹ kg. Ocean water makes up 97% of all water on the planet. The oceans provide 1/6 of all animal proteins consumed by the world's population for food. The ocean, especially its coastal zone, plays a leading role in maintaining life on Earth, because about 70% of the oxygen entering the planet's atmosphere is produced in the process of plankton photosynthesis. Thus, the World Ocean plays a huge role in maintaining a stable balance of the biosphere, and its protection is one of the urgent international environmental tasks.

Of particular concern is the pollution of the oceans harmful and toxic substances, including oil and oil products, radioactive substances.

The most common ocean pollutants are oil and oil products. An average of 13-14 million tons of oil products enter the World Ocean annually. Oil pollution is dangerous for two reasons: firstly, a film forms on the surface of the water, which deprives marine life of oxygen; secondly, oil itself is a toxic compound that has a long half-life; when the oil content in water is 10-15 mg/kg, plankton and fish fry die. Major oil spills during the crash of supertankers can be called real environmental disasters.

Especially dangerous is Nuclear pollution in the disposal of radioactive waste (RW). Initially, the main way to get rid of radioactive waste was the disposal of radioactive waste in the seas and oceans. This was usually low-level waste, which was packed in 200-liter metal drums, filled with concrete and dumped into the sea. The first such disposal of radioactive waste was carried out by the United States 80 km from the coast of California. Until 1983, 12 countries practiced RW discharge into the open sea. Into the water Pacific Ocean in the period from 1949 to 1970, 560,261 containers with radioactive waste were dumped.

Recently, a number of international documents have been adopted,

whose main goal is to protect the oceans.

Lack of food. An important reason for the lack of food is the reduction since 1956 of arable land per capita due to soil erosion and the withdrawal of fertile land for other purposes. Thanks to the "Green Revolution" of the 1970s. managed to compensate for the decline in yield through the introduction of new varieties, irrigation, the use of fertilizers and herbicides. However, this was not achieved in Australia and Africa - there was not enough water for irrigation. Now it is clearly lacking in Asia and America.

Fish stocks have been drastically reduced. From 1950 to 1989, the world catch increased from 19 to 89 million tons, after which there was no increase. An increase in the fishing fleet does not lead to an increase in catch.

Population growth. The rapidly growing population is the most serious problem of the Earth.

Numerous attempts to reduce the birth rate have been unsuccessful. A population explosion is currently taking place in the countries of Africa, Asia and South America. In the Russian Federation, the situation unfavorable for population growth has developed due to a drop in the birth rate.

Questions for self-examination

What signs characterize the modern ecological crisis?

What are the main causes of pollution of the biosphere.

Give examples of depletion of energy resources.

What global changes are taking place in the atmosphere?

What are the causes and what are the consequences of ozone layer depletion?

What are the causes and what are the consequences of the greenhouse effect?

What global continental problems do you know?

What are the main causes of rainforest destruction?

What are the main sources of pollution in the oceans?

What are the consequences of population growth?

I am glad to welcome you, dear readers!

Today I want to touch on a topic that concerns me personally and, unfortunately, does not concern the majority of people. I am talking about the global problems of mankind and the planet Earth as a whole, which have been caused by man through his activities.

However, let's leave that for now. Friends, I sincerely congratulate you on Victory Day! It was for you and me, for our future and the future of our children, that our ancestors fought and brought us this victory in the Great Patriotic War! And it is on our hands that the responsibility lies to make this future bright and promising for all of us!

I wish us all peace and prosperity, may no ambitions and greed of other people force us, ordinary people, to go to war against anyone. Anyone who can read between the lines will understand me. May God grant us the development and realization of our goals!

Well, it was a celebratory retreat. I confess that I was inspired by the victory parade that is shown on TV

Well, I have set you up for a positive atmosphere, and now I want to talk with you about things that are less pleasant, but no less important for all of us and humanity as a whole.

As you know, man is a highly developed biological species. His high intelligence due to evolution allowed him to adapt to any environmental conditions and protect himself from almost any threat from outside world, thanks to which its population expanded throughout our planet.

However, as a person develops (and this development occurs in geometric progression) we observe the degradation of other types of organisms, as well as the gradual dying of the planet as a whole.

Unfortunately, very often a person forgets that in pursuit of the extraction of current goods, he destroys the environment in which he is, that then he (or, more precisely, his descendants) will get sideways. Let's take a look at what are the most pressing issues in this moment what kind of human activity creates these problems, and what consequences it can bring.

1. Air pollution.

One of the most pressing global environmental problems of mankind. It is not difficult to guess that heavy industry enterprises create the lion's share of this problem. Any factory or plant that needs to burn a large amount of fuel for activities emits the remains of this fuel into the atmosphere. After that, they are assisted by vehicles that also burn gasoline. And all this "cocktail" from the exhaust we breathe with you.

Why is it harmful and what can it lead to? Oh, there are many points, but here are the main ones:

a) banal lung pollution - all these residues of burned fuel are heavy substances that settle in the lungs, which can lead to serious diseases of the latter; I would like to note that the person himself often helps these substances, “sprinkling” soot from tobacco smoke into the lungs;

b) the occurrence of cancerous tumors - even now it is difficult to determine the causes of cancer in humans, but many doctors argue that the lion's share of cancer lies in the radiation that is in the air; I think it's easy to guess where it comes from;

c) mutations are the most terrible, in my opinion, what the impact of dirty air on the human body can lead to, because in this case the human DNA changes, which can lead to undesirable deviations in the body of not only the person himself, but also all his descendants; Agree, no one wants to doom their children to an inferior life already starting from their very birth.

There is much more to be said about the effects of polluted air on the human body. If I missed something important - add it in the comments. We go further.

I think many people have heard about this phenomenon. For others, I will elaborate. It is known that before the beginning of the industrial revolution, the share of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 0.026%. At the moment, it is about 0.04% and continues to grow exponentially. This is again due to the combustion of fuel in large quantities, the main product of which is carbon dioxide.

In nature, green plants - trees, shrubs and others - are engaged in the processing of carbon dioxide back into oxygen, but we all know very well how people treat them now.

As a result, an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to the greenhouse effect - an increase in temperature throughout the planet. And although changes of 1-2 degrees are not critical for us, people, nevertheless, at the polar latitudes, such changes cause the melting of ice in large quantities, which raises the level of the world ocean, and the coasts of the continents are simply flooded irrevocably, with all the fertile lands and the rest the goodness of people.

I confess that I have not returned to the topic of the greenhouse effect for a long time, so if you have something to add or correct me, feel free to write in the comments.

1. El Niño effect.

The last serious global environmental problem of mankind that I want to touch upon. I could write and paint a lot about her, but I'll just leave here a small forty-minute documentary, from which he himself learned about this phenomenon. Take your time and watch it, it's worth it.

Well, have you looked? How do you like the movie? What do you think of El Niño? Nothing dangerous or can we repeat the fate of past civilizations? Rather, write your thoughts in the comments, I just can’t wait to listen to you and discuss it all with you!

Here, friends, are the main and, in my opinion, the most serious global environmental problems of mankind. In addition to data, there are still very, very many threats and problems for people and the planet, so I leave this topic entirely for addition and discussion in the comments.

Once again, Happy Victory Day! May success and good luck accompany you, although we ourselves create our own luck, don't we?

Sincerely, .

“One thing annoys me: before we destroy ourselves, we will destroy the planet”
Ursula Le Guin