Agricultural Faculty University of Belgrade Nemanjina 6 Zemun

SEMINAR WORK
Subject : Pollution and Environment

Professor, Katarina Smakic

Student,Marija

Belgrade, 21 st mart 2007

Introduction

Environmental pollution is addition of any substance (e.g. carbon dioxide, plastic) of form of energy (e.g. heat, sound radioactivity) to the environment faster than the environment can accommodate it by dispersion, brake down, recycling or storage in some harmless form. There are two kinds of pollutants. The first kind is not harmful in itself. For example, one of natural components of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide, but in concentrated form it can be fatal for animals and humans. On the other hand, there are some pollutants, for example radioactivity, which are harmful in any quantity even though they might also occur in nature. Pollution is not new phenomenon. It has accompanied mankind ever since they started to form permanent settlements. Unsanitary conditions in the ancient cities and in the cities during the Middle Ages, were often causing epidemics of various diseases. During the 19th century water and air pollution and the accumulation of solid wastes were problems of only large cities. But with industrialization and the increase in human population pollution has become universal problem. All forms of pollution are divided in three main kinds: pollution of air, water and land.

Pollution of air

Air pollution involves the release of gases, finely divided solids of finely dispersed liquid aerosols into the atmosphere at rates that exceed the capacity of atmosphere to dissipate them of dispose of them through incorporation into solid or liquid layers of biosphere. Air pollution may have natural causes. Dust storms in deserts, smoke from forest fires contribute to chemical and particulate pollution of the air. The most important natural source of air pollution is volcanic activity that releases great amounts of ash and toxic fumes into the atmosphere. Scientists think that it can cause climatic changes.

But far more serious is the pollution that is caused by humans: pollution caused by exhaust fumes from the automobile engines, fumes from factories... Some immediate consequences of air pollution are acid rains, respiratory diseases... Potentially even more dangerous are long term effects of air pollution like greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect is caused by high concentration of carbon dioxide, to high for plants to remove it from the atmosphere or to be dissolved in the oceans. Like glass in a greenhouse greenhouse effect allows light rays from the Sun to pass through, but it does not allow heat rays generated when sunlight is absorbed by the surface of the ground to escape. This is causing increase in the temperature that leads to melting of the polar ice caps, raise of the sea level and flooding of the coastal areas of the world. The other hand, there is a possibility that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could cause higher percentage of solar radiation that is reflected back into space. This may cause a lowering of the Earths surface temperature and, potentially, a new ice age. Another serious concern are holes in ozone layer. They are caused by chlorofluorocarbons emitted from, for example, refrigerators and other pollutants from rockets and supersonic aircraft. Ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Because of the decreased capacity of ozone layer to absorb there is an increase in ultraviolet radiation which is very dangerous and may cause skin cancer. Probably the most dangerous kind of pollution is radioactive pollution that can endanger the whole human kind and most of the animal species. There is tendency to control production of nuclear weapons and to stop testing of nuclear bombs. Nuclear power plants could also lead to nuclear catastrophe. Consequences of fire and partial meltdown in nuclear power plant in Chernobyl (1986) near Kiev were experienced in whole of northern and eastern Europe including Serbia.

Water pollution
Water pollution involves the release of substances into lakes, rivers and oceans. These substances become dissolved in water or deposited upon the bottom and accumulate to the extent that they endanger water ecosystems. It may also include release of radioactivity or heat, as in case of termal pollution. Water has the capacity to absorb, break down, or recycle some of those materials. Under normal circumstances amount of pollutants does not effect water ecosystems. The output of industries, agriculture and urban settlements generally exceeds capacity of water to recycle it. Main pollutants of water are industries whish discharge their waste into the water, but some indirect pollution is very important too. For example, fertilizers and pesticides from soil may end in water. But it also may happen that spillage of oil (or some other pollutant) from transporter ships pollute not only the water but soil too. Big pollutant of water are urban sewage systems, septic tanks and other organic waste.

When organic matter exceeds the capacity of water to recycle it may cause rapid growth of algae. When they die, the remains of dead algae is additional organic waste. Eventually, the water stays without oxygen. Anaerobic organisms then attack organic waste, releasing gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, which are harmful to the aerobic forms of life. The result is water that is filled with waste and that smells very unpleasant. Cleaning waters is very expensive long lasting process that often cant be 100 percent successful. For that reason prevention from further pollution is very important.

Land pollution
Land pollution involves accumulation of solid wastes on land, for example: used cars, cans, bottles, plastic, paper. Some of them cannot be broken down quickly and some (like plastic) cannot be broken down at all. There are a few methods of disposal other than the recycling but they are not entirely satisfactory. These methods include dumping waste in the ocean, which creates water pollution or a burning which creates air pollution. One of methods that still needs developing is landfill. A landfill is system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is buried between layers of earth to create artificial landscapes that are planted with various kinds of vegetation.

Responsibility and preservation of environment

Decisions that we make today will effect our future and the future of the generations to come. Some areas of Earth are damaged so badly by technological civilization that will be difficult if not impossible to restore. Therefore it is essential to change our behavior in order to save the environment and living conditions on Earth. Few days ago (on Saturday) U.N. climate change conference ended in Bali with a last-minute plan that is suppose to lead toward a new climate change treaty. Media described talks as emotional emphasizing discontent of delegates from other countries with U.S. objections to a specific upper limit of gas emissions. Bush administration refused to accept a plan backed by Europe and many other countries to cut their own greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent to 40 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020. Al Gore, this years Nobel prize winner said: My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that. We all know that. It was only after 11th- hour negotiations that delegates from 187 countries agreed to work for a new climate change treaty over the next two years. The U.S. which is the worlds leading greenhouse gas emitter, ahead of China, Russia and India, eventually

agreed to compromise. The delegates essentially agreed to negotiate a treaty by 2009. The agreement says significant cuts in emissions will be required of industrialized countries, but does not specify the size of those cuts or whether they will be mandatory. China and other developing countries also agreed for the first time to consider controlling the growth of their emissions, but that promise too is without any binding commitments. U.S. was the only major industrialized country to reject the Kyoto agreement on climate change, which is set to expire in 1012. Main reasons for this decision were economic reasons which still direct U.S. policy towards ecological issues. Environmental activists were not satisfied with this outcome of Bali conference.