Our planet is plagued by environmental problems that deplete natural resources and strain

livelihoods, many of which are exacerbated by poor industrial practices. If left unchecked,
environmental problems negatively impact businesses both directly, as in supply chain disruptions,
and indirectly, as in health hazards that lead to loss of man-hours and efficiency. Following are some
common environmental issues that need to address to ensure sustainability and long-term viability.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE:

i) Issues pertaining to Population

It’s no secret that the planet faces serious environmental concerns from water and air pollution to
deforestation. While the causes are complex, one significant contributor to the problem is
population growth. Understanding the relationship between population growth and environmental
issues may be the first step toward identifying real solutions

More people require more resources, which means that as the population increases, the Earth’s
resources deplete more rapidly. The result of this depletion is deforestation and loss of biodiversity
as humans strip the Earth of resources to accommodate rising population numbers. Population
growth also results in increased greenhouse gases, mostly from CO2 emissions. For visualization,
during that same 20th century that saw fourfold population growth, CO2 emissions increased
twelvefold. As greenhouse gases increase, so do climate patterns, ultimately resulting in the long-
term pattern called climate change.

The Biggest Impacts The use of resources and the impact of environmental issues are not equal
around the globe. People in developed countries require substantially more resources to maintain
their lifestyles compared with people in developing countries. For example, the United States, which
contains 5 percent of the world’s population, currently produces a full 25 percent of CO2 emissions.

People in developing countries tend to feel the impacts of environmental problems more acutely,
especially if they live in coastal areas directly affected by sea level rise and the extreme weather
events that accompany climate change. The most vulnerable populations also experience decreased
access to clean water, increased exposure to air pollution and diseases – which may result from
decreased biodiversity – and may feel the impact more immediately as local resources including
plants and animals deplete.

While the interconnected problems of population growth and environmental issues seem
overwhelming, it is important to remember that humans can make changes that positively impact
the planet. One good starting point is understanding and applying the concept of sustainability,
which is the opposite of resource depletion. Sustainability describes a model of resource usage in
which the current generation uses only the resources the Earth provides indefinitely (like solar or
wind power instead of burning fossil fuels) to ensure that future generations inherit resources.

Land Degradation

There are many examples of human failure to use land resources sustainably. Deforestation occurs
when humans clear forests to use the land either for agriculture or for habitation. Consequently,
forest cover dwindles significantly, leading to soil erosion and extinction of plant species. Land
animals also decline in numbers and even face extinction due to human expansion that encroaches
on their natural habitat and limits their ability to spread geographically.

Air Pollution

One of the biggest environmental impacts of human activities is air quality. The transportation sector
contributes heavily to air pollution because most forms of transportation, including cars, planes and
ocean vessels, use fossil fuels. When burned, fossil fuels release carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the environment. In addition, the manufacturing industry grows exponentially
with the expansion of the human population. Manufacturing plants emit carbons and sulfurs that do
not occur naturally in the environment, causing an imbalance in the quality and composition of air.
Some air pollutants deplete the ozone layer and expose the Earth to dangerous radiation from the
sun.

Water Contamination and pollution

Human intervention in the environment also jeopardizes the supply and flow of clean drinking water.
Activities like waste disposal from residential, commercial and industrial areas, oil spills and runoff
from agriculture all contaminate bodies of water. The direct deposit of pollutants into lakes, rivers,
seas and streams and indirect runoff of hazardous substances during the rainy seasons both impact
water sources. Another environmental issue impacting water systems is overfishing, which causes a
reduction in diversity of marine life.

Sources:

There are two main sources of water pollution in a water body: i. Point sources ii. Non- point sources

The total waste load in a water body is represented by the sum of all point and non- point sources.
Pollution of water resources can be caused by one or more of the sources: i) atmospheric dissolved
gases ii) weathering of soil and rock minerals iii) decomposition of animals and vegetable materials.

Climate change:

Human activities in the environment interfere with the planet's natural balance, making the Earth’s
climate less stable and predictable. Climate change brings abnormal occurrences such as
unprecedented flooding; increased numbers of storms, hurricanes and typhoons; fiercer brush fires;
and most notably tsunamis, which are uncommon in the Earth’s recent history. Phenomena such as
rising sea levels, unseasonably high temperatures and drought hint toward an environment that
cannot take much more negative human impact.

ii) Issues Pertaining to Water

Water pollution is emerging as a threat to all mankind. The term “water quality” is intimately
related to water pollution. Water quality refers to the physical, chemical and biological
characteristics of water. Water is indispensable for our life. Water is said to be polluted, when it is
hanged in its quality and composition directly or indirectly by man’s activity so that it becomes less
suitable for drinking, domestic, agricultural or any other purpose. Soil erosion, digging of minerals
from rocks, decaying of organic matter are natural sources of water pollution. Water pollution is the
contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater), very often by
human activities.

Water pollution is emerging as a threat to all mankind. The term “water quality” is intimately related
to water pollution. Water quality refers to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of
water. Water is indispensable for our life. Water is said to be polluted, when it is hanged in its
quality and composition directly or indirectly by man’s activity so that it becomes less suitable for
drinking, domestic, agricultural or any other purpose. Soil erosion, digging of minerals from rocks,
decaying of organic matter are natural sources of water pollution. Water pollution is the
contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater), very often by
human activities. Water pollution occurs when pollutants (particles, chemicals or substances that
make water contaminated) are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without enough
treatment to get rid of harmful compounds. Pollutants get into water mainly by human causes or
factors. Water pollution is the second most imperative environmental concern long with air
pollution. Any change or modification in the physical, chemical and biological properties of water
that will have a detrimental consequence on living things is water pollution. The water pollution
problem covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface. It is a very important resource for people and the
environment. Water pollution affects drinking water, rivers, lakes and oceans all over the world. In
many developing countries, it is usually a leading cause of death, by people drinking from polluted
water sources.

Water pollution can be studied under the following heads:

1. Medium in which it occurs ( ground water, surface water)

2. Habitat ( lakes, open seas
3.Type of pollutants ( bacterial, metallic, thermal and radicative)

Water pollution can be defined in a number of ways,

1. Water pollution is the presence of any foreign substance ( organic, inorganic, biological and
radiological) in water which tends to degrade the quality so as to constitute a hazard, or impairs the
usefulness of water
2. Courts of law define water pollution as “any impairment of water quality that makes unsuitable
for beneficial use.

Issues Pertaining to Sanitation

Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the
hazards of wastes as well as the treatment and proper disposal of sewage wastewater. Hazards can
be physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agent of disease. Sanitation generally refers to
the provisions of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine.
Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease world-wide and improving sanitation is known to
have a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities. The world
sanitation also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage
collection and waste water disposal. The sanitation technology in urban areas is the collection of
waste water in rivers; its treatment is wastewater treatment plant for reuse or disposal in rivers,
lakes or the sea.
The poor sanitation lead to many diseases such as trachoma and soil transmitted Helminthiases,
diarrhea. Children suffering for diarrhea are more vulnerable to become underweight. Sanitation is a
serious issue that is affecting most parts of the world especially the developing countries. On the
global scale, the most affected are children who in most cases lose their line due to diseases caused
by poor sanitation.
In many suburban and rural areas households are not connected to sewers. They discharge their
water waste into septic tanks or other type of on-site sanitation. On-site systems include drain fields
which require significant area of land. The reuse of untreated waste water in irrigated agriculture is
common in developing countries. Ecological sanitation is sometimes presented as a radical
alternative to conventional sanitation systems. Ecological sanitation is based on composting or
vermin composing toilets where an extra separation of urine and feces at the source for sanitation
and recycling has been done. The importance of the isolation of waste lies in an effort to prevent
diseases which can be transmitted through human waste, which afflict both developed countries as
well as developing countries to differing degrees. It is estimated that up to 5 million people die each
year from preventable water-borne diseases; as result of inadequate sanitation and hygiene
practices.

iii) Issues pertaining to Pollution

We use the word “pollution” all the time, and the word carries certain connotations, but most of us
would have difficulty in defining the term specifically. Pollution is the introduction by man, directly of
indirectly, of substances or energy into the environment to such a degree that environmental
conditions change.
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse
change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light.
Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally
occurring contaminants.
Pollution is the act of introducing harmful substances to the environment that results in harming the
natural surroundings. Substances that cause pollution are referred to as pollutants. These polluting
substances are so diverse and they include chemical products, waste material, light, heat, and noise
among others.
Pollution in all forms is a major environmental issue in India. Any undesirable change in the
environment, air, water, land, soil, etc. can be termed as pollution. These changes could be in the
physical, chemical or even biological changes. The agents that bring about or cause this pollution are
called pollutants.
In India, there are many laws that help in curbing pollution. These laws are intended to protect the
environment as well as improve its quality. One such act is the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Air Pollution When the atmosphere is filled with toxic gases released as result of industrial or other
economic activities, it results in polluting the atmosphere and the air in the environment. This is
nothing but air pollution.

Water Pollution With the natural water resources’ depleting day by day, water is a scarce
commodity. But, even in these times, the water sources are polluted by pollutants from various
sources, making them unfit for human consumption.
 iV) Issues Pertaining to Energy
Energy is an essential component of all development programmes. Without energy, modern life
would cease to exist. We need energy to maintain physical comfort in much of the world, to win and
manufacture useful materials and artefacts, for transport, for communications, for agriculture and
for industry in general.
Energy can be made available by harnessing natural energy flows such as moving water, solar
radiation and wind, and mainly by using fuels such as wood, coal, oil, natural gas and uranium.
However, the harnessing and utilization of energy is associated with worrying problems, namely,
depletion and environmental damage.

The Problem of Depletion: Energy resources all over the world are getting depleted. Over 90 percent
of all the energy used in the entire world comes from fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) that are
exhaustible. Millions of years ago, organic matter (the remains of plants and animals) decayed and
built up into thick layers. Over time, mud and soil that covered the organic matter changed into rock
and trapped the organic matter beneath. Pressure and heat changed some of the organic matter into
coal, some into oil (petroleum), and some into natural gas. Currently, the world uses in one year an
amount of fossil fuels that took nature roughly one million years to produce. At our present rate of
consumption, and assuming no population increase, all the known oil reserves could be exhausted
by the middle of this century and natural gas by 2070. Coal supplies will last much longer – for
roughly 200 years at current consumption rates. We must however note that new deposits of fossil
fuels continue to be discovered from time to time.

Energy-Related Environmental Damage: Apart from the problem of energy resources getting
depleted, energy harnessing and utilization cause an immense amount of environmental damage.
There are environmental problems associated with the use of almost all forms of energy. In this
section we examine some problems associated with the use of fossil fuels, fuel wood, uranium,
hydro power plants and wind energy.

Problems Associated with the Use of Fossil Fuels: Global warming: Global warming refers to the
gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface and its atmosphere which has
been attributed to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. The main greenhouse gases are carbon
dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), water vapour, nitrogen oxides (NOX) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
All the greenhouse gases except CFCs are naturally produced and their concentrations in the
atmosphere are increasing due to human activities. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for
more than 50 percent of the global temperature rise. This has occurred because of the burning of
fossil fuels and wood products.
Methane may be produced naturally when wet organic matter decomposes under bacteria action in
the absence of oxygen. Such decompositions could take place in landfills, swampy/paddy fields,
digestive tracks of ruminants and termites and septic tanks. Man induced methane emissions may
come from leaks in natural gas distribution systems, leaks of refinery gases in petroleum reefing and
coal mining.
The burning of fossil fuels also produces significant amounts of nitrous oxides. Rise in mean
(average) global temperature, Rising sea levels, Occurrence of weather extremes, Shifting of
vegetative zones
Acid rains: Acid rains are caused by the release of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)
when fossil fuels burn. The oxides combine with water vapour in the air to form acids, which return
to the ground as acid rain. It is important to note that acidified clouds could travel great distances
before releasing the acid rain. The problems posed by acid rains include corrosion of the built
environment, soil degradation, water pollution and depletion of forests. Corrosion of the built
environment. Acids are corrosive. Acid rains corrode the built environment including buildings,
statues and metal bridges.

Soil degradation: In soil, acid rains combine with nutrients needed by plants to form compounds that
may be of little or no use to plants. Thus, acid rains remove useful nutrients that support plant life.
This could adversely affect agriculture.

Water pollution: Water bodies are polluted when acid rains dissolve toxic substances such as
aluminium and mercury and deposit them in water bodies including underground water. Acid rains
also make water bodies acidic. Acid rains could cause lakes, ponds and rivers to loose aquatic. For
example, it has been observed that some lakes in Europe have become so acidic that they can no
longer support life.

Forest depletion: Removal of useful nutrients when acid rains combine with them could adversely
affect plants. Additionally, acid rains attack trees more directly by causing dead spots on the leaves
and barks of trees. This reduces the ability of the plants to make their own food through
photosynthesis. The dead spots also make the trees vulnerable to insect infestations.
Dangers posed by leaded fuels: The oil industry adds lead to petrol (gasoline) to help engines run
more smoothly. Vehicles that burn leaded gasoline pour out leaded fumes that contaminate the air.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has established that smoke from the combustion of leaded
fuels in vehicles causes cancer and high blood pressure in adults and in children it impairs mental
development, reduces intelligence thus hindering learning ability and causes behavioural disorders.

Oil spills: This is leakage of fuel oil from storage vessels, oil tankers, pipelines, tanker trucks or other
vessels used for transporting fuel oil. Oil spills seriously damage the land, vegetation, and water
bodies, including the oceans. Fuel oil is poisonous if ingested by animals. In addition, spilled oil
damages the feathers of birds or the fur of animals, often causing death.

Gas leaks and explosions: Gas leaks and explosions sometimes accompany the harnessing and
utilization of fossil fuels especially in the coal mines and storage plants. The explosions are
sometimes accompanied by fire outbreaks. Gas leaks and explosions have claimed several lives,
caused severe injuries to people and destroyed property worldwide.

Water pollution caused by poorly managed coal mines: Excavated areas that have been strip mined
for coal but are not filled and revegetated cause water pollution as surface water runoff from the
mined area can flush sediments and sulphur-bearing compounds into nearby streams and rivers.
This could endanger human life, plant and wildlife communities. Air pollution: Emissions from
vehicles, thermal power plants and factories contain unburned hydrocarbons, particulates, carbon
dioxide, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur that contribute to the lowering of the
quality of air. These substances in the air could irritate the eyes, throat and the lungs.

Problems Associated with the Use of Uranium: Uranium is used in nuclear power plants (NPP) to
produce electricity. During the splitting of atoms (nuclear fission) of uranium within a nuclear
reactor, large amounts of heat are produced. The heat from the reactor is used to produce steam.
The steam turns a turbine which in turn, drives an electric generator to produce electricity.

Mutation and malformations: genetic changes may appear in later generations of both plants and
animals such as Miscarriages, Premature births, sterility, Cancer, Malfunctioning of certain body
organs Radiation sickness and possible death - Large amounts of radiation delivered in a short span
of time damage both bone tissue and blood cells, causing radiation sickness and death. Apart from
the radiation-related problems, nuclear power plants pose thermal or heat pollution as they release
much more heat than conventional thermal power plants. To cool its apparatus a nuclear power
plant sucks large amounts of cool water from nearby water body such as a river or lake, and then
sends the water back warm. With the rising temperature of the river or lake, the oxygen content of
the water is reduced. Not only can this kill the aquatic animals in the river or lake, but often it fosters
the growth of algae. Decaying algae consume more oxygen. Soon the water may begin to smell and
taste bad.

Hydropower plant: The environmental and economic impact of building a hydro-plant on a local river
can be catastrophic. The construction of dams leads to the loss of terrestrial habitats through
flooding and the displacement of people often from some of the world’s most fertile land. Dams also
destabilize freshwater ecosystems worldwide. For example, a significant proportion of the world’s
freshwater fish are now endangered or extinct as a result of the construction of dams. Also affected
are oceanic fish such as salmon, which can be blocked in their attempt to swim back upstream to
spawn. Even the generally held view that hydropower is pollution free is now in doubt. This is
because rotting organic matter that ends up in the dams releases large amounts of greenhouse
gases, mainly methane, into the atmosphere. There is also the social cost. The construction of dams
is also accompanied by increase in water-borne diseases like bilharzias.

Wind Energy: The major problem associated with the harnessing of wind energy is noise pollution.
The noise generated from wind farms can be a nuisance. People living close to wind farms have
complained about the whamming noise. Additionally, there are other problems that are relatively
less serious. Among them is visual pollution. Wind turbines erected on hill sides distort the natural
beauty of the hills. Wind mills cause TV and radio interference. There could also be damage or injury
from possible mishaps in cases where there is danger that rotors might break or shed ice. The blades
of the rotating rotors hit and kill flying birds.