എ.കെ.ജി.മെമ്മോറിയൽ എച്ച് .എസ്.എസ് .പിണാറായി/അക്ഷരവൃക്ഷം/ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENT Environment includes the living and nonliving things that an organism interacts with, or has an effect on it. Changes are always occurring around us. Also it is indispensable. But what the actual crisis is that most of them have been adversely affecting our environment. Large-scale global environmental hazards to human health include climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, changes in ecosystems due to loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies of freshwater, land degradation, urbanization, and stresses on food-producing systems. Environmental pollution is also a great crisis which we are facing now. It is defined as "the contamination of the physical and biological components of the earth or atmosphere system to such an extent that normal environmental processes are adversely affected. All kinds of pollution including air, water, soil pollution, etc. have an impact on the environment. It had adversely affected climate and causes various environmental issues. Environmental pollution has existed for centuries but only started to be significant following the industrial revolution. Pollution occurs when the natural environment cannot destroy an element without creating harm or damage to itself. The rise in human population density has led to degradation of the Earth’s surface through misuse of environmental resources and improper disposal of wastes. In addition to this the advancements in science and technology as well as the increase in industry have led to an increase in the dumping of wastes. Air pollution can significantly hurt the quality of soil and water resources through its precipitation on soil and water below it. Smoke and gases released by industries, power plants, homes, and vehicles have caused visible air pollution known as “smog”. In India, air pollution in New Delhi has dominated headlines over the past few months. The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills organisms that depend on these water bodies. Beside it also affects fresh water availability to a great extend. The major causes of this are industrial waste, sewage and waste water, mining activities, marine dumping, accidental oil leakage, the burning of fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Cholera, one of most deadly disease that spread in 19th century was caused due to drinking water polluted with sewage. These were eventually ended by building proper sewers, which stopped bacteria polluting drinking water. Soil contamination as part of land degradation is caused by the presence of human-made chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste. It causes a chain reaction that starts with reduced soil biodiversity, alters organic matter incorporation rates, and then weakens soil structure and ability to resist erosion. Contaminated soil can transmit toxins and chemicals directly into our food. Acid rain is another serious problem caused by pollution especially that of air. Smoke and fumes from industry and power plants combines with moisture in the air to form weak sulphuric and nitric acids. When this acid rain falls it can kill trees and turn lakes too acidic to support life. It is the major reason for the damage of Taj Mahal in India which is made of marble. It causes yellowing of its marble wall. To a great extend we can control this. But how long? Population and needs of man are increasing day by day. Global production of municipal solid waste was approximately 1.3 billion tonnes per year in 2012. Waste production is expected to rise to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025. Between 60% and 80% of items in landfills can be recycled. The most advisable method is to reduce, eliminate, or prevent pollution at its source. Motor vehicles and other mobile sources like construction equipments contribute over three quarter of the pollutants in the country. The most basic solution for air pollution is to move away from fossil fuels, replacing them with alternative energies like solar, wind and geothermal. Polluted water can carry diseases and more than 1.2 billion people don't even have clean water to drink or use to wash. So water pollution should be strictly controlled. By reducing the consumption of water, wastewater production can be reduced, and by recycling the wastewater & re-using the treated water, most of its pollution problems can be solved. Proper management of agricultural land, the practice of organic farming and proper solid waste treatment can reduce soil contamination. Pollution has a negative impact on our health, even if you don't come into contact with it during your daily life. There are many treatment methods for reducing or eliminating pollution, but unfortunately most of them are economically costly. For a developing country like India most of them may not be affordable. Therefore, it is best to emphasize the prevention of pollution from the source to avoid the treatment procedures and their cost. Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise, more intense heat waves and continuously out breaking hazards are vital signs of these changes. Deforestation has a significant role in climate change. All over the world vast areas of forest are being destroyed each year. Tropical forests in particular are being felled for timber, and to clear land for farming. This is wrecking some of the richest natural habitats on Earth. Global temperatures will continue to rise for decades, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases like methane, ozone, CFC, water vapour, etc. traps sun’s heat, preventing it from escaping into outer space. Global warming is the net impact of this greenhouse effect. The most serious threat to the environment is global warming. Earth’s climate records shows that the global temperature has been stable over a long period of time. But it has increased about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 20th century. Two degrees may sound like a small amount, but it's an unusual event in our planet's recent history. The industrial activities have a great role in this increased carbon emission and its after effects. Also the ozone hole has been affecting climate change, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Somewhat it has impacts all the way to the equator. The ozone hole is not causing global warming, but it is affecting atmospheric circulation. What all are the impact of all these changes? Lengthening of frost free seasons, changes in precipitation patterns, more droughts and heat waves, hurricanes will become stronger and more intense, sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100. Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century. Climate change also had a great impact on the widespread of many vulnerable diseases. There is much evidence of associations between climatic changes and infectious diseases. For example, Malaria varies seasonally in high range. Agricultural intensification had made way to high use of crop insecticides and hence developed vector resistance. Likewise, urbanisation and urban crowding was a cause of cholera and dengue, ocean warming that of red tide and many more. The Amazon, the world's most bio diverse rainforest, was burning at a rate not seen in almost a decade. It was decried as a global tragedy and will surely affect our environment. The number of fires in the Amazon rainforest increased 30.5% in 2019 from the previous year, while deforestation rose 85%, according to recent data released by Brazil's space research agency. The fires raged through villages, destroyed ecosystems and pumped climate-warming pollution into the atmosphere. But the government has yet to roll out any measures to avoid fires in 2020. Despite the increasingly strict environmental protections of recent decades, the latest outbreak in an overactive fire season that has charred 1,330 square miles of the rainforest this year. One of the main reasons for this is human activity, especially clearing lands for farming. In addition to the impact on global climate, the fires created environmental concerns from the excess carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide within the fires' emissions. What can we do in this? We can reduce our paper and wood consumption, reduce our oil consumption, support indigenous populations and be even more political. Loss of biodiversity is another issue of great concern that we are facing now. As wild habitats are destroyed, plants and animals have fewer places to live. This makes survival harder for many species. As endangered species die out, it reduces rich variety of life that is vital to the health of planet. Now, what about India and Kerala? Like any other places the impact of all these human activities are also not less over here also. Air pollution, poor management of waste, growing water scarcity, falling groundwater level, water pollution, preservation and quality of forests, biodiversity loss, and land or soil degradation are some of the major environmental issues India faces today. MoEF was established in 1985, which is today the apex administrative body in the country for regulating and ensuring environmental protection. The unchecked mining and soil piping phenomenon in Kerala has resulted in landslides and floods in the state. Flood is the most common hazard that our state face today. Human factors cause increasing flood risks. For example, because of urbanisation, towns and cities have more impermeable surfaces and because of deforestation removing trees reduce the amount of water intercepted and increases run off. Nearly 14.5% of the state's land area is prone to floods, and the proportion is as high as 50% for certain districts. Landslides are a major hazard along the Western Ghats in Wayanad, Kozhikode, Idukki and Kottayam districts. So it is high time to choose an environment-friendly lifestyle to avoid another disaster. The last two years’ flood experiences teach us many lessons. • We should be prepared for any hazard at any time and a quick response is indeed. • Drastic changes in land pattern and land use should be avoided. • We need to protect wetlands and water channels to avoid floods. • Dam management needs to be more scientific. • Mining operations should be banned in ecologically fragile areas. After all, many environmental activities are carried out nowadays to protect our nature from forthcoming danger “Clarion” is famous for its eco friendly business activities. "Aichi Agenda 21" is such a program which introduces 21 activities that we can practice right now, in order to conserve local and global environment. Protecting the environment is not only the job of governments. We can all help by altering the way we live. In San Francisco, most of the people are cycling to their workplace and thereby reducing the amount of pollution they produce. . Environmentalism as a movement covers broad areas of institutional oppression. The important environmentalists include John Muir, Leonardo Di Caprio, James Cameron, and more. Licypriya Kangujam from India, the world's youngest climate activist stands with Greta Thunberg to fight for the Earth, to fight for their future. Likewise we are also responsible for protecting our earth. It’s not yet too late. നിതാര ടി XI S1 B എ.കെ.ജി.എം.ജി.എച്.എസ്.എസ്.പിണറായി തലശ്ശേരി നോർത്ത് ഉപജില്ല കണ്ണൂർ അക്ഷരവൃക്ഷം പദ്ധതി, 2020 ലേഖനം  സാങ്കേതിക പരിശോധന - vrsheeja തീയ്യതി: 20/ 04/ 2020 >> രചനാവിഭാഗം - ലേഖനം