Have you ever thought about why the earth's temperature is constantly increasing?
And, are we humans taking care of our planet and making it a place worth living in?
Our mighty earth is facing a severe environmental crisis. Due to this reason, we are in constant danger of facing disasters and environmental tragedies. People all over the world are facing a variety of new and challenging environmental problems every single day. Some are small and only affect a few ecosystems, but others drastically change the landscape.
Such environmental issues require urgent attention and must be addressed as soon as possible to avoid any serious major emergency on our planet. 
The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.
Wendell Berry
Several environmental problems arise due to human beings; everyone must be aware of them, their causes, and possible solutions. The most important of them are discussed below:
Any physical, chemical, or biological change to the air in our atmosphere is called air pollution. Certain harmful gasses, smoke, dust particles, or smog get into the air and cause air pollution.
Our earth is facing the worst damage due to air pollution. It threatens the survival of all lives, whether humans, animals, or plants. They all experience a wide range of health effects from exposure to air pollution. It is getting difficult for us all to breathe as the air has become poisonous, harmful, and destructive.
The most common type of air pollution is smog. It irritates the eyes and throat and damages the lungs causing allergies and asthma.
Air pollution is the main cause of a major environmental issue, i.e., global warming. Greenhouse gases are constantly warming up the earth by absorbing harmful UV radiation.
DID YOU KNOW?
According to the WHO, almost all the global population (99%) breathes air that contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures.
DID YOU KNOW?
Household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, including over 237 000 deaths of children under the age of 5.
Deforestation is the purposely clearing of species-rich wild forests by human beings for their means. It is seriously affecting our normal ecosystems, climate, and biodiversity. Natural forests keep carbon out of the atmosphere and oceans by acting as carbon sinks. They improve overall health by reducing air pollution, controlling the atmospheric greenhouse effect, modifying the climate, and creating wildlife and plant diversity.
Related Read: How the Carbon Cycle works
Did you know?
Russia has the largest area of forests of any country on Earth, whereas Brazil has the highest level of deforestation.
Important Information: According to research, the expansion of agriculture caused nearly 80% of global deforestation—industrial or commercial agriculture results in 40% forest loss. At the same time, livestock is responsible for 14% of global deforestation.
Extinction happens when a kind of organism or a group of kinds, usually a species, dies out due to environmental or evolutionary factors. The process of extinction is still happening on the planet, although the rate has varied prominently.
Recent studies estimate about eight million species on Earth, of which at least 15,000 are threatened with extinction.
Important Information: According to a report, more than 40 percent of amphibian species, nearly 33 percent of sharks, shark relatives, and reef-forming corals, and upwards of 33 percent of all marine mammals are threatened.
The best way to protect endangered species is to protect their environment. They must have places where they have proper food and shelter and can raise their young ones. Moreover, we can donate to organizations and NGOs that are working for wildlife or zoo animals. Government should take proper actions to protect wildlife and spread awareness among the people regarding it.
Soil degradation refers to any physical, chemical, and biological decline in soil quality. Soil is the basic element and must be in good condition to remain diverse and sustainable for the whole ecosystem.
The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
There are several soil varieties, such as clay, sand, silt, loam, and peat. They all have different characteristics and qualities that can be useful for humans and plants. Healthy soil has a good combination of soil structure, chemistry, organic matter content, biology, and water permeation for its type. It makes the earth's soil best-suited for agricultural purposes, making us dependable on it for our nutritional needs.
Important Information: According to the latest research, nearly 12 million hectares of farmland a year get degraded.
Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where a species' population exceeds the actual carrying capacity of its environment. Generally, we take human overpopulation as the environmental issue causing problems globally. This population continues to overgrow worldwide. Increased human population and growing affluence put massive pressure on crucial natural resources.
Important Information: China has the world's largest population, but India is expected to rise to the most populated country in 2023. The UN's 'medium' estimates for population growth suggest that the global population will reach 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100.
The human overpopulation issue is the topic I see as the most vital to solve if our children and grandchildren are to have a good quality of life.
Alexandra Paul
The latest advancement in technology to save lives and offer better medical treatments is the major cause to contribute to overpopulation. Some other causes are mentioned below:
It refers to the gradual thinning of the upper atmosphere of the Earth(ozone layer) due to the release of chemical compounds consisting of chlorine and bromine by human activities and industries. Due to ozone layer depletion, harmful UV (ultraviolet) rays directly reach the Earth's surface, causing several abnormalities and diseases.
Do you know the Antarctic ozone hole reached an average area of 8.9 million square miles (23.2 million square kilometers) between Sept. 7 and Oct. 13, 2022?
It is one of the major environmental issues and has the following causing factors:
It is the process of collecting and treating waste solid products. This solid waste can be of any kind, i.e., combustibles, toxic waste(chemicals), construction waste, organic waste, dead animals, etc. It comes from residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional sites, construction and demolition areas, and biomedical and agricultural activities. If not treated properly, this solid waste can cause greater health risks and put everyone's life in danger.
Important Information: China produces the most municipal solid waste (over 15%). However, considering the population, the United States generates the most waste per person. The United States makes up around 5% of the world's population. Still, it produces 12% of the solid waste.
Several solid waste management methods have many benefits for the environment and human health. A few of them are as follows:
Water pollution occurs when harmful substances such as chemical compounds and microorganisms contaminate lakes, streams, rivers, oceans, or other water bodies degrading their water quality and making it toxic for the environment and any living creature. Contaminated water is one of the major causes in causing serious illnesses in humans like cholera, diarrhea, hepatitis A, polio, typhoid, etc. This widespread problem is jeopardizing our health and needs to be addressed as early as possible.
Related Read: What is The Source of Earth's Water?
The gradual increase in the earth's average temperature due to the greenhouse effect is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. Global warming has disturbed the climatic pattern of the earth. It has caused great damage and negative effects on humans, animals, and plants. Several causes of global warming may be natural or the outcome of human activities.
Important Information: In 2022, Global temperatures will likely end at about 1.15C above the average, making it the fifth or sixth hottest year on record. -WMO
It is acidic rainfall due to atmospheric pollution causing environmental harm to lakes, forests, and building materials. It happens when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are emitted into the atmosphere and taken by the wind and air currents. These gases react with rain water and become acid when falling on earth.
The main cause of acid rain is pollution, including burning fossil fuels, carbon emissions from vehicles, oil refineries, and industrial processes. These processes release the harmful gases mentioned above and cause acid rain.
👉 Acid rain can be in any form, i.e., rain, snow, sleet, hail, and fog (wet deposition), and as acid particles, aerosols, and gases (dry deposition).
👉 Air pollution causes stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer.
👉 No, the sun is not responsible for warming up the earth and causing the greenhouse effect. Instead, it only influences the earth’s climate.
Whether big or small, all environmental issues need to be addressed if we love and value our dear planet. Global warming has been causing serious damage to our ecosystem and becoming a life-threatening issue for all living creatures. The government should take appropriate actions and spread awareness to control and reduce these problems. Otherwise, our planet would soon become a deserted land with no life.
