Environmental Degradation and Its Impact

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Environmental Degradation in Bangladesh – Its Causes Effects and Remedies

Hints: Introduction, Defining environment, What does environmental degradation mean? Different aspects of degradation, Causes for environmental degradation, Impact of such degradation, How to check it, International instruments, Conclusion.

Introduction

The endangered environment is the most terrible signal or alarm for the next few decades. Today, without a doubt the environmental degradation and the level which it follows now is a matter of deep concern. Recently, the ‘Tsunami’ dis-aster on the southeastern Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean and the Hurricane which distressed American’s few areas warned the policymakers to be conscious more of environmental threat.

Defining environment

Generally, we call the environment the whole surrounding of us including air, water, soil, trees, rivers, and canals, etc. These are the main ingredients of the natural environment. There are some artificial elements too added to these ingredients of the environment which are, for example, household, sanitation, construction, etc.

What does environmental degradation mean?

According to the definition of environment, the major elements of our natural environment are air, water, soil, etc. which we have to care much about for a living and existing in the world. Therefore, these elements are very sophisticated for the life of all species on earth. So, whenever these elements are endangered somehow, we come threatened to live and the balance of ecological conditions became close to disorder, which we can say environmental degradation normally.

Different aspects of degradation

Aspects of environmental pollution can be divided into three types. These are Energy recreative pollution like radiation, sound pollution, temperature, etc. Chemical reactionary pollutants like – chlorofluorocarbons, emission of various gases within, carbon-monoxide, etc. Biological reactionary pollutants like viruses, bacteria, etc. On the other hand, another classification can be assumed upon the natural environment’s polluted parts. These are:-

Water pollution: The change of water in a way that is not secure for drinking, or using in any way is called the pollution of water. 97% of the whole water of the world exists in the oceans. This large quantity of water is not drinkable for its salinity.

Air pollution: Main reason for air pollution is the mixture and reaction of several gases with the air. These gases are harmful. Some of these gases are carbon-di-oxide, carbon monoxide, CFC, hydrogen-sulfide, hydrogen-chloride, etc.

Soil pollution: The mixture of various kinds of harmful elements with the natural condition of soil can be defined as soil pollution.

Sound pollution: Human being has two ears and one mouth to hear much and to say less. But it does not mean anyway that one has to hear much more or excess that his ears can tolerate. The excess of tolerance of hearing can be defined as sound pollution. Horn, hydraulic horns randomly may bring such pollution.

Cause of environmental degradation

Three reasons mainly for degradation process: – overpopulation, urbanization, lack of innovative technology. Afterward, an environmental organization named “Green Peace” had been formulated in Vancouver, Canada, and began to detect the real causes of pollution. According to different kinds of forums, conferences,s and organization’s premises, the major environmental degradation is the consequence of the following: First, population increase is a largely effective one to the environment. Too much population can involve irresistible pressure on society. According to the experts’ opinion, Dhaka city is now inhabited by an extra 60 lakhs of people.

Deforestation and desertification are other impacts of environmental degradation, which are generally caused by the use of wood and trees.

Use of chemical fertilizer and insecticides: To improve productivity and to save the crops from insects farmers often use chemical fertilizer and insecticide to secure the harvest but this use of chemicals destroys the soil’s genuine productivity and also vanquishes the bio-natural elements of the soil.

Unplanned urbanization: Urbanization pollutes the environment from all aspects, air, water, or soil. Unplanned industrialization is another reason which causes a various mixture of chemical, fuel oil, and surplus chemical garbage out through the channels and drains to the rivers and canals. The greenhouse effect is a rather big responsible factor for environmental degradation. According to scientists, the temperature of the world may jump 1.5– to 4.5–C within the middle of the current century which may be largely caused by greenhouse gas emissions. War and conflicts are reasons relating to environmental degradation as there is no threat of the use of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Imbalancing the ozone layer is a very immediate cause of environmental degradation. This protects mankind from various rays that flash from above. But this layer is getting decay day by day due to the emission of different harmful gases like CFCs, CO2, Carbon Monoxide, etc.

Impact of environmental degradation

Assuming the above-discussed pollutions and reactions of environment, the results, that are the impacts are as follows:

Desertification — UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) has reported that one-fourth of the world’s different areas are at threat of desertification. The fertility of many regions is declining and the cultivable lands are becoming desert day by day. The bio-diversity falls in danger due to such hazards.

Radiation — The Methyl Thiosianide gas emission by India in 1985 at Bhupal; the Chernobil accidental explosion and the radiation following to that are the examples of radiation having the quality of spontaneously and continuously emitting electronic every day, like radium, thorium, etc.

Urbanization — Not only Dhaka is the single most example of a badly urbanized over populated city, but also we can see Mexico city which has more than 2 crores of people living around the city. There are more than 35 thousand industrial factories and 30 lakhs of cars in Mexico, which made the densely populated city a slum.

Negative impact on bio-diversity — Environmental degradation increases the destruction of bio-diversity which is the life of our natural environment. IUPN (International Union for the Protection of Nature) has expressed reports according to which 76 thousand kinds of trees have been vanquished within the last 60 years.

How to check it

The main victim of environmental degradation is also the human being, no doubt. Natural resources may be distressed, economic activities may be squeezed and other problems may arise when the natural environment is violated. To check the natural environmental degradation, we can take the policies below: First, we can provide national and international environmental policies on how to protect it. To take measures in devising the population growth rate would be rather fruitful. Secondly, tree plantation is the remedy for deforestation or desertification.

Thirdly, the industrial factories are also the sources to leave chemical mixture and sophisticated fuel garbage which makes the water, river, canal polluted. This untreated flow from the factories should be restrained. Fourthly, to check the sound pollution, we should keep law and order generating in and around a city where there are motor vehicles and buses, trucks pass-ing and enchanting their terrible horns. Fifthly, we should balance between city and village. Urbanization doesn’t mean destroying the villages, we must mind it. It is not an individual duty or responsibility to keep the environment healthy but it is a collective duty and matter of deep conscience. Different initiatives have been taken by the international NGO’s environmental regimes.

International instruments

It is the year 1972 when the activities for the saving environment began gradually. United Nations Organization’s 27th announcement reflects the spread of the consciousness of environmental issues over the people for which June 5 had been made the Environmental Day. After following up the proposal of Environmental Day worldwide, it was passed by UNEP.

Earth Summit has largely spread the word for the last decade. There are a few people who have not heard at least the name of this convention called Earth Summit 1992. The Earth Summit, of 1992 began at the capital city of Brazil, Bazsilia from 3 June and continued to 14th June. More than three thousand representatives were there. The policy matters which have been decided to implement from the Rio-Summit was 27 in number. Some of the major of those 27 policies are:- Sustainable development would be done centering the human resource.

Any transport or removal of harmful and dangerous elements for the natural environment should be checked out as the state authority is largely responsible to allow such dangerous trafficking or removals. Besides, there have been held Earth Summit 5 on 23-27 June 1997 and Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Hague conference of 2000 with 180 countries’ participation is another international effort to check the imbalance situation of the environment. Kyoto Protocol was a big effort to consider the temperature increase which we call global warming, now is one of the most inescapable challenges and warning or alarming threats. Earth Summit of 2002 held in Johannes Burgh, South Africa is the recent effort.

Conclusion

Science and technology revolt every day and is revised always. With the help and utility of science & technology, we cannot forget the tale of the environment. It should be included as a parallel topic or subject for the junior classes in school and college, as the consciousness begins at an early age.

Environmental Degradation and Its Impact

Environmental Degradation in Bangladesh – Its Causes Effects and Remedies

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