In general, the environment may be defined as specific conditions or the surrounding in which a plant, animal, or person survives or constantly operates. In the present day, disturbing changes in the environment lead to the international community’s increasing awareness of the particular environmental problems that cause these changes. Climate change, global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, deforestation, water and air pollution, solid waste management, and overpopulation are among the most serious modern environmental issues that resulted from human activities and their harmful effect.
As a matter of fact, humans are highly responsible for the hazardous gases’ massive emission that creates a greenhouse effect, the contamination of soil and water, and the negative consequences of climate change (Lipczynska-Kochany 1548). The outcomes of their activities include the destruction of the planet’s biodiversity and ecology, animal extinction, and the rise of sea level due to the melting of glaciers along with the long-term shifts of weather patterns and conditions that lead to drought, floods, sandstorms, heatwaves, and wildfires. Increases in population lead to global water scarcity and mass desertification in the future (Gosling and Arnell 371). In addition, climate change and related extreme weather events initiate changes “in health threat to human beings, multiplying existing health problems” (Wu et al. 14). In particular parts of the world with an abnormally hot and humid climate, people have already suffered from food poisoning and numerous infectious diseases, including malaria and dengue fever. In addition, natural disasters caused by climate change may isolate communities and, as a result, decrease the genetic diversity of the population.
As previously mentioned, causes of climate change are predominantly conditioned by human activities that include burning fossil fuels, farming livestock, and cutting down rainforests (European Commission). Although carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane are gases that occur naturally, their concentration in the atmosphere has been substantially increased since the beginning of industrialization. In the planet’s atmosphere, they act like a glass “trapping the sun’s heat and stopping it from leaking back into space” (European Commission). Carbon dioxide and methane are responsible for 64% and 17% of man-made global warming, respectively (European Commission). In general, the main reasons for the gases’ rising emissions are:
- Burning coal, gas, and oil;
- Deforestation (As trees regulate the climate through the carbon dioxide’s absorbing, massive cutting down rainforests leads to the release of the gas into the atmosphere);
- Increasing livestock farming (Livestock’s digestion process produces considerable amounts of methane);
- The production of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
It goes without saying that the protection of the environment and the mitigation of the negative impact of human activities is the responsibility of both governments and individuals all over the world. One potential solution that may contribute to the reduction of emissions is the replacement of traditional vehicles with electric ones. Typically, battery electric vehicles use electricity and lithium-ion batteries for electricity storage, and, as a result, they have not tailpipe emissions (Ellingsen et al. 1). However, total greenhouse gas emissions and energy requirements for this type of vehicles strongly depend on the electricity sources used (Wolfram and Lutsey 8). In this case, the electricity that comes from wind power may be regarded as the most ecologically appropriate and the least greenhouse gas- and energy-intensive option as it results in 6 g of carbon dioxide per km in comparison with 243 g of carbon dioxide per km if electricity is from coal power (Wolfram and Lutsey 8). Moreover, across the world, household heating and passenger road vehicles generate approximately a quarter of all emissions from fossil fuels’ burning (Harvey). That is why electric vehicles have become more and more essential for the reduction of overall emissions. At the same time, the efficiency of E85, a high-level ethanol-gasoline blend, that is frequently proposed as an alternative to traditional fuels is controversial. On the one hand, its use substantially reduces smoke and nitrogen oxide emission, however, on the other hand, the emission of un-burned hydrocarbon and carbon-monoxide may increase (Sarjovaara and Larmi 704).
It goes without saying that measures for the improvement of the ecological; situation should be currently taken worldwide. They should include policies dedicated to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the elaboration of legal birth control measures in order to prevent overpopulation, and the development of technologies for the creation of alternative sources of energy. In addition, every person may contribute to the prevention of more severe subsequent climate change. Thus, effective measures traditionally include the reduction of emissions through the limited use of cars, the use of compact energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs and reusable shopping bags, and bring e-waste and household hazardous waste in specific collection centers for proper recycling. In general, people should think thoroughly about items and the amounts of food they require as unnecessary products and waste food not only occupy large spaces but produces pollutants for the environment. Finally, the support of sustainable manufacturing both on governmental and individual levels helps to fix environmental problems as well.
Works Cited
Ellingsen, Linda Ager-Wick, et al. “The Size and Range Effect: Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Electric Vehicles.” Environmental Research Letters, vol. 11, no. 5, 2016, pp. 1-8.
European Commission. “Causes of Climate Change.” 2020. Web.
Gosling, Simon N., and Nigel W. Arnell. “A Global Assessment of the Impact of Climate Change on Water Scarcity.” Climatic Change, vol.134, 2016, pp. 371-385.
Harvey, Fiona. “Electric Cars Produce Less CO2 than Petrol Vehicles, Study Confirms.” The Guardian, 2020, Web.
Lipczynska-Kochany, Ewa. “Effect of Climate Change on Humic Substances and Associated Impacts on the Quality of Surface Water and Groundwater: A Review.” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 640-641, 2018, pp. 1548-1565.
Sarjovaara, Teemu, and Martti Larmi. “Dual Fuel Diesel Combustion with an E85 Ethanol/Gasoline Blend.” Fuel, vol. 139, 2015, pp. 704-714.
Wolfram, Paul, and Nic Lutsey. “Electric Vehicles: Literature Review of Technology Costs and Carbon Emissions.” The International Council of Clean Transportation, Web.
Wu, Xiaoxu, et al. “Impact of Climate Change on Human Infectious Diseases: Empirical Evidence and Human Adaptation.” Environment International, vol. 86, 2016, pp. 14-23.