Ecology. Environmental Problems


They say that we should protect the world we live in. It's our home, our wealth. But these are only words. And the world today really needs actions of everyone of us.
Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to increase. Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables on.
Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burnt in fire. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up. The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Pollution is not a new phenomenon. But in the past, without numerous people contaminating land, water and air, nature had time to adapt and develop a self-cleansing atmosphere that helped plants and animals to survive and evolve. Air pollution became a problem when the greater use of fossil fuels began to pollute the air. The burning of fossil fuels releases the pollutants which lead to health problems, causing pneumonia, bronchitis and worsening existing heart problems. Air pollution became a more serious problem in the middle of the 20th century when a great number of cars appeared on the roads.
Overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption have created such planet-wide problems as massive deforestation, loss of biodiversity, ozone depletion, acid rains and the global warming that is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect. The average temperature of the earth is rising, but that’s not the only way we can tell the climate is changing. In fact the signs are all around us! Ice caps at both poles are thinning and melting, causing sea levels to rise. Extreme weather conditions, such as floods, landslides, hurricanes, droughts, and heat waves are becoming more common and threatening many lives. One of the burning environmental issues today is to stop or slow down global warming through reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Environmental protection is of a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken. Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159 countries — members of the UNO — have set up environmental protection agencies. The international organization Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment. Scientists and engineers can find the ways to reduce pollution from automobiles and factories. Government can pass the laws that would make enterprises take measures for reducing of pollution. But there’s a lot each of us can do, lots of these small things to bring down our emissions significantly without changing our lifestyle radically, the small things - the energy saving light-bulbs, using more public transport, using trains, recycling things instead of wasting them by just throwing them away. These things can really make a big difference.
Ecological problems have no borders. However, environment disasters can be avoided if people broaden ecological education and every person understands that the beauty of nature is extremely fragile.