UNIT –II

ENVIRONMENT DEGRADATION
Degradation Meaning :
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of
the environment through depletion of resources such
as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat
destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defined as
any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be
deleterious or undesirable.
Definition :
Environmental degradation are defined as actions taken by people
that cause the planet Earth or its systems (air, water, etc.) to become
damaged or harmed in some way.
The deforestation of the rain forests is an example of environmental
degradation.
 Causes for Environmental degradation
1. Overpopulation: Overpopulation is a big problem for our environmental
system. A growing number of people also implies an increasing overall
consumption level. This increasing demand for material goods leads to an
increase in the emission of harmful gases which in turn lead to air pollution
and also contribute to global warming.
2. Deforestation: Our trees are natural storage spaces for CO2 and also produce
oxygen that is crucial for many life forms on our planet. Through deforestation,
large amounts of harmful greenhouse gases are set free which contribute to global
warming
3. Landfills: Landfills can also lead to environmental degradation if they are not
set up properly. Since the waste disposed into landfills often contains harmful
substances, leaks in landfills can lead to significant soil pollution. In many
developing countries where technological progress is not advanced yet, leaks in
landfills are quite common which in turn can lead to serious environmental
degradation.
4. Consumption behavior: Our consumption behavior is also a big problem for
our planet. Since we always want to have the newest smartphone, the trendiest
clothes and so on, our consumption levels reached a point where it is not
sustainable for our environmental system anymore.
5. Waste production : Our excessive consumption behavior also implies the
production of enormous amounts of waste. In order to get rid of this waste, it has
to be burned or disposed into landfill.
6. Lack of education : Many people are just not aware how their actions influence
the health of our environmental system. People are often overwhelmed with their
own problems and do not have time or energy to think about our planet. This mix
of a lack of education and simple ignorance can cause significant environmental
degradation.
7. Illegal Dumping: Illegal dumping can also cause environmental degradation
since it can lead to several kinds of pollution. For example, by dumping waste into
rivers, lakes or the ocean, the water gets polluted to a severe degree which in turn
can lead to the contamination of many fishes and other sea animals.
8. Agricultural pollution :Another cause for environmental degradation
is agricultural pollution. Since in agricultural processes, large amounts of fertilizer
and pesticides are used, the soil can become degraded due to harmful components
in these substances. This can lead to soil pollution and may also destroy the
fertility of the fields in the long run.
9. Mining
10. Plastic pollution
11. Resource depletion
 Land and soil degradation
The quality of soil is quite important for many plants and microorganisms.
However, due to human intervention, the soil gets polluted to a serious degree.
For example, through farming practices, excessive amounts of fertilizers and
pesticides are used. Pesticides often contain toxic elements which can pollute the
soil. Moreover, many landfills have leaks and trash that contains harmful
components can enter the soil and pollute it. Land degradation is a global problem
largely relateto agricultural use, deforestation and Climate Change.
 POLLUTION
❖ Meaning : Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the
natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take
the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or
light.

❖ Definition: Environmental pollution is defined as "the

contamination of the physical and biological components of the
earth/atmosphere system to such an extent that normal
environmental processes are adversely affected.“

❖ Environmental pollution is one the major problems that affects

biodiversity, ecosystems, and human health worldwide by
contaminating soil and water.
 Major Types of Pollution
1.Air Pollution is the most prominent and dangerous form of pollution. It
occurs due to many reasons. Excessive burning of fuel which is a necessity
of our daily lives for cooking, driving and other industrial activities;
releases a huge amount of chemical substances in the air every day; these
pollute the air. Smoke from chimneys, factories, vehicles or burning of
wood basically occurs due to coal burning; this releases sulfur dioxide into
the air making it toxic. The effects of air pollution are evident too.
2.Water Pollution has taken toll of all the surviving species of the earth.
Almost 60% of the species live in water bodies. It occurs due to several
factors; the industrial wastes dumped into the rivers and other water bodies
cause an imbalance in the water leading to its severe contamination and
death of aquatic species.
3.Soil pollution occurs due to the incorporation of unwanted chemicals in
the soil due to human activities. Use of insecticides and pesticides absorbs
the nitrogen compounds from the soil making it unfit for plants to derive
nutrition from. The release of industrial waste, mining,
and deforestation also exploits the soil.
4. Noise pollution is caused when noise which is an unpleasant sound
affects our ears and leads to psychological problems like stress,
hypertension, hearing impairment, etc. It is caused by machines in
industries, loud music, etc.
5. Radioactive pollution is highly dangerous when it occurs. It can occur
due to nuclear plant malfunctions, improper nuclear waste disposal,
accidents, etc. It causes cancer, infertility, blindness, defects at the time of
birth; can sterilize soil and affect air and water.
6. Thermal/heat pollution is due to the excess heat in the environment
creating unwanted changes over long time periods; due to the huge number
of industrialplants, deforestation, and air pollution. It increases the earth’s
temperature, causing drastic climatic changes and extinction of wildlife.
7. Light pollution occurs due to prominent excess illumination of an area.
It is largely visible in big cities, on advertising boards and billboards, in
sports or entertainment events at the night. In residential areas, the lives of
the inhabitants are greatly affected by this. It also affects astronomical
observations and activities by making the stars almost invisible.
 Serious Effects of Pollution
1. Environment Degradation
The environment is the first casualty for the increase in pollution weather
in air or water. The increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads
to smog which can restrict sunlight from reaching the earth. Thus,
preventing plants in the process of photosynthesis. Gases like Sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause acid rain. Water pollution in terms of
the oil spill may lead to the death of several wildlife species.
2. Human Health
The decrease in quality of air leads to several respiratory problems
including asthma or lung cancer. Chest pain, congestion, throat
inflammation, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease are some of the
diseases that can be caused by air pollution. Water pollution occurs due
to contamination of water and may pose skin related problems including
skin irritations and rashes. Similarly, noise pollution leads to hearing loss,
stress and sleep disturbance.
3. Global Warming
The emission of greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is leading to global
warming. Every other day new industries are being set up, new vehicles
come on roads and trees are cut to make way for new homes. All of them,
in a direct or indirect way, lead to an increase in CO2 in the environment.
The increase in CO2 leads to melting of polar ice caps which increases the
sea level and pose danger for the people living near coastal areas.
4. Ozone Layer Depletion
Ozone layer is the thin shield high up in the sky that stops ultraviolet rays
from reaching the earth. As a result of human activities, chemicals, such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were released in to the atmosphere which
contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer.
5. Infertile Land
Due to the constant use of insecticides and pesticides, the soil may become
infertile. Plants may not be able to grow properly. Various forms of
chemicals produced from industrial waste are released into the flowing
water which also affects the quality of the soil.
 Causes of Environmental Pollution
1. Industries: Industries have been polluting our environment especially
since the beginning of the industrial revolution, as mentioned above,
notably due to the increasing use of fossil fuels.
2. Transportation: Ever since men abandoned animal power to
travel, pollution of the environment has become higher and higher. Its
levels have only been increasing until now.
3. Agricultural Activities: Agriculture is mainly responsible for the
contamination of water and soil. This is caused by the increased use of
pesticides, as well as by the intensive character of its production.
4. Trading Activities: Trading activities including the production and
exchange of goods and services. Concerning goods, pollution can be
caused by packaging or transport, mainly.
5. Residences: Finally, residential areas provide their fair share of
pollution as well. First, to be able to build homes, the natural environment
has to be destroyed in one way or another. Wildlife and plants are driven
away and replaced by human constructions.
 GLOBAL WARMING
Meaning :
Global warming is a phenomenon of climate change
characterized by a general increase in average temperatures of
the Earth, which modifies the weather balances and ecosystems
for a long time. It is directly linked to the increase of
greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, worsening the greenhouse
effect.

Global Warming Causes:

1. Fossil Fuels 2. Deforestation 3.Intensive Farming
4. Waste Disposal 5. Mining 4.Overconsumption

Global warming effects:

5. On biodiversity 2. On oceans 3. On humans
4. On the weather
Global warming prevention
1. Renewable energies 2. Energy & water efficiency
3. Promoting public transportation 4. Sustainable infrastructure
5. Sustainable agriculture & forest management
6. Responsible consumption & recycling
 Disaster management
Disaster management refers to the conservation of lives and
property during natural or man-made disasters.

Disaster management plans are multi-layered and are planned to

address issues such as floods, hurricanes, fires, mass failure of
utilities, rapid spread of disease and droughts.

India is especially vulnerable to natural disasters because of its

unique geo-climatic condition, having recurrent floods, droughts,
cyclones, earthquakes, and landslides.
Disaster Management Cycle
 Waste Management
❖ What is waste?
Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any
substance which is discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective
and of no use.

❖ Waste Management
Waste management (or waste disposal) include the activities and actions
required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste,
together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process.
Waste can be solid, liquid, or gas and each type has different methods of
disposal and management. Waste management deals with all types of waste,
including industrial, biological and household. In some cases, waste can
pose a threat to human health. Waste is produced by human activity, for
example, the extraction and processing of raw materials. Waste
management is intended to reduce adverse effects of waste on
human health, the environment or aesthetics.
❖ Waste management practices are not uniform among countries
(developed and developing nations); regions (urban and rural areas),
and residential and industrial sectors can all take different approaches.
❖ A large portion of waste management practices deal with municipal solid
waste (MSW) which is the bulk of the waste that is created by household,
industrial, and commercial activity.
Waste Management Process
 Solid Waste Management
❖ Solid waste management is a term that is used to refer to the
process of collecting and treating solid wastes.

❖ It also offers solutions for recycling items that do not belong to

garbage or trash. As long as people have been living in settlements
and residential areas, garbage or solid waste has been an issue.

❖ Waste management is all about how solid waste can be changed

and used as a valuable resource. Solid waste management should
be embraced by each and every household including the business
owners across the world.

❖ Various Sources of Solid Waste:

1.Residential 2. Industrial 3. Commercial 4. Institutional
5. Construction and Demolition Areas 6. Municipal services
7. Treatment Plants and Sites 8. Agriculture 9. Biomedical
 Anthropogenic waste (Man Made Waste)
Anthropogenic hazards are hazards caused by human action or
inaction. They are contrasted with natural
hazards. Anthropogenic hazards may adversely affect humans,
other organisms, biomes, and ecosystems.
The frequency and severity of hazards are key elements in
some risk analysis methodologies. Hazards may also be described
in relation to the impact that they have. A hazard only exists if
there is a pathway to exposure.
 Electronic waste or e-waste
❖ Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical
or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for
refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material
recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informal
processing of e-waste in developing countries can lead to adverse
human health effects and environmental pollution.

❖ Electronic scrap components, such as CPUs, contain potentially

harmful materials such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, or brominated
flame retardants. Recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve
significant risk to health of workers and their communities .

❖ E-waste or electronic waste is created when an electronic

product is discarded after the end of its useful life. The rapid
expansion of technology and the consumption driven society results
in the creation of a very large amount of e-waste in every minute
Electronic waste or e-waste
 Biomedical waste/hospital waste
❖ Biomedical waste/hospital waste is any kind
of waste containing infectious materials. It may also include waste
associated with the generation of biomedical waste that visually
appears to be of medical or laboratory origin (e.g., packaging, unused
bandages, infusion kits, etc.), as well research laboratory waste
containing biomolecules or organisms that are mainly restricted from
environmental release.
❖ Biomedical waste may be solid or liquid. Examples of infectious
waste include discarded blood, sharps, unwanted microbiological
cultures and stocks, identifiable body parts , other human or animal
tissue, used bandages and dressings, discarded gloves, other medical
supplies that may have been in contact with blood and body fluids, and
laboratory waste.
❖ Common generators (or producers) of biomedical waste
include hospitals, health clinics, nursing homes, emergency medical
services, medical research laboratories, offices of physicians, dentists,
and veterinarians, home health care, and morgues or funeral homes.
Thank you