Global environmental problems are problems whose negative impact is felt anywhere in the world and affects the entire structure, structure and parts of the biosphere. These are all-encompassing and all-encompassing issues. The complexity of their perception by an individual is that he may not feel them or feel them insufficiently. These are problems shared by all the inhabitants of the Earth, all living organisms and the natural environment. A little bit of everything. But here the impact of the problem cannot be divided or distributed among everyone. In the case of global problems, the effect of them must be added up, and the consequences of such an addition will be much greater.

These problems can be conditionally divided into two types, which correspond to two stages in the history of our planet. The first is natural. The second is artificial. The first type refers to the existence of the Earth before the appearance of man on it, or, more precisely, before he made some scientific discoveries. Second, these are the problems that arose immediately after the introduction of these discoveries. With the first, nature, as a system striving for a stable existence, coped on its own. She adapted, adapted, resisted, changed. She could also fight with the second ones for some time, but over time her possibilities were practically exhausted.

Modern problems and their differences

Modern environmental problems are problems that have arisen as a result of the active influence of man on the natural processes occurring in nature. Such influence became possible in connection with the development of the scientific and technical potential of mankind, aimed at ensuring the life of people. At the same time, the existence of the surrounding animate and inanimate nature is not taken into account. Their consequence will be that the biosphere will gradually turn from a natural system into an artificial one. For a person, this means only one thing, that, like any ecosystem created by him, it cannot exist without a person, without his help and close attention. The ecological problems of our time will become, if they have not yet become, the ecological problems of mankind. Can a person cope with such a task?

Man-made disasters and accidents are examples of global environmental problems from which no one doubts. These incidents receive international condemnation. They become an impetus for the improvement of security systems. Measures are being taken to eliminate the destruction and other consequences. The environmental problems of our time are that they are trying to deal with the consequences that occurred in the immediate vicinity of the epicenter of the accident. No one can eliminate the consequences resulting from the biosphere. If the Earth's biosphere is compared with glass, and an accident, such as at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, with a hole from a stone that fell into it, then the cracks that spread from it are the consequences that still render all glass unusable. A person can and should increase safety, but cannot eliminate the consequences. This is the key difference between an artificial ecosystem and a natural one. Natural can reverse the effects and does so itself.

Global and their types

Relates to global environmental problems and the reduction of natural resources, primarily those that are the main sources of energy production. The amount of energy necessary for the existence of mankind is growing, and alternatives to natural energy sources in sufficient quantities have not yet been created. The existing energy complexes - hydro, heat and nuclear power plants are not only dependent on natural sources of raw materials - water, coal, gas, chemical elements, but also pose a danger to the environment. They pollute water, air and soil, change or destroy adjacent ecosystems, thereby contributing to the loosening and destabilization of the entire biosphere of the Earth. And this applies not only to catastrophes and accidents that periodically occur at stations, the consequences of which are known to the whole world. Hydraulic structures that change the natural circulation of rivers, technological warm waters discharged into reservoirs at stations, and much more, which may seem insignificant and small from the point of view of the problems of the entire planet, but still contributes to the imbalance of the biosphere. By changing the ecosystem of a pond, river, reservoir or lake, an integral part of the entire ecosystem of the Earth changes. And since this is not a one-time phenomenon, but a massive one, the effect is global.

"Global environmental problems" is a concept that requires not only universal understanding and scientific research, but also actions, joint and equally global.

It is believed that the main environmental problems of our time are global warming caused by the "greenhouse effect" and the appearance of "ozone holes", "acid" rains, a decrease in the number of forests and an increase in desert areas, a decrease in the amount of natural resources, primarily fresh water.

The consequences of warming will be climate change, accelerated melting of glaciers, rise in the level of the World Ocean, land flooding, increased evaporation of surface water, the “offensive” of deserts, a change in the species diversity of living organisms and their balance in favor of heat-loving ones, and so on. Warming causes, on the one hand, a decrease in the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere, due to which more ultraviolet radiation begins to enter the planet. On the other hand, the heat emitted by the Earth and living organisms is retained in excess in the lower layers of the atmosphere. There is an effect of "excessive" energy. The question is whether the consequences described and assumed by scientists are all possible, or there are "cracks" that we do not know about and do not even assume.

pollution

Environmental problems of mankind have always been and will be associated with environmental pollution. A special role in this is played not only by the quantity of pollutants, but also by their "quality". In some regions, where for one reason or another, the process of getting foreign elements into the environment stops, nature gradually “puts things in order” and restores itself. The situation is worse with the so-called xenobiotics - substances that do not occur in the natural environment and therefore cannot be processed in a natural way.

The most obvious environmental problems of our time are the decrease in the number of forests, which occurs with the direct participation of man. Cutting down for timber extraction, liberation of territories for construction and for agricultural needs, destruction of forests due to careless or negligent behavior of people - all this primarily leads to a decrease in the green mass of the biosphere, and hence to a possible oxygen deficiency. This is becoming increasingly possible thanks to the active combustion of oxygen in industrial production and vehicles.

Humanity is becoming more and more dependent on artificially produced energy and food. More and more land is being devoted to agricultural land, and existing ones are being increasingly filled with mineral fertilizers, pesticides, pest control agents and similar chemicals. The efficiency of such soil filling rarely exceeds 5%. The remaining 95% is washed away by storm and melt waters into the oceans. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the main components of these chemicals, when they enter natural ecosystems, they stimulate the growth of green mass, especially algae. Violation of the biological balance of water bodies leads to their disappearance. In addition, chemical elements contained in plant protection products rise with water vapor to the upper atmosphere, where they combine with oxygen and turn into acids. And then they fall out as "acid" rains on soils that may not require acidity. Violation of the pH balance leads to the destruction of soils and the loss of their fertility.

Is it possible to include the process of urbanization in the main environmental problems of our time? The increasing concentration of people in confined spaces should have given more space for wildlife. That is, there could be hope that the Earth's ecosystem could adapt to such internal changes. But urban "aquariums", and in fact, the ecosystem of cities, especially large ones, megacities and agglomerations, is nothing more than an artificial ecosystem, they require a huge amount of energy and water. Back they "throw out" from themselves no less waste and effluents. All this includes the surrounding lands in the "aquarium" ecosystem of cities. As a result, wildlife exists in small areas that are temporarily not involved in the provision of "aquariums". And this means that nature does not have a resource for its restoration, species richness, sufficient energy, a full-fledged food chain, and so on.

Thus, the main environmental problems of our time are the totality of all the problems that have arisen in nature in connection with the vigorous activity of man in his life support.

Video - Problems of ecology. Chemical weapon. fires

Global Environmental Issue #1: Air Pollution

Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air, which contains, in addition to vital oxygen, a whole list of harmful suspended particles and gases. Air pollutants are conditionally divided into 2 types: natural and anthropogenic. The latter prevail.

The chemical industry is not doing well. Factories emit such harmful substances as dust, oil ash, various chemical compounds, nitrogen oxides and much more. Air measurements showed the catastrophic state of the atmospheric layer, polluted air causes many chronic diseases.

Atmospheric pollution is an environmental problem, familiar to the inhabitants of absolutely all corners of the earth. It is especially acutely felt by representatives of cities where ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, energy, chemical, petrochemical, construction and pulp and paper industries operate. In some cities, the atmosphere is also heavily poisoned by vehicles and boilers. These are all examples of anthropogenic air pollution.

As for the natural sources of chemical elements that pollute the atmosphere, they include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion (dispersal of soil and rock particles), the spread of pollen, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radiation.

Consequences of atmospheric pollution

Atmospheric air pollution adversely affects human health, contributing to the development of heart and lung diseases (in particular, bronchitis). In addition, atmospheric pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide destroy natural ecosystems, destroying plants and causing the death of living creatures (particularly river fish).

The global environmental problem of atmospheric pollution, according to scientists and government officials, can be solved in the following ways:

limiting population growth;

reduction in energy use;

improving energy efficiency;

waste reduction;

transition to environmentally friendly renewable energy sources;

air purification in highly polluted areas.

Global Environmental Issue #2: Ozone Depletion

The ozone layer is a thin strip of the stratosphere that protects all life on Earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Causes of the environmental problem

Back in the 1970s. environmentalists have discovered that the ozone layer is destroyed by exposure to chlorofluorocarbons. These chemicals are found in coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as solvents, aerosols/sprays, and fire extinguishers. To a lesser extent, other anthropogenic influences also contribute to the thinning of the ozone layer: the launch of space rockets, the flights of jet aircraft in high layers of the atmosphere, nuclear weapons testing, and the reduction of the planet's forest lands. There is also a theory that global warming contributes to the thinning of the ozone layer.

Consequences of ozone depletion

As a result of the destruction of the ozone layer, ultraviolet radiation passes unhindered through the atmosphere and reaches the earth's surface. Exposure to direct UV rays adversely affects people's health by weakening the immune system and causing diseases such as skin cancer and cataracts.

World Environmental Issue #3: Global Warming

Like the glass walls of a greenhouse, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor allow the sun to heat our planet and at the same time prevent infrared radiation reflected from the earth's surface from escaping into space. All these gases are responsible for maintaining the temperature acceptable for life on earth. However, an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and water vapor in the atmosphere is another global environmental problem, called global warming (or the greenhouse effect).

Causes of global warming

During the 20th century, the average temperature on earth increased by 0.5 - 1?C. The main cause of global warming is considered to be an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to an increase in the volume of fossil fuels burned by people (coal, oil and their derivatives). However, according to the statement Alexey Kokorin, head of climate programs WWF(WWF) Russia, “the largest amount of greenhouse gases is generated by the operation of power plants and methane emissions during the extraction and delivery of energy resources, while road transport or the burning of associated petroleum gas in flaring causes relatively little environmental damage”.

Other prerequisites for global warming are overpopulation of the planet, deforestation, ozone depletion and littering. However, not all ecologists place the responsibility for the increase in average annual temperatures entirely on anthropogenic activities. Some believe that the natural increase in the abundance of oceanic plankton also contributes to global warming, leading to an increase in the concentration of the same carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Consequences of the greenhouse effect

If the temperature during the 21st century increases by another 1 ? C - 3.5 ? C, as scientists predict, the consequences will be very sad:

the level of the world ocean will rise (due to the melting of polar ice), the number of droughts will increase and the process of land desertification will intensify,

many species of plants and animals adapted to existence in a narrow range of temperatures and humidity will disappear,

hurricanes will increase.

Solving an environmental problem

To slow down the process of global warming, according to environmentalists, the following measures will help:

rising prices for fossil fuels,

replacement of fossil fuels with environmentally friendly ones (solar energy, wind energy and sea currents),

development of energy-saving and waste-free technologies,

taxation of emissions into the environment,

minimization of methane losses during its production, transportation through pipelines, distribution in cities and villages and use at heat supply stations and power plants,

introduction of carbon dioxide absorption and binding technologies,

tree planting,

reduction in family size

environmental education,

application of phytomelioration in agriculture.

Global Environmental Issue #4: Acid Rain

Acid rain, containing fuel combustion products, also poses a threat to the environment, human health, and even to the integrity of architectural monuments.

The effects of acid rain

Solutions of sulfuric and nitric acids, aluminum and cobalt compounds contained in polluted precipitation and fog pollute the soil and water bodies, adversely affect vegetation, causing dry tops of deciduous trees and oppressing conifers. Due to acid rain, crop yields are falling, people are drinking water enriched with toxic metals (mercury, cadmium, lead), marble architectural monuments are turning into gypsum and eroding.

Solving an environmental problem

In order to save nature and architecture from acid rain, it is necessary to minimize the emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.

Global Environmental Issue #5: Soil Pollution

Every year people pollute the environment with 85 billion tons of waste. Among them are solid and liquid waste from industrial enterprises and transport, agricultural waste (including pesticides), household waste and atmospheric fallout of harmful substances.

The main role in soil pollution is played by such components of industrial waste as heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, thallium, bismuth, tin, vanadium, antimony), pesticides and petroleum products. From the soil, they penetrate into plants and water, even spring water. In a chain, toxic metals enter the human body and are not always quickly and completely removed from it. Some of them tend to accumulate over many years, provoking the development of serious diseases.

Global Environmental Issue #6: Water Pollution

Pollution of the oceans, underground and surface waters of land is a global environmental problem, the responsibility for which lies entirely with man.

Causes of the environmental problem

The main pollutants of the hydrosphere today are oil and oil products. These substances penetrate into the waters of the oceans as a result of the collapse of tankers and regular discharges of wastewater from industrial enterprises.

In addition to anthropogenic oil products, industrial and domestic facilities pollute the hydrosphere with heavy metals and complex organic compounds. Agriculture and the food industry are recognized as the leaders in poisoning the waters of the oceans with minerals and biogenic elements.

The hydrosphere does not bypass such a global environmental problem as radioactive contamination. The prerequisite for its formation was the disposal of radioactive waste in the waters of the oceans. From the 1949s to the 1970s, many powers with a developed nuclear industry and atomic fleet purposefully stockpiled harmful radioactive substances into the seas and oceans. In the places of burial of radioactive containers, the level of cesium often goes off scale even today. But "underwater polygons" are not the only radioactive source of pollution of the hydrosphere. The waters of the seas and oceans are enriched with radiation as a result of underwater and surface nuclear explosions.

Consequences of radioactive contamination of water

Oil pollution of the hydrosphere leads to the destruction of the natural habitat of hundreds of representatives of oceanic flora and fauna, the death of plankton, seabirds and mammals. For human health, the poisoning of the waters of the oceans also poses a serious danger: fish and other seafood “infected” with radiation can easily get on the table.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences N. MOISEEV.

We continue the cycle of articles by Academician Nikita Nikolaevich Moiseev, which was started by the journal at the end of last year. These are the thoughts of a scientist, his philosophical notes "On the Necessary Features of the Civilization of the Future", published in No. 12, 1997. In the first issue of this year, Academician Moiseev published an article that he himself defined as the reflections of a pessimistic optimist "Can we talk about Russia in the future tense?" With this material, the magazine opened a new column "Looking into the 21st century". Here we publish the following article, its theme is one of the most acute problems of the modern world - the protection of nature and the ecology of civilization.

A section of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

The exact opposite of a reef is a desert. W

Foam of synthetic detergents in one of Chicago's sewers. Unlike soap, detergents are not subject to the decomposing action of bacteria and remain in water for many years.

Sulfur dioxide, contained in the smoke emitted by the production, completely destroyed the vegetation on this mountain. Now they have learned to capture and use these gases for industrial needs.

The water extracted from the bowels of the earth irrigated the lifeless dunes. And a new city grew up in the Mojab desert.

Buffalo bullfight during the mating season is evidence that these recently almost completely extinct animals have now been revived by human efforts and feel quite well.

Birth of discipline

Today, the term "ecology" has become used very widely, on a variety of occasions (in the case and not in the case). And this process, apparently, is irreversible. However, the excessive expansion of the concept of "ecology" and its inclusion in jargon is still unacceptable. So, for example, they say that the city has "bad ecology". The expression is meaningless, because ecology is a scientific discipline and it is one for all mankind. We can talk about a bad ecological situation, about unfavorable ecological conditions, about the lack of qualified ecologists in the city, but not about bad ecology. This is as ridiculous as saying that the city has bad arithmetic or algebra.

I will try to reduce the known interpretations of this word into a certain scheme of methodologically interconnected concepts. And to show that this can become a starting point for a very specific activity.

The term "ecology" originated within the framework of biology. Its author was a professor at the University of Jena E. Haeckel (1866). Ecology was originally considered as a part of biology that studies the interaction of living organisms, depending on the state of the environment. Later, the concept of "ecosystem" appeared in the West, and in the USSR - "biocenosis" and "biogeocenosis" (introduced by Academician V.N. Sukachev). These terms are almost identical.

So - originally the term "ecology" meant the discipline that studies the evolution of fixed ecosystems. Even now, in the courses of general ecology, the main place is occupied by problems mainly of a biological plan. And this is also not true, because it narrows the content of the subject extremely. Whereas life itself significantly expands the range of problems solved by ecology.

New problems

The industrial revolution, which began in Europe in the 18th century, made significant changes in the relationship between nature and man. For the time being, man, like other living beings, was a natural component of his ecosystem, fit into its circulation of substances and lived according to its laws.

Since the time of the Neolithic revolution, that is, since the time when agriculture was invented, and then cattle breeding, the relationship between man and Nature began to change qualitatively. Human agricultural activity gradually creates artificial ecosystems, the so-called agrocenoses, living according to their own laws: for their maintenance, they require constant, purposeful human labor. They cannot exist without human intervention. Man is extracting more and more minerals from the bowels of the earth. As a result of its activity, the nature of the circulation of substances in nature begins to change, the nature of the environment changes. As the population grows and the needs of man grow, the properties of his environment change more and more.

At the same time, it seems to people that their activity is necessary in order to adapt to living conditions. But they do not notice, or do not want to notice, that this adaptation is of a local nature, which is far from always improving living conditions for themselves for some time, while at the same time improving them for the clan, tribe, village, city, and even for themselves in the future. So, for example, by throwing waste from your yard, you pollute someone else's, which ultimately turns out to be harmful to yourself. This happens not only in the small, but also in the big.

However, until very recently, all these changes occurred so slowly that no one seriously thought about them. Human memory, of course, recorded major changes: Europe was covered with impenetrable forests in the Middle Ages, endless feather grass steppes gradually turned into arable land, rivers became shallow, animals and fish became smaller. And people knew that there was only one reason for all this - Man! But all these changes happened slowly. It was only after generations that they became clearly visible.

The situation began to change rapidly with the onset of the industrial revolution. The main reasons for these changes were the extraction and use of hydrocarbon fuels - coal, oil, shale, gas. And then - mining in huge quantities of metals and other minerals. The circulation of substances in nature began to include substances stored by former biospheres - those that were in sedimentary rocks and had already left the circulation. People began to talk about the appearance of these substances in the biosphere as pollution of water, air, and soil. The intensity of the process of such pollution increased rapidly. Living conditions began to change visibly.

Plants and animals were the first to feel this process. The number and, most importantly, the diversity of the living world began to decline rapidly. In the second half of this century, the process of the oppression of Nature has especially accelerated.

I was struck by a letter to Herzen, written by one of the inhabitants of Moscow in the sixties of the last century. I quote it almost verbatim: “Our Moscow River has become impoverished. Of course, you can still catch a pound sturgeon even now, but you can’t catch sturgeon, which my grandfather liked to regale visitors with.” Like this! And it's only been a century. On the banks of the river you can still see fishermen with fishing rods. And someone manages to catch an accidentally surviving roach. But it is already so saturated with "products of human production" that even a cat refuses to eat it.

The problem of studying the impact on his health, on the conditions of his life, on his future of those changes in the natural environment that are caused by himself, that is, by the uncontrolled activity and egoism of the person himself, has risen to its full height before a person.

Industrial ecology and monitoring

So, human activity changes the nature of the environment, and in most (not always, but in most) cases, these changes have a negative impact on humans. And it is not difficult to understand why: for millions of years, his body has adapted to quite specific living conditions. But at the same time, any activity - industrial, agricultural, recreational - is the source of human life, the basis of its existence. This means that a person will inevitably continue to change the characteristics of the environment. And then - look for ways to adapt to them.

Hence - one of the main modern practical activities of ecology: the creation of technologies that have the least impact on the environment. Technologies that have this property are called environmentally friendly. Scientific (engineering) disciplines that deal with the principles of creating such technologies have received a common name - engineering or industrial ecology.

As industry develops, as people begin to understand that they cannot exist in an environment created from their own garbage, the role of these disciplines is growing all the time, and almost every technical university now has industrial ecology departments focused on those or other productions.

Note that the less waste that pollutes the environment, the better we learn to use the waste of one production as a raw material for another. This is how the idea of ​​"waste-free" production is born. Such industries, or rather, such chains of production, also solve another extremely important task: they save the natural resources that people use in their production activities. After all, we live on a planet with a very limited amount of minerals. This must not be forgotten!

Today, industrial ecology covers a very wide range of problems, and the problems are very different and not at all biological in nature. Here it is more appropriate to speak of a whole range of engineering environmental disciplines: the ecology of the mining industry, the ecology of energy, the ecology of chemical production, etc. It may seem that the use of the word "ecology" in combination with these disciplines is not entirely competent. However, it is not. Such disciplines are very different in their specific content, but they are united by a common methodology and a common goal: to minimize the impact of industrial activity on the processes of circulation of substances in Nature and environmental pollution.

Simultaneously with such engineering activity, the problem of its evaluation arises, which constitutes the second direction of the practical activity of ecology. To do this, it is necessary to learn how to identify significant environmental parameters, develop methods for measuring them, and create a system of standards for permissible pollution. Let me remind you that there can be no non-polluting industries in principle! That is why the MPC concept was born - the maximum permissible concentrations of harmful substances in the air, in water, in the soil ...

This most important area of ​​activity is called environmental monitoring. The name is not entirely successful, since the word "monitoring" means measurement, observation. Of course, it is very important to learn how to measure certain characteristics of the environment, it is even more important to bring them into a system. But the most important thing is to understand what needs to be measured first of all, and, of course, to develop and justify the MPC standards themselves. It is necessary to know how certain values ​​of the parameters of the biosphere affect human health and its practical activities. And there are still a lot of unresolved questions. But the thread of Ariadne has already been outlined - human health. That it is the ultimate, the Supreme Judge of all the activities of ecologists.

Protection of Nature and ecology of civilization

In all civilizations and among all peoples, there has long been an idea of ​​the need to respect Nature. For some, to a greater extent, for others, to a lesser extent. But the fact that the land, rivers, forests and the animals living in it is an enduring value, perhaps the main value that Nature possesses, a person understood long ago. And nature reserves arose, probably, long before the word "reserve" itself appeared. So, even Peter the Great, who cut down the entire forest in Zaonezhie for the construction of the fleet, forbade touching with an ax the forests that are located in the vicinity of the Kivach waterfall.

For a long time, the main practical tasks of ecology were reduced precisely to environmental protection. But in the 20th century, this traditional thrift, which also began to gradually fade under the pressure of developing industry, was no longer enough. The degradation of Nature began to turn into a threat to the very life of society. This led to the emergence of special environmental laws, to the creation of a system of reserves like the famous Askania-Nova. Finally, a special science was born, which studies the possibility of preserving the relic sites of Nature and endangered populations of individual living species. Gradually, people began to understand that only the richness of Nature, the diversity of living species ensure the life and future of man himself. Today this principle has become fundamental. Nature has lived without man for billions of years and now will be able to live without him, but man cannot exist outside a full-fledged biosphere.

The problem of its survival on Earth rises to its full height before mankind. The future of our biological species is in question. Humanity may face the fate of dinosaurs. The only difference is that the disappearance of the former rulers of the Earth was caused by external causes, and we can die from the inability to use our power wisely.

It is this problem that is the central problem of modern science (although, perhaps, this is not yet realized by everyone).

Exploring your own home

The exact translation of the Greek word "ecology" means the study of one's own home, that is, the biosphere in which we live and of which we are a part. In order to solve the problems of the survival of mankind, it is necessary, first of all, to know your own home and learn how to live in it! Live long, happily! And the concept of "ecology", which was born and entered the language of science in the last century, it referred to only one of the aspects of the life of the inhabitants of our common home. Classical (more precisely, biological) ecology is only a natural component of the discipline that we now call human ecology or modern ecology.

The original meaning of any knowledge, any scientific discipline is to comprehend the laws of one's own home, that is, that world, that environment on which our common destiny depends. From this point of view, the entire set of sciences born of the human mind is an integral part of a certain general science about how a person should live on Earth, how he should be guided in his behavior in order not only to preserve himself, but also to ensure the future of his children, grandchildren, their people and humanity as a whole. Ecology is a science directed to the future. And it is built on the principle that the values ​​of the future are no less important than the values ​​of the present. This is the science of how to pass on Nature, our common home to our children and grandchildren, so that they can live better and more conveniently in it than we do! To keep everything necessary for people's lives in it.

Our house is one - everything in it is interconnected, and we must be able to combine the knowledge accumulated in different disciplines into a single integral structure, which is the science of how a person should live on Earth, and which it is natural to call human ecology or simply ecology.

So, ecology is a systemic science, it relies on many other disciplines. But this is not its only difference from traditional sciences.

Physicists, chemists, biologists, economists study many different phenomena. They study in order to understand the nature of the phenomenon itself. If you like, out of interest, because a person, solving a particular problem, first simply seeks to understand how it is solved. And only then he begins to think about what to adapt the wheel he invented. Very rarely do they think in advance about the application of the acquired knowledge. Did anyone at the birth of nuclear physics think about the atomic bomb? Or did Faraday assume that his discovery would lead to the fact that the planet was covered with a network of power plants? And this detachment of the researcher from the goals of the study has the deepest meaning. It is laid down by evolution itself, if you like, by the mechanism of the market. The main thing is to know, and then life itself will select what a person needs. After all, the development of the living world takes place exactly in this way: each mutation exists on its own, it is only an opportunity for development, only "probing the ways" of possible development. And then selection does its job: out of countless mutations, it selects only those units that turn out to be useful for something. It is the same in science: how many unclaimed volumes of books and journals containing the thoughts and discoveries of researchers are gathering dust in libraries. And one day some of them may be needed.

Ecology in this is not at all like traditional disciplines. Unlike them, it has a well-defined and predetermined goal: such a study of one's own house and such a study of the possible behavior of a person in it that would allow a person to live in this house, that is, to survive on planet Earth.

Unlike many other sciences, ecology has a multi-tiered structure, and each of the floors of this "building" is based on a whole host of traditional disciplines.

Top floor

During the period of perestroika proclaimed in our country, we began to talk about the need to get rid of ideology, from its total dictate. Of course, in order for a person to reveal his potential, laid down by Nature, freedom of search is necessary. His thought should not be constrained by any framework: the whole variety of development paths should be accessible to vision in order to have wide possibilities of choice. And the framework in the process of thinking, whatever they may be, is always a hindrance. However, only thought can be unrestricted and arbitrarily revolutionary. And you should act prudently, based on proven principles. That is why it is also impossible to live without ideology, that is why free choice must always be based on a worldview, and it is shaped by the experience of many generations. Man must see, be aware of his place in the world, in the universe. He must know what is inaccessible and forbidden to him - the pursuit of phantoms, illusions, ghosts has always been one of the main dangers that await man.

We live in a house whose name is the biosphere. But it, in turn, is only a small particle of the Great Universe. Our home is a tiny corner of the vast space. And a person must feel like a particle of this boundless Universe. He must know that he arose not because of someone else's will, but as a result of the development of this infinitely vast world, and as the apotheosis of this development, he gained Reason, the ability to foresee the results of his actions and influence the events that occur around him, which means , and what is happening in the Universe! These are the principles I would like to call the basis, the foundation of the ecological worldview. So, the basis of ecology.

Any worldview has many sources. This is religion, and traditions, and the experience of the family ... But still, one of its most important components is the condensed experience of all mankind. And we call it SCIENCE.

Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky used the phrase "empirical generalization". By this term, he called any statement that does not contradict our direct experience, observations, or that which can be deduced by strict logical methods from other empirical generalizations. So, the basis of the ecological worldview is the following statement, first clearly formulated by the Danish physicist Niels Bohr: we can consider as existing only that which is an empirical generalization!

Only such a foundation can protect a person from unjustified illusions and false steps, from ill-conceived and dangerous actions, only it can close access to young heads for various phantoms that, on the ruins of Marxism, begin to travel around our country.

Man has to solve a problem of enormous practical importance: how to survive on an impoverished Earth? And only a sober rationalistic world view can serve as a guiding thread in that terrible labyrinth into which evolution has driven us. And help to cope with the difficulties that await humanity.

So, ecology begins with a worldview. I would even say more: the worldview of a person in the modern age begins with ecology - with ecological thinking, and the upbringing and education of a person - with ecological education.

Biosphere and man in the biosphere

The biosphere is a part of the upper shell of the Earth in which living matter exists or is able to exist. It is customary to refer to the biosphere as the atmosphere, hydrosphere (seas, oceans, rivers and other bodies of water) and the upper part of the earth's firmament. The biosphere is not and never has been in a state of equilibrium. It receives energy from the Sun and, in turn, radiates a certain amount of energy into space. These energies are of different properties (quality). The Earth receives short-wave radiation - light, which, transforming, heats the Earth. And long-wave thermal radiation goes into space from the Earth. And the balance of these energies is not respected: the Earth radiates somewhat less energy into space than it receives from the Sun. This difference - small fractions of a percent - is assimilated by the Earth, more precisely, by its biosphere, which accumulates energy all the time. This small amount of accumulated energy is enough to support all the grandiose processes of the planet's development. This energy turned out to be enough for life to burst out on the surface of our planet one day and the biosphere to arise, so that in the process of the development of the biosphere a person appeared and Reason arose.

So, the biosphere is a living developing system, a system open to space - to the flows of its energy and matter.

And the first main, practically very important task of human ecology is to understand the mechanisms of development of the biosphere and the processes that occur in it.

These are the most complex processes of interaction between the atmosphere, the ocean, and biota - processes that are fundamentally non-equilibrium. The latter means that all the circulations of substances here are not closed: some material substance is continuously added, and something precipitates, eventually forming huge strata of sedimentary rocks. And the planet itself is not an inert body. Its subsoil constantly emits various gases into the atmosphere and ocean, primarily carbon dioxide and hydrogen. They are included in the circulation of substances in nature. Finally, man himself, as Vernadsky said, has a decisive influence on the structure of geochemical cycles - on the circulation of substances.

The study of the biosphere as an integral system has been called global ecology - a completely new direction in science. The existing methods of experimental study of Nature are unsuitable for him: the biosphere cannot, like a butterfly, be studied under a microscope. The biosphere is a unique object, it exists in a single copy. And besides, today it is not the same as it was yesterday, and tomorrow it will not be the same as today. And therefore, any experiments with the biosphere are unacceptable, simply unacceptable in principle. We can only observe what is happening, think, reason, study computer models. And if we conduct experiments, then only of a local nature, allowing us to study only individual regional features of biospheric processes.

That is why the only way to study the problems of global ecology is through the methods of mathematical modeling and analysis of the previous stages of the development of Nature. The first significant steps have already been taken along this path. And over the past quarter century, much has been understood. And most importantly, the need for such a study has become generally recognized.

Interaction between the biosphere and society

Vernadsky was the first, at the very beginning of the 20th century, to understand that man is becoming "the main geological force of the planet" and the problem of the interaction between man and Nature should become one of the main fundamental problems of modern science. Vernadsky is not an accidental phenomenon in a series of remarkable domestic naturalists. He had teachers, had predecessors and, most importantly, had traditions. Of the teachers, we must first of all remember V. V. Dokuchaev, who revealed the secret of our southern chernozems and laid the foundation for soil science. Thanks to Dokuchaev, today we understand that the basis of the entire biosphere, its connecting link, is soils with their microflora. That life, those processes that occur in soils, determine all the features of the circulation of substances in nature.

Vernadsky's students and followers were V. N. Sukachev, N. V. Timofeev-Resovsky, V. A. Kovda and many others. Viktor Abramovich Kovda belongs to a very important assessment of the role of the anthropogenic factor at the present stage of the evolution of the biosphere. Thus, he showed that humanity produces at least 2000 times more waste of organic origin than the rest of the biosphere. Let us agree to call wastes or refuse substances that are excluded from the biogeochemical cycles of the biosphere for a long time, that is, from the circulation of substances in Nature. In other words, humanity is fundamentally changing the nature of the functioning of the main mechanisms of the biosphere.

A well-known American specialist in the field of computer technology, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jay Forrester, in the late 60s, developed simplified methods for describing dynamic processes using computers. Forrester's student Meadows applied these approaches to study the processes of changing the characteristics of the biosphere and human activity. He published his calculations in a book he called The Limits to Growth.

Using very simple mathematical models, which could not be classified as scientifically sound, he made calculations that made it possible to compare the prospects for industrial development, population growth and environmental pollution. Despite the primitiveness of the analysis (and perhaps precisely because of this), the calculations of Meadows and his colleagues played a very important positive role in the development of modern ecological thinking. For the first time on specific numbers it was shown that in the very near future, most likely, in the middle of the coming century, humanity is threatened by a global environmental crisis. It will be a food crisis, a resource crisis, a pollution crisis.

Now we can definitely say that Meadows' calculations are largely erroneous, but he caught the main trends correctly. More importantly, due to its simplicity and clarity, the results obtained by Meadows attracted the attention of the world community.

Research in the field of global ecology developed differently in the Soviet Union. A computer model capable of simulating the course of the main biospheric processes was built at the Computing Center of the Academy of Sciences. She described the dynamics of large-scale processes occurring in the atmosphere, in the ocean, as well as the interaction of these processes. A special block described the dynamics of the biota. An important place was occupied by the description of the energy of the atmosphere, the formation of clouds, precipitation, etc. As for human activity, it was given in the form of various scenarios. Thus, it became possible to assess the prospects for the evolution of biosphere parameters depending on the nature of human activity.

Already at the end of the 70s, with the help of such a computer system, in other words, at the tip of a pen, it was possible for the first time to evaluate the so-called "greenhouse effect". Its physical meaning is quite simple. Some gases - water vapor, carbon dioxide - pass the sunlight coming to the Earth, and it heats the surface of the planet, but these same gases screen the long-wave thermal radiation of the Earth.

Vigorous industrial activity leads to a continuous increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere: in the twentieth century it increased by 20 percent. This causes an increase in the average temperature of the planet, which in turn changes the nature of atmospheric circulation and the distribution of precipitation. And these changes are reflected in the vital activity of the plant world, the nature of polar and continental glaciation is changing - glaciers begin to melt, the ocean level rises, etc.

If the current rates of growth of industrial production continue, then by the thirties of the coming century, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will double. How can all this affect the productivity of biota - historically established complexes of living organisms? In 1979, A. M. Tarko, using computer models that had already been developed at the Computing Center of the Academy of Sciences, for the first time carried out calculations and analysis of this phenomenon.

It turned out that the overall productivity of the biota will practically not change, but there will be a redistribution of its productivity over different geographical zones. Thus, for example, the aridity of the Mediterranean regions, semi-deserts and deserted savannahs in Africa, and the US corn belt will sharply increase. Our steppe zone will also suffer. Yields here can be reduced by 15-20, even 30 percent. On the other hand, the productivity of the taiga zones and those areas that we call the non-chernozem zone will sharply increase. Agriculture can move north.

Thus, even the first calculations show that human production activity in the coming decades, that is, during the lifetime of current generations, can lead to significant climate shifts. For the planet as a whole, these changes will be negative. But for the North of Eurasia, and hence for Russia, the consequences of the greenhouse effect may turn out to be positive.

However, there is still a lot of discussion in the current assessments of the global environmental situation. It is very dangerous to draw final conclusions. So, for example, according to the calculations of our computer center, by the beginning of the next century, the average temperature of the planet should rise by 0.5-0.6 degrees. But after all, natural climatic variability can fluctuate within plus or minus one degree. Climatologists argue whether the observed warming is the result of natural variability, or is it a manifestation of an increasing greenhouse effect.

My position on this issue is very cautious: the greenhouse effect exists - this is indisputable. I think it is certainly necessary to take it into account, but one should not talk about the inevitability of the tragedy. Humanity can still do a lot to mitigate the consequences of what is happening.

In addition, I would like to draw attention to the fact that there are many other extremely dangerous consequences of human activity. Among them are such difficult ones as the thinning of the ozone layer, the reduction of the genetic diversity of human races, environmental pollution ... But these problems should not cause panic either. But they should never be left unattended. They should be the subject of careful scientific analysis, since they will inevitably become the basis for developing a strategy for the industrial development of mankind.

The danger of one of these processes was foreseen at the end of the 18th century by the English monk Malthus. He hypothesized that humanity is growing faster than the planet's ability to create food resources. For a long time it seemed that this was not entirely true - people have learned to increase the efficiency of agriculture.

But in principle, Malthus is right: any resources of the planet are limited, food - first of all. Even with the most advanced food production technology, the Earth can only feed a limited number of people. Now this milestone, apparently, has already been passed. In recent decades, the amount of food produced in the world per capita has been slowly but steadily decreasing. This is a formidable sign that requires an immediate response from all of humanity. I emphasize: not individual countries, but all mankind. And I think that just improving the technology of agricultural production is not enough here.

Ecological Thinking and Humanity Strategy

Mankind has approached a new milestone in its history, at which the spontaneous development of productive forces, uncontrolled population growth, lack of discipline of individual behavior can put humanity, that is, the biological species of homo sapiens, to the brink of death. We are facing the problems of a new organization of life, a new organization of society, a new worldview. Now the phrase "environmental thinking" has arisen. It is intended, first of all, to remind us that we are the children of the Earth, not its conquerors, but children.

Everything returns to normal, and we should, like our distant Cro-Magnon ancestors, hunters of the pre-Ice Age, again perceive ourselves as part of the surrounding Nature. We must treat Nature like a mother, like our own home. But there is a huge fundamental difference between a person belonging to modern society and our pre-glacial ancestor: we have knowledge, and we are able to set ourselves development goals, we have the potential to follow these goals.

About a quarter of a century ago, I started using the term "human-biosphere co-evolution". It means such behavior of mankind and each person individually, which is capable of ensuring the joint development of both the biosphere and mankind. The current level of development of science and our technical capabilities makes this mode of coevolution fundamentally realizable.

Here is just one important remark that protects against various illusions. Today people often talk about the omnipotence of science. Our knowledge of the world around us has indeed expanded enormously over the past two centuries, but our possibilities have remained still very limited. We are deprived of the ability to foresee the development of natural and social phenomena for more or less distant times. Therefore, I am always afraid of broad, far-reaching plans. In each specific period, one must be able to isolate what is obviously reliable, and rely on this in one's plans, actions, and "perestroikas."

And the most reliable most often are knowledge about what exactly brings deliberate harm. Therefore, the main task of scientific analysis, the main one, but, of course, far from being the only one, is to formulate a system of prohibitions. This was probably understood as early as the Lower Paleolithic by our humanoid ancestors. Even then, various taboos began to appear. So we cannot do without it: a new system of prohibitions and recommendations should be developed - how to implement these prohibitions.

Environmental strategy

In order to live in our common home, we must work out not only some general rules of conduct, if you will, the rules of a hostel, but also a strategy for our development. The rules of the hostel are in most cases local in nature. They come down most often to the development and implementation of low-waste industries, to the cleansing of the environment from pollution, that is, to the protection of Nature.

To meet these local requirements, there is no need for any super-large events: everything is decided by the culture of the population, technological and, mainly, environmental literacy and discipline of local officials.

But here we are also faced with more difficult situations when we have to think about the well-being not only of our own, but also of distant neighbors. An example of this is a river that crosses several regions. Many people are already interested in its purity, and they are interested in very different ways. The inhabitants of the upper reaches are not very inclined to care about the state of the river in its lower reaches. Therefore, in order to ensure a normal joint life of the population of the entire river basin, regulations are already required at the state, and sometimes at the interstate level.

The river example is also just a special case. After all, there are problems of a planetary nature. They require a common human strategy. For its development, it is not enough just culture and environmental education. The actions of a competent (which is extremely rare) government are also few. There is a need to create a universal strategy. It should cover literally all aspects of human life. These are also new systems of industrial technologies, which should be waste-free and resource-saving. This is also agricultural technology. And not only improved soil cultivation and the use of fertilizers. But, as the works of N. I. Vavilov and other remarkable representatives of agronomic science and plant growing show, the main way of development here is the use of plants that have the highest efficiency of solar energy. That is, clean, non-polluting energy.

Such a radical solution of agricultural problems is of particular importance, since they are directly related to a problem that, I am convinced, will inevitably have to be solved. It's about the population of the planet. Mankind is already faced with the need for strict regulation of the birth rate - in different parts of the Earth in different ways, but everywhere there is a restriction.

In order for a person to continue to fit into the natural cycles (circulation) of the biosphere, the population of the planet, while maintaining modern needs, must be reduced tenfold. And this is impossible! Regulation of population growth, of course, will not lead to a tenfold reduction in the number of inhabitants of the planet. This means that, along with a smart demographic policy, it is necessary to create new biogeochemical cycles, that is, a new circulation of substances, which will include, first of all, those plant species that more efficiently use clean solar energy that does not bring environmental harm to the planet.

The solution to problems of this magnitude is available only to humanity as a whole. And this will require a change in the entire organization of the planetary community, in other words, a new civilization, a restructuring of the most important thing - those value systems that have been affirmed for centuries.

The principle of the need to form a new civilization is declared by the International Green Cross - an organization whose creation was proclaimed in 1993 in the Japanese city of Kyoto. The main thesis is that a person must live in harmony with Nature.

State budgetary educational institution Gymnasium No. 63 of the Kalininsky district of St. Petersburg

Environmental problems of the modern world

Subject: Ecology

Completed: student 9 "A" class

Ardalyov A.V.

Teacher: Tumanova O.G.

St. Petersburg 2015

Introduction

Chapter 1. The problem of water pollution

1.1 Oil pollution. The impact of oil on flora and fauna

1.2 Solutions

1.3 Other types of pollution

Chapter 2. The problem of air pollution

2.1 Causes of air pollution

2.2 The main types of air pollution of the Earth

2.3 Methods and means of protecting the Earth's atmospheric layer

2.4 Consequences

2.5 Impact on the atmosphere

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Everything is interconnected with everything - says the first ecological law. This means that one cannot take a step without hitting, and sometimes without violating, something from the environment. Each step of a person on an ordinary lawn is dozens of destroyed microorganisms, frightened off insects, changing migration routes, and perhaps even reducing their natural productivity.

The environmental problem is one of the most serious global problems faced by mankind. The problem of water and air pollution is the most urgent today, because any changes in the natural environment lead to the disruption and functioning of nature.

The purpose of this work: to determine the main causes of environmental pollution, and specifically water and atmosphere, as well as to identify ways to solve this problem.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve a number of tasks:

) Find out the causes of water pollution.

) Determine the main types of air pollution.

) Find out what are the ways to protect the atmospheric layer.

) Understand what activities contribute to the elimination of environmental problems.

A person who lived in the 20th century found himself in a society that is burdened with many dilemmas that accompany its socio-economic development. Society has faced a severe crisis and we can conclude that its foundations are the positions of relations between society and nature.

Atmospheric air is the most important life-supporting natural environment and is a mixture of gases and aerosols of the surface layer of the atmosphere. Water is one of the most important life-supporting natural environments formed as a result of the evolution of the Earth. It is an integral part of the biosphere and has a number of anomalous properties that affect the physicochemical and biological processes occurring in ecosystems. Due to the continuously increasing pollution of surface waters, groundwaters are practically the only source of household and drinking water supply for the population. Therefore, protection from pollution and depletion, rational use is of strategic importance. In my work I have used a number of books, articles and several magazines. Among which are the works of Ismailov R.R., Khotuntsev Yu.L., Yanshin A.D., as well as several Internet sources.

Chapter 1. The problem of water pollution

1.1Oil pollution. The impact of oil on flora and fauna

Oil and oil products are the most common pollutants in the oceans. By the beginning of the 1990s, about 16 million tons of oil were annually entering the ocean, which accounted for 0.23% of world production. Most of the oil that pollutes the seas and oceans does not get there as a result of accidents or natural disasters, but as a result of ordinary operations.

The oil film changes the composition of the spectrum and the intensity of light penetration into the water. The light transmission of thin films of crude oil is 11-10% (280nm), 60-70% (400nm). A film with a thickness of 30-40 microns completely absorbs infrared radiation. When mixed with water, oil forms an emulsion of two types: direct "oil in water" and reverse "water in oil". Direct emulsions, composed of oil droplets up to 0.5 µm in diameter, are less stable and are characteristic of oil containing surfactants. When volatile fractions are removed, oil forms viscous inverse emulsions, which can remain on the surface, be carried by the current, wash ashore and settle to the bottom.

During oil spills, birds are particularly affected as the oil impregnates the feathers, depriving them of both water repellency and thermal insulation. Birds are unable to swim or maintain the desired body temperature. Estimates of the number of birds killed in an oil spill are often low, simply because birds in distress are not visible to observers. When the birds try to get out of the oil, it sticks to them from head to toe, making it impossible to see and poisoning the entire body. Oil also pollutes or destroys natural food sources for birds. Diving birds are particularly affected, as they have to repeatedly dive through the layer of oil on the surface in search of food. In addition to affecting individual aquatic organisms, oil also affects entire ecosystems. In areas where oil often enters the water, changes in the species composition of the marine community also become noticeable. Both oil and petroleum resins (tar) contain some carcinogens. The results of several studies conducted on mollusks in polluted waters indicate that these animals have an abnormally large number of neoplasms similar to human cancers.

After oil or oil products get into the water, it takes a certain time for their traces to disappear. This should also include the time required for the re-colonization of the contaminated zone with the same and in the same number of organisms that lived here earlier.

If the release of oil did not lead to the complete death of all local organisms, then the remaining ones, multiplying, begin to fill the free space as the oil disappears.

1.2 Solutions

Natural self-cleaning processes can no longer cope due to the systematic ingress of oil and oil products into sea water. In recent years, considerable material has been accumulated on the development of various methods for eliminating oil pollution. Let's dwell on them in more detail.

Oil and oil products can be burned, but only immediately after the spill, because during the first two hours it loses light fractions, and quickly spreading, forms a thin layer, and the cooling effect of the water under this layer leads to the cessation of combustion.

Oil and oil products can be collected from the surface of the water in three ways: by simply scooping by hand from the side of small boats;

Limitation of the oil slick using floating booms with its further concentration by reducing the surface and bringing the booms together; complex machine systems.

Oil floating on the surface of the water can be partially collected by covering it with absorbent material.

A very promising treatment method is to coat the oil film with a powder or finely granular substance that, when mixed with the oil, adheres and floods it. However, numerous experiments have shown that after a few months the flooded mass is mobile, and oil can rise when the sea is rough.

Promising is the use of detergents, which include substances that form an emulsion and chemically affect the molecules of hydrocarbon compounds and change their surface tension.

Oil and oil products have a low surface tension compared to water, so when bubbling air through water, it is not necessary to use foaming agents. In this case, oil and oil products will be adsorbed at the "gas-liquid" phase separation, the total surface area of ​​air bubbles depends on their diameter and can be quite large. Considering all this, scientists have developed a mechanical floating moving device on which all these three physico-chemical processes (flotation, adhesion and adsorption) are carried out. The advantage of this proposed device over existing ones is as follows:

) oil and oil products are extracted not only from the surface of the water, but also from the surface layer of water, determined by the design of the apparatus;

) the surface layer of water is cleaned not only from liquid, but also from solid particles;

) the simultaneous implementation of all these three physical and chemical processes determines the greater efficiency of the process of cleaning a given water area from oil and oil products.

1.3 Other types of pollution

· Discharge of waste into the sea for the purpose of disposal (dumping).

Many countries with access to the sea carry out marine burial of various materials and substances, in particular soil excavated during dredging, drill slag, industrial waste, construction waste, solid waste, explosives and chemicals, and radioactive waste. The volume of burials amounted to about 10% of the total mass of pollutants entering the World Ocean. The basis for dumping in the sea is the ability of the marine environment to process a large amount of organic and inorganic substances without much damage to the water. However, this ability is not unlimited. Therefore, dumping is considered as a forced measure, a temporary tribute to the imperfection of technology by society.

Industrial slags contain a variety of organic substances and heavy metal compounds. Household waste contains on average (by weight of dry matter) 32-40% organic matter; 0.56% nitrogen; 0.44% phosphorus; 0.155% zinc; 0.085% lead; 0.001% mercury; 0.001% cadmium. During the discharge, the passage of the material through the water column, part of the pollutants goes into solution, changing the quality of the water, the other is sorbed by suspended particles and goes into bottom sediments. At the same time, the turbidity of the water increases. The presence of organic substances purely leads to the rapid consumption of oxygen in water and not caustically to its complete disappearance, the dissolution of suspensions, the accumulation of metals in dissolved form, and the appearance of hydrogen sulfide. The presence of a large amount of organic matter creates a stable reducing environment in the soil, in which a special type of interstitial water appears, containing hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and metal ions.

Benthic organisms and others are affected to varying degrees by the discharged materials. In the case of the formation of surface films containing petroleum hydrocarbons and surfactants, gas exchange at the air-water interface is disrupted. Pollutants entering the solution can accumulate in the tissues and organs of hydrobionts and have a toxic effect on them. The dumping of dumping materials to the bottom and prolonged increased turbidity of the given water leads to the death of inactive forms of benthos from suffocation. In surviving fish, mollusks and crustaceans, the growth rate is reduced due to the deterioration of feeding and breathing conditions. The species composition of a given community often changes. When organizing a system for monitoring the discharge of waste into the sea, the determination of dumping areas, the determination of the dynamics of pollution of sea water and bottom sediments is of decisive importance. To identify possible volumes of discharge into the sea, it is necessary to carry out calculations of all pollutants in the composition of the material discharge.

· Thermal pollution.

Thermal pollution of the surface of reservoirs and coastal marine areas occurs as a result of the discharge of heated wastewater from power plants and some industrial production. The discharge of heated water in many cases causes an increase in water temperature in reservoirs by 6-8 degrees Celsius. The area of ​​heated water spots in coastal areas can reach 30 square meters. km. A more stable temperature stratification prevents water exchange between the surface and bottom layers. The solubility of oxygen decreases, and its consumption increases, since with increasing temperature, the activity of aerobic bacteria that decompose organic matter increases. The species diversity of phytoplankton and the entire flora of algae is increasing.

Based on the generalization of the material, it can be concluded that the effects of anthropogenic impact on the aquatic environment are manifested at the individual and population-biocenotic levels, and the long-term effect of pollutants leads to a simplification of the ecosystem.

·Wastewater.

Industrial effluents rank first in terms of volume and damage they cause, so the problem of their discharges into rivers must be solved first of all. Due to pollution caused by sewage, various biogenic mutations begin. Many species of fish disappear from rivers and lakes, and those that remain are unfit for food. The flora and fauna of water bodies is significantly depleted. Due to industrial effluents in water bodies, there is an excess of oxygen, so you can observe the so-called "blooming" of water bodies. The chemical composition of water bodies also changes, the content of nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorine-containing substances increases. An important problem is the pollution of water bodies with agricultural waste. With the onset of spring floods, many people have noticed more than once the unpleasant smell that exudes drinking water.

This smell is caused by the fact that stormy spring streams wash away the fecal matter accumulated during the winter and taken out to the fields in the spring into the river. Instead of monitoring the entry of these substances into the rivers, they prefer to displace this water with a huge amount of bleach, which is far from a safe substance, before supplying this water to the houses. The third problem is getting into rivers and other water bodies of various household and industrial waste. In some place, all this garbage accumulates and sediments form in the riverbed, islands appear. All this leads to clogging and drying up of the river. The same garbage, decomposing, releases various carcinogenic substances that enter our table with food.

· The main methods of wastewater treatment.

Reservoirs are polluted mainly as a result of the discharge of sewage into them from industrial enterprises and settlements. As a result of wastewater discharge, the physical properties of water change (temperature rises, transparency decreases, color, tastes, odors appear); floating substances appear on the surface of the reservoir, and sediment forms at the bottom; the chemical composition of water changes (the content of organic and inorganic substances increases, toxic substances appear, the oxygen content decreases, the active reaction of the environment changes, etc.); the qualitative and quantitative bacterial composition changes, pathogenic bacteria appear. Polluted reservoirs become unsuitable for drinking, and often for technical water supply; lose their fishery importance, etc. The general conditions for the release of wastewater of any category into surface water bodies are determined by their national economic significance and the nature of water use.

The methods used for the treatment of industrial and domestic wastewater can be divided into three groups: mechanical; physicochemical, biological. The complex of treatment facilities, as a rule, includes mechanical treatment facilities. Depending on the required degree of purification, they can be supplemented with biological or physico-chemical treatment facilities, and with higher requirements, deep treatment facilities are included in the treatment facilities. Before being discharged into a reservoir, treated wastewater is disinfected, and the sludge or excess biomass formed at all stages of treatment is fed to sludge treatment facilities. Treated wastewater can be sent to the circulating water supply systems of industrial enterprises, for agricultural needs, or discharged into a reservoir.

Mechanical treatment is used to isolate undissolved mineral and organic impurities from wastewater. As a rule, it is a pre-treatment method and is intended for the preparation of wastewater for biological or physico-chemical treatment methods. As a result of mechanical cleaning, suspended solids are reduced by up to 90%, and organic substances by up to 20%.

Mechanical cleaning facilities include gratings, various types of traps, settling tanks, and filters. Sand traps are used to isolate heavy mineral impurities (mainly sand) from wastewater. Dehydrated sand with reliable disinfection can be used in the production of road works and the manufacture of building materials. Equalizers are used to regulate the composition and flow of wastewater. Averaging is achieved either by differentiation of the flow of incoming waste water, or by intensive mixing of individual effluents.

Biological treatment is a widely used treatment method in practice. It is based on the process of biological oxidation of organic compounds contained in wastewater. Biological oxidation is carried out by a community of microorganisms, including many different bacteria, protozoa and a number of more highly organized organisms - algae, fungi, etc., interconnected in a single complex by complex relationships (metabolism, symbiosis and antagonism). Chemical and physico-chemical treatment methods play a significant role in the treatment of industrial wastewater. They are used both independently and in combination with mechanical and biological methods.

oil water atmosphere pollution

Chapter 2. The problem of air pollution

1 Causes of air pollution

The problem of atmospheric air pollution is one of the most serious global problems faced by mankind. The danger of atmospheric pollution is not only in the fact that harmful substances that are harmful to living organisms get into clean air, but also in the change in the Earth's climate caused by pollution.

Air pollution (atmosphere) as a result of human activities has led to the fact that over the past 200 years, the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by almost 30%. However, humanity continues to actively burn fossil fuels and destroy forests. The process is so massive that it leads to global environmental problems. Air pollution also occurs as a result of other human activities. Combustion of fuel at thermal power plants is accompanied by the emission of sulfur dioxide. Car exhaust releases nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Incomplete combustion of fuel produces carbon monoxide. In addition, we should not forget about fine solid pollutants such as soot and dust.

The main cause of air pollution is the ingress of uncharacteristic physical, chemical and biological substances into it, as well as a change in their natural concentration. This happens as a result of both natural processes and human activities. Moreover, it is people who play an increasing role in air pollution. The cause of a large part of chemical and physical pollution is the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels in the production of electrical energy and during the operation of vehicle engines. One of the most toxic gases released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity is ozone. Poisonous and lead contained in the exhaust gases of cars. Other hazardous pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, and fine dust. Every year, as a result of human industrial activity (when generating electricity, cement production, iron smelting, etc.), 170 million tons of dust enter the atmosphere.

2.2 The main types of air pollution of the Earth

As a basis for the classification of air pollution, various properties are taken: the origin of pollution, their nature, types and types of sources.

The nature of pollution can be physical. Such contaminants include solid particles (dust), radioactive radiation and isotopes, various types of electromagnetic waves, loud sounds and low-frequency vibrations, and heat emissions.

Chemical pollution includes gases and aerosols entering the atmosphere. Among the main types of atmospheric pollution of this kind are emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, heavy metals, ammonia, and radioactive isotopes.

Biological contamination is mainly of microbial nature. These are, first of all, spores of bacteria and fungi, viruses, as well as waste products of living organisms.

Another way to classify is according to the sources and composition of atmospheric pollution. Sources of anthropogenic pollution are divided into transport, industrial and domestic. By composition, they are usually divided into mechanical (dust, solid particles), chemical (gases and aerosols that can enter into chemical reactions), and radioactive - representing a danger due to radiation.

2.3 Methods and means of protecting the Earth's atmospheric layer

Tackling the problem of air pollution requires concerted action at many different levels. At the level of governments and international organizations, various documents are adopted that oblige economic participants to reduce harmful emissions. Such documents include the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the environmental legislation of states.

One of the common ways to control greenhouse emissions (primarily carbon dioxide) has become carbon quotas, which assume that each participant in economic activity (industrial enterprise, transport company) buys for himself the right to produce emissions in a strictly defined amount, exceeding which will lead to severe penalties. sanctions. The proceeds from the sale of carbon credits should be spent on overcoming the effects of global warming. At the level of specific sources of harmful emissions, measures should be taken to prevent or at least reduce air pollution. Such measures include air purification from dust, aerosols and gases. The most effective methods here are inertial (“cyclones”) or mechanical (filtration) dust collection, adsorption of gaseous pollutants, afterburning of combustion products.

2.4 Consequences

In the process of human activity, the atmosphere is polluted with emissions of various gases, aerosols and solid particles. In addition, humanity intensively "contaminates" the atmosphere with electromagnetic and radiation radiation, thermal emissions, and so on. This kind of impact is commonly referred to as anthropogenic air pollution.

It is the anthropogenic air pollution that accounts for the bulk of harmful emissions. In addition, they are more dangerous than pollution of natural origin. According to the state of aggregation, I distinguish the following types of anthropogenic atmospheric pollution: solid particles, liquids (aerosols) and gases. The latter account for more than 90% of all emissions.

The main anthropogenic sources of air pollution are: enterprises of the chemical industry, where ozone, which is dangerous for living organisms, can be released during technological processes; thermal power plants emitting carbon dioxide - the "main" greenhouse gas, as well as toxic nitrogen oxides and other substances; road transport polluting the atmosphere with carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic substances and soot; refrigeration equipment and aerosol cans containing freons - chemical compounds that contribute to the destruction of stratospheric ozone and global warming.

2.5 Impact on the atmosphere

Harmful emissions entering the atmospheric air are a factor affecting a variety of processes and objects. And yet, for obvious reasons, studies of the impact of atmospheric pollution on humans and on the climate of our planet are of the greatest importance.

The impact of air pollution on humans is not limited solely to the direct impact of airborne impurities on the functioning of the body. Although, of course, this is an extremely important aspect. Thus, the presence of carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) in the inhaled air prevents the flow of oxygen into the blood, which leads to the death of a person. Heavy metal salts present in car exhaust gases are extremely toxic, as is ozone, which is a by-product of the chemical industry. Fine dust, soot particles formed during the combustion of diesel fuel have a carcinogenic effect.

In addition, the harmful effects of pollution may not be directly manifested. For example, freons, which are absolutely safe for humans when inhaled, when they enter the upper atmosphere, decompose and destroy the ozone layer that protects humans (and all living things along with them) from harsh ultraviolet radiation.

The impact of air pollution on climate also, ultimately, negatively affects human health, as it leads to a reduction in areas suitable for agriculture (and this is hunger), leads to an expansion of the range of carriers of dangerous diseases, in addition, a simple increase air temperature can cause an increase in cardiovascular diseases.

Conclusion

Environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources and disruption of ecological ties in ecosystems have become global problems for mankind. And if humanity continues to follow the current path of development, then its death, according to the leading ecologists of the world, is inevitable in two or three generations. As the negative consequences of the violation of the ecological balance began to acquire a universal character, it became necessary to create an environmental movement.

The rational use of water resources is currently an extremely pressing problem. This is primarily the protection of water spaces from pollution, and since industrial effluents occupy the first place in terms of volume and damage that they cause, it is in the first place that it is necessary to solve the problem of their discharge into rivers. In particular, it is necessary to limit discharges into water bodies, as well as to improve production, purification and disposal technologies. Another important aspect is the collection of fees for the discharge of wastewater and pollutants and the transfer of funds collected for the development of new waste-free technologies and treatment facilities. It is necessary to reduce the amount of payment for environmental pollution to enterprises with minimal emissions and discharges, which in the future will serve as a priority to maintain a minimum discharge or reduce it. When organizing a system of control over the discharge of waste into the sea, the definition of dumping areas, the determination of the dynamics of pollution of sea water and bottom sediments is of decisive importance.

In the course of the work, the main causes of air pollution were clarified. The main cause of air pollution is the ingress of uncharacteristic physical, chemical and biological substances into it, as well as a change in their natural concentration.

Harmful emissions entering the atmospheric air are a factor affecting a variety of processes and objects. And yet, for obvious reasons, studies of the impact of atmospheric pollution on humans and on the climate of our planet are of the greatest importance. One of the common ways to control greenhouse emissions (primarily carbon dioxide) has become carbon quotas, which assume that each participant in economic activity (industrial enterprise, transport company) buys for himself the right to produce emissions in a strictly defined amount, exceeding which will lead to severe penalties. sanctions. The impact of air pollution on climate also, ultimately, negatively affects human health, as it leads to a reduction in areas suitable for agriculture (and this is hunger), leads to an expansion of the range of carriers of dangerous diseases, in addition, a simple increase air temperature can cause an increase in cardiovascular diseases.

Unfortunately, at the present stage, the development of market and economic relations is far ahead of the development of the legislative framework, including the promotion of rational environmental management. But still, let's not rush to pessimistic conclusions, because for several years the development of an appropriate legislative framework has been underway, and in the minds of people, attitudes towards the environment and the need to protect it are gradually changing. The economic and legal levers for protecting the natural environment and preventing its pollution, described in this paper, are an important foundation for the further development of economic and legal relations in the field of environmental safety.

Bibliography

1. Ismagilov R.R. The problem of pollution of the aquatic environment and ways to solve it [Text] / R.R. Ismagilov // Young scientist. - 2012. - No. 11. - S. 127-129.

2. Khotuntsev Yu.L. Ecology and environmental safety: Proc. allowance. - M.: ACADEMA, 2012. - 233 p.

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Continuous technological progress, the continuing enslavement of nature by man, industrialization, which has changed the surface of the Earth beyond recognition, have become the causes of the global environmental crisis. Currently, the population of the planet is particularly acute environmental problems such as atmospheric pollution, ozone depletion, acid rain, greenhouse effect, soil pollution, pollution of the world's oceans and overpopulation.

Global Environmental Issue #1: Air Pollution

Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air, which contains, in addition to vital oxygen, a whole list of harmful suspended particles and gases. Air pollutants are conditionally divided into 2 types: natural and anthropogenic. The latter prevail.

The chemical industry is not doing well. Factories emit such harmful substances as dust, oil ash, various chemical compounds, nitrogen oxides and much more. Air measurements showed the catastrophic state of the atmospheric layer, polluted air causes many chronic diseases.

Atmospheric pollution is an environmental problem, familiar to the inhabitants of absolutely all corners of the earth. It is especially acutely felt by representatives of cities where ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, energy, chemical, petrochemical, construction and pulp and paper industries operate. In some cities, the atmosphere is also heavily poisoned by vehicles and boilers. These are all examples of anthropogenic air pollution.

As for the natural sources of chemical elements that pollute the atmosphere, they include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion (dispersal of soil and rock particles), the spread of pollen, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radiation.

Consequences of atmospheric pollution

Atmospheric air pollution adversely affects human health, contributing to the development of heart and lung diseases (in particular, bronchitis). In addition, atmospheric pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide destroy natural ecosystems, destroying plants and causing the death of living creatures (particularly river fish).

The global environmental problem of atmospheric pollution, according to scientists and government officials, can be solved in the following ways:

• limiting population growth;
• reduction in energy use;
• improving energy efficiency;
• waste reduction;
• transition to environmentally friendly renewable energy sources;
• air purification in highly polluted areas.

Global Environmental Issue #2: Ozone Depletion

The ozone layer is a thin strip of the stratosphere that protects all life on Earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Causes of the environmental problem

Back in the 1970s. environmentalists have discovered that the ozone layer is destroyed by exposure to chlorofluorocarbons. These chemicals are found in coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as solvents, aerosols/sprays, and fire extinguishers. To a lesser extent, other anthropogenic influences also contribute to the thinning of the ozone layer: the launch of space rockets, the flights of jet aircraft in high layers of the atmosphere, nuclear weapons testing, and the reduction of the planet's forest lands. There is also a theory that global warming contributes to the thinning of the ozone layer.

Consequences of ozone depletion

As a result of the destruction of the ozone layer, ultraviolet radiation passes unhindered through the atmosphere and reaches the earth's surface. Exposure to direct UV rays adversely affects people's health by weakening the immune system and causing diseases such as skin cancer and cataracts.

World Environmental Issue #3: Global Warming

Like the glass walls of a greenhouse, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor allow the sun to heat our planet and at the same time prevent infrared radiation reflected from the earth's surface from escaping into space. All these gases are responsible for maintaining the temperature acceptable for life on earth. However, an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and water vapor in the atmosphere is another global environmental problem, called global warming (or the greenhouse effect).

Causes of global warming

During the 20th century, the average temperature on earth increased by 0.5 - 1?C. The main cause of global warming is considered to be an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to an increase in the volume of fossil fuels burned by people (coal, oil and their derivatives). However, according to the statement Alexey Kokorin, head of climate programs WWF(WWF) Russia, “the largest amount of greenhouse gases is generated by the operation of power plants and methane emissions during the extraction and delivery of energy resources, while road transport or the burning of associated petroleum gas in flaring causes relatively little environmental damage”.

Other prerequisites for global warming are overpopulation of the planet, deforestation, ozone depletion and littering. However, not all ecologists place the responsibility for the increase in average annual temperatures entirely on anthropogenic activities. Some believe that the natural increase in the abundance of oceanic plankton also contributes to global warming, leading to an increase in the concentration of the same carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Consequences of the greenhouse effect

If the temperature during the 21st century increases by another 1 ? C - 3.5 ? C, as scientists predict, the consequences will be very sad:

• the level of the world ocean will rise (due to the melting of polar ice), the number of droughts will increase and the process of land desertification will intensify,
• many species of plants and animals adapted to existence in a narrow range of temperatures and humidity will disappear,
• hurricanes will increase.

Solving an environmental problem

To slow down the process of global warming, according to environmentalists, the following measures will help:

• rising prices for fossil fuels,
• replacement of fossil fuels with environmentally friendly ones (solar energy, wind energy and sea currents),
• development of energy-saving and waste-free technologies,
• taxation of emissions into the environment,
• minimization of methane losses during its production, transportation through pipelines, distribution in cities and villages and use at heat supply stations and power plants,
• introduction of carbon dioxide absorption and binding technologies,
• tree planting,
• reduction in family size
• environmental education,
• application of phytomelioration in agriculture.

Global Environmental Issue #4: Acid Rain

Acid rain, containing fuel combustion products, also poses a threat to the environment, human health, and even to the integrity of architectural monuments.

The effects of acid rain

Solutions of sulfuric and nitric acids, aluminum and cobalt compounds contained in polluted precipitation and fog pollute the soil and water bodies, adversely affect vegetation, causing dry tops of deciduous trees and oppressing conifers. Due to acid rain, crop yields are falling, people are drinking water enriched with toxic metals (mercury, cadmium, lead), marble architectural monuments are turning into gypsum and eroding.

Solving an environmental problem

In order to save nature and architecture from acid rain, it is necessary to minimize the emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.

Global Environmental Issue #5: Soil Pollution

Every year people pollute the environment with 85 billion tons of waste. Among them are solid and liquid waste from industrial enterprises and transport, agricultural waste (including pesticides), household waste and atmospheric fallout of harmful substances.

The main role in soil pollution is played by such components of industrial waste as heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, thallium, bismuth, tin, vanadium, antimony), pesticides and petroleum products. From the soil, they penetrate into plants and water, even spring water. In a chain, toxic metals enter the human body and are not always quickly and completely removed from it. Some of them tend to accumulate over many years, provoking the development of serious diseases.

Global Environmental Issue #6: Water Pollution

Pollution of the oceans, underground and surface waters of land is a global environmental problem, the responsibility for which lies entirely with man.

Causes of the environmental problem

The main pollutants of the hydrosphere today are oil and oil products. These substances penetrate into the waters of the oceans as a result of the collapse of tankers and regular discharges of wastewater from industrial enterprises.

In addition to anthropogenic oil products, industrial and domestic facilities pollute the hydrosphere with heavy metals and complex organic compounds. Agriculture and the food industry are recognized as the leaders in poisoning the waters of the oceans with minerals and biogenic elements.

The hydrosphere does not bypass such a global environmental problem as radioactive contamination. The prerequisite for its formation was the disposal of radioactive waste in the waters of the oceans. From the 1949s to the 1970s, many powers with a developed nuclear industry and atomic fleet purposefully stockpiled harmful radioactive substances into the seas and oceans. In the places of burial of radioactive containers, the level of cesium often goes off scale even today. But "underwater polygons" are not the only radioactive source of pollution of the hydrosphere. The waters of the seas and oceans are enriched with radiation as a result of underwater and surface nuclear explosions.

Consequences of radioactive contamination of water

Oil pollution of the hydrosphere leads to the destruction of the natural habitat of hundreds of representatives of oceanic flora and fauna, the death of plankton, seabirds and mammals. For human health, the poisoning of the waters of the oceans also poses a serious danger: fish and other seafood “infected” with radiation can easily get on the table.

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Jan 31.05.2018 10:56
To avoid all this, it is necessary to decide everything not for the state budget, but for free!
And besides, you need to add environmental protection laws to your constitution of your country.
namely, strict laws that should make at least 3% of environmental pollution not
only of their homeland but also of all countries of the world!

24werwe 21.09.2017 14:50
The cause of air pollution soil water crypto-Jews. There are degenerates with signs of Jews on the streets. Greenpeace and environmentalists vile kriptoreyskie TV-ri. They are engaged in eternal criticism according to the Catechism of the Jew in the USSR (according to the Talmud). Promote dosed poisoning. They do not name the reason - the deliberate destruction of all living things by the Jews hiding under the labels of "peoples". There is only one way out: the destruction of the Jews with their agriculture and the cessation of production.