An Ailing Earth

Some key terms

Environment?

Environment refers to everything around us that we can see and experience.

Ecosystem?

Interaction of the living and non-living components of the environment. It includes all the parts of a living environment, including the plants and animals, AND the non-living components, such as water, air and the sun's energy.

Environmental crisis?

An acute situation in the environment that may cause the earth to be destroyed by human activities.

Ecological catastrophe?

The destruction of ecosystem by human activities.

Pollutants?

Harmful substances added to environment

Pollution?

Release of harmful substances to the environment which causes the environment to have undesirable changes

Effects of environmental crisis on humans

Human is part of the earth’s ecosystem, thus the destruction of ecosystems will surely affect our well-being.

Damage to health

Damage to buildings and structures.

High Economic cost

Damage to health

Pollutants in the air can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and skin.

People may also experience difficulty in breathing.

People may also suffer lung diseases due to the polluted air.

Rubbish and waste that are not properly disposed of can cause the breeding of germs and pests such as flies, rats and cockroaches.

Infectious diseases such as diarrhea and malaria can result in death.

Damage to buildings and structures

Environmental pollution causes damage to buildings and structures.

Chemicals in the air can cause the paint on cars and buildings to peel.

The polluted air can also corrode and discolor buildings, statues and monuments.

High economic cost

The impact of environmental pollution on health and buildings and structures has resulted in extra cost for the people and the government.

Economic cost is loss of income or increase of expenditure as result of pollution problems.

Causes of environmental crisis

Population increase

Technology

Human consumption patterns

Population growth

More forests are cleared for agriculture and settlement and infrastructure.

Forests are the tools used to absorb CO2, so deforestation is a contributor to global warming.

Technological changes

Without technology, humans cannot make full use of natural resources. But, with it, there is an increase in exploitation of resources to produce goods. More raw materials, electricity are needed to mass produce goods and to run factories.

Also, waste from those factories is the main pollutant to soil, ground water, and rivers because waste is disposed improperly on the ground and into the rivers

Human consumption patterns

As people become richer, there is also a greater demand for goods. People need cars, expensive materials. In this way, more natural resources have to be exploited.