10 Leading Environmental Concerns That Require Our Immediate Attention.

When I was a child, I never enjoyed Environment Studies classes. Then I went to college and it is made mandatory for every 1st year student to study EVS. We were young, ignorant and incredibly indifferent towards the problems our environment is facing, towards the problems that we are inflicting upon it. 

This nonchalant attitude resonates with the mind set of more than half of the population of this planet. Somewhere along the line, our sensitivity towards our planet has diminished. The environmental concerns get dismissed as “not our concern” and we blame others rather than ourselves for it. We are reluctant to take responsibility for our actions. The repercussions of which are becoming abundantly clear through the current situation that the entire world is facing. 

The threat is real and the fact that our exploitations toward the planet are not seizing is making it worse. There is no denying that the environment around us is changing.

Every year, thousands of studies are conducted and prove the same thing. With 2.678 million people, India alone had the highest numbers of climate refugees who were displaced due to disaster and extreme weather events in 2018. If this is not evidence of nature trying to fight back then what is?

The list of environmental concerns is increasing day by day. Everyday there is a new upcoming crisis that our planet is facing. The consequence of which we have to suffer in the due amount of time, if we do nothing. Hence, awareness is the key to solving the environmental crisis.

Here are 10 leading environmental concerns that require our immediate attention.

1. Deforestation

Primarily, our ancestors started clearing small portions of the forest for agriculture. Following their footsteps we did the same but our needs didn't just stop at land for agricultural purposes only.

Today about only 30% of the land is covered by forest, which is significantly less than before agriculture came into existence. 

Humankind became heavily dependent on the timber from the forest. With the increasing population, deforestation increased in order to make space for residential, industrial or commercial projects. Hence, forests started disappearing. 

The clearance of the forest for mining minerals and fuel for industrial purposes increased double fold. This led to clearing only significant portions of the forest where the resources were abundant. This resulted in a fragmented forest which caused the loss of biodiversity and reduced level of oxygen in the atmosphere.

Current estimates state that the planet is losing 80,000 acres of tropical forests per day.

2. Air Pollution

Air pollution is turning into an inexorably hazardous issue, especially in densely populated urban areas. The World Health Organization (WHO) has tracked down that 80% of individuals living in urban areas are exposed to lower air quality that is unfit for their health.

Additionally, it is directly  connected to other ecological issues, like acid rain and eutrophication. Both human and wildlife are likewise in grave danger of fostering various terminal medical conditions because of air pollution. Carbon overloading is one type of air pollution brought about by consuming coal, oil, gas and wood. Studies have found that every one out of nine deaths in 2012 were inferable from diseases brought about via cancer-causing agents and different toxins in polluted air.

3. Ice-cap Melting

The issue of melting polar ice caps in the Arctic is twice as much as anywhere on the planet.

While NASA studies have shown that the amount of ice in Antarctica has increased, it is only 3% of gain from what is being lost in the Arctic. With the ice caps in the arctic melting, the ocean levels are rising. This is prone to cause water cycle imbalance and defilement of drinking water.

In the recent future the coastal areas are likely to get flooded, making the people living in coastal areas migrate to someplace safe. There are even predictions of cities to be submerged underwater by 2050. If the entire Greenland ice sheet melts, sea level would rise by six metres.

4. Desertification

Overgrazing, monoculture planting, soil erosion, exposure of the soil to chemical fertilizers, deforestation and many more are the leading causes of desertification. 

According to United Nations estimates, every year around 12 million hectares of farm land gets degraded. Due to the above mentioned factors, the soil loses its fertility and becomes arid. 

Due to sparse vegetation and little rainfall, the land becomes widely inhabitable. If considered, it is a sheer wastage of land. With accordance to the overpopulation issues, we cannot afford to waste land, which is also one of the upcoming environmental concerns.

5. Modern Agriculture

The technological advancement has infiltrated into the agriculture industry therefore making the food that we consume mostly synthetic. Genetically modified crops are grown in labs and they require a certain condition to grow. They are heavily dependent upon chemical fertilizers which in turn makes the soil infertile and unfit. 

Problem with modern agriculture is that instead of quality, the focus is on quantity. Due to commercialization, industrialization and privatization, mass production is crucial for the survival of an industry. Therefore, the necessity of having abundant raw material available leads to the usage of genetically modified seeds.

Not only that, due to capitalisation, the market is supplied with complimentary products that are specifically designed for these seeds, which otherwise is useless.

6. Plastic Pollution

The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with at least 33 percent of that—extremely conservatively—not managed in an environmentally safe manner.

Of which, India alone generates 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, of which 40% remains uncollected; 43 per cent is used for packaging, most of which is single-use.

Plastic pollution causes the soil to lose its percolation capacity. Proven that it takes years for plastic to decompose, a new threat of Microplastics has come forth. 

When plastic decomposes, it breaks down into microplastics. These Microplastics are hazardous for health as it can conveniently find its way into our system via the food we consume. Which can cause fatal illnesses.

Read also, Top Performing 9 Waste Management Companies in India in 2021

7. Global Warming

By now haven't we all memorized the entire definition of global warming? Global warming is when the greenhouse gases trap the heat into the earth's atmosphere and doesn't allow it to escape, ultimately raising the temperature of the earth.

It is the major reason for ice caps melting and rising of the ocean level that leads to water cycle imbalance and loss of biodiversity.

If we see it this way, deforestation increases the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere, cattle rearing releases methane, and even waste from landfills produce greenhouse gases. The smoke from factories and the use of air conditioners all are the contributors of global warming. 

In 2020, the earth's surface temperature was around 0.98 Celsius degrees warmer than the 20th century average. In the last few years, global temperatures have been consistently among the hottest on record.

8. Fossil Fuel

Despite the fact that fossil fuels are of non-renewable nature, humans have exploited these natural resources to the fullest.

According to BP Statistical Review of World Energy, approximately 84% of the world's energy consumption needs are met from fossil fuels, with oil accounting for 33.05% of the consumption in 2019 and natural gas and coal accounting for 24.2% and 27.3% respectively, 2020. 

Even though research for sustainable energy is still ongoing, with no permanent solution, these fuels are at the precipice of exhausting completely.

9. Loss of Biodiversity

All the above mentioned factors are somehow perpetrators in the loss of biodiversity. 

The Living Planet Report 2020, published by WWF after two years, has revealed a global species loss of 68 percent in less than 50 years, a catastrophic decline never seen before. 

Converting land for agriculture has caused 70 percent of global biodiversity loss.

Due to radiation from cell phone towers increasing, the bird population is declining. Even deforestation has exposed indigenous animals to hunting and ultimately extinction.

Not just animals but due to commercialization, and monoculture planting, plants that supposedly do not have any commercial value are not allowed to grow. Therefore, causing the extinction of many indigenous flora which is yet one of the arising environmental concerns.

10. Industrial Waste

Industries produce waste which is loaded with toxic chemicals that are used in manufacturing a product.

For a significant amount of time, Yamuna River, in India, served as a dumping ground for these unchecked chemical wastes, contaminating the water of Yamuna.

All the cleaning missions after the polluted water from the river start causing serious health issues and contagious diseases. The industrial wastes pollute not only the water but land and air as well. 

Harmful insoluble solid wastes are often dumped in the landfills which pollutes the land through the toxins seeping into the soil. 

Even the chimneys release harmful gases into the atmosphere which causes air pollution, global warming and ozone depletion.

Conclusion:- 

Sensitivity towards the environmental concerns of the planet should be inculcated from a very young age because the minds are impressionable. But with the competitive world around us, we are becoming far removed from nature. Technology has substituted nature, so much so that a kid is concerned about his gadget more than a plant at his home.

If you liked this blog, we suggest you to read 7 Young Climate Activist You Should Know About.