Environment
Civilisation has brought people many advantages but its products pollute and damage our environment in which we live. Britain has
been protecting the environment against pollution from industry and other sources for more than a century, while in Czech republic we are only at the
beginning. Pollution affects air, water, land and plants.
Problems:
Air pollution is the biggest problem in
large cities and in areas with concentrated industrial production. Emission range from smoke, dust and smells to car lorry exhaust. Smoke contains
sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide, which are produced by coal-fired power stations. These substances can cause major changes in the
environment that can lead to climate changes. Acids and oxidants fall in the form of rain - acid rains or snow onto trees and gradually kill them.
Trees are important for our life because they are lungs of our planet. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air and giveour
oxygen in return. In some parts of the world such as Asia and South America, trees are not threatened by pollution, but by people. The great rain
forests are being destroyed for firewood and building materials. Tropical forests provide 50 per cent of the world production of oxygen. It we lose
them, it will be difficult may be impossible to breathing. With more carbon dioxide in the air the temperature will rise, the ice caps at the North
and South Poles will melt, and the sea level raises that result flooding of many coastal cities.
The ozone layers are a
layer of gas high above the surface of the earth that helps protect it from sun's ultraviolet radiation, which can damage our skins and cause cancer.
Scientists discovered holes in the ozone layer, used substances called CFCs - it is used in refrigerators, aerosol cans and in the manufacture of some
plastic products. Some companies now make aerosol cans and in the manufacture of some plastic products. Some companies now make aerosols that do not
contain CFCs, and they are often named ozone friendly.
Soil can be contaminate as a result of industrial waste - some poison leak into the
underground water - that is very dangerous because we drink it. Noises causes considerable problems for many people: lack of concentration defective
hearing stress. Litter, dust and rubbish in the streets also threaten the environment. Everybody knows that is wrong to litter but many people still
do it.
Animal and plants protection:
is effected by humans' activities. Some animals are protected (bats,
badgers, others (otters, some species of birds - such as owl) are breed in captivity and than they live in the wild so they have the best chance to
survive.
Water is the substance which man cannot survive without. But water is polluted by waste of chemicals industries, heavy metals,
acid rains, chemicals used in agriculture (fertilisers), by waste of ships and detergents.
How can we solve the problem of air pollution?
First of all people should try to use energy, such as solar, water, geothermal or perhaps tidal energy.
Alternative
energy:
Most of the energy we use today comes from coal, oil and gas. But these will mot last for ever, and burning them is slowly
harming at the atmosphere. We need to look for other ways to supplying energy.
Solar power is a way of using the sun's energy as heat or to make
electricity. We can also use wind power by building modern windmills that spin the wind. There are several types of water-power: river water in
mountains areas can be used to generate hydroelectric power and we can also create electricity from sea water flowing in and out with tides.
Recycling is the procession of used objects and materials so they can be used again. About 60 per cent of rubbish from homes and
factories contain materials that could be recycled. Recycling save energy and raw materials, and also reduce damage to the countryside. Glass, paper
and aluminium cans can be recycled very easily. Many towns have bottle banks where people can leave their empty bottles and cans for recycling. A lot
of paper bags, writing paper and greetings cards are now produces on recycled paper.
If we want to survive men in the future, we should save
water, energy... We should support products that do not contaminate our environment like car converters (katalyzátory), recyclable products.
We
should be less wasteful with everything: paper, food, plastic, metal, glass. We should reduce, recycle, reuse things.
The Earth
population has reached more than 5 thousand million people and is growing by 200 000 people every day. The Earth's environment cannot long
support such a rapid growth. At least but not the last: if we want to save the environment, we have to keep peace on Earth.
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