Environment Essay

Environment Essay

The environment means surroundings in which people, animals and plants develop and exist. The living environment not only in towns and villages but also in open areas has been in danger for almost half a century. The most serious ecological problems of today are the pollution of air, water and soil, the weather changes, acid rains, the warming up of the Earth’s surface, the breaking of the ozone layer, the destruction of tropical rain forests and disappearance of many species of animals and plants.

All over the world there are people polluting the land, the sea, and the air. The main reason for pollution is waste – something which is no longer needed. It can be yesterday’s newspaper, an old car, dirty bath water, a smoke from a factory chimney. Some waste is dangerous because it contains poison. It is toxic waste.

There are five billion people in the world. They all need to eat, dress and travel around. They buy the new things and throw their old ones away. Farms and factories, cars, trains, buses, planes produce the waste too.

There are technologies that can change waste into something different and useful. This is called recycling. For example old newspaper can be made into new paper. Recycling is more expensive than dumping. Recycling reduces pollution, conserves energy and materials and save money. Plastic is long-lasting material and its recycling is very difficult. Recycling at home is very important. Don’t waste food, water, energy and materials.

Hole in the sky

The Ozone is a layer which protects us from dangerous UV rays from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation causes a suntan. Too much ultraviolet radiation causes sunburn and then skin cancer, blindness etc. The areas of larges ozone hole are Antarctica, South America, Australia and New Zealand.

Scientists first discovered the hole in 1982, and it is getting bigger.

The main destroyers are CFC and Freon which are used in refrigerators (fridges) and air conditioners (30%), from aerosol cans (30%) and from the manufacture of some plastic products (34%).

The Greenhouse effect

During the last 100 years we have produced a huge amount of carbon dioxide (from burning oil, coal, petrol, gas, wood, etc.). The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere works like the glass in a greenhouse. It allows heat to get in but it doesn’t allow much heat to get out. So the atmosphere becomes warmer because less heat can escape. So the Earth’s surface is constantly warming up.

Because the temperature is higher the sea levels are rising. They have already risen by 15 cm since 1880. Maybe they will rise another one and a half meter before the year 2030.

The Acid rain

The factories produce a large amount of poisonous gases which get into the air and in combination with water make sulphuric acid in the clouds. It later falls as acid rain which kills trees, makes soil infertile and pollutes water and ground.

Destroyed forests

In many countries the trees have been cut down because the land was needed for animal or crops. In other parts of the world the trees are cut down because their wood is wanted. This wood is used for buildings or it is made info furniture.

The soil in the forests is very thin, but it is protected by the trees. When the trees are cut down, the soil is washed away by the rain or blown away by the wind. Soon nothing can be grown on it. The forest becomes a desert.

When the forest is destroyed, it isn’t only the trees that are lost, the homes of millions of animals and plants are destroyed too.

In the last few years people have burned huge areas of rain forest. It means that there are fewer trees, and of course more carbon dioxide. And we know that the rain forests are the biggest producers of oxygen.

There are several groups in Britain which try to protect the environment. The most famous group is Greenpeace, which campaigns in many countries around the world. They have campaigned against hunting whales, pollution in the North Sea, nuclear power, testing nuclear weapons, and many other issues. Greenpeace supporters organize demonstrations and they also take direct action. For example, they block pipes that pour pollution into the sea.

Another important environmental group is Friends of the Earth. They have led campaigns against global warming, the destruction of the rain forest, and the hole in the ozone layer. There is also a Green Party, which is a political party. It has won seats in the European Parliament and on local councils.

The oldest environmental group is the National Trust which was set up in 1895 to protect parks, buildings and monuments in Britain.

We must stop destroying the nature because we are destroying ourselves.