It has become common knowledge today that the environment that we live in has come under threat. The threat in question comes from both acts of man and so many others way beyond our control. However, in as much as there are so many causes of environmental degradation, humankind still remains the main contributor to environmental degradation.

It is even estimated that should we fail to come up with strategies to properly mitigate the effects of environmental degradation, the surroundings that we live in might soon be unable to properly sustain and support human life, or even that of other important organisms that make the ecosystem complete. It is for this reason that we need to make sure that we encourage practices that promote environmental sustainability.

Sustainability simply refers to the activities that we partake so that the environment can remain in good condition to be able to meet the needs of future generations. One of the groups that is greatly targeted by this is businesses. This is so because there are a lot of things that happen to the environment as a result of business oriented motives.

There was once a time when the sole purpose of business was making profits. However, business in the 21st Century has evolves to weigh a lot more on CSR amongst other aspects. It is due to the need to industrialize that there are factories coming up every day that make one product or the other. However, it is these same factories that contribute to the destruction of the environment through the production of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

The business objective as regards environmental sustainability therefore lies in the need to strike a balance between the profit objective and the moral objective. The moral objective for most companies that are involved in active production would include coming up with proper measures of managing waste, and also the proper disposal of the same.

After the Chernobyl nuclear accident more than 2 decades ago, we all thought that sufficient safety precautions were taken to prevent any future nuclear accidents. Well, it has happened again – this time in Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power station. Some may argue that Chernobyl was due to human error, which could have been avoided; whereas Fukushima’s case was an act of nature, which was neither anticipated, let alone thought possible. The question that stands out then is, “Is it really possible to build a nuclear reactor that is completely safe, so as to eliminate all possible nuclear accidents in future?”

For or Against Nuclear Energy

Critics of nuclear technology have been quick to point out that it is impossible to secure nuclear power plants, and even going to the extent of citing the cases of Windscale (UK) in 1957, Three Mile Island (US) in 1979, Chernobyl (USSR) in 1986, and the most recent Fukushima (Japan). What is more worrying is that, the Japanese, who are reputed for their technological brilliance, are unable to secure their nuclear plants, then who can? On the other hand, proponents of nuclear energy may argue that, though, nuclear accidents pose serious challenges, it is not possibly human to anticipate, all possible scenarios in order to eliminate the accidents. Furthermore, they believe that nuclear energy is the only way that humankind will be able to reverse, or at least slow down climate change.

The Lessons

So what lessons can we learn from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear reactor accident? To begin with, it is important to note that the people who are writing off nuclear technology as unsafe are clearly mistaken. Nuclear accidents have been far and apart; a clear indication that major safety precautions are undertaken to prevent disaster. However, what might be lacking is clear oversight, over the industry, if previous reports from the Japanese case are to be believed. Japan lies in an earthquake-prone region. As such, it has suffered major earthquakes before, and it is reported that the Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant suffered some structural damages over time. Authorities failed to raise the red flag then, choosing to do path up work. This is a complete failure on the part of government oversight.

Negligence in Regulating?

Second, Fukushima’s Dai-Ichi nuclear reactor was designed, and built by General Electric. The US on its part has a fair share of similar nuclear reactors, designed and built by General Electric. Surprisingly, most of these reactors are situated in seismically active areas, just like the Fukushima reactor. It then goes without saying that the US is sitting on a time bomb; if an earthquake were to strike.

The Way Forward

Since we have seen what happened to the Fukushima reactor, what can the government safety agencies do to ensure the same never happens elsewhere? As US Congressman Ed Markey aptly put it, governments must move fast to halt the construction of nuclear plants in areas close earthquake faults. In addition, the congressional representative proposes that the nuclear plants, already in earthquake-prone regions should have their containment vessels reinforced. Finally, all GE designed reactors, similar to the one at Fukushima, should be thoroughly reviewed for any weaknesses identified at the Dai-Ichi nuclear reactor.

The term “acid rain” is used to describe a phenomenon, whereby, there is deposition of acidic matter from the atmosphere. The deposition is normally in two forms; either wet or dry, depending on the atmospheric conditions. Dry deposition occurs in the form of acidic dust and gas, and is common in dry atmospheric conditions. Wet deposition, on the other hand, is common in wet climatic areas, and is experienced in the form of acid rain, acid snow, or acid fog. The overall impact on the environment, by these acidic depositions are influenced by several factors, key among them the pH of the deposition, the capacity of the soils and plant cover to buffer, and the different organisms whose livelihood depends on the water.

On average, about 50% of the acidic deposits fall back to the earth, whereas the rest is deposited on trees, buildings and other objects. The deposits other than those that fell directly to the soil may remain on the surfaces that they were deposition initially occurred, or either, get washed away by rainstorm, or blown away by strong winds.

Nitrogen oxides and Sulfur dioxide have been identified as the two major compounds that cause acid rain. These compounds are most common in industrialized nations due to the many large industries that burn fossil fuels to generate electricity. When coal or any other fossil fuel is burnt, it releases these gases into the atmosphere where they mix with other compounds such as oxygen and water, too form compounds that are acidic in nature. Examples of these acidic compounds are nitric acid and sulfuric acid.

Effects

Among the effects of acid rain are:

• Acid rain causes acidification of water bodies, such as lakes, and as a result negatively impacts marine life in these water bodies.
• Acidic depositions lower the soils pH levels, and as a result lead to poor agricultural yields, and the devastation of vegetation and forest cover.
• The Corrosion and decay of paints and building material caused by acid rain, leads to damaged buildings and infrastructure.
• The corrosive nature of acid rain causes respiratory and skin diseases.
• Acid rain contributes to poor visibility due to the various atmospheric reactions that take place.

What Society Can Do

It is important for society to understand the primary causes of acid rain, as this will help in formulating mechanisms for reducing the frequent recurrence. The cause can be summed up into one factor; air pollution. If society comes together and implement the various solutions that are meant to deal with air pollution, then incidences of acid rain will be greatly reduced. There are two major approaches to fighting air pollution, i.e. the reducing emissions of harmful gases to the atmosphere and the use of alternative energy. To reduce emission of harmful gases, industries can undertake a change of fuel, by shifting from coal to the more environmentally friendly natural gas. On the other hand, the use of alternative energy sources, such as hydro-power, geothermal, wind, and nuclear power, will help reduce emissions, since these are considered clean energy sources.

As Ukraine marks the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, it is ironic that the world has experienced yet another nuclear disaster; Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster. Although, it is yet to be seen whether or not, the magnitude of the Fukushima plant disaster will match that of the Chernobyl disaster; the two disasters seem to be very different, in terms of the cause and design. The only similarities seem to be the impact that both disasters have caused to the environment and the population living around the affected areas.

Of great significance is the upgrading of the Fukushima incident to level 7, the most severe rating on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Chernobyl happens to be the only other nuclear disaster that reached level 7 in history. This is an indicator of how rapidly the situation is deteriorating, and the serious effects that can be anticipated locally.

The differences between the Fukushima disaster and Chernobyl are very many. First, the Fukushima incident was caused by an act of nature; following the massive earthquake that hit Japan’s coastline, and the subsequent tsunami. The Chernobyl incident, on the other hand, was as a result of human error, in that the design of the nuclear plant’s design was flawed, on one hand, and an operator made a mistake when attempting an emergency power shutdown.

The second difference is that with Chernobyl, a large cloud of radioactive graphite was released into the atmosphere, which spread as far as Belarus and Russia. On its part, the Fukushima plant did not release any radioactive cloud, owing to the fact that the nuclear plant is water cooled as opposed to using graphite, as was the case with the Chernobyl plant. Instead, low-level radioactive waste water that was used for cooling the plant was released into the ocean.

Third, the Chernobyl accident was sudden with the plant being rocked by several explosions. This led to several fatalities instantly, and in the days that followed. Several other indirect deaths followed months and years later, with thousands suffering from various terminal illnesses. Unfortunately, the Fukushima incident was not very abrupt. As such, no direct fatalities have been linked to the disaster yet. In comparison, Japan’s nuclear incident as of yet does not match the death and destruction that was caused by the Chernobyl disaster. This can be attributed to the fact that the accident was detect early enough, allowing for evacuation of the local population, in addition to taking other precautionary measures.

In a way, it might be still too early to speculate whether or not the two incidences can be compared. For example, the Fukushima plant is still at great risk due to the tons of nuclear waste material that is still stored within cores of the reactor. Since efforts to trace the source of leakages, by determined engineers have not yet borne fruit, it just matter of time before the situation becomes critical. In the mean time, the release of radioactive seawater will have to continue, together with the leakage of radioactive material from the reactor’s containment vessel; posing a serious challenge as to just how much this incident will affect the environment.

This is deterioration of environment through depletion of resources such as air, water, and soil; the destruction of ecosystem and the extinction of wildlife. The United Nation’s High-level Caution panel has identified 10 threats with environmental degradation topping the list. These are;

• Environmental degradation
• Genocide
• Infectious diseases
• Interstate war
• Civil war
• Poverty
• Other atrocities {e.g. trade in women and children for sexual slavery}
• Terrorism
• Weapon for mass destruction
• Transnational organized crime

Environment degradation is of many types. When natural habitats are destroyed or natural resources are depleted, the environment is degraded. Environmental change and human health is a special section of world resources. This report describes how preventable illness and premature deaths are still occurring in large numbers. If fast improvement is made in human health, millions of people would live longer and healthier lives than before. In these poorest regions of then world it has been estimated that 11 million children do not live to see their 5th birthday due to environmental diseases.

Environmental Issues

These are the negative issues of human activity on the biophysical environment, environmentalism, a social and environment movement. Large amount of data has been gathered and these are collated into reports of which a common type is the state of environment publication.

Environmental issues are addressed at a regional, nation or international level by the government organization. Sustainability is the key to preventing or reducing the effect of environmental issues. There is now clear scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainable

Aviation on Environment

This occurs because aircraft engines emit noise particulates and gases which contribute to climate change and global dimming. Like human activities involving combustion, most form of aviation release carbon-dioxide and other greenhouse gasses in the earth’s atmosphere, contributing to the acceleration global warming and ocean acidification.

In addition to the carbon-dioxide released by most aircraft in flight through the burning of fuels such as the turbine aircraft the aviation also contributes greenhouse gas emission from ground air port vehicles and those used by passengers and staffs to access airport as well as through emissions generated by the production of energy used in airport buildings, the manufacture of aircrafts and the construction of airport infrastructure

Total Climate Effects

In attempting to aggregate and quantify the total climate impact of aircraft emission the intergovernmental panel on climate change has estimated that aviation’s total climate impact is some 2-4 times that of its direct carbon-dioxide emissions alone. This is measured as radiative forcing

Land is degraded when the biophysical environment is compromised. Any disturbance or change that is undesirable or causes damage to land degrades it. Naturally occurring phenomena such as the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, do not cause land degradation. The overall effect of land degradation is the reduced productivity of land. Reduced productivity goes along way into affecting the food basket of a country. This means that the wealth and economic stability of a nation will be greatly reduced.

Clearing land for the purposes of agricultural land, wood for fuel, timber for construction of houses and furniture causes land degradation. Clearing of vegetation and forests degrades land because it leaves the land bare and exposed to wind and water. This two elements cause massive erosion as they wash away the top layers of the soil that is rich and organic, and can support agriculture.

Intense farming and other poor farming practices also causes depletion of soil nutrients. This is because the chemical fertilizers applied to accelerate production of crops kills the naturally occurring soil nutrients. Poor irrigation practices like irrigating with water that contains sodium bicarbonate leads to soil alkanisation, which leads to poor soil structure.

Quarrying of sand, stone, minerals and ore also disturbs the land or changes the landscape of a given environment. The presence of a quarry near a residential area poses danger to the people living around it. This is because it can be breeding grounds for diseases vectors like mosquitoes. Water-filled quarries are also dangerous swimming places and there are statistics everywhere of people drowning in quarries.

Rural to urban migration has led to the emergence of urban sprawls. This is because there is high demand for places to live for the hundreds and hundreds of poor city dwellers. As a result many cities have seen the mushrooming of slums with close to no sanitation facilities, non-existent waste management mechanisms. All these lead to land degradation.

Overpopulation also indirectly causes land degradation; this is because there is increased demand for land for agricultural use. This also results in good agricultural land being saturated and over-farmed hence leading to soil infertility. With population increase and the demand for food comes the need for more water, for a place that experiences less than adequate rainfall, this demand leads to over-drafting; a process that affects the quantity of ground water. In over-drafting, the rate of underground water harvesting exceeds the rate at which nature replenishes the aquifers.

Intensive farming is characterized by high inputs of labor and capital into agricultural production of either crops or animals. This phenomenon is common in countries that depend on its agricultural land to feed their huge populations.

Intensive farming of animals involves rearing large numbers of animals in limited space. These animals require large amounts of water, food and medicine. They require large amounts of food and water because their need to grow as big as they can within a short period of time. They need lot more medicine because they live in small spaces and have to stay healthy.

Intensive farming of crops on the other hand employs the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and the use of a lot more capital and labor than the regular methods of farming. Intensive crop farmers use distinct styles of farming e.g. terracing (where hills are leveled in “steps” in an attempt to reduced soil erosion), the use of paddies for rice farming and other modern sustainable intensive farming that involves the use of bio-intensive agriculture.

Intensive farming is advantageous to any economy; this is because a country’s food basket is always full, hence making food affordable to the people. In intensive farming, a small parcel of land is used to produce a lot of food. When a small percentage of land is intensely farmed, it means that the rest of the land is spared from being cleared for farming.

In intense farming of animals, the dung from the animals is used to produce bio-gas that is used as fuel. This is advantageous first as alternative fuel, and also because it helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that would otherwise have been emitted into the atmosphere, thereby reducing global warming.

The biggest disadvantage, however, is that the chemicals that go into intensive farming in the form of fertilizers and pesticides harm the environment by polluting and poisoning soil and water. This is because the chemicals change the composition of the farm soil and compromise the naturally occurring soil nutrients. The pesticides uses in these farms also pollute the environment around the farms by getting into the air and water systems. Some pesticides also end up in peoples’ tables through the food that is harvested.

Animal rights activists argue about the unfair treatment of animals at the ‘factory’ farms. Animals are force fed so that they can grow faster as is the case with the foie gras.

Global warming refers to the heating up of the earth. This happens when greenhouse gases trap heat and light from the sun, in the earth’s atmosphere and increases the temperature. This phenomenon has serious effects to the environment.

The Greenhouse effect: This is when the temperature rises because the sun’s heat and light is trapped within the earth’s atmosphere. This is similar to when heat is trapped in a vehicle, on a very hot day. The vehicle gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. It is because heat and light from the sun can get into the vehicle, by going through the windows but it cannot get out. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it the earth would either be freezing or on the other hand it would be burning hot.

Greenhouse gases: These gases in the earth’s atmosphere, which collect heat and light from the sun. With too many greenhouse gasses in the air, the earth’s atmosphere will trap too much heat and the earth will get too hot.

Global warming is affecting many parts of the world. It makes the sea rise and when it does, the water covers many low land islands. This is a big problem to plants, animals, and people on the islands, since the water covers the land and as a result, plant and animals lack food and die. When plants and animals die, people lose two sources of food, plant food and animal food. They may also lose homes, forcing them to vacate the area or die.

Global warming is doing many things to people as well as animals and plants. It is destroying many forests and vegetation cover. The pollution that causes global warming is also linked to acid rain. Acid rain gradually destroys almost everything it touches.

Causes of Global Warming

One thing that causes global warming is pollution. In most cases, fossil fuels are burned to create energy. These fuels are made from dead plants and animals. Many pollutants are sent into the air when fossil fuels are burned. We use these sources of energy much more than the sources that give of less pollution.When we throw our garbage away, the garbage goes to landfills. The garbage is then sometimes burned. This sends an enormous amount greenhouse gasses into the air and makes global warming worse.

The damming part of a river makes a reservoir. This is done to supply water to an area. It can also be used to generate hydroelectric power, irrigation, and to satisfy whatever reason people may want water for.

The construction of a reservoir has not been without controversies especially for the community it displaces, its impact on the environment and the habitats it floods. The initial flooding, for example, leads to the death of plant material and consequent decay and decomposition. This in turn leads to massive emissions of carbon to the atmosphere. When non-oxygenated matter settles at the bottom and eventually produces methane gas. These two gases are harmful to the environment.

Since part of a river is dammed when a reservoir is created; it fragments the flow of rivers. This disrupts migrations of river animals like trout and salmons. It adversely affects their population, as they do not get upstream to their spawning areas. It is for this reason that fish passages are constructed in modern reservoirs. In some cases people intervene and transport fish downstream in barges, this ensures that there is also no lack of fish populations down stream from the reservoir. Reservoir destroys entire habitats and creates a new one, this results in many living organisms dying or migrating or adapting to the new environment. New organisms that favor reservoir conditions also come in into the area.

As a reservoir is constructed, there is a lot of disruption of ecosystems along a river. This is caused by the permanent inundation by the reservoir; it also alters forests, wetlands and other habitats that surround the riverbanks. Creating a reservoir also puts flooding in check. This is disadvantageous because there are flood plains ecologies downstream like forests and savannahs that solely depend on the occasional flooding to thrive and survive. Reservoirs also affect river sedimentation; this is because all sediment is deposited into the reservoir. Lack of sediment downstream and in the floodplains means that there is increased erosion, soil infertility and the water table will also be compromised. People who depend on flood recession agriculture also experience very low yields.

Reservoirs offer conducive breeding grounds for disease vectors like mosquitoes and snails. This means that the human populations living near reservoir locations are constantly in danger of getting diseases like malaria and schistosomiasis. There is also the inconvenience of displacing people so as to make way for reservoir construction.

Climate change is the aggregate change in weather patterns of a given place; this change can be recorded over several decades or even longer periods. Climate change can be specific to a region, or it can encompass the globe. In much simpler terms, it is seen as a change in modern weather and climate patterns.

There are very many causes of climate change. Perhaps the biggest offenders would be us humans; many human activities result in increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This gas is emitted when fossil fuels are combusted. Another cause of climate change due to human activities is the presence of aerosols in the atmosphere.

Apart from human causes, there are several other causes of climate change that humans have no control over; for example plate tectonics. This is a phenomenon where the earth plates move and cause a change in the topography of an area. This can change the climate of a particular area, a whole hemisphere, or Earth as a whole.

The sun, as the main source of heat for Earth, is known to influence climate change. This is due to fluctuations in the intensity of the sun. Variations in the Earth’s orbit also affect the climate of a place. Some natural happenings like volcanoes erupting, geysers shooting, and hot springs emit large amounts of gases and aerosols into the atmosphere.

There are lots of evidence of climate change and its impact on the environment. One of them is the rising sea levels due to glaciers melting; this is due to earth temperatures escalating. Changes in vegetation also indicate climate change; a mild change in the positive can result in more rainfall hence more vegetation. Adverse changes however might cause vegetation to die. A change in the negative, however, results in scarce vegetation.

Still on vegetation, there is a scientific process of determining how the climate was in past periods called dendroclimatology. This is achieved by looking at the width and the thickness of tree rings. A thicker and wider tree ring indicates a period of fertility and thinner, less wider rings indicate times of low rainfall.

The presence of some insects like beetles in some sediments indicate evidence of climate change. Scientists infer this because the biology of beetles and their genetic make up has not changed for thousands of years, and they are also found in specific climactic conditions.