Environmental Issues

Global warming
global warming, is a change in the weather patterns, water supplies, and planting seasons on Earth.
Global warming stems from natural causes (such as volcanoes and continental drift) as well as manmade causes
(such as theozone depletion and deforestation).
Acid rain is a term used to describe moisture that falls from the sky that contains pollutants that man has added to
the atmosphere (primarily from factories, vehicles, and ships).
Almost 800 species on Earth have become extinct.

Climate change is causing the polar ice caps to melt, which is, in turn, threatening the existence of polar bears.

Pollution
More than 80% of ocean pollution comes from the land, primarily from chemicals and particles that creep into
waterways, which feed into oceans.
The ocean is polluted, on a regular basis, by: oil, solid garbage, fertilizers, sewage, and toxic chemicals.

There are areas of the ocean known as dead zones, because the oxygen has been depleted from the water. The
runoff from chemical fertilizers is thought to be the cause of dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.

Loss of Natural Resources

With the alarming rate of increase in population, the loss of natural resources has become one of the
major concerns. Issues like deforestation, animal extinction, shortage of water, lack of space and food
are only some of the concerns brought on by the lack of resources.
Loss of Biodiversity
The varied plants, animals and microorganisms, the different ecosystems (coral reefs, deserts, rain
forests, etc.) all have a unique role to play in the cycle of earth.
However, due to varied human activities like deforestation, and hunting, the natural habitats as well as
the survival of several species are being threatened.

Curbing Global Warming

Climate change is the single biggest environmental crisis of our time. We must act
quickly to adopt of cleaner energy sources at home and abroad

Ensuring Safe and Sufficient Water

As we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are
draining rivers and aquifers as pollution threatens the quality of what remains.

Biodiversity conservation: Biodiversity is critical for the survival of the ecosystem because it
can help in food production, disease control, crop pollination and recreation. There is need to
prioritize the areas that require conservation.
Habitat loss: the habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation and human development.
This is considered as the major cause of diminishing biodiversity globally. Many species are
faced with extinction.
Climate Change: Climate change is yet another environmental problem that has surfaced in last
couple of decades. It occurs due to rise in global warming which occurs due to increase in
temperature of atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels and release of harmful gases by industries.
Climate change has various harmful effects but not limited to melting of polar ice, change in
seasons, occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in overall weather
scenario. - See more at: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/15-current-environmentalproblems.php#sthash.GRze4gAx.dpuf

Dams and the impact of dams on the environment.

Land degradation and related problems, such as desertification and
soil and land pollution.

Natural disasters and their impact on all aspects of the environment.

Increased human population: The worlds population is increasing at a faster rate.

This has resulted in over consumption, leading to poverty and other environmental
problems. All the many environmental issues are caused by the large population that
can not match the available resources.
New technologies: Increased demand for food globally has forced scientists to
manipulate plant DNA to produce strong and drought and disease resistant crops. There
is the general fear that GMO products are harmful to human beings. When GMO food

products are released to the environment, they may not be recalled, making it a
dangerous global experiment.

. Waste Disposal: The over consumption of resources and creation of plastics are creating a global
crisis of waste disposal. Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of
waste or garbage and dumping their waste in the oceans and, less developed countries. Nuclear
waste disposal has tremendous health hazards associated with it. Plastic, fast food, packaging and
cheap electronic wastes threaten the well being of humans. Waste disposal is one of urgent current
environmental problem. - See more at: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/15-currentenvironmental-problems.php#sthash.efghnpok.dpuf

The earth is surrounded by a layer of gases called the atmosphere. The

atmosphere is very important to life on Earth and does many things to help
protect life and help life to survive.

Structure of the Atmosphere

The atmosphere protects Earth like a big blanket of insulation. It absorbs the heat from the
Sun and keeps the heat inside the atmosphere helping the Earth to stay warm, called the
Greenhouse Effect. It also keeps the overall temperature of the Earth fairly steady,
especially between night and day. So we don't get too cold at night and too hot during the
day. There is also a portion of the atmosphere of Ozone. Ozone helps to protect the earth
from the Sun's radiation.
This big blanket also helps to form our weather patterns and climate. The weather keeps
too much hot air from forming in one place and causes storms and rainfall. All of these
things are important to life and the Earth's ecology.
Air
The atmosphere is the air that plants and animals breathe to survive. The atmosphere is
made up of mostlynitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%). There are lots of other gases that are
part of the atmosphere, but in much smaller amounts. These include argon, carbon dioxide,
neon, helium, hydrogen, and more. Oxygen is needed by animals to breathe and carbon
dioxide is used by plant in photosynthesis.
Layers of Earth's Atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is divided up into 5 major layers:

Exosphere - The last layer and the thinnest. It goes

all the way to 10,000 km above the Earth's surface.
Thermosphere - The thermosphere is next and the
air is very thin here. Temperatures can get
extremely hot in the thermosphere.
Mesosphere - The mesosphere covers the next 50
miles beyond the stratosphere. This is where most
meteors burn up upon entry. The coldest place on
Earth is at the top of the mesosphere.
Stratosphere - The stratosphere extends for the
next 32 miles after the troposphere. Unlike the
troposphere the stratosphere gets its heat by the
Ozone Layer absorbing radiation from the sun. As a
result, it gets warmer the further away you get from
the Earth. Weather balloons go as high as the
stratosphere.
Troposphere - The troposphere is the layer next to
the ground or surface of the Earth. It covers around
30,000-50,000 feet high. This is where we live and
even where planes fly. Around 80% of the mass of
the atmosphere is in the troposphere. The
troposphere is heated by the surface of the Earth.

There are five layers within the atmosphere. The troposphere, the
stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere and exosphere are the layers of
the atmosphere.

The troposphere lies closest to the Earth and is about 11 miles thick. This
layer contains most of the air and oxygen in the atmosphere. Our weather
is formed in the troposphere. Water evaporates from land to become rain
or snow. Winds bring warm or cool weather.

The stratosphere lies above the troposphere and goes up about 30 miles
high. The ozone layer is in the stratosphere. The ozone protects us from
harmful rays from the Sun.

The mesosphere is the next layer, reaching 50 miles from the Earth. This
layer of the atmosphere is very cold about -180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brrrr! Here is where most meteors burn up. Without this layer, our Earth
would be pocked like the Moon and other planets.

The ionosphere extends 430 miles above the Earth and is considered
outer space. It is very thin and very cold. An electrical layer created by
ions is found here which is used to transmit radio waves. This electrical
layer also causes the Northern Lights.

High above the Earth is the exosphere, the final layer of our atmosphere.
This layer extends into space. Solar winds compress it and push it down.
When the winds are still, this layer can extend more than 6,000 miles into
space.