The Environment

The Environment

The environment is something you are very familiar with. It's everything that makes up our surroundings and affects our ability to live on the earth—the air we breathe, the water that covers most of the earth's surface, the plants and animals around us, and much more.

In recent years, scientists have been carefully examining the ways that people affect the environment. They have found that we are causing air pollution, deforestation, acid rain, and other problems that are dangerous both to the earth and to ourselves. 

Environmental Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants.

Types of environmental pollution

The effects of pollution are undoubtedly many and extensive. Extreme levels of pollution are causing scores of harm to human health, animal health, tropical rainforests, as well as the large environment. All kinds of pollution including air, water, soil pollution, etc. have an impact on the environment. Following are main types of environmental pollution that we must be careful:

1. Air Pollution
2. Water Pollution
3. Land Pollution
4. Noise Pollution
5. Radiation Pollution
6. Thermal Pollution, etc

Water Pollution

One of the most common types of environmental pollution is water pollution. Generally, water pollution is the contagion of any body of water including lakes, groundwater, sea, oceans, etc. A few examples of water pollution include raw sewage running into the lake or streams; Industrial waste drips polluting groundwater, the illicit putting of stuff or items within bodies of water, etc. The most explicit kind of water pollution affects surface waters including oceans, lakes, and rivers. Sewage, Nutrients, Chemical waste, radioactive waste, etc. can make water polluted. Water pollution kills pollutants kill organisms and fish, crabs, birds; seagull.s, dolphins, etc.

Air Pollution

Air Pollution is another main environmental pollution faced by our world today. Air pollution takes place when damaging stuff including particulates and biological molecules are dumped into Earth’s atmosphere. It results in diseases, allergies or premature death in humans. Air pollution can bring harm to other living organisms such as animals and food crops that we eat. In general, air pollution is the pollution of air by smoke and dangerous gases, chiefly oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen. Exhausting fumes from vehicles, the burning of fossil fuels, Radiation spills or nuclear accidents, destructive off-gassing from things such as paint, plastic production, and so on can cause air pollution.

Soil Pollution

Soil Pollution is severe environmental pollution that our world is facing now. Soil pollution takes place when the existence of toxic chemicals, pollutants or impurities in the soil is in high. It presents a high risk to plants, wildlife, humans and indeed, the soil itself.  The surplus, escalating the use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers is one of the main features causing soil pollution.

Noise Pollution

Noise pollution has become more of an environmental issue since the industrial age. It is disturbing or extreme noise that can harm the activity or balance of human as well as animal life. The cause of most outdoor noise globally is primarily originated from machines and transportation systems, motor vehicles engines, factory machine sounds, aircraft, and trains. Noise pollution can result from machines, construction activities, and music performances. Noise pollution can cause tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, hypertension, high-stress levels, and other destructive effects on humans. It causes uneasiness and damage to living being’s mental and physical health.

Some other Main types of environmental pollution that we must be careful include:

• Light pollution: It is a broad term that denotes many problems that are caused by the useless, ugly, and pointless use of artificial light. Specific types of light pollution consist of light trespass, over-illumination, glare, light clutter, and sky glow.
• Thermal pollution. It denotes the sudden increase or drops off in the hotness of a natural body of water which may be ocean, lake, river, sea or pond by human influence. A general reason of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and business firms.
• Radioactive pollution: It can happen because of the release of radioactive stuff or high-energy elements into the air, water, or soil on account of excessive human activity, either by mistake or intentionally.

The Environment (Protection) Act,1986

[23rd May, 1986]

An Act to provide for the protection and improvement of environment and for matters connected therewith:

WHEREAS the decisions were taken at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm June, 1972, in which India participated, to take appropriate steps for the protection and improvement of human environment;

AND WHEREAS it is considered necessary further to implement the decisions aforesaid in so far as they relate to the protection and improvement of environment and the prevention of hazards to human beings, other living creatures, plants and property;