A environmental degradation documentation for school level and college level

1. ENVIRONMENAL DEGRADATION
Neha Patil, 4th sem, K.L.S.GIT , Belgaum
Muthu Gomathy, 4th sem, K.L.S.GIT , Belgaum
ABSTRACT
One of the worst threats facing the planet today
is environmental degradation. It is sad that each new day
indicates that the level of degradation that the planet
is exposed is on the increase. Degradation of the environment is
bound to make life intolerable for all forms of living things
man included now and in the days to come. Studies carried out by
major eminent organizations indicate a very alarming rate at
which the environment is deteriorating. It is due to this reason
that the High Level Panel of the United Nations has noted
environmental degradation to be among the top ten threats facing
man. Environmental degradation is enlisted and it shares space
with threats such as poverty, civil war and terrorism. This
clearly shows that we are heading into certain calamity. As
noted by Clark (2009), environmental degradation is the process
by which the natural environment undergoes degeneration to a
point that the health and biodiversity of the earth is exposed
to drastic deterioration. Environmental degradation is nothing
but disgracing organic and natural assortments and the quality
of all living things present on earth

2. MOTHER NATURE
The natural environment, with all its ecosystem services,
comprises the entire basis for life on the planet. Its value is
therefore impossible to quantify or even model. The state of
environment has – at any given stage – effects on food
production through its role in water, nutrients, soils, climate
and weather as well as on insects that are important for
pollination and regulating infestations. The state of ecosystems
also influences the abundance of pathogens, weeds and pests, all
factors with a direct bearing on the quality of available
cropland, yields and harvests.
What is environmental degradation?
Environmental degradation is defined as any threat towards the
survival of the ecosystem caused by the deterioration of
resources such as
 Air
 Water
 Soil
Environmental degradation represents the greatest challenge
facing the world today because it poses not only as a threat to
the survival of the ecosystem but also to our existence and the
security of states. Thus environmental degradation has a
substantial influence on the economic, social
and political sphere thus posing as the greatest challenges to
overcome today. The deterioration of the environment was first
brought to the public’s attention in 1972 at the United Nation
Conference on the Human Environment questioning the importance
and urgency of the issue. The United Nations Environment
Programme was later established along with various non-government
actors to tackle environmental problems such
as climate change, the thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer
and transnational pollution such as acid rain. Environmental
degradation has now become a global issue yet with the
governance of international law, the sustainability of the
environment is still under threat as issues such as whaling

3. cannot be stopped. Hence the future of the environment is still
unclear due to the presence of loop holes in the law.
How Environmental Degradation Occurs
Environmental changes are based on many factors including:
 Urbanization
 Population growth
 Economic growth
 Intensification of agriculture
 Increase in energy use
 Increase in transportation
Water deterioration
One major component of environmental degradation is the
depletion of the resource of fresh water on Earth. Approximately
only 2.5% of all of the water on Earth is fresh water, with the
rest being salt water. 69% of the fresh water is frozen in ice
caps located on Antarctica and Greenland, so only 30% of the
2.5% of fresh water is available for consumption.Fresh water is
an exceptionally important resource, since life on Earth is
ultimately dependent on it. Water transports nutrients and
chemicals within the biosphere to all forms of life, sustains
both plants and animals, and moulds the surface of the Earth
with transportation and deposition of materials. The current top
three uses of fresh water account for 95% of its consumption;

4. approximately 85% is used for irrigation of farmland, golf
courses, and parks, 6% is used for domestic purposes such as
indoor bathing uses and outdoor garden and lawn use, and 4% is
used for industrial purposes such as processing, washing, and
cooling in manufacturing centers.It is estimated that one in
three people over the entire globe are already facing water
shortages, almost one-fifth of the world’s population live in
areas of physical water scarcity, and almost one quarter
of the world’s population live in a developing country that
lacks the necessary infrastructure to use water from
available rivers and aquifers. Water scarcity is an increasing
problem due to many foreseen issues in the future,
including population growth, increased urbanization, higher
standards of living, and climate change.
Climate Change
While abrupt displacements may happen, we primarily expect to
see climate change causing a gradual migration by people
searching for more fertile land—or for other economic
opportunities to replace lost livelihoods. Humans are
introducing toxic gases into the atmosphere. This is not only in
gaseous form but also in liquid and solid states. These wastes
are introduced into the environment at levels that
are undoubting beyond the rates of decomposing or dissipating.
The building up of carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere has
led to global warming (DeSombre 2009). Our modern lives which
include cars, factories, big livestock farms and power plants
have led to high volumes of Green House Gases being released
into the atmosphere. Average temperatures are feared to increase
by more than twelve degrees Fahrenheit before the end of this
century due to the increase of these gases into the atmosphere.
This increase will make the world inhabitable especially for man
especially because a simple increase in temperature such as
seven point two degrees Fahrenheit can cause a catastrophic
domino impact leading to extreme weather conditions that may
lead to water and food shortages and fatal floods (Zuckerman and
Jefferson 2010).
CFCs, or chlorofluorocarbons, are the primary cause of ozone
depletion. When industrial processes release these chemicals,
they rise into the stratosphere and degrade the ozone.
Acid rain, smog and poor air quality have been the result of air
pollution. Both industrial operations and automobiles have

5. released gigantic amounts of emissions that have intensified
these problems.

6. Climate change and temperature :Climate change affects
the Earth’s water supply in a large number of ways. It is
predicted that the mean global temperature will rise in the
coming years due to a number of forces affecting the climate,
the amount of atmospheric CO2 will rise, and both of these will
influence water resources; evaporation depends strongly on
temperature and moisture availability, which can ultimately
affect the amount of water available to replenish groundwater
supplies. Transpiration from plants can be affected by a rise in
atmospheric CO2, which can decrease their use of water, but can
also raise their use of water from possible increases of leaf
area. Temperature increase can decrease the length of the snow
season in the winter and increase the intensity of snowmelt in
warmer seasons, leading to peak runoff of snowmelt earlier in
the season, affecting soil moisture, flood and drought risks,
and storage capacities depending on the area. Warmer winter
temperatures cause a decrease in snowpack, which can result in
diminished water resources during summer. This is especially
important at mid-latitudes and in mountain regions that depend
on glacial runoff to replenish their river systems and
groundwater supplies, making these areas increasingly vulnerable
to water shortages over time; an increase in temperature will
initially result in a rapid rise in water melting from glaciers
in the summer, followed by a retreat in glaciers and a decrease
in the melt and consequently the water supply every year as the
size of these glaciers get smaller and smaller. Thermal
expansion of water and increased melting of oceanic glaciers
from an increase in temperature gives way to a rise in sea
level, which can affect the fresh water supply of coastal areas
as well; as river mouths and deltas with higher salinity get
pushed further inland, an intrusion of saltwater results in an
increase of salinity in reservoirs and aquifers. Sea-level rise
may also consequently be caused by a depletion of groundwater,as
climate change can affect the hydrologic cycle in a number of
ways. Uneven distributions of increased temperatures and
increased precipitation around the globe results in water
surpluses and deficits,but a global decrease in groundwater
suggests a rise in sea level, even after meltwater and thermal
expansion were accounted for which can provide a positive
feedback to the problems sea-level rise causes to fresh-water
supply.

7. A rise in air temperature results in a rise in water
temperature, which is also very significant in water
degradation, as the water would become more susceptible to
bacterial growth. An increase in water temperature can also
affect ecosystems greatly because of a species’ sensitivity to
temperature, and also by inducing changes in a body of water’s
self-purification system from decreased amounts of dissolved
oxygen in the water due to rises in temperature.
Climate change and precipitation
A rise in global temperatures is also predicted to correlate
with an increase in global precipitation, but because of
increased runoff, floods, increased rates of soil erosion, and
mass movement of land, a decline in water quality is probable,
while water will carry more nutrients, it will also carry more
contaminants.[5] While most of the attention about climate
change is directed towards global warming and greenhouse effect,
some of the most severe effects of climate change are likely to
be from changes in precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff,
and soil moisture. It is generally expected that, on average,
global precipitation will increase, with some areas receiving
increases and some decreases.
Climate models show that while some regions should expect an
increase in precipitation,such as in the tropics and higher
latitudes, other areas are expected to see a decrease, such as
in the subtropics; this will ultimately cause a latitudinal
variation in water distribution.[5] The areas receiving more
precipitation are also expected to receive this increase during
their winter and actually become drier during their summer,[8]
creating even more of a variation of precipitation distribution.
Naturally, the distribution of precipitation across the planet
is very uneven, causing constant variations in water
availability in respective locations. Changes in precipitation
affect the timing and magnitude of floods and droughts, shift
runoff processes, and alter groundwater recharge rates.
Vegetation patterns and growth rates will be directly affected
by shifts in precipitation amount and distribution, which will
in turn affect agriculture as well as natural ecosystems.
Decreased precipitation will deprive areas of water, causing
water tables to fall and reservoirs and wetlands, rivers, and
lakes to empty and possibly an increase in evaporation and
evapotranspiration, depending on the accompanied rise in
temperature.Groundwater reserves will be depleted, and the
remaining water has a greater chance of being of poor quality
from saline or contaminants on the land surface.

8. Land degradation
Environmental degradation due to unsustainable human practices
and activities now seriously endangers the entire production
platform of the planet.
Land degradation and conversion of cropland for non-food
production including biofuels, cotton and others are major
threats that could reduce the available cropland by 8–20% by
2050. Species infestations of pathogens, weeds and insects,
combined with water scarcity from overuse and the melting of the
Himalayas glaciers, soil erosion and depletion as well as
climate change may reduce current yields by at least an
additional 5–25% by 2050, in the absence of policy intervention.
These factors entail only a portion of the environment covering
direct effects. The indirect effects, including socio-economic
responses, may be considerably larger.
LOSS OF CROPLAND FROM URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Infrastructure and urban development is increasing rapidly (UN,
2008). Settlement primarily occurred at the cost of cropland, as
people historically settled in the most productive locations
(e.g., Maizel et al. 1998; Goldewijk, 2001, 2005; Klein
Goldewijk and Beusen, 2009). Hence, as settlements, towns and
cities grow, the adjacent cropland is reduced to accommodate
urban infrastructure such as roads and housing. Globally,
estimates of the extent of built-up areas in 2000 range from
0.2% – 2.7% of the total land area (Potere and Schneider, 2007)
with 5 of the 7 estimates below 0.5%. Most of the differences
can be explained by the various definitions of built-up area and
differences between satellite derived and inventory based data.
All these percentages relate to about 0.3–3.5 million km2 of
land worldwide, which at first appear to be unavailable for
producing food. However, UNDP (1996) estimated that 15– 20% of
the world’s food is produced in (peri-)urban areas (although it
is not clear whether parts of this peri-urban area are already
included in cropland inventories or not; besides there is large
uncertainty and variability by city/region of the UNDP
estimate).
Preliminary future estimates based on the HYDE methodology
(Beusen and Klein Goldewijk, in prep) with the medium population
growth variant of the UN (2008) reveal that with an expected
increase of the global urban population from 2.9 billion people
in 2000 to 5 billion in 2030 and 6.4 billion in 2050, the built-up
area is likely to increase from 0.4% of the total global land
area in 2000 to about 0.7% by 2030, and to 0.9% by 2050,

9. corresponding roughly to 0.5 million km2, 0.9 million km2 and
1.2 million km2, respectively.
The computed ratio of built-up area/cropland area is 3.5% in
2000, 5.1% in 2030 and 7% in 2050, respectively. This means that
if all additional built-up area would be at the expense of
cropland (Stehfest et al., 2008), a total of 0.37 million km2 of
cropland would be lost by 2030, and another 0.30 million km2 by
2050.
LOSS OF CROPLAND AREA FROM LAND DEGRADATION
About 2 billion ha of the world’s agricultural land have been
degraded because of deforestation and inappropriate agricultural
practices (Pinstrup-Andersen and Pandya-Lorch, 1998). In spite
of global improvements on some parts of the land, unsustainable
land use practices result in net losses of cropland productivity
– an average of 0.2%/year. The combined effects of competition
for land from growing populations, reduced opportunity for
migration and rotation along with higher livestock densities,
result in frequent overgrazing and, hence, loss of long-term
productivity. Satellite measurements show that between 1981 and
2003, there was an absolute decline in the productive land area
(as Net Primary Productivity) across 12% of the global land
area. The areas affected are home to about 1–1.5 billion people,
some 15–20% of the global population (Bai et al., 2007).
A number of authors including den Biggelaar et al. (2004)
estimate that globally, 20,000–50,000 km2 of land are lost
annually through land degradation, chiefly soil erosion, with
losses 2–6 times higher in Africa, Latin America and Asia than
in North America and Europe. The major degrading areas are in
Africa south of the Equator, Southeast Asia, Southern China,
North-Central Australia and the pampas of South America. Some
950,000 km2 of land in Sub-Saharan Africa is threatened with
irreversible degradation if nutrient depletion continues (Henao
and Baanante, 2006). In most parts of Asia, forest is shrinking,
agriculture is gradually expanding to marginal lands and land
degradation is accelerating through nutrient leaching and soil
erosion. In fact, about 20% of the agricultural land in Asia has
been degraded over the last several decades (Foley et al.,

10. 2005). The pace of degradation is much higher in environmentally
fragile areas, such as on the mountains.
Unfortunate Impacts of Environmental Degradation
When factories produce harmful chemicals and toxic waste into
bodies of water, humans suffer. Pesticides and fertilizers can
also get into a region's water system and pollute it. Drinking
water is contaminated. Some residing in third-world countries
are highly effected by the degradation of our planet and
theseunhealthy practices cause the following:
 Illnesses
 Death in children
 Death in adults
 Poverty
In many countries in Africa, crop harvests are falling as
consumption increases. People are finding less nutritious food
to eat. One argument held is that while fields in wealthier
nations are used to grow crops for biofuel, poorer countries,
especially those around the Equator, are vulnerable to weather
changes, water shortages, and urbanization. All of these factors
are increasing the health and lives of thousands. Some
scientists and environmentalists are asking that non-food items
and agriculture waste be used as alternative fuel for vehicles
instead.
Losing Earth's Beauty
As humans dump waste products, use chemicals, and over fish in
the oceans and seas, areas of beauty such as coral reefs are
damaged. At times the destruction is so great that is cannot be
reversed. We are killing our planet and the consequences are
tremendous.
One example of this lies within the coast lands of Thailand.
Here marine and coastal resources at risk. Vast areas of
mangrove wetlands have been lost. Coral reefs continue to suffer
degradation, and the total fish available for catching is

11. declining. Not only is the degradation causing marine and
coastal resources to be lost, but this issue holds large
economic problems. When there are not enough fish to catch,
fishermen are without income to support themselves and their
families. In some coastal towns, the shores are eroding at a
rate of one to five meters per year. This results in an annual
loss of more than six billion baht ($150 million) in economic
terms.
Ineffective international policies
Ineffective interational policies leave the future of the
environment in a critical state with carbon dioxide level rising
out of control. It is predicted that the Earth’s temperature
will increase by “11-degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the
century” (ABC Science, 2010). Signs of the Earth warming up such
as the melting of polar glaciers have more than doubled since
“1988 resulting to an estimated increase of 27 centimetres in
sea levels by 2100” (Global change, 2008). The phenomenon of
globalisation has a negative impact on the environment with an
increase in sulphur pollution released by the burning of
petrochemicals and accumulates in fat. China suffered a $45
billion lost in productivity caused by deforestation. Sulphur
pollution threatens our survival causing “cancer and damage to
the immune and nervous systems in young children” (Global
Change, 2008). The increase in trade caused by globalisation
cause a raise in the use of non-renewable resources. Competitive
among economies will deter nations and businesses to comply with
international law which will place their business at risk; hence
the use of ‘greenwash’ to cover up their economic activities.
How to Stop Degradation
There are ways which you can help to decrease degradation in our
environment. Some of these include:
 Purchase recycled products
 Conserve water
 Do not litter or toss waste into inappropriate places
 Conserve energy

12.  Join an awareness group
 Talk with others about the impacts of environmental
degradation
 Be an advocate to save our planet!
Conclusion
Environmental issues are becoming a central debate on the
international agenda. Climate change is arguably the most
important issue threatening our existence. Therefore
environmental degradation represents the greatest challenge
facing the world today. Globalisation is the cause of
environmental degradation as a result of the rising in
consumption levels, resource depletion and rising greenhouse gas
emissions threatening sustainable development creating social
and political instability. Globalisation gave rise to global
environmental governance through the establishment of
transnational green politics and NGOs to raise awareness and
address the serious of this international agenda. However there
are issues associated with ‘governing the common’. Problems such
as compliance by countries and organisations pose a threat to
environmental stability. Hence tackling environmental
degradation will be a difficult task when full compliance is
required to tackle climate change and transnational pollution
head on. Therefore the future of the environment is uncertain
even though laws to phase out the use of CFC to prevent further
depletion of the ozone layer was proven effective, however
weaknesses in international law in tackling issues such as
climate change and the greenhouse emission will cause further
deterioration of the environment later on. Therefore
environmental degradation remains the greatest challenge facing
the world today with a lot at stake.