April 22 is Earth Day, a global event that draws attention to the protection of our planet, that there is nothing more urgent for humanity than this. Earth Day aims to raise awareness of the effects of human activities on the environment and encourage sustainable actions.
According to a UN report, if current emission trends continue, global temperatures could increase by 3-5°C by 2100, causing irreversible damage to Earth’s ecosystems.
Earth Day has been organized since 1970 in response to the environmental damage caused by the industrial boom of the 1960s. In the decades since the first Earth Day, many advances have been made, such as measures to protect the ozone layer, but climate change, habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, and depletion of natural resources remain threats.
What is the biggest problem?
It is difficult to say which of the human activities causes the greatest damage to the environment, the planet called Earth. Overall, however, it can be stated that the biggest problem among the various forms of environmental pollution is the emission of greenhouse gases, as it causes global warming and climate change.
A significant part of the emissions comes from the burning of fossil energy carriers (coal, oil, natural gas), which are released into the atmosphere during the activities of industry, transport and the energy sector.
The biggest polluters are:
- Energetics: 73% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from the energy sector, which includes electricity generation, heating, transport and industrial processes.
- Industrial activities: Cement production, steel production and other manufacturing operations.
- Agriculture: It is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane and nitrous oxide.
Did you know? The three most dangerous greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
THE carbon dioxide emissions already reached 36.44 gigatons in 2020. The transport sector accounts for nearly 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions, in which road vehicles play a major role.
THE methane emissions agriculture is responsible for around 40%, within which animal husbandry (for example, cow gas) causes a significant problem. Nitrogen oxide emissions can also be attributed to agriculture, due to the use of artificial fertilizers.
And the rest, and the rest…
In addition to the emission of greenhouse gases that cause global warming, we add to the burden on the planet with many other things. Just a few examples:
Extermination
According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), between 1990 and 2020, approximately 10% of the world’s forested areas have disappeared. This ratio is staggering, given that forests are vital carbon sinks and play a key role in keeping the atmosphere clean. The largest forest losses were recorded in South America and Africa, where the vast forests of the Amazon basin and the Congo basin are located.
Currently, there are about 4 billion hectares of forest in the world, covering about 31% of the Earth’s land area.
Water pollution
Pollution of rivers, lakes, and oceans comes from a variety of sources, including industrial activities, agricultural fertilization, and domestic wastewater. Heavy metals, chemicals and other impurities such as lead, cadmium and mercury enter the water through industrial processes, which are toxic to living things. Households are mainly responsible for plastic pollution… right?
Only a small part of the world’s fresh water resources (about 2.5%) is accessible and suitable for consumption, most of which comes from glaciers and lower-lying ice sheets.
The WHO reports that more than 30% of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water.
Agriculture
In addition to the above-mentioned pollutant emissions, the effect of unbridled agricultural activity is the reduction of natural habitats (since agricultural activities are carried out in more and more areas), the drying up of wetlands. About 70% of the world’s wetlands have already disappeared since the beginning of the industrial age. In addition, the habitats of many bird species and other migratory animals are disappearing due to agricultural expansion and urbanization.
Loss of biodiversity
The direct consequence of the above is that the number of species living on Earth is decreasing. According to the WWF report, more than 60% of the Earth’s animal species have disappeared in the last 50 years.
Currently, more than 37,400 species are in imminent danger of extinction, which affects more than 28% of species.
Biodiversity decline over the past few centuries and into the future (UN Environment Programme’s forecast). Image: iberdrola.com
We need global and local, collective and individual actions!
In order to find a solution (or at least to stop the harmful trend), integrated strategies are needed at both global and local levels. In addition to international agreements that have already been signed, such as the most comprehensive Paris Climate Agreement, local-level legal regulations are also needed in order to curb harmful activities and protect nature.
Technological development is also important, since many innovations that help sustainable development have already been born, but this alone is not enough.
The principle “I can’t do anything alone” should also be forgotten, because individual actions also count, especially in changing attitudes.
Our actions for the environment and the Earth show that at least our way of thinking has changed, and we can pass this on to the next generations.
Source: green.hu / author: Bori Szendőfi
Opening image: Pixabay
