environmental degradation and its conservation Flashcards
environmental degradation
The disturbance or damage to any aspect of the
environment due to human activities and natural disasters is called environmental degradation.
environment pollution
Environment pollution can be defined as the contamination of the environment due to mixing of waste materials that make the environment impure.
air pollution (causes and effects)
The contamination of air with unwanted and harmful
substances is called air pollution.
causes:
i. The smoke released from automobiles causes air pollution.
ii. The smoke and harmful gases released from factories and industries cause air
pollution.
iii. The smoke produced by burning plastics, firewood, etc. causes air pollution.
iv. The mixing of harmful gases like sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen
oxide, etc. causes air pollution.
v. The harmful gases released from dead and decaying materials also cause air
pollution.
effects:
i. Air pollution affects human health adversely. Various diseases like asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, eye infection, etc. are caused due to air pollution.
ii. It affects plants and cultural resources.
iii. Air pollution causes global warming.
iv. Air pollution causes acid rain.
v. Air pollution reduces visibility which may lead to accidents.
water pollution (causes and effects)
The contamination of water with unwanted and harmful substances is called water pollution.
causes:
i. The mixing of sewage and garbage in the sources of water causes water
pollution.
ii. The mixing of untreated wastes like industrial wastes, hospital wastes, etc.
causes water pollution.
iii. The excessive use of insecticides and chemical fertilizers causes air pollution.
iv. The excessive use of synthetic detergents causes water pollution.
v. The washing of clothes and utensils near the sources of water causes water
pollution.
effects:
i. Polluted water causes various water borne diseases like typhoid, cholera,
diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis, etc.
ii. Polluted water affects aquatic plants and animals.
iii. Polluted water affects photosynthesis in plants.
iv. Polluted water spreads bad smell and causes air pollution.
land pollution (causes and effects)
The contamination of land due to mixing of waste materials is called land pollution.
causes:
i. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides causes land pollution.
ii. The mixing of non-degradable wastes in soil causes land pollution.
iii. The disposal of industrial and agricultural wastes in soil causes land pollution.
iv. The disposal of households wastes and plastics on soil causes land pollution.
effects:
i. Land pollution decreases the productivity of crops.
ii. Polluted land affects the organisms in soil.
iii. Polluted land spreads bad smell and causes air pollution.
iv. Polluted land causes water pollution.
v. Polluted land contaminates the crops.
noise pollution (causes and effects)
The production of unwanted loud sound is called noise pollution.
causes:
i. Automobiles like trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles, aeroplanes, etc. cause noise
pollution.
ii. Various machines in industries and construction sites cause noise pollution.
iii. Use of loudspeakers, tape recorders, etc. causes noise pollution.
iv. Playing musical instruments in high volume and blowing pressure horns in
vehicles also cause noise pollution.
effects:
i. Noise pollution weakens hearing capacity.
ii. It increases irritability and loss of concentration.
iii. It increases blood pressure and mental tension.
iv. It causes insomnia, migraine and headache.
v. It may rupture the ear drum and cause deafness.
vi. Noise pollution results in psychological disorders.
green house gases and effects
- Various gases likecarbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane,ozone, nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide and
water vapour surround the earth. These gases are
called greenhouse gases. - greenhouse effect can be defined as the phenomenon of increasing temperature of the earth due to greenhouse gases.
effects and causes of greenhouse gases
causes:
i. The increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide released
by burning of substances.
ii. The mixing of harmful gases in the atmosphere
released from industries, factories, etc.
iii. The mixing of harmful gases released by automobiles in the atmosphere.
iv. The mixing of greenhouse gases produced by dead and decaying substances
in the atmosphere.
v. The mixing of water vapour in the atmosphere.
effects:
i. It increases the temperature on the earth’s surface.
ii. It changes the climate on the earth’s surface.
iii. It affects the water cycle.
iv. It increases the level of the sea and affects the people of coastal regions.
v. It decreases the thickness of ice in the Himalayas.
climate change (effects)
The change in the earth’s global climate over
time is called climate change.
i. It melts the ice of the Himalayas and the polar region.
ii. It increases the level of the sea.
iii. It causes loss of biodiversity.
iv. It changes the pattern of rainfall and weather condition.
v. It decreases the amount of fresh water.
vi. It causes improper distribution of rainfall.
vii. It affects the health of human beings.
acid rain (causes and effects)
Acid rain is the rain containing small amount of acids like sulphuric acid, nitric acid, carbonic acid, etc.
causes: Various toxic gases like sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, etc. are released from industries and these gases move up in the atmosphere.acid. In this way, different types of acids are formed in the atmosphere and they fall down along with rain.
effects:
i. Acidraincausesdifferenttypesof skindiseases inhumanbeingsandotheranimals.
ii. It decreases the fertility of soil and affects the productivity of crops.
iii. Acid rain damages historical monuments, sculpture, idols, etc.
iv. It corrodes rocks and metals.
v. It increases the acidity of water which affects aquatic organisms.
disaster and its types
An event that occurs suddenly and affects life and property is called a disaster.
- natural disaster: The natural events that occur suddenly and cause loss of life and property are called
natural disasters, eg. earthquake, flood, landslide, etc.
- Human induced disasters: The disasters that occur due to human activities are called human induced
disasters, e.g. road accident, aircraft accident, fire, etc.
causes and management measures of disaster
Slopes and fragile geological structure, deforestation, unmanaged industrialization, population growth, unmanaged settlement, unmanaged urbanization,unscientific agricultural practices in slopes, unmanaged construction, misuse of fire, etc. are the major causes of occurrence of disasters.
management measures:
i. Preparedness
ii. Rescue of the affected people
iii. Help, rehabilitation of and relief to the effected people
iv. Mobilization of help in a proper way
v. Development of public awareness
methods of environment conservation
- Generating public awareness
- Afforestation and conservation of forest
- Conservation of water resources
- Conservation of soil
- Pollution control and environmental sanitation
- Conservation of cultural resources
- Public participation
ntnc
The National Trust for Nature Conservation was established in 1982 AD to work in the field of nature conservation and sustainable development. It is an autonomous non- governmental organization of Nepal which is supported by a network of international
partners. It manages the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) and the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP).The National Trust for Nature Conservation has successfully undertaken many
projects on nature conservation, tourism, biodiversity, development management and sustainable rural development.
iucn
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) was established in 1984 AD in the name of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Natural Resources Nepal is a member of the IUCN since 1973 AD.The mission of the IUCN is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve
nature and natural resources. The IUCN helps Nepal to design curriculum and publish books,construct educational materials, frame environmental policy to conserve forest and wildlife and to manage national parks and wildlife reserves.
