Environment Degradation is the decay of the environment through the reduction of resources such as oil, quality of air and water, habitat destruction, demolition of the ecosystem, pollution, and extinction of wildlife.
It is explained as in the environment any change or disturbance considered as undesirable deleterious.
According to UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction), environment degradation is explained as the depletion of the capacity of the environment to meet needs, ecological and social objectives.
The environment is degraded when natural resources are reduced and the natural habitats are demolished.
Types of Environment Degradation
- Atmospheric degradation: Atmospheric degradation involves depletion of the Ozone Layer, air degradation, and particle pollution.
- Water degradation: In Water degradation, the main reason is the pollution of water that happens because of illegal dumping, trash dumped in the ocean, and discarded industrial waste in a large amount in the lakes and rivers.
- Land and soil degradation: Soil degradation happens because of the quality of soil that becomes poor. The reason behind this is the use of fertilizer and pesticides in excessive form at the time of farming. Also, leakages are done from landfills.
- Various other kinds of pollution: The other kinds of pollution are light pollution, noise pollution, and many other pollutants that degrade the environment.
Causes of Environment Degradation
- Overpopulation: Increasing the birth rate puts a burden on natural resources, which becomes the reason for environmental degradation, and because the development in health facilities put down the mortality rate.
- Deforestation: People cutting down forest for making homes and industries that became the reason for deforestation.
- Land Disturbance: Land damage is one most important causes of environmental degradation. It happens in mining, construction works, poor farming practice, etc.
- Natural Causes: Natural disasters like storms, tidal waves, avalanches, wildfires, and quakes ruined everything the plants, animals, and sometimes people also.
- Pollution: every form of pollution is harmful to the environment, whether it is air, water, noise, land, or any other pollution.
- Landfills: Landfills happen within the city because of the factories, hospitals, households, and factories due to the large amount of waste.
Effects of Environment Degradation
- Ozone Layer Depletion: Because of its depletion, the harmful radiation affects the earth.
- Economic Impact: There is a very significant economic impact due to environmental degradation.
- Impact on Human Health: Many health problems are rising day by day and have a harmful impact on human health.
- Loss of Biodiversity: The major causes of loss of biodiversity are overpopulation, global warming, pollution, and deforestation.
- Loss for the Tourism Industry: For tourism, the environment is most necessary and essential.
To Resolve Environment Degradation
- Reduce Consumption Level: Day by day, our needs are increasing, and that increases consumption levels. So we have to reduce consumption levels for the environment.
- Stop Deforestation: To reduce the effect of environment degradation, stopping deforestation is important for the environment.
- Reuse and Reduce Waste Generation: reuse and reduce is the best option for using waste materials and saving the environment. Also, we can recycle it and then use it.
- Avoid Plastic: Plastic is one of the most harmful to the environment, and nowadays, people are using more plastic-made things.
- Government Strict Regulation: There is a time for the government to make strict regulations to stop environment degradation.
- Fines and Punishment for Illegal Dumping: There should be strict punishment and high fees for illegal dumping to reduce the ecological consequences.
- Education: To give the knowledge of the environment to childrens is essential to make an eco-friendly environment.
