Environmental Challenges and Solutions
There are many environmental issues affecting humans and organisms in the world, by people taking resources and throwing toxic substance away without a thought. Three of those issues are cigarette butts waste, electronics, and deforestation. Each of these issues can affect present and future generations and animal’s health, water source and habitats.
Cigarette butt waste is discarded any and everywhere smokers finish their cigarette. According to Americans for Nonsmokers Rights (ANR), cigarette butts waste is the most commonly discarded piece of waste worldwide. It is estimated that 1.69 BILLION pounds of butt’s wind up as toxic trash each year, creating an enormous environmental, health, and economic
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At the rate of deforestation currently in the United States, only one-fourth of the forests standing today will be standing in 70 years, stated (Pritchett, (n.d.). We need plants and trees to help generate oxygen into the air by the means of photosynthesis, but because of the destruction that is done to the world's forests, there is less oxygen that is being re-released into the air. According to Pritchett, the forests have a tremendous ability to help protect topsoil and important soil nutrients. They protect against erosion and keep soil intact and with deforestation the streamflow rates have increased and global warming. Natural habitats for animals are a loss, which causes them to relocate to populated areas such as towns and cities, which harms the ecosystem. I can relate to animals relocating to the towns and cities because most of the plants and trees around my community have been uprooted to build houses. Animals have been coming into my backyard and a few have been in my basement and garage. The only solution to deforestation that is currently being done is planting more tree around communities and repopulate forests. Some forest is untouched and protected from deforestation, which helps protect each organism in their natural …show more content…
These environmental challenges can hurt our environment, which affects our health, water source, animals and their habitat. However, with each solution, we can move forward in helping our world.
Reference
Cigarette Butt Waste (n.d.). Americans for Nonsmokers Rights (ANR). Last updated Aug. 24, 2016. Retrieved from http://www.no-smoke.org/learnmore.php?id=731
Gorave (2014, June 12). Govrave Blog. Retrieved from https://gorave.com/consumer-households-spending-over-1600-annually/
E-Waste Recycling Facts and Figures (n.d.) Sustainable Businesses. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/e-waste-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878189
Pritchett, Vicki (n.d.) Deforestation in the United States. Home & Garden. Retrieved from
Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter (drug war facts, Page 1).
As long as humans have lived in forested areas, they have cut down trees for lumber and/or to clear space for agricultural purposes. However, this practice has resulted in the destruction and near extinction of our national forests. Today, fewer than five percent of our country's original forests remain (Thirteen) and the U.S. Forest Service continues to allow more than 136,000 square miles to be logged each year (Byrant). Even more alarming, is the fact that only twenty percent of the current public forest lands are permanently protected by law, leaving nearly eighty percent to be consumed by chainsaws and bulldozers (Heritage...).
The kinds of pollution caused by smoking outdoors include, air pollution, land pollution, water pollution and ecosystem pollution. The effect of smoking on air pollution is quite clear. The harmful chemicals produced from smoke floats around the air causing pollution. Pollution caused by cigarette litter is land pollution, water pollution and ecosystem pollution. Before talking about the details of how cigarette litter causes various pollutions, it is important to understand that it takes more than 10 years for cigarette butts to naturally disappear. When people throwaway the ashes and cigarette butts on the ground, they can start bush fire. Also, harmful chemicals still remain in the cigarette butts that the chemicals are absorbed into the land polluting soil and trees. These carelessly thrown away butts sometimes travel with water such as rain and end up in places such as sewerage or rivers. This contaminates the water people will later use. Polluting water also leads to pollution of ecosystem. As the water is influenced by the harmful chemicals, fish and plants living underwater are affected by the chemicals. Also, there may be incidents of fish eating cigarette butts. This is also possible for animals living on land. Some animals mistaken butts as food and eat them, which is very bad for their health. There are squirrels, cats and dogs on our campus. Imagine these animals eating butts as food and getting sick. Smoking boxes can provide smokers with a designated place to throw away ashes and cigarette butts and eventually decrease chances of pollution on
Environmentally, tobacco has significant costs for clean up- costs and precautions taken by the states. According to the California Department of Transportation, a major contributor towards storm drain garbage is cigarette waste. Over $41 million is spent by California public agencies and taxpayers to clean up litter off the streets, and cigarette waste is one third of that waste.
Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental practice not only to the smoker, but also to everyone around the smoker. According to an article from the American Lung Association, “Health Effects” (n.d.), “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., causing over 438,000 deaths per year”. The umbrella term for tobacco use includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and chewing tobacco. While tobacco causes adverse health consequences, it also has been a unifying factor for change in public health. While the tobacco industries targets specific populations, public health specifically targets smokers, possible smokers, and the public to influence cessation, policies and education.
“The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Scaling to 46 years, human have been here 4 hours, the industrial revolution began 1 minute ago, and in that time, we’ve destroyed more than half the world’s forests.” - Unknown. One major environmental problem in our world is deforestation - what is that, you ask? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, deforestation is the action or process of clearing of forests. Some consequences of this include a large contribution to global warming and climate change (about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year), loss of biodiversity especially in tropical rainforests, and the extinction of many known or yet to be discovered species. But, through some Debt-for-Nature Swaps, leaving forests
Restate thesis: In reality forests are better left alone, forests provide the earth with a regulated climate, strong biodiversity, and good nutrient rich soil for plants to strive on.
When most people hear the word recycling they think of plastic water bottles, milk jugs, or even old paper that they can reuse, but this is not necessarily the case anymore. Scientists and researchers have discovered a new form of recycling that is going to help better the environment and it can even help make people money! Smokers around the world do not think about recycling their used cigarette butts, but this new form of recycling has changed some of their minds on this subject. Recycling has been a major environmental issue, but most people have forgotten about it or they just do not care for it anymore. Paper recycling dates back to as far as 400 B.C. Some people even say that the early Romans recycled their bronze coins so that they
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Although it is beneficial for the economy for the production of tobacco products it is extremely risky to use the product. According to researchers second-hand smoke is terrible for everyone in the world who walk by someone who is exhaling. In the article by Robert Proctor “Why ban the sale of cigarettes? The case for abolition” he states that cigarettes are the “most deadl...
Though deforestation has increased at an alarming rate throughout the past fifty years, deforestation has been performed during the course of history. According to the World Resources Institute, a majority of the world’s enduring naturally occurring forests are found in Alaska, Canada, Russia and the Northwestern Amazon. Research has demonstrated forests are more likely to be destroyed and repurposed where economic revenues tied to agriculture and pasture are prominent, typically attributed to advantageous weather conditions, or lower expenses of demolishing the forest and delivering merchandises to the global
When addressing this issue, it is necessary to discuss the cost of curbside recycling, which outweighs any economic gains. Second, it must be made known that the recycling process wastes more natural sources than it saves. For these three reasons --economic, environmental, and experiential—curbside recycling should ...
The world today is vastly different from what it was before urbanisation and industrialisation had taken its toll on the world. Since the turn of the new millennium the issue of the environment has suddenly evolved into a widespread issue which is greatly discussed throughout the world. No longer are humans living in a world where the environment is serene or stable but much rather becoming unrecognisable and diminishing before our eyes. The plants, trees and flowers are life forms which God has created for us to enjoy its beauty but it is now solely up to us and many other organisations to protect preserve and respect how fragile our environment really is.
Environmental sustainability is making decisions and taking actions in the interest of protecting the natural world, preserving the capability of the environment to support human life and ensuring that humans use the environment in a way that does not harm the environment. It also questions how economic development affects our environment vice versa.
Today talking about environmental issues lately to be like a common topic discussion until people take it for granted. However, the world facing a complex environmental problems related to each trouble that connected to one another and come out with greater impacts to the environment and humans. This is because the effects of environmental only can be seen in long term period rather than immediately result show up. Environmental issues must become one of the controversial matters in the society in order to make people know the truth what the world currently facing. There were a lot of environmental disaster happened such as climate change, global warming, various of pollutions, earthquake and etc. the rise of environmental issues begin with this urban development occur through several countries following with the technologies equip along. For sure, development will cause a huge negative impact to the environment if it deals without a care. Besides, the environment is the place in the ecosystem to hold and use in finding resources to continuously survive in this world. Thus, the finding and digging for the resources which happening extensively without preservation will not restore the surrounding similar with before. But then, the change cannot be refuse and people need to take an action to save the threaten the world and the ecosystem from being extinct. If each country has own output in causing an environmental problem, then consider the world to hold all the damage occurred. Exposing the effects of environmental issues throughout the world, make people realize the important to take care the environment.