What are the main environmental problems of our time. We solve environmental problems together

Environmental problems can be called a number of factors that mean the degradation of the natural environment around us. Often they are caused by direct human activity. With the development of industry, problems have arisen that are directly related to the imbalance previously established in the ecological environment, which are difficult to compensate.

The world is diverse. Today the situation in the world is such that we are close to collapse. Ecology includes:

Destruction of thousands of species of animals and plants, increase in the number of endangered species;

Reducing the stock of minerals and other vital resources;

Deforestation;

Pollution and draining of the oceans;

Deterioration of the ozone layer, which protects us from radiation from space;

Atmospheric pollution, lack of clean air in some areas;

Pollution of the natural landscape.

Today, there is practically no surface left on which elements artificially created by man would not be located. The perniciousness of the influence of man as a consumer on nature is undeniable. The mistake is that the world around us is not only a source of wealth and various resources. Man has lost the philosophical attitude to nature as to the mother of all living things.

The problems of modernity lie in the fact that we are not brought up to care for it. Man, as a selfish creature in itself, creates conditions for his own comfort, violating and destroying nature. We do not think about the fact that by doing so we harm ourselves. It is for this reason that today it is necessary to pay special attention not so much to solving environmental problems as to educating a person as part of nature.

Environmental problems are initially divided according to the level of their scale into regional, local and global. An example of a local problem is a factory that does not clean up the effluent before it is discharged into the river, and thus pollutes the water and destroys the living organisms that live in this water. Speaking about regional problems, the well-known situation in Chernobyl can be cited as an example. The tragedy affected thousands of human lives, as well as animals and other biological organisms that previously lived in the area. And, finally, global problems are those critical situations that affect the population of the entire planet and can be deadly for millions of us.

The environmental problems of the world today require an immediate solution. First of all, as mentioned above, it is worth paying attention to. Having come into harmony with nature, people will no longer treat it exclusively as a consumer. Further, it is necessary to take a number of measures for general greening. This will require the development of new environmentally friendly technologies in production and at home, an environmental review of all new projects is required, and the creation of a closed cycle is required.

Returning to the human factor, it is worth mentioning that the ability to save money and limit oneself will not hurt here. The wise use of resources such as energy, water, gas, etc. can save the planet from their lack. It is worth knowing and remembering that while your tap is running clean, some countries are suffering from drought, and the population of these countries is dying from lack of fluid.

Environmental problems of the world can and should be solved. Remember that the preservation of nature and the healthy future of the planet depends solely on us! Of course, well-being is impossible without the use of resources, but it is worth considering that oil and gas may end in a few decades. The environmental problems of the world affect everyone and everyone, do not remain indifferent!

The environmental crisis is characterized by the presence of a number of problems that threaten sustainable development. Let's consider only some of them.

Destruction of the ozone layer . The content of ozone in the atmosphere

insignificant and amounts to 0.004% by volume. Ozone is formed in the atmosphere under the action of electrical discharges, synthesized from oxygen under the action of cosmic UV radiation. Within the atmosphere, elevated concentrations of ozone form the ozone layer, which is essential for life on Earth. The ozone shield attenuates deadly UV radiation in the atmosphere between 40 and 15 km above the earth's surface by about 6,500 times. The destruction of the ozone shield by 50% increases UV radiation by 10 times, which affects the vision of animals and humans and can have other detrimental effects on living organisms. The disappearance of the ozonosphere would lead to unpredictable consequences - an outbreak of skin cancer, the destruction of plankton in the ocean, mutations of flora and fauna. The appearance of the so-called ozone hole over Antarctica was first recorded by ground-based and satellite measurements in the mid-199970s. The area of ​​this hole was 5 million m², and the ozone in the air column was 30-50% less than the norm.

Several suggestions have been made about the causes of the destruction of the ozone layer: the launch of spacecraft, supersonic aircraft, the significant production of freons. Subsequently, based on scientific research, it was concluded that freons, which are widely used in refrigeration and aerosol cans, are the main cause.

The international community has taken a number of measures aimed at preventing the destruction of the ozone layer. In 1977, the United Nations Environment Program adopted an action plan on the ozone layer, in 1985 a conference was held in Vienna that adopted the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, a list of substances that adversely affect the ozone layer was established, and a decision was made on mutual information states on the production and use of these substances, on the measures taken.

Thus, the harmful effects of changes in the ozone layer on human health and the environment were officially declared, and that measures to protect the ozone layer required international cooperation. The signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 was decisive, according to which control over the production and use of freo-

new The protocol was signed by more than 70 countries, including Russia. In accordance with the requirements of these agreements, the production of freons harmful to the ozone layer must be stopped by 2010.

Greenhouse effect. The release of many gases into the atmosphere: carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons, i.e. methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), etc., which accumulate as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels and other production processes, leads to the greenhouse effect, although these substances are almost not dangerous as independent pollutants (except for high concentrations).

The mechanism of the greenhouse effect is quite simple. Ordinary solar radiation in cloudless weather and a clean atmosphere relatively easily reaches the Earth's surface, is absorbed by the soil surface, vegetation, etc. Heated surfaces give off thermal energy again to the atmosphere, but in the form of long-wave radiation, which is not scattered, but absorbed by the molecules of these gases (CO2 absorbs 18% of the heat given off), causing intense thermal movement of molecules and an increase in temperature.

Atmospheric gases (nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor) do not absorb heat radiation, but scatter it. The concentration of CO2 annually increases by 0.8-1.5 mg/kg. It is believed that with a doubling of the CO2 content in the air, the average annual temperature will rise by 3-5ºС, which will cause global climate warming, and in 125 years we can expect massive melting of the ice of Antarctica, a rise in the average level of the World Ocean, flooding of a significant part of the coastal territory and other negative consequences. . In addition to the greenhouse effect, the presence of these gases contributes to the formation smog.

Smog comes in wet, dry, and icy forms. wet smog (London type) - a combination of gaseous pollutants, dust and fog droplets. Thus, in a 100-200-meter layer of air, a poisonous thick dirty yellow fog-moist smog arises. It is formed in countries with a maritime climate, where fogs are frequent and relative humidity is high.

dry smog (Los Angeles type) - secondary air pollution as a result of chemical reactions accompanied by

resulting in the appearance of ozone. Dry smog does not form fog, but a bluish haze.

ice smog (Alaskan type). It occurs in the Arctic and Subarctic at low temperatures in the anticyclone. A dense fog is formed, consisting of the smallest crystals of ice and, for example, sulfuric acid.

Global warming - one of the most significant consequences of anthropogenic pollution of the biosphere. It manifests itself in climate and biota changes: the production process in ecosystems, shifting the boundaries of plant formations, and changing crop yields. Especially strong changes concern the high and middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The rise in ocean level due to warming will be 0.1-0.2 m, which may lead to flooding of the mouths of large rivers, especially in Siberia. At the regular conference of the countries-participants of the Convention on Prevention of Climate Change, held in Rome in 1996, the need for coordinated international action to solve this problem was once again confirmed.

Tropical forest destruction. Over the past 50 years, with the participation of man, 2/3 of the forests covering the Earth have been destroyed. Over the past 100 years, 40% of the forests that existed on Earth have been irretrievably lost. The tropical rainforest is one of the most important suppliers of oxygen to the atmosphere and plays a huge role in maintaining the oxygen balance. Rainforests are called the "green lungs of the planet". The problem is that these forests have already been destroyed by 40%. Every year, 15-20 million hectares of tropical forest are lost in the world, which is equivalent to half the area of ​​Finland. The greatest losses were suffered by 10 countries of the world, including Brazil, Mexico, India, Thailand. If the destruction of tropical forests continues at the same pace, then in 30-40 years it will no longer remain on Earth.

Due to the deforestation of tropical forests, the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases annually by 10-12 billion tons, and the content of carbon dioxide compared to the middle of the 20th century. increased by 10-12%. There is a risk of oxygen imbalance.

The main causes of deforestation are: the plowing of forest land for agricultural land; increase in demand for timber

spring fuel; industrial deforestation; implementation of large-scale development projects.

According to the UN, approximately 90% of the rural and 30% of the urban population in Asia, Africa and Latin America use mainly woodfuel. Commercial logging

The main works are carried out without taking into account environmental requirements and, as a rule, are not accompanied by planting trees in clearings.

After the UN conference in Rio de Janeiro (1992), developing countries confirmed their readiness to reach an international consensus on the problem of conservation of forest resources, intending to take measures on their part to ensure the sustainable development of forestry.

Water shortage. Many scientists attribute it to a continuous increase in air temperature over the past decade due to an increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is not difficult to make a chain of problems that give rise to each other: a large energy release (solution of the energy problem) - the greenhouse effect - lack of water - lack of food (crop failures). Over the past 100 years, the temperature has increased by 0.6ºС. In 1995-1998 there was a particularly large increase. Carbon dioxide, methane and some other gases absorb thermal radiation and increase the greenhouse effect.

An even more important factor is the sharp increase in water consumption for industrial and domestic purposes. The lack of water has sharply worsened the ecological situation in many regions and caused a food crisis.

Desertification. This is the name of the totality of natural and anthropogenic processes that lead to the destruction (violation) of the balance in ecosystems and to the degradation of all forms of organic life in a particular area. Desertification occurs in all natural areas of the world.

The main reason for the current increase in desertification in various countries of the world is the discrepancy between the existing structure of the economic use of natural resources and the potential natural possibilities of this landscape, population growth, an increase in anthropogenic pressures, and the imperfection of the socio-economic structure of a number of countries. According to UNEP*, now deserts of anthropogenic origin

more than 9 million km² are occupied, and up to 7 million hectares of land are annually removed from productive use.

Pollution of the oceans. The World Ocean, covering 2/3 of the earth's surface, is a huge reservoir, the mass of water in which is 1.4 10²¹ kg. Ocean water makes up 97% of all water on the planet. The oceans provide 1/6 of all animal proteins consumed by the world's population for food. The ocean, especially its coastal zone, plays a leading role in maintaining life on Earth, because about 70% of the oxygen entering the planet's atmosphere is produced in the process of plankton photosynthesis. Thus, the World Ocean plays a huge role in maintaining a stable balance of the biosphere, and its protection is one of the urgent international environmental tasks.

Of particular concern is the pollution of the oceans harmful and toxic substances, including oil and oil products, radioactive substances.

The most common ocean pollutants are oil and oil products. An average of 13-14 million tons of oil products enter the World Ocean annually. Oil pollution is dangerous for two reasons: firstly, a film forms on the surface of the water, which deprives marine life of oxygen; secondly, oil itself is a toxic compound that has a long half-life; when the oil content in water is 10-15 mg/kg, plankton and fish fry die. Major oil spills during the crash of supertankers can be called real environmental disasters.

Especially dangerous is Nuclear pollution in the disposal of radioactive waste (RW). Initially, the main way to get rid of radioactive waste was the disposal of radioactive waste in the seas and oceans. This was usually low-level waste, which was packed in 200-liter metal drums, filled with concrete and dumped into the sea. The first such disposal of radioactive waste was carried out by the United States 80 km from the coast of California. Until 1983, 12 countries practiced RW discharge into the open sea. During the period from 1949 to 1970, 560,261 containers with radioactive waste were dumped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Recently, a number of international documents have been adopted,

whose main goal is to protect the oceans.

Lack of food. An important reason for the lack of food is the reduction since 1956 of arable land per capita due to soil erosion and the withdrawal of fertile land for other purposes. Thanks to the "Green Revolution" of the 1970s. managed to compensate for the decline in yield through the introduction of new varieties, irrigation, the use of fertilizers and herbicides. However, this was not achieved in Australia and Africa - there was not enough water for irrigation. Now it is clearly lacking in Asia and America.

Fish stocks have been drastically reduced. From 1950 to 1989, the world catch increased from 19 to 89 million tons, after which there was no increase. An increase in the fishing fleet does not lead to an increase in catch.

Population growth. The rapidly growing population is the most serious problem of the Earth.

Numerous attempts to reduce the birth rate have been unsuccessful. A population explosion is currently taking place in the countries of Africa, Asia and South America. In the Russian Federation, the situation unfavorable for population growth has developed due to a drop in the birth rate.

Questions for self-examination

What signs characterize the modern ecological crisis?

What are the main causes of pollution of the biosphere.

Give examples of depletion of energy resources.

What global changes are taking place in the atmosphere?

What are the causes and what are the consequences of ozone layer depletion?

What are the causes and what are the consequences of the greenhouse effect?

What global continental problems do you know?

What are the main causes of rainforest destruction?

What are the main sources of pollution in the oceans?

What are the consequences of population growth?

Environmental problems today occupy the same important place in the world as political, social and economic ones. Many people have already understood that active anthropogenic activity has caused irreparable damage to nature, and before it’s too late, you need to stop or at least change your actions, reduce the negative impact and decide environmental problems of the world.

Global environmental problems are not a myth, fiction or delusion. You can't close your eyes to them. Moreover, every person can start fighting against the destruction of nature, and the more people join this cause, the more benefit it will be for our planet.

The most pressing environmental problems of our time

There are so many environmental problems in the world that they cannot be included in one big list. Some of them are global and some are local. However, let's try to name the most acute environmental problems that we have today:

• the problem of pollution of the biosphere - air, water, land;
• destruction of many species of flora and fauna;
• depletion of non-renewable minerals;
• global warming;
• destruction of the ozone layer and the formation of holes in it;
• desertification;
• deforestation.

Many environmental problems boil down to the fact that by polluting a small area, a person invades the whole ecosystem, and absolutely destroys it. So cutting down trees, shrubs and grasses will not be able to grow in the forests, which means that birds and animals will not have anything to eat, half of them will die out, and the rest will migrate. Then soil erosion will occur, and water bodies will dry up, which will further lead to desertification of the territory. In the future, environmental refugees will appear - people who, having lost all the resources for existence, will be forced to leave their home and begin to look for new habitats.

Solving environmental problems

Conferences and various meetings, events and competitions dedicated to environmental issues are held annually. Global environmental issues now they are of interest not only to scientists and caring people, but also to representatives of the highest levels of government in many countries. They form various programs that are implemented. So many countries began to apply eco-technologies:

• fuel is produced from waste;
• many items are reused;
• secondary raw materials are made from used materials;
• the latest developments are introduced at enterprises;
• the biosphere is cleared of the products of industrial enterprises.

Not the last place is played by educational programs and competitions that attract the attention of the general public.

Today it is very important to convey to people that the health of our planet depends on each of us. Anyone can save water and electricity, sort garbage and hand over waste paper, use less chemicals and disposable products, and find new uses for old things. These simple steps will bring tangible benefits. Let from the height of one human life - this is a trifle, but if you put together such actions of millions and even billions of people, then this will be the solution to the environmental problems of the world.

Political, economic and social problems that concern the interests of all countries and peoples, of all mankind, are called global. Global problems arose at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when, as a result of colonial conquests, all the inhabited territories of the world were divided between the leading countries and involved in the world economy. At this time, the first global political crisis was born, which resulted in the First World War.

All global problems can be divided into political, economic, demographic, social and environmental. The most dangerous political problems for humanity are: a) war and peace and arms races on a global scale; b) economic and political confrontation between East and West, North and South; c) resolution of regional religious and military-political conflicts in Europe, Asia and Africa. Ecological problems took second place: the destruction of natural resources, environmental pollution, and the impoverishment of the gene pool of the biosphere.

Demographic problems in different regions of the world are very diverse. For third world countries, a characteristic "demographic explosion", and in developed countries there is an aging and depopulation of the population. Numerous social problems (health care, education, science and culture, social security) require a large amount of funds and training of qualified specialists to solve them. Humanity has achieved the greatest success in recent decades in solving global economic problems - raw materials and energy. However, in many regions of the world, these problems, as well as another one - the food problem - are very acute. Such intersectoral problems as the development of the oceans and outer space are becoming increasingly important.

With the beginning of the XXI century. persistent and well-known trends are shaping the future of civilization, namely: population growth, rising temperatures, falling groundwater levels, reduction in per capita crop area, deforestation, loss of plant and animal species, energy crisis, etc. over the next half century may have more impact on the economy than any other trend, deepening almost all other environmental and social problems.

In general, a problem is a theoretical or practical issue that requires research and solution, and a problem situation is a set of circumstances that require research. It becomes ecological when it is based on the use of an ecological approach, which involves the study of the environment due to the living conditions of living organisms, including humans. In this case, the environment is considered as a set of factors of existence of the population. And an environmental problem is an unsolved problem, not a process. It cannot be negative or positive as a situation, environment, state.

So, the ecological problem is understood as an unexplored or poorly developed aspect of the interaction between man and the environment, which requires further research and solution. At the same time, it is necessary to consider two social functions of the natural environment - the life support of mankind as part of wildlife and the provision of production with the necessary natural resources. Environmental problems are contradictions that arise in the system of material, energy, informational relations of society with the natural environment, their impact on a person and the conditions of his life.

Another concept is "environmental crisis". By definition, N.F. Reimers (1990), an ecological crisis is a tense state of relations between humanity and nature, characterized by a discrepancy between the development of productive forces and production relations in human society and the resource and ecological capabilities of the biosphere. The ecological crisis is characterized not only and not so much by the intensified action of man on nature, but also by a sharp increase in the influence of nature changed by people on social development. The current ecological crisis is global in nature and covers the entire biosphere. It is a consequence of the totality of the economic activity of our civilization and is manifested in a change in the characteristics of the natural environment on a planetary scale.

The population of the planet since the beginning of the XX century. increased by more than three times, and the area occupied by vegetation - a source of oxygen production - decreased by a third during this time. Erosion annually destroys 26 billion hectares of fertile soils in the world. Over the past 100 years, the carbon content in the atmosphere has increased 10 times. And this is not surprising, because over the past 30 years, 50% of the tropical forests of Asia and Latin America, which absorbed carbon, have been destroyed. Due to air pollution, more than half of the trees in Germany and other Western European countries have been damaged. As a result of human activity, a real threat of the greenhouse climate effect has appeared.

Due to the rapid growth of the world's population, many other problems arise. The demographic problem is especially acute in developing countries, and hundreds of millions of people are still doomed to hunger and poverty; 40% of the population is illiterate; about 800 million people are permanently malnourished; the annual income of half of the population does not exceed $120 per person. Developing countries still remain the global center of tense situations and military conflicts.

Despite this, it is possible to define global problems as global, concerning the interests of all nations and states, all classes, social groups, political parties, public organizations and each person in particular. Like any social phenomenon, global problems require systematization and classification. It is proposed to divide them into two large groups. The first group combines the problems operating in the "man - nature" system, the second - problems in the "man - man" system. The first group includes:

Problems of the Earth's population and its life support (food, energy, raw materials, as well as demographic problems);

Problems of environmental protection (they are called environmental)

The problem of space exploration and the World Ocean;

The problem of preventing natural disasters and dealing with their consequences.

The second group includes:

The problem of eliminating backwardness (economic, cultural, etc.) of developing countries;

Ensuring the security of development and enhancement of spiritual culture;

The problem of improving education, informatics;

The problem of combating crime, drug addiction and other negative social phenomena, in particular international terrorism;

The problem of the fight against dangerous diseases, especially those that are associated with social problems (AIDS, etc.);

One of the most acute is the problem of maintaining peace throughout the world.

There is another division of global problems - by nature. First, these are predominantly socio-political problems (prevention of nuclear war, cessation of the arms race; peaceful resolution of regional, interstate and interethnic armed conflicts, strengthening of the general security system). Secondly, these are socio-economic problems (overcoming economic and related cultural backwardness and poverty, finding ways to solve the energy, raw materials and food crisis; optimizing the demographic situation, especially in developing countries; developing the near-Earth space and the World Ocean for peaceful purposes) .

The third group includes social and environmental problems caused by environmental pollution, the need for rational use of the natural resource potential of the planet. And finally, the fourth group covers human problems (ensuring social, economic, individual rights and freedoms, fighting hunger, epidemic diseases, cultural backwardness; overcoming human alienation from nature, society, the state, other people and the results of one's own life).

Each section of problems makes it possible to trace the relationships both within each of the groups and between groups, because each problem is intertwined and interacts with another. So, any efforts aimed at protecting the environment lose their meaning if humanity is in a state of thermonuclear war; the solution of the environmental problem largely depends on the solution of the problems of poverty and underdevelopment, because the continuous destruction of many species of animals and plants will continue until the debt of developing countries decreases. The modern movement of global problems to the center of political life contributes to the development of constructive programs for solving at the international level.

With the development of civilization and scientific and technological progress, the rapid growth of the population on Earth, the volume of production and its waste, the problems of relations between nature and society are becoming more acute. Hunger, poisoned rivers and seas, stifling harmful air in large industrial centers, lost forests, hundreds of missing species of animals and plants, the threat of climatic anomalies, erosion and almost complete depletion of soils in agricultural areas have become a terrible reality. The primary source and root cause of the rapid development of the global environmental crisis is, according to international experts, a population explosion, which is inevitably accompanied by an increase in the rate and volume of reduction of natural resources, the accumulation of a huge amount of production and household waste, environmental pollution, global climate change, diseases, hunger, and in in the end - extinction.

With the development of energy, chemistry, metallurgy and mechanical engineering of the world, the accumulation of waste from synthetic washing powders, petroleum products, heavy metals, nitrates, radionuclides, pesticides and other harmful substances began to threaten; they are not absorbed by microorganisms, do not decompose, but accumulate thousands of tons in soils, water bodies, underground waters. The consequences of this are complications in obtaining the necessary substances, energy and information from the natural environment; pollution of the environment by production waste; violation of information links in nature, depletion of biological diversity; deterioration in the health of the population, the state of the economy, and social stability.

The problem of exhaustion and depletion of natural resources. There are natural resources in the world, which cannot be controlled and stored by the efforts of individual states alone. They are either located in the international space (high seas, space), or mixed between different countries and continents. These are the atmospheric air, the resources of the World Ocean and fresh water, the natural resources of Antarctica, animals, migrate. It is possible to use and protect them only under the condition of international cooperation.

There is a real danger of exhaustion or depletion of the Earth's known and available resources: iron ore, copper, nickel, manganese, chromium, aluminum, not to mention oil and gas. The solution to this problem requires the integrated use of raw materials, the introduction of resource-saving technologies, and the regeneration of secondary resources. Since development is inherently linked to the exploitation of natural resources, economic and technical decisions must take into account environmental aspects. Particularly acute in this case is the problem of rational development of energy.

global energy problem. In the modern structure of the energy balance of the world energy industry, traditional energy carriers - oil and gas, coal, and uranium - predominate. The main types of fuel on the planet are extremely uneven. Therefore, it is quite obvious that the main problems of this economic system are the need to restructure the world energy sector, change its structure, introduce energy-saving technologies, and use alternative energy sources. In addition, the development of the energy sector must certainly slow down the pace of development, since thermal pollution is already noticeable today - an increase in temperature.

The problem of rational use of land resources and food production. The development of the agricultural sector is associated with an increase in the anthropogenic impact on the natural environment and is stimulated by the aggravation of the demographic situation on the planet. In certain regions, for example, in eastern and central Africa, southern and southeastern Asia; in South America - in the mountainous regions of the Andes and Amazonia, a tense situation has developed with the provision of food to the population, the cause of which is inequality in the socio-economic development of countries and, in some places, natural disasters.

But the problem of providing the world with food is not that the world lacks agricultural products (the planet produces enough grain, meat, sugar, vegetables, etc. per capita), but that the distribution of their production does not coincide with geography of food demand. North America and Western Europe have a surplus of agricultural products. At the same time, in developing countries, agricultural productivity is still too low. So, the way to solve the problem is to look for opportunities to increase agricultural productivity, especially in developing countries.

An important problem is the use of the resources of the World Ocean - biological, mineral, energy. The ocean is also the "lungs" of the planet, which provides the bulk of the regeneration of oxygen (forests play such a role on land) and is a kind of temperature regulator on the globe. Economic activity in the World Ocean intensified especially in the second half of the 20th century. Increased production of mineral resources (oil, gas, deposits of manganese nodules, magnesium, etc.), which is accompanied by increased pollution of the oceans. The catch of fish and other seafood is approaching the maximum allowable indicators. Such areas of the World Ocean as the Caribbean, the North and Baltic, the Mediterranean and Black Seas, the Persian Gulf, and waters off the southern coast of the Japanese Islands are heavily polluted.

Unfortunately, this list of global environmental problems of mankind can be continued for a long time. A special place among them is occupied by the energy problem, which has been associated with the concept of "energy crisis" for several decades.

Global environmental problems are closely related to other global world problems, they influence each other and the occurrence of one leads to the emergence or exacerbation of others. For example, such a complex world problem as demographic, generated by the explosive growth of the world's population, leads to a sharp increase in the burden on the environment due to the increase in people's needs for food, energy, housing, manufactured goods, etc. Obviously, without solving the demographic problem, without stabilizing the population, it is impossible to contain the development of crisis ecological processes on the planet.

In turn, the environmental problems of desertification, deforestation, causing degradation and destruction of agricultural land, lead to an aggravation of the world food problem. The ecological danger of such a global problem as a military one is great. The Gulf Wars, with the colossal oil fires, proved this once again.

Deterioration of the state of the environment leads to significant economic costs as a result of the degradation of natural resources, pollution, and deterioration in the health of the population. The impact of the environmental factor on economic damage and global health is shown below.

Global environmental issues include:

• 1. climate warming
• 2. loss of biodiversity
• 3. ozone layer degradation
• 4. global air and water pollution

Global warming

More attention in the world is paid to the problem of global climate change, global warming. Its consequences may manifest itself in sea level rise and flooding of many territories, a decrease in agricultural production in the world, an aggravation of water scarcity in regions located north and south of the equator. All this could lead to catastrophic consequences for hundreds of millions of people, especially in developing countries, many of which are located in the geographic areas most affected by global warming.

Causes of occurrence: emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Can lead to global climate change.

Measures to combat global warming:

• -reduce carbon emissions
• -switching to carbon-free fuels
• -development of a more economical strategy for the use of fuel

Ozone layer

causes of the problem:

• - emission of freon gases into the atmosphere;
• Depletion of the ozone layer leads to an increase in cancer.

The main ozone hole is over the Arctic

The depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere leads to an increase in the influx of harmful ultraviolet solar radiation to the earth's surface. Now the thickness of the ozone layer over areas with a temperate climate has decreased by about 10%. Even a small amount of ultraviolet radiation is enough to harm human health. Here the main disease is skin cancer, the spread of which is rapidly increasing in the world. Ultraviolet radiation is also one of the main causes of cataracts, which leads to the loss of vision in 17 million people. in year.

Complex problems due to the depletion of the ozone layer can arise in agriculture, in food production, since more than two-thirds of crops are damaged as a result of excess ultraviolet radiation. This radiation is dangerous in the seas and oceans for plankton, which is an important element of the marine food chain.

Reduction of biological diversity.

It is associated with the disappearance of many living organisms from the face of the Earth due to intensive human activity. As a result of his activities, man either destroys organisms directly or destroys their habitats.

The average duration of existence of species is 5-6 million years. Over the past 200 million years, about 900 thousand species have disappeared, or on average less than one species per year. Currently, the rate of extinction of species is five orders of magnitude higher: 24 species disappear per day. The main causes of biodiversity loss are: loss of habitat. Overexploitation of biological resources, pollution of habitat, impact of introduced exotic species.