Causes and signs of the ecological crisis. Abstract: Ecological crisis and its signs

Kaliningrad branch

Federal State educational institution

Supreme vocational education

St. Petersburg State Agrarian

university

For nature management

GLOBAL PROBLEMS OF ENVIRONMENT. SIGNS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

Introduction

I. Global problems ecology

II. Signs of an ecological crisis

Conclusion

List of used literature

INTRODUCTION

Environmental issues… Pollution… No cars! We often hear these words today. Indeed, the ecological state of our planet is deteriorating by leaps and bounds. There is less and less fresh water on the ground, and the water that is still available is already of very poor quality. In some countries, the quality of drinking water that flows from a water tap does not even meet the requirements for bathing water.

And the air? What are we breathing? Many cities are downright covered with fog, but this is not fog, but real smog, which is not only unpleasant, it is incredibly dangerous for people's lives.

In the 1980s, people for the first time became seriously concerned about the state of their environment. natural environment. Such fears concerned both the present of our planet and the future of those people who will live on our planet in a few centuries. In addition, scientists, biologists began to worry about the issue of ecology. Today, ecology has become a very popular word. Ecology is a science that studies the relationships between all forms of life on our planet and in the environment. The word ecology comes from the Greek word "oikos" (oikos), which means "house". Caring for "home" in this case includes our entire planet, all the creatures living on the planet, as well as the atmosphere of our planet. Quite often the word ecology is used to describe the environment and the people who live in that environment. However, the concept of ecology is much broader than just the environment. Ecologists consider people as a link in a rather complex chain of life, including the food chain. This chain includes mammals, amphibians, invertebrates and protozoa, as well as plants and animals, including humans. Today, the word ecology is often used to describe the problems of environmental pollution. This use of the word ecology is not entirely correct.

I . GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Every hour, day and night, the population of our planet increases by more than 7,500 people. The population size significantly affects the environment and, in particular, its pollution, since with an increase in the population, the amount of everything that is consumed, produced, built by man and thrown away increases.

AT general view Crisis is a violation of the equilibrium of the system and at the same time a transition to its new equilibrium. Thus, the crisis is the stage at which the functioning of the system reaches its limits. A crisis can be characterized by a situation where obstacles arise in the development of the system, and the task of the system is to find an acceptable way out of this situation.

Mankind has repeatedly faced the emergence of environmental crises and quite confidently overcame them. It is known that main source life on earth - the energy of the sun. From the Sun to the Earth comes a huge amount of energy, including heat. Its annual amount is approximately ten times greater than the amount of all thermal energy contained in all the explored reserves of fossil fuels on the planet. The use of only 0.01% of the total amount of light energy entering the Earth's surface could fully meet the world's energy needs. However, the amount of solar energy assimilated by the Earth is negligible. Its increase is facilitated by the presence in the atmosphere of the so-called "greenhouse" gases and, above all, carbon dioxide, the release of which is noticeably increasing. It freely passes the sun's rays, but delays the reflected thermal radiation of the Earth. The atmosphere also contains other gases that have the same effect: methane, fluorochlorocarbons (freons). An increase in these gases in the air, as well as ozone, which pollutes the lower atmosphere, can lead to the fact that the Earth will absorb more solar energy. This, as well as an increase in heat generation from economic activity human, leads to an increase in air temperature on Earth.

According to forecasts for 2050, the probable global increase in temperature will be 3-4 ° C, and the precipitation regime will change. In this regard, in high latitudes may melt continental ice; the water level in the seas and oceans will rise not only due to the melting of ice, but also as a result of an increase in the volume of water due to an increase in its temperature.

It has been suggested that the summer heat in last years in many parts of the world there is a result greenhouse effect. To reduce the threat of global warming, it is necessary to reduce emissions of "greenhouse" gases, as well as reduce combustion various kinds organic fuel.

The causes of pollution and ways to prevent or reduce the level of environmental pollution are quite an important part in the study of ecology, however, this is not the whole subject of study. Equally important in terms of the use of our environment ways that protect heritage fertile soil, clean air, fresh pure water and forests for those who will live on our planet after us. Ever since the first ancient people appeared a long time ago, nature has given man everything he needs - air in order to breathe, food in order not to die of hunger, water in order to quench his thirst. , wood, in order to build houses and heat the hearth. For many thousands of years, man lived in harmony with his natural environment, and it seemed to man that the natural resources of the planet were inexhaustible. But then came the twentieth century. As you know, the twentieth century was a time of scientific and technological progress. Those achievements and discoveries that a person could make in the mechanization and automation of industrial processes, in chemical industry, the conquest of space, the creation of stations capable of generating nuclear energy, as well as steamships that could break even the thickest ice - all this is truly amazing. With the advent of this industrial revolution, the negative impact of man on the environment began to increase in geometric progression. This industrial progress has caused a very serious problem. Everything on our planet – soil, air and water – has become poisoned. Today, in almost all corners of the planet, with rare exceptions, you can find cities with a large number of cars, plants and factories. The by-products of human industrial activity affect all beings living on the planet.

AT recent times there is a lot of talk about acid rain, global warming the thinning of the planet's ozone layer. All these negative processes are caused by tons of polluting harmful substances that are emitted into atmospheric air industrial enterprises.

Big cities suffer from smog, they are downright suffocating. The situation is complicated by the fact that in large cities, as a rule, there is practically no greenery, trees, which, as you know, are lungs of the planet.

II . Signs of an ecological crisis

The modern ecological crisis is characterized by the following manifestations:

Gradual change in the planet's climate due to changes in the balance of gases in the atmosphere;

General and local (above the poles, separate areas of land) destruction of the biospheric ozone screen;

Pollution of the oceans with heavy metals, complex organic compounds, oil products, radioactive substances, water saturation with carbon dioxide;

Breaking the natural ecological links between the ocean and land waters as a result of

construction of dams on rivers, leading to a change in solid runoff, spawning routes.

Atmospheric pollution with education acid rain, high toxic substances as a result of chemical and photochemical reactions;

Pollution of land waters, including river waters used for drinking water supply, with highly toxic substances, including dioxides, heavy metals, phenols;

Desertification of the planet;

Degradation of the soil layer, reduction of the area of fertile land suitable for agriculture;

Radioactive contamination of certain territories in connection with the disposal of radioactive waste, man-made accidents, etc.;

Accumulation on the surface of the land of household garbage and industrial waste, in particular, practically non-degradable plastics;

Reduction of areas of tropical and boreal forests, leading to an imbalance of atmospheric gases, including a reduction in the concentration of oxygen in the planet's atmosphere;

Pollution of underground space, including The groundwater, which makes them unsuitable for water supply and threatens the as yet little studied life in the lithosphere;

Massive and rapid, avalanche-like disappearance of species of living matter;

Deterioration of the living environment in populated areas, primarily urbanized areas;

General exhaustion and shortage natural resources for the development of mankind;

Changing the size, energy and biogeochemical role of organisms, reshaping food chains, mass reproduction certain types of organisms;

Violation of the hierarchy of ecosystems, an increase in systemic uniformity on the planet.

Transport is one of the main environmental pollutants. Today, cars, with their petrol and diesel engines, have become the main sources of air pollution in industrialized countries. Huge areas of forests that grew in Africa, South America and Asia, began to be destroyed, providing for the needs of various industries in Europe and the United States of America. This is very scary, because the destruction of forests disrupts the oxygen balance not only in these countries, but throughout the planet as a whole.

As a result, some species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappeared almost overnight. Many of the animals, birds and plants today are on the verge of extinction, many of them are included in the "Red Book of Nature". Despite everything, people still continue to kill animals so that some of the people can wear coats and furs. Think about it, today we do not kill animals in order to finish off our food and not die of hunger, as our ancient ancestors did. Today people kill animals for fun, in order to get their fur. Some of these animals, such as foxes, are in real danger of disappearing forever from the face of our planet. Every hour, several species of plants and animals disappear from the face of our planet. Rivers and lakes dry up.

Another global environmental problem The so-called acid rain.

Acid rain is one of the most serious forms of environmental pollution, dangerous disease biosphere. These rains are formed due to the entry into the atmosphere at a great height from the burning fuel (especially sulfurous) sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The weak solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid thus obtained in the atmosphere can fall out in the form of precipitation, sometimes after several days, hundreds of kilometers from the source of release. It is still technically impossible to determine the origin of acid rain. Penetrating into the soil, acid rain disrupts its structure, adversely affects beneficial microorganisms, dissolves natural minerals such as calcium and potassium, carrying them into the subsoil and taking away from plants their main source of nutrition. The damage caused to vegetation by acid rain, especially sulfur compounds, is enormous. An external sign of exposure to sulfur dioxide is the gradual darkening of the leaves on the trees, the reddening of pine needles.

Air pollution heat generating plants, industry and transport, scientists believe, has led to a new phenomenon - the defeat of some types of deciduous trees, as well as to the rapid reduction in the growth rate of at least six species coniferous trees, which can be traced by the annual rings of these trees.

Damage caused in Europe by acid rain to fish stocks, vegetation, architectural structures, is estimated at 3 billion dollars a year.

Acid rain, various harmful substances in the air of large cities, also cause the destruction of industrial structures and metal parts. Big damage cause acid rain to human health. Harmful substances, which form acid rain, are transported, with air currents from one country to another, which sometimes causes international conflicts.

In addition to climate warming and the appearance of acid rain, there is one more thing on the planet. global phenomenon- Destruction of the Earth's ozone layer. If the maximum permissible concentration is exceeded, ozone has a harmful effect on humans and animals. When combined with car exhaust gases and industrial emissions, the harmful effect of ozone is enhanced, especially when this mixture is exposed to sunlight. However, ozone layer at an altitude of H-20 km from

The surface of the earth delays the hard ultraviolet radiation of the Sun, which has a destructive effect on the human body and animals. Excess solar radiation causes skin cancer and other diseases, reducing the productivity of agricultural land and the oceans. Today, about 1300 thousand tons of ozone-depleting substances are produced all over the world, less than 10% of them - in Russia.

To prevent serious consequences associated with the destruction of the protective ozone layer of the Earth, on international level The Vienna Convention was adopted to protect it. It provides for a freeze and subsequent reduction in the production of ozone-depleting substances, as well as the development of their harmless substitutes.

One of the global environmental issues - a sharp increase in the population of the planet. And for every well-fed person, there is another who barely manages to feed himself, and a third who is malnourished from day to day. The main means of agricultural production is land - the most important part of the environment, characterized by space, relief, climate, soil cover, vegetation, water. During the period of its development, mankind has lost almost 2 billion hectares of productive land due to water, wind erosion and other destructive processes. This is more than currently under arable land and pastures. The rate of modern desertification, according to the UN, is about 6 million hectares per year.

As a result of anthropogenic impact, lands and soils are polluted, which leads to a decrease in their fertility, and in some cases to their withdrawal from land use. Sources of land pollution are industry, transport, energy, chemical fertilizers, household waste and other types of human activities. Land pollution occurs through sewage, air, as a result of the direct impact of physical, chemical, biological factors, exported and dumped on the land of production waste. Global soil pollution is created due to the long-range transport of a pollutant over a distance of more than 1000 km from any source of pollution. The greatest danger to soils is chemical pollution, erosion and salinization.

CONCLUSION

The possibilities of using available natural resources increase to the limits of technical and economic rationality and are not automatically limited by the available natural resource (environmental) potential as a set of environmental benefits necessary for people's lives and their physical well-being. In this regard, the integral or sectoral exploitation of resources can lead (and usually leads) to the destruction of natural systems (directly or indirectly, indirectly). This destruction is perceived as an ecological crisis of a local, regional or global scale.

In communities that have been disturbed due to human impact, new species with unpredictable properties are already emerging in our time. It should be expected that this process will grow like an avalanche. When these species are introduced into the "old" communities, their destruction may occur and an ecological crisis may occur.

According to these forecasts, over the next 30-40 years, if existing trends continue in industrial countries and regions of the planet, the level of the relative impact of environmental quality on the health of the population will increase from 20-40 to 50-60%, and the cost of material resources, energy and labor will increase by stabilization of environmental conditions will become the largest item in the economy, exceeding 40-50% of GDP. This should be associated with a profound qualitative change in production, a socio-psychological transformation of the consumer society, a change in the stereotype of values, and the humanization of the economy. No matter how far such an idea may seem from today's realities, without a certain aspiration for a new ideology, for a new humanitarian and technological level of the relationship between man and nature, it is impossible to overcome the ecological crisis.

LIST OF USED LITERATURE

1) "Ecological foundations of nature management". Authors: V.G. Eremin, V.G., Safonov. M-2002

2) "Ecological foundations of nature management". Authors E.A. Arustamov, I.V. Levanova, N.V. Barkalova, M-2000

Lecture 2.1 Signs of an ecological crisis

Ecological crisis- this is a tense state of the relationship between humanity and nature, characterized by a discrepancy between development productive forces and production relations in human society to the resource and economic opportunities of the biosphere..

The ecological crisis can also be viewed as a conflict in the interaction species or kind with nature. In a crisis, nature, as it were, reminds us of the inviolability of its laws, those who violate these laws perish. So there was a qualitative renewal of living beings on Earth. In a broader sense, the ecological crisis is understood as a phase in the development of the biosphere, in which a qualitative renewal of living matter takes place (the extinction of some species and the emergence of others).

The modern ecological crisis is called the “crisis of decomposers”, i.e. its defining feature is the dangerous pollution of the biosphere due to human activity and the associated violation of the natural balance.

The term “environmental crisis” first appeared in scientific literature in the mid 1970s.

The ecological crisis is usually divided into two parts: natural and social. Natural some indicate the onset of degradation, destruction of the natural environment. Social side of the ecological crisis lies in the inability of state and public structures to stop the degradation of the environment and improve it. Both sides of the ecological crisis are closely interconnected. The onset of the ecological crisis can be stopped only with rational public policy, availability of state programs and responsible for their implementation state structures, advanced economy and implementation emergency measures for environmental protection.

Signs of a Modern Ecological Crisis

· dangerous pollution of the biosphere;

· depletion of energy reserves;

· reduction species diversity.

Dangerous pollution of the biosphere associated with the development of industry, agriculture, development of transport, urbanization. A huge amount of toxic and harmful emissions from economic activity enters the biosphere. The peculiarity of these emissions is that these compounds are not included in natural metabolic processes and accumulate in the biosphere. For example, when burning wood fuel, carbon dioxide is released, which is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis, as a result of which oxygen is produced. When burning oil, sulfur dioxide is released, which is not included in the natural exchange processes, but accumulates in the lower layers of the atmosphere, interacts with water and falls to the ground in the form of acid doges.

AT agriculture used a large number of pesticides and pesticides that accumulate in the soil, plants, animal tissues.

Dangerous pollution of the biosphere is expressed in the fact that the content of harmful and toxic substances in its individual constituent parts exceeds the maximum allowable limits. For example, in many regions of Russia, the content of a number of harmful substances in water, air, soil exceeds the maximum allowable standards by 5-20 times.

According to statistics, among all sources of pollution on the per-

In the first place - vehicle exhaust gases (up to 70% of all diseases in cities are caused by them), in the second place - emissions from thermal power plants, in the third - the chemical industry. (According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, the nuclear industry is in 26th place.) Today, the hydrosphere (primarily poisonous effluents) and soils (acid rain and waste water, including radioactive ones) are no less polluted.

On the territory of Russia there are landfills for waste disposal, where waste is stored not only from Russian lands, but also from the territories of other former Soviet republics, as well as from the territories of those countries where nuclear power facilities have been built using Soviet technology.

Depletion of energy reserves. The level of energy

The value of human labor is growing at an unprecedented rate never seen in many millennia of human history. The accelerated development of the energy sector is associated primarily with the growth industrial production and its power supply.

The main sources of energy used by man are: thermal energy, hydropower, atomic Energy. Thermal energy is obtained by burning wood, peat, coal, oil and gas. Companies that generate electricity based on chemical fuel are called thermal power plants.

Oil, coal and gas are non-renewable natural resources, and their stocks are limited. world reserves oil in 1997 were estimated at 1016 billion barrels (162,753.04 million tons), i.e. before

By 2020, there will be no oil left on Earth.

strip there is much more on the planet than oil. World gas reserves are estimated at about 350 trillion m³ (including 136 trillion m³ of explored). With global consumption forecast for 2010 of 3.55 trillion m³ of gas per year, explored reserves will run out in 40 years, i.e. almost simultaneously with oil. Russia is much richer in natural gas than other countries: explored reserves of about 49 trillion m³. Over 70% of the gas produced in the country comes from the two richest deposits on the planet: Urengoyskoye and Yamburgskoye.

hard coal There is much more to Earth than oil and gas. According to experts, its reserves can last for hundreds of years. However, coal is an environmentally dirty fuel, it contains a lot of ash, sulfur, and harmful metals. From hard coal can get liquid

fuel for transportation (it was made in Germany during World War II), but it is very expensive ($450/ton), and now it is not produced. factories in Russia liquid fuel from coal in Angarsk, Salavat, Novocherkassk are closed due to unprofitability.

Currently, new approaches to solving the problem of the energy crisis are being successfully developed.

1. Reorientation to other types of energy;

2. Mining on the continental shelf.

Reducing species diversity. In total since 1600

226 species and subspecies of vertebrates have disappeared, and over the past 60 years - 76 species, and about 1000 species are endangered. If it persists modern trend extermination of wildlife, then in 20 years the planet will lose 1/5 of the described species of flora and fauna, which threatens the stability of the biosphere - an important condition for the life support of mankind.

Where conditions are unfavorable, biodiversity is low. AT tropical forest up to 1000 species of plants live, in the deciduous forest of the temperate zone - 30-40 species, in the pasture - 20-30 species. Species diversity is an important factor that ensures the stability of the ecosystem to adverse external influences. The reduction of species diversity can cause irreversible and unpredictable changes on a global scale, so this problem is being solved by the entire world community.

One way to solve this problem is to create reserves. In our country, for example, there are currently 95 reserves. Certain experience international cooperation in conservation natural wealth already in place: 149 countries have signed the Convention on the Conservation of Species Diversity; the Conventions for the Protection of Wet Territories (1971) and the Trade Convention were signed rare species endangered flora and fauna (1973); since 1982 there has been an international moratorium on commercial whaling.

An ecological crisis is a tense state of relations between mankind and nature, characterized by a discrepancy between the development of productive forces and production relations in human society, and the resource and economic possibilities of the biosphere.

The ecological crisis can also be viewed as a conflict in the interaction of a biospecies or genus with nature. In a crisis, nature, as it were, reminds us of the inviolability of its laws, and those who violate these laws perish. So there was a qualitative renewal of living beings on Earth. In a broader sense, the ecological crisis is understood as a phase in the development of the biosphere, in which a qualitative renewal of living matter takes place (the extinction of some species and the emergence of others).

The modern ecological crisis is called the "crisis of decomposers", i.e. its defining feature is the dangerous pollution of the biosphere due to anthropogenic activity, and the associated violation of the natural balance. The concept of "environmental crisis" first appeared in the scientific literature in the mid-1970s. According to its structure, the ecological crisis is usually divided into two parts: natural and social.

The natural part indicates the onset of degradation, the destruction of the natural environment. social side The ecological crisis lies in the inability of state and public structures to stop the degradation of the environment and improve it. Both sides of the ecological crisis are closely interconnected. The onset of the ecological crisis can be stopped only with a rational state policy, the existence of state programs and state structures responsible for their implementation.

Signs of the modern ecological crisis are:

1. Dangerous pollution of the biosphere
2. Depletion of energy reserves
3. Reduction of species biodiversity

Dangerous pollution of the biosphere.

Dangerous pollution of the biosphere is associated with the development of industry, agriculture, the development of transport, and urbanization. A huge amount of toxic and harmful emissions from economic activity enters the biosphere. A feature of these emissions is that these compounds are not included in natural metabolic processes and accumulate in the biosphere. For example, when burning wood fuel, carbon dioxide is released, which is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis, and as a result, oxygen is produced. When oil is burned, sulfur dioxide is released, which is not included in the natural exchange processes, but accumulates in the lower layers of the atmosphere, interacts with water and falls to the ground in the form of acid rain.

In agriculture, a large number of pesticides and pesticides are used, which accumulate in the soil, plants, and animal tissues. Dangerous pollution of the biosphere is expressed in the fact that the content of harmful and toxic substances in its individual components exceeds the maximum permissible standards. For example, in many regions of Russia, the content of a number of harmful substances (pesticides, heavy metals, phenols, dioxins) in water, air, soil exceeds the maximum allowable standards by 5-20 times.

According to statistics, among all sources of pollution, vehicle exhaust fumes are in first place (up to 70% of all diseases in cities are caused by them), emissions from thermal power plants are second, and the chemical industry is third.

Depletion of energy resources .

The main sources of energy used by man are: thermal energy, hydropower, nuclear energy. Thermal energy is obtained by burning wood, peat, coal, oil and gas. Companies that generate electricity from chemical fuels are called thermal power plants. Oil, coal and gas are non-renewable natural resources and their reserves are limited.

The calorific value of coal is lower than that of oil and gas, and its extraction is much more expensive. In many countries, including Russia, coal mines are closed because coal is too expensive and difficult to mine. Despite the fact that forecasts of energy resources are pessimistic, new approaches are being successfully developed to solve the problem of the energy crisis.

First, reorientation to other types of energy. Currently, in the structure of world electricity production, 62% is accounted for by thermal power plants (TPPs), 20% - by hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), 17% - by nuclear power plants(NPP) and 1% - for the use of alternative energy sources. This means that the leading role belongs to thermal energy. While hydroelectric power plants do not pollute the environment, they do not need the use of combustible minerals, and the world's hydro potential has so far been used by only 15%.

Renewable energy sources - solar energy, water energy, wind energy, etc. - it is impractical to use on Earth (solar energy is indispensable in spacecraft). "Clean" power plants are too expensive and produce too little energy. Relying on wind energy is not justified; in the future, it is possible to rely on the energy of sea currents.

The only real source of energy today and in the foreseeable future is nuclear power . Uranium reserves are quite large. When used correctly and serious attitude nuclear energy is also out of competition from an environmental point of view, polluting the environment much less than burning hydrocarbons. In particular, the total radioactivity of coal ash is much higher than the radioactivity of spent fuel from all nuclear power plants.

Secondly, mining on the continental shelf. The development of fields on the continental shelf is now topical issue for many countries. Some countries are already successfully developing offshore deposits of fossil fuels. For example, in Japan, coal deposits are being developed on the continental shelf, through which the country provides 20% of its needs for this fuel.

Reduction of species biodiversity.

In total, since 1600, 226 species and subspecies of vertebrates have disappeared, and over the past 60 years - 76 species, and about 1000 species are endangered. If the current trend of extermination of wildlife continues, then in 20 years the planet will lose 1/5 of the described species of flora and fauna, which threatens the stability of the biosphere - an important condition for the life support of mankind.

Where conditions are unfavorable, biodiversity is low. Up to 1000 species of plants live in the tropical forest, 30-40 species in the deciduous forest of the temperate zone, and 20-30 species in the pasture. Species diversity is an important factor that ensures the stability of the ecosystem to adverse external influences. The reduction of species diversity can cause irreversible and unpredictable changes on a global scale, so this problem is being solved by the entire world community.

One way to solve this problem is to create reserves. There are currently 95 reserves in our country.

Global warming.

Global warming is one of the most significant impacts on the biosphere associated with anthropogenic activities. It appears in climate change and biota: the production process in ecosystems, shifting the boundaries of plant formations, changing crop yields. Especially strong changes related to high and middle latitudes northern hemisphere. According to forecasts, it is here that the temperature of the atmosphere will rise the most. The nature of these regions is especially susceptible to various impacts and is extremely slowly restored. The taiga zone will move to the north by about 100-200 km. In some places this shift will be much smaller or not at all. The rise in the 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.

Some developed countries and countries with economies in transition have made commitments to stabilize greenhouse gas production. EEC countries (European Economic Union) have included in their national programs provisions to reduce carbon emissions.

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 stretch the chain, where one problem causes another: a large energy release (solution of the energy problem) - the greenhouse effect - lack of water - lack of food (crop failures).

One of the greatest rivers China, the Huang He, no longer reaches, as before, yellow sea except for some of the wettest years. major river Colorado in the USA does not reach every year Pacific Ocean. The Amu Darya and Syr Darya no longer flow into the Aral Sea, which has almost dried up because of this. The lack of water has sharply worsened the ecological situation in many regions and caused an incipient food crisis.

It is possible to single out a number of global environmental problems that mankind has faced in recent decades 20th and early 21st centuries Encyclopedia of life support systems, volume 2. Knowledge about sustainable development / Editor E.E. Demidova [and others] . - M.: MAGISTR-PRESS, 2005. - S. 915..

1. Consumption of primary biological products (consumption growth: 40% - on land, 25% - global).

2. Change in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases from tenths to a few percent annually).

3. Depletion of the ozone layer; an increase, and in the last 23 years, a decrease in the ozone hole in Antarctica.

4. Reducing the area of forests, especially tropical ones.

5. Desertification, expansion of the area of deserts (60 thousand km 2 ), the growth of technogenic desertification.

6. Land degradation, increased erosion (25 billion tons annually), reduced fertility, accumulation of pollutants, acidification, salinization.

7. Ocean level rise, ocean level rise by 1-2 mm/year.

8. Rapid extinction of species of organisms.

9. Qualitative depletion of land waters, an increase in the volume of wastewater, point and area sources of pollution, an increase in the radioactivity of the environment.

10. Deterioration of human living conditions, growth of genetic diseases and diseases associated with environmental disturbances, emergence of new diseases, increase in poverty, food shortages, high infant mortality, high morbidity, insecurity of clean drinking water in developing countries; living in areas of high pollution, the growth of genetic diseases, a high level of accidents, an increase in large-scale man-made disasters, an increase in drug consumption, an increase in allergic diseases in developed countries, pandemic, AIDS in the world.

Starting from the 50s of the 20th century, all of humanity began to feel the first symptoms of the impact of industrial emissions, which at first glance did not threaten with serious complications. However, the tension in the relationship between humanity and nature, which arose in natural ecosystems, not only did not weaken, but also constantly intensified.

In the second half of the 20th century, humanity was forced to introduce a new concept of modern ecology - ecological crisis. The ecological crisis is currently understood as a critical state of the environment caused by the activities of mankind and 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. It is now obvious to everyone that the ecological crisis is a global and universal concept that concerns each of the people inhabiting the Earth.

The overall economic burden on ecological systems Simply put, it depends on three factors: population, average level of consumption and wide application of various technologies. The environmental damage caused by the consumer society can be reduced by changing agricultural patterns, transport systems, urban planning methods, intensity of energy consumption, reviewing existing industrial technologies, etc. However, with changes in technology, the level of material demands can and should be reduced, which is what happens in all developed countries of the world during the ongoing economic crisis, increasing unemployment, rising cost of living, including those associated with environmental problems.

All minor crises generated by human activity (not only technogenic) and its attitude to nature eventually led to a comprehensive, global biosphere crisis. With the continuing rate of impact on the environment, in the near future it will be possible to speak not so much about the digression of individual elements of the biosphere, but about an irreversible process - a change in its geologically established organization. There will be (or has already been) the danger of the collapse of a very fragile system of life support on the planet.

However, despite the apparent root cause of the adverse effects of human economic activity, many scientists emphasize that the protection of the natural environment should not begin with the fight against anthropogenic factors, but with the causes that give rise to them, primarily with socio-economic ones. The impact of environmental degradation on the life and health of people is observed in every society, and the causes and effects can be different.

At present, the point of view seems to be justified, according to which the population density of the Earth is approaching a critical one. At the beginning of our era, there were 250 million people on Earth. It took 1.5 thousand years before it doubled. By the beginning of the nineteenth century. the population of the planet has reached 1 billion. The current growth rates are such that in order to ensure even those conditions of existence that are now on Earth, each newly emerging generation is obliged to build (and, therefore, consume the corresponding amount of biosphere resources) a new technostructure equal to that which in the present moment exists on Earth. There are very optimistic statements that the Earth can feed up to 700 billion people. But most scientists believe that the optimal number of inhabitants of the planet should not exceed 12 - 20 billion. Some demographers believe that more than the optimal "golden billion" Popkov, N.V. Global problems of the present and technological development / N.V. Popkova // Bulletin of Moscow University. Ser. 7, Philosophy. - 2005. - No. 1. - S. 104. .

The problem of an unprecedented increase in the pressure on the biosphere of the growing population of the planet is becoming more acute. The picture is especially complex and sad at the level of individual regions and countries, where millions of people die of hunger every year.

Raising the standard of living of the population of these regions, which are often characterized by the highest rates of population growth, is one of the main tasks of mankind, the difficulty of which is explained, if only by the fact that even with the preservation of the current population of the planet, a hundredfold an increase in the material benefits received and a multiple increase in food production. At the same time, in other regions of the Earth, characterized by high level pressure on the biosphere, too little population growth or even population decline causes concern.

A characteristic feature of our time is the globalization of human impact on the natural environment, which is accompanied by unprecedented intensification and globalization of the negative consequences of this impact. And if earlier humanity experienced local and regional environmental crises that could lead to the death of any civilization, but did not prevent the further progress of the human race as a whole, then the current environmental situation is fraught with a global ecological collapse, since modern man destroys the mechanisms of integral functioning of the biosphere on a planetary scale. There are more and more crisis points, both in the problematic and in the spatial sense, and they turn out to be closely interconnected, forming a kind of network that is becoming more and more frequent. It is this circumstance that makes it possible to speak about the presence of a global ecological crisis and the threat of an ecological catastrophe.

More recently, it seemed that the main goal of mankind is to make people rich and well-fed. Now this is not enough. At present, no country in the world can autonomously solve the entire range of environmental problems that accompany a person in his life. Everyday life. However, a way out of the ecological crisis is possible. It is only necessary to unite the efforts of all countries for the implementation of international cooperation in this matter.

Kaliningrad branch

Federal State Educational Institution

Higher professional education

St. Petersburg State Agrarian

university

For nature management

GLOBAL PROBLEMS OF ENVIRONMENT. SIGNS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

Introduction

I. Global problems of ecology

II. Signs of an ecological crisis

Conclusion

List of used literature

INTRODUCTION

Environmental issues… Pollution… No cars! We often hear these words today. Indeed, the ecological state of our planet is deteriorating by leaps and bounds. There is less and less fresh water left on earth, and the water that is still available is already of very poor quality. In some countries, the quality of drinking water that flows from a water tap does not even meet the requirements for bathing water.

And the air? What are we breathing? Many cities are downright covered with fog, but this is not fog, but real smog, which is not only unpleasant, it is incredibly dangerous for people's lives.

In the 1980s, people for the first time became seriously concerned about the state of their natural environment. Such fears concerned both the present of our planet and the future of those people who will live on our planet in a few centuries. In addition, scientists, biologists began to worry about the issue of ecology. Today, ecology has become a very popular word. Ecology is a science that studies the relationships between all forms of life on our planet and in the environment. The word ecology comes from the Greek word "oikos" (oikos), which means "house". Caring for "home" in this case includes our entire planet, all the creatures living on the planet, as well as the atmosphere of our planet. Quite often the word ecology is used to describe the environment and the people who live in that environment. However, the concept of ecology is much broader than just the environment. Ecologists consider people as a link in a rather complex chain of life, including the food chain. This chain includes mammals, amphibians, invertebrates and protozoa, as well as plants and animals, including humans. Today, the word ecology is often used to describe the problems of environmental pollution. This use of the word ecology is not entirely correct.

I . GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

In general terms, “a crisis is a violation of the equilibrium of a system and, at the same time, a transition to its new equilibrium.” Thus, the crisis is the stage at which the functioning of the system reaches its limits. A crisis can be characterized by a situation where obstacles arise in the development of the system, and the task of the system is to find an acceptable way out of this situation.

Mankind has repeatedly faced the emergence of environmental crises and quite confidently overcame them. It is known that the main source of life on earth is the energy of the Sun. From the Sun to the Earth comes a huge amount of energy, including heat. Its annual amount is approximately ten times greater than the amount of all thermal energy contained in all the explored reserves of fossil fuels on the planet. The use of only 0.01% of the total amount of light energy entering the Earth's surface could fully meet the world's energy needs. However, the amount of solar energy assimilated by the Earth is negligible. Its increase is facilitated by the presence in the atmosphere of the so-called "greenhouse" gases and, above all, carbon dioxide, the release of which is noticeably increasing. It freely passes the sun's rays, but delays the reflected thermal radiation of the Earth. The atmosphere also contains other gases that have the same effect: methane, fluorochlorocarbons (freons). An increase in these gases in the air, as well as ozone, which pollutes the lower atmosphere, can lead to the fact that the Earth will absorb more solar energy. This, as well as an increase in heat emissions from human activities, leads to an increase in air temperature on Earth.

According to forecasts for 2050, the probable global increase in temperature will be 3-4 ° C, and the precipitation regime will change. In this regard, continental ice can melt in high latitudes; the water level in the seas and oceans will rise not only due to the melting of ice, but also as a result of an increase in the volume of water due to an increase in its temperature.

It is suggested that the summer heat in recent years in many parts of the world is the result of the greenhouse effect. To reduce the threat of global warming, it is necessary to reduce emissions of "greenhouse" gases, as well as reduce the combustion of various types of fossil fuels.

The causes of pollution and ways to prevent or reduce the level of environmental pollution are quite an important part in the study of ecology, however, this is not the whole subject of study. Equally important in terms of using our environment are ways that safeguard the heritage of fertile soil, clean air, fresh clean water and forests for those who will live on our planet after us. Ever since the first ancient people appeared a long time ago, nature has given man everything he needs - air in order to breathe, food in order not to die of hunger, water in order to quench his thirst. , wood, in order to build houses and heat the hearth. For many thousands of years, man lived in harmony with his natural environment, and it seemed to man that the natural resources of the planet were inexhaustible. But then came the twentieth century. As you know, the twentieth century was a time of scientific and technological progress. Those achievements and discoveries that a person could make in the mechanization and automation of industrial processes, in the chemical industry, the conquest of space, the creation of stations capable of generating nuclear energy, as well as steamships that could break even the thickest ice - all this is truly amazing. With the advent of this industrial revolution, the negative impact of man on the environment began to increase exponentially. This industrial progress has caused a very serious problem. Everything on our planet – soil, air and water – has become poisoned. Today, in almost all corners of the planet, with rare exceptions, you can find cities with a large number of cars, plants and factories. The by-products of human industrial activity affect all beings living on the planet.

Recently, a lot has been said about acid rain, global warming, and the thinning of the planet's ozone layer. All these negative processes are caused by tons of harmful pollutants that are emitted into the atmospheric air by industrial enterprises.

II . Signs of an ecological crisis

The modern ecological crisis is characterized by the following manifestations:

Gradual change in the planet's climate due to changes in the balance of gases in the atmosphere;

General and local (above the poles, separate areas of land) destruction of the biospheric ozone screen;

Pollution of the World Ocean with heavy metals, complex organic compounds, oil products, radioactive substances, saturation of waters with carbon dioxide;

Breaking the natural ecological links between the ocean and land waters as a result of

construction of dams on rivers, leading to a change in solid runoff, spawning routes.

Atmospheric pollution with the formation of acid precipitation, highly toxic substances as a result of chemical and photochemical reactions;

Pollution of land waters, including river waters used for drinking water supply, with highly toxic substances, including dioxides, heavy metals, phenols;

Desertification of the planet;

Degradation of the soil layer, reduction of the area of fertile land suitable for agriculture;

Radioactive contamination of certain territories in connection with the disposal of radioactive waste, man-made accidents, etc.;

Accumulation on the surface of the land of household garbage and industrial waste, in particular, practically non-degradable plastics;

Reduction of areas of tropical and boreal forests, leading to an imbalance of atmospheric gases, including a reduction in the concentration of oxygen in the planet's atmosphere;

Pollution of underground space, including groundwater, which makes them unsuitable for water supply and threatens the still little-studied life in the lithosphere;

Massive and rapid, avalanche-like disappearance of species of living matter;

Deterioration of the living environment in populated areas, primarily urbanized areas;

General depletion and lack of natural resources for human development;

Changing the size, energy and biogeochemical role of organisms, reshaping food chains, mass reproduction of certain types of organisms;

Violation of the hierarchy of ecosystems, an increase in systemic uniformity on the planet.

Transport is one of the main environmental pollutants. Today, automobiles, with their petrol and diesel engines, have become the main sources of air pollution in industrialized countries. Huge areas of forests that grew in Africa, South America and Asia began to be destroyed, providing for the needs of various industries in Europe and the United States of America. This is very scary, because the destruction of forests disrupts the oxygen balance not only in these countries, but throughout the planet as a whole.

Another global environmental problem The so-called acid rain.

Acid rain is one of the most serious forms of environmental pollution, a dangerous disease of the biosphere. These rains are formed due to the entry into the atmosphere at a great height from the burning fuel (especially sulfurous) sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The weak solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid thus obtained in the atmosphere can fall out in the form of precipitation, sometimes after several days, hundreds of kilometers from the source of release. It is still technically impossible to determine the origin of acid rain. Penetrating into the soil, acid rain disrupts its structure, adversely affects beneficial microorganisms, dissolves natural minerals such as calcium and potassium, carrying them into the subsoil and taking away from plants their main source of nutrition. The damage caused to vegetation by acid rain, especially sulfur compounds, is enormous. An external sign of exposure to sulfur dioxide is the gradual darkening of the leaves on the trees, the reddening of pine needles.

Air pollution heat generation plants, industry and transport, scientists believe, has led to a new phenomenon - the defeat of some species of deciduous trees, as well as to the rapid reduction in the growth rate of at least six species of conifers, which can be traced in the annual rings of these trees.

Damage caused in Europe by acid rain to fish stocks, vegetation, architectural structures, is estimated at 3 billion dollars a year.

Acid rain, various harmful substances in the air of large cities, also cause the destruction of industrial structures and metal parts. Acid rain is detrimental to human health. Harmful substances that form acid rain are carried by air currents from one country to another, which sometimes causes international conflicts.

To prevent the serious consequences associated with the destruction of the protective ozone layer of the Earth, the Vienna Convention on its protection was adopted at the international level. It provides for a freeze and subsequent reduction in the production of ozone-depleting substances, as well as the development of their harmless substitutes.

One of the global environmental problems- a sharp increase in the population of the planet. And for every well-fed person, there is another who barely manages to feed himself, and a third who is malnourished from day to day. The main means of agricultural production is land - the most important part of the environment, characterized by space, topography, climate, soil cover, vegetation, waters. During the period of its development, mankind has lost almost 2 billion hectares of productive land due to water, wind erosion and other destructive processes. This is more than currently under arable land and pastures. The rate of modern desertification, according to the UN, is about 6 million hectares per year.

As a result of anthropogenic impact, lands and soils are polluted, which leads to a decrease in their fertility, and in some cases to their withdrawal from land use. Sources of land pollution are industry, transport, energy, chemical fertilizers, household waste and other types of human activities. Land pollution occurs through sewage, air, as a result of the direct impact of physical, chemical, biological factors, industrial waste exported and dumped on land. Global soil pollution is created due to the long-range transport of a pollutant over a distance of more than 1000 km from any source of pollution. The greatest danger to soils is chemical pollution, erosion and salinization.

CONCLUSION

LIST OF USED LITERATURE

1) "Ecological foundations of nature management". Authors: V.G. Eremin, V.G., Safonov. M-2002

2) "Ecological foundations of nature management". Authors E.A. Arustamov, I.V. Levanova, N.V. Barkalova, M-2000