Global and regional ecological changes and imbalances | Environmental Geography | Principle Of Geography

 

Environmental Geography

Principle Of Geography

Geography Complete Study Material

(Paper - I)

Global and Regional ecological changes and imbalances

            The explosive growth of the human population has been accompanied by rising expectations and increase in the standard of living. More food, more houses, more transport, more energy and more of everything is required. This growing human need has resulted in depletion of natural resources; deforestation, loss of biodiversity, water and energy scarcity, increasing exploitation of mineral resources etc. have led to the degradation of the environment. It is important to identify and address important issues to conserve and improve the environment. Some major national environmental issues such as land and forest management, water scarcity, energy, fast depletion of natural resources and many other will be discuss in the post.

        There is much to celebrate and appreciate about the world we live in. It includes our environment. However, mostly due to our actions we are altering the very environment, which sustains us. It would be very difficult for us to live in an unfriendly environment. This post exposes you to the various global/regional environmental issues or concerns and possible strategies to cope with them.

Global ecological changes and imbalances

MAJOR GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 

    Increased human activity, urbanization, industrialization have led to rapid deterioration of the environment. This has severely affected the life supporting system. The developmental discrepancies in different regions of the world pose a serious threat to our common global environment. Consequently, we are confronted with complex environmental issues deserving attention. The important global environmental issues are: 

• green house effect and global warming 
• biodiversity loss 
• desertification 
• depletion of ozone layer 
• acid rain 
• oil spills 
• dumping of hazardous wastes

Important Points :

• All of us are inheritors of common global environment. 
• All of us are responsible for its growing deterioration. If the deterioration exceeds a limit, it shall be a dangerous place to live in. 
• Pollution, ozone-hole, greenhouse effect, desertification, loss of biodiversity, oil spills, nuclear disasters, hazardous waste management, are some of the global environmental problems that need immediate collective attention. 
• Increased human activity, urbanisation, industrialisation are led to rapid deterioration of the environment. This has severely affected the life supporting system. 
• A green house is a glass chamber in which plants are grown to provide them warmth by trapping solar radiations and heat. Infrared rays pass through glass and the heat generated there from, cannot escape out of the glass chamber. 
• Increased fuel efficiency in vehicles; development/implementation of solar energy/nonfossil fule alternatives; halting further deforestation; support and undertake tree planting (afforestation); reduce air-pollution are the strategies for coping with green house effect. 
• Flora and fauna of a region constitute biodiversity. It is considered as natural wealth of the nature. 
• Biodiversity can be classified into three types i.e. species biodiversity, genetic biodiversity and ecosystem biodiversity. 
• Loss of habitat, pollution, and overuse, introduction of foreign species and contribution of other environmental degradation factors are the reasons of biodiversity loss. 
• Desertification is diminution or destruction of the biological potential of the land which ultimately leads to desert. Over cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and salting sue to irrigation are principal causes for desertification. 
• Acid precipitation affects both aquatic and terrestrial life. It also damages buildings and monuments. 
• We all need to cooperate at individual, domestic, local. National and international level to maintain our environment clean and sustainable.

Regional (India) ecological changes and imbalances

MAJOR REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 

    The explosive growth of the human population has been accompanied by rising expectations and increase in the standard of living. More food, more houses, more transport, more energy and more of everything is required. This growing human need has resulted in depletion of natural resources; deforestation, loss of biodiversity, water and energy scarcity, increasing exploitation of mineral resources etc. have led to the degradation of the environment. It is important to identify and address important issues to conserve and improve the environment. Some major national environmental issues:

• land and forest management
• water scarcity
• energy
• fast depletion of natural resources

Important Points :

• India exhibits a great diversity of relief and physical features. Its people, land, forests, oceans constitute abundant natural resource. 

• Human population study both as consumer as well as producers help us to provide data for economic planning, conservation of nature, promotion of cultural, regional and linguistics harmony. 

• Study of population is called demography. Demography helps to know about size, growth rates, mortality, natality, migration patterns, density, dispersion, and age structure of the population.. 

• People shift from rural areas to urban cities for better education, prosperity, better health care, and overall increased standard of living. but however urbanization in itself results in large-scale environmental damage such as river-flood plains, coastal wetlands and resultant loss of delicate habitats; deforestation, desertification, loss of biodiversity, contribute towards pollution of air, soil, water leads to scarcity of water and increased energy consumption. 

• We all must try to protect and improve our delicate environment.