Introduction
In my opinion, following the given environmental issues I will list them as follows i.e. starting from the most important to the least important coming lastly; global warming is the first issue meaning it is the most important one among the given threats.
Then followed by outdoor air pollution, soil degradation which can also be called as soil contamination, global overpopulation, drinking water pollution, nuclear waste build-up, disappearing of the water supplies, indoor air pollution, depletion of the ozone layer, a toxic chemical in the air, tropical deforestation, abandoned toxic waste sites, loss of species and ecosystem, acid rain, surface water(lakes, rivers, streams) pollution, coal-burning power plant, presence of hormones and antibiotics in our meat and finally the least important on my list will be where by the GMO seeds are used plus the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that end up leaving the residues in our food (Tate, 1984)
Major Environmental Issues
About the above order list, the first three threats include; global climate change, outdoor air pollution, and soil degradation. First I commence with global climate change. Scientifically, it is the changes or differences that occur in the atmospheric climate, temperature change, etc. Due to its many problems being encountered today and their major causes include human activities e.g. irrigations by some farmers on their farms, sulfur released to the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning forming a cloud like particles (blanket) that blocks the sun’s radiation thus causing the heating up of the atmosphere.
Many problems have been realized as emerging from this issue and these problems include; increased temperatures that are experienced as a result of global climate change leads to rising sea level and the ice caps and glaciers sometimes end up melting because of the high temperatures. This leads to floods being experienced in the coastal areas and droughts in tropical (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahi, 2009).
Global climate change is considered as a big problem because floods and droughts kill people and destroy their properties. Due to climatic change and increase in temperatures and this raises the oceanic temperatures too and it might affect the oceanic animals thus killing them and this reduces the available sources of food hence causing poverty. It has also brought up to variation in both temperatures and rainfall meaning the floras and faunas that directly benefits from the given amount of rainfall and specific temperatures end up changing.
Given a chance, I would suggest the following measures to be taken so that our World is saved from these threats. Firstly I would recommend scientists research the real causes of climate change and conduct education and awareness about the issue so that people can get to understand the concept very well. Technologies should be invented and straight strategies put in place so that this issue and its impact can be readily dealt with. Change experienced due to climate change should be keenly analyzed so that one can be able to identify the effects on plants, animals, etc and for them to get basic knowledge on how to deal with them.
Secondly my discussion bases on outdoor air pollution. It is the contamination of air particles outside the buildings or houses that can be harmful to human health or plants. Today the problem is being experienced almost everywhere and it is caused by emissions from motor vehicles, polluted emissions from power plants, wastes from chemical industries, waste incineration pollutants, and sometimes it is caused by indoor pollution.
Outdoor air pollution is grouped among the important issues because it has contributed to the rising mortality rate in the World. Deaths are attributed to diseases such as respiratory diseases, asthma attacks, bronchitis, respiratory symptoms among others.
To solve this problem of outdoor air pollution the following should be done; apply the polluter pays principle to the polluting industries or close them and the transport sector should advocate for mass or public transport rather than people using the private means which increases the rate of pollution. Then the ministry of the environment should come up with air quality guidelines and laws to regulate the rate of pollution by different industries. Lastly, every individual should be advised on the reduction of pollution at the individual level by following the same mechanism being used at the international level.
Lastly, my third importance threat is soil degradation a situation whereby the soil’s productivity level is lowered as a result of low soil quality (Lal, Hall, & Miller, 1989). Currently, this problem has been emerging at a higher rate due to overgrazing, habitat or forest destruction, Human activities like charcoal burning and fuelwood collection also lead to soil degradation (Tate, 1984).
Soil degradation is grouped among the three most important threats since the action leads to soil erosion and this makes the soil lose its fertility level meaning. As a result of this, the productivity of the soil is reduced. Over irrigation leads to waterlogging that lowers the total land productivity.
Soil erosion can be taken to a minimal level through farmers using a sustainable farming system that will have no harm on the soils. Alternative sources of energy should be invented for those people that use wood fuels and every country’s forest services should be strict on those people found destroying the forest and be punished. This will improve soil management in general.
The first deforestation is a situation whereby trees are cut down and the ground is left bare without replacement (Botkin, 2002). This poses a great danger to the forest species because it is their home provides them with water, food, shelter, etc so when cleared, they will be left with nowhere to call home, to get food and water thus making them go search for all these basic needs reducing total species in a forest ecosystem and it may end up leading to endangered species in a place.
This is not the only way in which species can be affected Instead it can also be affected by global warming, it arises due to high temperatures that are experienced in the area due to lack of forests and it can cause diseases for instance skin cancer to the species, therefore, leading to some of them dying and this lowers the total species in an ecosystem. This can also affect the total species ecosystem found because when they are cut down, their total population will be reduced compared to the way it was before deforestation.
Habitat fragmentation it’s whereby the species is discontinued from its preferred environment. It is caused by topographic differences, people carrying out different agricultural practices on their lands, due to settlement, firewood collection, timber harvesting, etc from the land (Lal & Miller 1989). Therefore all the above-mentioned activities can negatively affect the species found there. An example is whereby forest complexes are destructed and humans inhabit it. This affects the total number of the species that used to inhabit the forest drastically reducing and some even becoming endangered species.
Here are some suggestions for environmental science professors to think about improvements in the schools (Botkin, 2002). Firstly advise them to encourage the students to attend the workshops and seminars that are carried about the courses that they study (environmental studies). They should invite those people working in environmental fields to the school so that they can be taught on different environmental aspects for them to gain knowledge. By doing so the students may end up determined to work hard and be like them.
The professors should also motivate good performing students. (Raven, Mason, Losos & Singer, 2010). For example, they should be given presents, taken out for a field trip, etc. by doing so, everyone resolves the determination to work hard so that they can experience all that fun. At the same time, those students that perform poorly should be punished so that they can work extra harder for them never to be punished again and by doing so it will lead to an improvement in their general performance in schools.
Field attachments should be offered to all environmental students. Here is whereby the college students after getting some information on the subject, are sent to the field so that they can apply what they are taught in classes outside in real life. By doing so one might be capable of gauging him/ herself.
More field trips should be provided to the students so that they can get a chance to be exposed to real-life rather than those they only but learn in classes. By doing so, they will practically learn the real theory and be exposed and ready to understand the clear concept and keep them on toes.
Conclusion
Finally, the professors should put in mind that they should lecture less and provide class discussion opportunities, this could improve the understanding level of the students. I advocate for such because during discussion time small groups are formed which allows almost every member to participate, unlike the lecture lesson whereby mostly it’s only the lecturer who lectures and he doesn’t fully consider the participation of every member in the class.
References
Botkin, D. (2002). Environment science earth as a living planet. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lal, R., Hall, G.F. & Miller, F.P. (1989). Soil degradation: Basic processes, land degradation & rehabilitation. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Graw-Hill.
Mason, K., Losos. K.F., Raven, P. & Singer, J. (2010). Biology. New York, NY: Mc NY: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Raven, H., Berg, R.L. & Hassenzahi, M. (2009). Environment. 7 Edn. New York.
Tate, K.R. (1984). The biological transformation of phosphorus in soil. Plant soil Journal, 76, 245-256.