Abstract
The environment is the basic component that sustains human life on earth. Human beings are responsible for the conservation of the environment to ensure the sustainability of their livelihood. Environmental degradation has been a major threat to human livelihood in the last few decades. The world is currently experiencing increased global warming due to environmental degradation. Therefore, the sustenance of human living is at risk due to the increased temperatures, climatic changes, and rising sea levels. This paper looks into environmental sustainability concerning the current state and reversal logistics for a better environment in the future.
Introduction
In the contemporary world, there has been an outcry from different corners, calling for the conservation of the environment. In the past, scholars predicted the fatal consequences of environmental degradation caused by humans. Unfortunately, little was done to stop the degradation, and today the consequences are felt in different parts of the world. However, there is room for reversal by trying to conserve the environment. This observation underscores the great need for people to focus on improving the livelihood of future generations by conserving the environment.
Background Literature Review
The environment is defined as anything that forms a part of surrounding in people’s lives. However, studies focus on the aspects of nature that form a part of human livelihood. The aspects include water, soil, air, and vegetation. These four are the most crucial components of the environment that compliment human livelihood. All human activities are attached to the environment. Therefore, there is no livelihood or human development without the environment.
Water is the largest part of the physical environmental component in the world and a major element of the livelihood of every living thing. Water is needed for metabolism and as a habitat for livelihood. Therefore, water is a basic component of livelihood on earth. Besides, there cannot be human development without water. Water forms a basic component in economic development since it is a medium of transport, a construction component, and it is used as a coolant in machinery and other economic activities (Nhamo & Inyang, 2011). Additionally, it forms a critical component in supporting livelihood for aquatic animals, and thus it is a home for animals.
Water is essential for the growth and development of every living thing in the world. This aspect explains why there is no food without water. Plants rely heavily on water for their growth and development. On the other hand, animals rely on plants for food. Carnivores rely on animals that rely on plants for food. Hence, water supports the food chain, whereby, without water, there cannot be either plants or animals.
The soil is a crucial environmental component to human livelihood. Life without soil is unimaginable, and thus it should be conserved at all costs. Soil supports life by anchoring plants that provide food for animals. Moreover, soil forms a basic component for life support, whereby the right kind of soil is useful for the growth and development of plants in different environments. For instance, in wet highlands, there is a well-compacted soil structure to support vegetation as opposed to the deserts where there is sandy soil. Therefore, the soil is crucial for supporting livelihood here on earth. Soil also forms a crucial element for economic development. For instance, sand is used for construction purposes. Additionally, different kinds of soil determine the quality and nature of physical components that can be constructed at a given place.
Air is a crucial environmental component to the livelihood here on earth. There can be no life without air. Hence, it is the responsibility of every person to conserve the quality of air. Human activities are the main causes of pollutants that lead to air pollution. Air pollution is the most common cause of global warming that has caused problems for livelihood in the modern world. Therefore, there is a need to endeavor to ensure that air pollution is reduced effectively to cause a reversal shift in the situation.
Vegetation is one of the most crucial environmental elements. Vegetation cover comprises all forms of plant life in a given area. Vegetation cover provides essential requirements for livelihood. It provides food for living organisms. Some animals rely on plants for food in the direct form. On the other hand, other animals rely on animals that depend on plants for food. Therefore, such animals rely on plants for food indirectly. Besides, plants provide fresh air to the living animals as they take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen in return. Moreover, plants provide a beautiful cover over the earth. Hence, vegetation forms a critical environmental component for the livelihood of all living things on earth.
Environmental Degradation
In the contemporary world, environmental degradation is the biggest challenge that people face in their daily lives. Human activities are the major cause of environmental degradation since people interfere with the natural environment. Consequently, the environment has its ways of fighting back, which are fatal for the livelihood of living things. As mentioned above, the environment comprises four main components that support livelihood. Other components, such as rocks and geological structures, form the physical nature of the environment. All of these components are vulnerable to human activities.
Human activities have different effects on every environmental component. First, water is prone to different forms of human activities. As mentioned earlier, water is essential for human livelihood. The three major forms of water pollution include industrial, urbanization, and farming activities. However, industrial activities are the worst forms of water pollution. For instance, there are high concentrations of industries in urban centers. Thus, large volumes of water are required for industrial activities. Water is used either as a raw material in the production or a basic coolant for the machinery. Consequently, industrial effluents are drained through water drainage systems as a disposal mechanism (Measham & Lockie, 2012).
These effluents find their ways into water sources, thus causing pollution. Polluted water is dangerous for the survival of living things. Numerous cases of pollution in the water ecosystem have occurred due to industrial activities that lead to the deaths of aquatic life. For instance, the leakage of oil in the Mexican Gulf led to the deaths of aquatic life. In most cases, industrial effluents are chemically charged, thus making them hard to purify before their disposal. Therefore, it seems very difficult to do effective waste management in industries.
Urbanization is another major cause of water pollution. In the contemporary world, urban areas are growing day by day due to the f rash carelessly, thus the massive movement of people relocating from rural to urban areas for job opportunities. Domestic waste is the greatest challenge that causes environmental pollution in urban areas. The majority of people in the population do not have proper etiquette for waste disposal. Therefore, they dispose of trash carelessly, thus causing heaps of wastes that are often difficult to clear. Domestic wastes cause water pollution by blocking drainage systems, thus creating pools of polluted water in the drainage systems, which is fatal for livelihood.
Farming is another major cause of water pollution in the contemporary world. Technological and innovation developments have led to new methods of farming where chemical products are highly used. In horticultural farming, farm chemicals are used extensively to control pests, weeds, and fertilizers. These chemicals take a long time to dissolve completely in the soil, and since watering is done to plants often, these chemicals are drained into the water sources. Thus, farming methods cause pollution in water ecosystems.
Second, as mentioned before, the soil is essential for the livelihood of human beings. However, human activities have direct effects on soil. Soil pollution has a direct effect on vegetation and water. Thus, soil pollution affects the environment in a greater way than it has always been perceived. Soil pollution largely occurs during construction and other human activities. For instance, road and railway construction affect the topsoil cover, whereby it is removed to create new structures and drainage systems. This move often leads to massive soil erosion that affects water ecosystems and vegetation cover. The long-term effects of soil pollution include desertification when plants die due to the poor quality of soil and massive soil erosion.
Urbanization affects the quality of the soil. Poor waste disposal causes pollution in soil, as is the case in the dumpsites that are found in the urban areas. Besides, farming activities affect the quality of soil whereby farm chemicals are used in huge volumes for a long time. This aspect is affecting the soil PH levels that determine the type of vegetation that grows well in that soil. Some farming methods affect the soil by making it prone to erosion. Industrial effluents also have adverse effects on the soil since most of them are chemically charged. Consequently, they interfere with the PH levels, and thus the quality of soil (Hyde & Reeve, 2011).
Third, air pollution is the leading form of pollution in the contemporary world. Air pollution is a global challenge since air has no boundaries, as opposed to other environmental components. The effects of air pollution are felt all over the world. Air pollution is caused mainly by industrial activities. Hence, the developed nations are the major causes of air pollution in the world due to heavy industrial activities. Air pollution leads to global warming, and thus changes in climate. Climatic changes have been experienced all over the world, whereby there are prolonged wet and dry seasons. Rising sea levels have been experienced in many parts of the world.
Air pollution has adverse effects on the livelihood of earth and in aquatic environments. The water cycle is affected negatively by air pollution whereby rainwater mixes with chemical molecules in the air and falls as acid rain. Acid rain affects the water and soil PH levels. The fatal effects of acid rain include the deaths of both plants and animals in water and on the land.
Fourth, vegetation is the most vulnerable environmental component to human activities and pollution. Forests are the worst hit by human activities. People like inhabiting areas that have a favorable climate for food supply and favorable temperatures. This aspect implies that natural forests are interfered with to make favorable habitats. The decrease in vegetation cover lowers the quality of air, thus increasing the global temperatures. The soil is left exposed and prone to erosion. Consequently, there is a vast growth in desertification in various parts of the world.
Findings and Reversal Logistics
Environmental Management
Environmental management and conservation are the only reversal mechanism that people have for the many environmental issues in contemporary times. Environmental resource management aimed at protecting and maintaining the ecosystem should be done for the sake of future human generations. Efforts have been made to address the issue, but little has been achieved. Developed nations are said to hamper these efforts by declining to implement strict measures that govern environmental management requirements to be met by the industrial sector.
The major cause of environmental degradation is the industrial activities that affect the quality of air by emitting gaseous wastes into the atmosphere. World climatic change conventions have been organized on numerous occasions in different parts of the world. Many agreements have been made for compelling governments to control their industrial sector to arrest environmental degradation menace. Despite the pressure from the international community, world economic leaders seem to lag behind in the implementation process.
However, environmental resource management is the responsibility of every human being for the sake of future generations. Civil societies are leading in the fight against environmental degradation, together with some individuals recognized by global awarding organizations for their efforts to conserve the environment. Civil societies try to compel governments to consider environmental conservation as a basic human right. In their submissions, the supporters of environment conservation hold that the government should regulate the industrial waste management by setting up minimum environmental requirements that should be met before issuing licenses to new business and the renewal of the existing ones (Marks, 2011).
Existing industries ought to improve in their environmental conservation by ensuring that gaseous wastes are well refined before they are emitted into the atmosphere. Additionally, industries should have disposal mechanisms for wastewaters to ensure that they do not find a way to natural water sources. This aspect would reduce water and soil pollution significantly, thus ensuring a better environment for future generations (Nhamo & Inyang, 2011).
Besides, civil societies are playing a major role in educating communities in developing nations on the need for environmental conservation. Developing nations have wide areas for forest covers, and efforts are made to reclaim deforested areas by planting tree seedlings. Governments have also been spearheading environmental campaigns as a means of encouraging the public to plant trees in public and private lands. This move would help significantly in reducing the adverse effects that are being experienced due to environmental degradation.
Conclusion
Environmental matters are pertinent issues to human livelihood in the contemporary world. The quality of life is highly dependent on the quality of the environment. Therefore, humanity should unite in the conservation of the environment to ensure sustainability. Human activities are major causes of environmental degradation, and thus the government should ensure that policies are in place to govern the adherence to environmental laws by industries and residences in urban centers and other areas of habitation. Civil societies and governments are spearheading environmental conservation awareness campaigns to ensure public participation as a way of ensuring quality and sustainable life for future generations.
References
Hyde, P., & Reeve, P. (2011). Essentials of Environmental Management. London, UK: IOSH Services Limited. Web.
Marks, R. (2011). China: Its Environment and History. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Web.
Measham, T., & Lockie, S. (2012). Risk and Social Theory in Environmental Management. Clayton, MO: Csiro Publishing. Web.
Nhamo, G., & Inyang, E. (2011). Framework and Tools for Environmental Management in Africa. Oxford, UK: African Books Collective. Web.