Environmental Issues: Summary

Summary

Green house effect leads to climate change which results in global warming. Deforestation causes soil erosion, whereas Afforestation helps to restore vegetation and increases ground water table. Agrochemicals like fertilizers, pesticides and runoff from fields cause soil infertility and in turn depletes the growth of plants. Help the government to retrieve the vegetation. Regeneration of trees by Agroforestry is possible with the involvement of community and government. Help to conserve the flora and fauna in their natural habitat and man-made environments like zoological parks and national parks. IUCN is the oldest environmental organisation which protects endemic and threatened species. Mitigation of carbon in the atmosphere done in the form of sequestration. Rain water harvesting is done for improving the ground water table. Importance and location of lakes in Tamil Nadu which aids water supply to the city is a measure of conservation of drinking water. Assessment of Environment and Biodiversity helps to study risk analysis and disaster management. Forest cover is monitored through Remote sensing and GIS.

Glossary

Algae Blooms: Sudden sprout of algae growth, which can affect the water quality adversely and indicate potentially hazardous changes in local water chemistry.

Atmosphere: A major regional community of plants and animals with similar life forms and environmental conditions.

Biodegradable waste: Organic waste, typically coming from a plant or animal sources, which other living organisms can break done.

Biosphere: The portion of earth and its atmosphere that can support life.

Effluent: Liquid waste such as sewage and liquid waste from industries.

Landfill: A site that is specially designed to dispose of waste and operates with a license granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Oil spill: The harmful release of oil into the environment, usually through water, which is very difficult to clean up and often kills, birds, fish and other wildlife.

Radiation: A form of energy that is transmitted in waves, rays or particles from a natural source such as the sun and the ground or an artificial source such as an X-ray machine.

Radioactive: A materials is said to be radioactive if it emits radiation.

Recycle: To break waste items done into their raw materials, which are then used to remake the original item or to make new items.

Sewage: Liquid waste from communities which may be a mixture of domestic effluent from homes, and liquid waste from industries.

Sustainable development: Development using hand of energy sources in a way that meets the needs of people today without reducing the ability in future generation to meet their own needs.