Environmental management is a set of measures taken by society to study, develop, transform and protect the environment.
Rational environmental management is a system of environmental management in which:
— extracted natural resources are used quite fully and the amount of consumed resources is correspondingly reduced;
— restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured;
— production waste is fully and repeatedly used.
The system of rational environmental management can significantly reduce environmental pollution.
Rational use of natural resources is characteristic of intensive farming.
Examples: the creation of cultural landscapes, nature reserves and national parks (the most such areas are in the USA, Australia, Russia), the use of technologies for the integrated use of raw materials, processing and use of waste (most developed in European countries and Japan), as well as construction treatment facilities, application of closed water supply technologies for industrial enterprises, development of new, economically pure species fuel.
Irrational environmental management is a system of environmental management in which:
- V large quantities and the most readily available natural resources are usually not fully utilized, resulting in their rapid depletion;
— a large amount of waste is produced;
- gets very dirty environment.
Irrational use of natural resources is typical for extensive farming.
Examples: the use of slash-and-burn agriculture and overgrazing of livestock (in the most backward countries of Africa), deforestation of equatorial forests, the so-called “lungs of the planet” (in Latin American countries), uncontrolled waste discharge into rivers and lakes (in countries of Foreign Europe, Russia) , as well as thermal pollution of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, extermination of certain species of animals and plants, and much more.
Rational environmental management is a type of relationship between human society and the environment in which society manages its relationship with nature and prevents the undesirable consequences of its activities.
An example is the creation of cultural landscapes; the use of technologies that allow for more complete processing of raw materials; reuse of industrial waste, protection of animal and plant species, creation of nature reserves, etc.
Irrational environmental management is a type of relationship with nature that does not take into account the requirements of environmental protection and its improvement ( consumer attitude to nature).
Examples of such an attitude are excessive grazing of livestock, slash-and-burn agriculture, extermination of certain species of plants and animals, radioactive and thermal pollution of the environment. Also harming the environment is caused by rafting of timber along rivers with individual logs (moth rafting), draining swamps in the upper reaches of rivers, open-pit mining, etc. Natural gas as a raw material for thermal power plants is a more environmentally friendly fuel than coal or brown coal.
Currently, most countries are pursuing a policy of rational environmental management, special environmental protection bodies have been created, and environmental programs and laws are being developed.
It is important for countries to work together to protect nature and to create international projects that would address the following issues:
1) assessing the productivity of stocks in waters under national jurisdiction, both inland and marine, bringing fishing capacity in these waters to a level comparable to the long-term productivity of the stocks, and taking timely appropriate measures to restore overfished stocks to a sustainable state, as well as cooperation in in accordance with international law to take similar measures with respect to stocks found on the high seas;
2) the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and its components in the aquatic environment and, in particular, the prevention of practices leading to irreversible changes, such as the destruction of species by genetic erosion or large-scale destruction of habitats;
3) promoting the development of mariculture and aquaculture in coastal marine and inland waters by establishing appropriate legal mechanisms, coordinating the use of land and water with other activities, using the best and most suitable genetic material in accordance with the requirements for the conservation and sustainable use of the external environment and the conservation of biological diversity, application of social and environmental impact assessments.
Environmental pollution and environmental problems of humanity.
Environmental pollution is an undesirable change in its properties, which leads or may lead to harmful effects on humans or natural systems. Most known species pollution – chemical (the release of harmful substances and compounds into the environment), but no less potential threat is posed by such types of pollution as radioactive, thermal (uncontrolled release of heat into the environment can lead to global changes in the natural climate), noise.
Environmental pollution is mainly associated with human economic activity (anthropogenic environmental pollution), but pollution may result from natural phenomena, for example, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteorite falls, etc.
All shells of the Earth are subject to pollution.
The lithosphere (as well as the soil cover) becomes polluted as a result of the influx of heavy metal compounds, fertilizers, and pesticides into it. Up to 12 billion tons of waste from big cities alone are removed annually.
Rational environmental management: fundamentals and principles
Mining leads to the destruction of natural soil cover over vast areas. The hydrosphere is polluted by wastewater from industrial enterprises (especially chemical and metallurgical enterprises), runoff from fields and livestock farms, and domestic wastewater from cities. Oil pollution is especially dangerous - up to 15 million tons of oil and petroleum products enter the waters of the World Ocean every year.
The atmosphere is polluted mainly as a result of the annual burning of huge amounts of mineral fuel and emissions from the metallurgical and chemical industries.
The main pollutants are carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, and radioactive compounds.
As a result of growing environmental pollution, many environmental problems arise both at the local and regional levels (in large industrial areas and urban agglomerations), and globally ( global warming climate, decrease in the ozone layer of the atmosphere, depletion of natural resources).
The main ways to solve environmental problems can be not only the construction of various treatment plants and devices, but also the introduction of new low-waste technologies, repurposing production, moving them to a new location in order to reduce the “concentration” of pressure on nature.
Specially protected natural areas(SPNA) are objects of national heritage and represent areas of land, water surface and airspace above them, where natural complexes and objects are located that have special environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, recreational and health value, which are withdrawn by decisions of the authorities state power wholly or partially from economic use and for which a special protection regime has been established.
According to estimates from leading international organizations, there are about 10 thousand in the world.
large protected natural areas of all types. The total number of national parks was close to 2000, and biosphere reserves - to 350.
Taking into account the peculiarities of the regime and status of the environmental institutions located on them, the following categories of these territories are usually distinguished: state natural reserves, including biosphere ones; national parks; natural parks; state nature reserves; natural monuments; dendrological parks and botanical gardens; medical and recreational areas and resorts.
Unsustainable environmental management: concept and consequences. Optimizing the use of resources in the production process. Protecting nature from the negative consequences of human activity. The need to create specially protected natural areas.
State budgetary educational institution
Secondary vocational education
Samara Social Pedagogical College
Abstract
"Environmental consequences irrational environmental management»
Samara, 2014
Introduction
II. Description of the problem
III. Ways to solve the problem
IV. Conclusion
V. References
VI. Applications
I. Introduction
Nowadays, walking down the street or while on vacation, you can pay attention to the polluted atmosphere, water and soil. Although we can say that Russia’s natural resources will last for centuries, what we see makes us think about the consequences of irrational environmental management.
After all, if everything continues like this, then in a hundred years these numerous reserves will be catastrophically small.
After all, irrational environmental management leads to the depletion (and even disappearance) of natural resources.
There are facts that really make you think about this problem:
b It is estimated that one person “harasss” about 200 trees in his life: for housing, furniture, toys, notebooks, matches, etc.
In the form of matches alone, the inhabitants of our planet burn 1.5 million cubic meters of wood annually.
ь On average, every Moscow resident produces 300-320 kg of garbage per year, in Western European countries - 150-300 kg, in the USA - 500-600 kg. Each city dweller in the United States throws away 80 kg of paper, 250 metal cans, and 390 bottles per year.
So it's time to really think about the consequences human activity and draw a conclusion to every person living on this planet.
If we continue to irrationally manage natural resources, then soon the sources of natural resources will simply be depleted, which will lead to the death of civilization and the whole world.
Description of the problem
Unsustainable environmental management is a system of environmental management in which readily available natural resources are used in large quantities and incompletely, which leads to rapid depletion of resources.
In this case, a large amount of waste is produced and the environment is heavily polluted.
This type of environmental management leads to environmental crises and environmental disasters.
An ecological crisis is a critical state of the environment that threatens human existence.
Ecological disaster - changes in the natural environment, often caused by the impact of human economic activity, a man-made accident or natural disaster, leading to unfavorable changes in the natural environment and accompanied by massive loss of life or damage to the health of the population of the region, death of living organisms, vegetation, large losses material assets and natural resources.
Consequences of irrational environmental management:
— destruction of forests (see photo 1);
— the process of desertification due to excessive grazing (see photo 2);
- extermination of certain species of plants and animals;
— pollution of water, soil, atmosphere, etc.
(see photo 3)
Damages associated with irrational environmental management.
Calculable damages:
a) economic:
losses due to decreased productivity of biogeocenoses;
losses due to decreased labor productivity caused by increased morbidity;
losses of raw materials, fuel and materials due to emissions;
costs due to a reduction in the service life of buildings and structures;
b) socio-economic:
health care costs;
losses due to migration caused by deteriorating environmental quality;
Additional holiday costs:
Imputed:
a) social:
increase in mortality, pathological changes in the human body;
psychological damage due to population dissatisfaction with the quality of the environment;
b) environmental:
irreversible destruction of unique ecosystems;
species extinction;
genetic damage.
Ways to solve the problem
irrational environmental management protection
b Optimization of the use of natural resources in the process of social production.
The concept of optimizing the use of natural resources should be based on the rational choice by economic entities of resources for production, based on limit values, taking into account ensuring environmental balance. Solving environmental problems should become the prerogative of the state, creating a legal and regulatory framework for environmental management.
b Protection of nature from the negative consequences of human activity.
Establishment in legislation of legal environmental requirements for the behavior of natural resource users.
ь Environmental safety of the population.
Environmental safety is understood as the process of ensuring the protection of the vital interests of the individual, society, nature and the state from real and potential threats created by anthropogenic or natural impacts on the environment.
ь Creation of specially protected natural areas.
Specially protected natural areas are areas of land, water surface and air space above them, where natural complexes and objects are located that have special environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, recreational and health value, which are withdrawn by decisions of state authorities.
Conclusion
Having studied Internet resources, we can conclude that the main thing is to understand the rational use of natural resources. Soon, not ideological, but environmental problems will be in the foreground all over the world; not relations between nations, but relations between nations and nature will dominate. Man urgently needs to change his attitude towards the environment and his ideas about safety.
Global military spending is about one trillion a year. At the same time, there are no means to monitor global climate change, survey the ecosystems of disappearing tropical rainforests and expanding deserts. The natural way of survival is to maximize the strategy of frugality in relation to the outside world.
All members of the world community must participate in this process. The ecological revolution will win when people are able to reassess values, look at themselves as not an integral part of nature, on which their future and the future of their descendants depends. For thousands of years, man lived, worked, developed, but he did not suspect that perhaps the day would come when it would become difficult, or perhaps impossible, to breathe clean air, drink clean water, grow something on the ground, because the air is polluted, the water is poisoned, the soil is contaminated with radiation, etc.
chemicals. Owners large factories, oil and gas industry, think only about themselves, about their wallet. They neglect safety rules and ignore the requirements of the environmental police.
References
I. https://ru.wikipedia.org/
II. Oleinik A.P. “Geography. A large reference book for schoolchildren and those entering universities,” 2014.
III. Potravny I.M., Lukyanchikov N.N.
"Economics and organization of environmental management", 2012.
IV. Skuratov N.S., Gurina I.V. “Nature management: 100 exam answers”, 2010.
V. E. Polievktova “Who is who in environmental economics”, 2009.
VI. Applications
Rational use of natural resources and environmental protection
Consequences of human activity.
Rational environmental management as an opportunity to manage natural ecosystems. Directions for nature conservation in the process of its use. Taking into account the relationships in ecosystems when using natural resources.
presentation, added 09/21/2013
Protection of natural areas
Review of legislation, specially protected natural areas, characteristics and classification. Lands of specially protected natural areas and their legal status.
State nature reserves. Violation of the regime of specially protected natural areas.
abstract, added 10/25/2010
Development of a system of specially protected natural areas
Nature conservation and specially protected natural areas: concept, goals, objectives and functions. History of the creation of a network of specially protected areas in the Republic of Belarus and in the Bobruisk region.
Natural monuments and reserves of local importance.
course work, added 01/28/2016
Environmental ethics and environmental management in people's lives
Justification of ecological and ethical approaches in environmental management.
Rational environmental management: principles and examples
Protection of biological resources through their reasonable exploitation. Functioning of systems of specially protected natural areas. Environmental restrictions in certain economic sectors.
test, added 03/09/2011
Concept, types and purposes of formation of specially protected natural areas
Concept, types and purposes of formation of specially protected natural areas.
Questions about nature reserves, national parks, sanctuaries and other specially protected areas. Questions about endangered animal and plant species. Their security.
abstract, added 06/02/2008
Differences between rational and irrational environmental management
The influence of constant human use of natural resources on the environment.
The essence and goals of rational environmental management. Signs of irrational environmental management. Comparison of rational and irrational environmental management, illustrated with examples.
test, added 01/28/2015
Legal regime of specially protected natural territories and objects
Characteristics of the legislative framework on environmental issues. Legal regime of specially protected natural territories and objects: nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, parks, arboretums, botanical gardens.
course work, added 05/25/2009
Specially protected natural areas as a factor in regional development
Characteristics of specially protected natural areas of Russia.
Features of the functioning of specially protected natural areas in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Global and domestic trends influencing tourism planning in protected areas.
thesis, added 11/23/2010
Methodological approaches to justify the creation of specially protected natural areas
Justification of directions for improving the methodological tools for assessing specially protected natural areas based on consideration of their main environmental functions.
Differentiation coefficients for the standard average value of reserve lands.
article, added 09/22/2015
Current state of specially protected natural areas of the city of Stavropol
The concept of specially protected natural areas.
Natural conditions of Stavropol. Specially protected natural areas of Stavropol. Relief, climate, soils, water resources of the Stavropol region. Hydrological natural monuments of Stavropol, botanical gardens.
certification work, added 11/09/2008
The concept of environmental management
Rational environmental management- a type of relationship between a person and the environment in which people are able to intelligently develop natural resources and prevent the negative consequences of their activities. An example of rational environmental management is the creation of cultural landscapes and the use of low-waste and non-waste technologies. Rational environmental management includes the introduction of biological methods of controlling agricultural pests.
Rational use of natural resources can also be considered the creation of environmentally friendly fuels, improvement of technologies for the extraction and transportation of natural raw materials, etc.
In Belarus, the implementation of rational environmental management is controlled at the state level. To this end, a number of environmental laws have been adopted.
Rational use of natural resources
Among them are the laws “On the protection and use of wildlife”, “On waste management”, “On the protection of atmospheric air”.
Creation of low-waste and non-waste technologies
Low-waste technologies- production processes that ensure the fullest possible use of processed raw materials and generated waste.
At the same time, substances are returned to the environment in relatively harmless quantities.
Part global problem Disposal of solid household waste is a problem of processing secondary polymer raw materials (especially plastic bottles).
In Belarus, about 20-30 million of them are thrown away every month. Today, domestic scientists have developed and are using their own technology that makes it possible to process plastic bottles into fibrous materials. They serve as filters to clean contaminated waste water from fuels and lubricants, and are also widely used at gas stations.
Filters made from recycled materials are not inferior in their physical and chemical properties to their analogues made from primary polymers. In addition, their cost is several times lower. In addition, machine sink brushes, packaging tape, tiles, etc. are made from the resulting fiber. paving slabs etc.
The development and implementation of low-waste technologies is dictated by the interests of environmental protection and is a step towards the development of waste-free technologies.
Waste-free technologies imply a complete transition of production to a closed resource cycle without any impact on the environment.
Since 2012, the largest biogas plant in Belarus has been launched at the Rassvet agricultural production complex (Mogilev region). It allows you to process organic waste (manure, bird droppings, household waste, etc.). After processing, gaseous fuel - biogas - is obtained.
Thanks to biogas, the farm can completely avoid heating greenhouses with expensive natural gas in winter. In addition to biogas, environmentally friendly organic fertilizers are also obtained from production waste. These fertilizers are free of pathogenic microflora, weed seeds, nitrites and nitrates.
Another example of waste-free technology is the production of cheese at most dairy enterprises in Belarus.
In this case, the fat-free and protein-free whey obtained from cheese production is completely used as raw material for the baking industry.
The introduction of low-waste and non-waste technologies also implies a transition to the next step in rational environmental management. This is the use of non-traditional, environmentally friendly and inexhaustible natural resources.
For the economy of our republic, the use of wind as an alternative energy source is especially important.
A wind power plant with a capacity of 1.5 MW is successfully operating in the Novogrudok district of the Grodno region. This power is quite enough to provide electricity to the city of Novogrudok, where more than 30 thousand residents live. In the near future, more than 10 wind farms with a capacity of more than 400 MW will appear in the republic.
For more than five years, the Berestye greenhouse plant (Brest) in Belarus has been operating a geothermal station, which does not emit carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides and soot into the atmosphere during operation.
At the same time this type energy reduces the country's dependence on imported energy resources. Belarusian scientists have calculated that thanks to extraction from the bowels of the earth warm water natural gas savings amount to about 1 million m3 per year.
Ways to green agriculture and transport
The principles of rational environmental management, in addition to industry, are also implemented in other areas of human economic activity. In agriculture, it is extremely important to introduce biological methods of controlling plant pests instead of chemicals - pesticides.
Trichogramma is used in Belarus to combat the codling moth and cabbage cutworm. Beautiful ground beetles, feeding on the caterpillars of moths and silkworms, are protectors of the forest.
The development of environmentally friendly fuels for transport is no less important than the creation of new automotive technologies. Today there are many examples where alcohol and hydrogen are used as fuel in vehicles.
Unfortunately, these types of fuel have not yet received mass distribution due to the low economic efficiency of their use. At the same time, so-called hybrid cars have become increasingly used.
Along with an internal combustion engine, they also have an electric motor, which is intended for movement within cities.
Currently, there are three enterprises in Belarus producing biodiesel fuel for internal combustion engines. These are OJSC "Grodno Azot" (Grodno), OJSC "Mogilevkhimvolokno" (Mogilev), OJSC "Belshina" (Grodno).
Bobruisk). These enterprises produce about 800 thousand tons of biodiesel fuel per year, most of which is exported. Belarusian biodiesel fuel is a mixture of petroleum diesel fuel and a biocomponent based on rapeseed oil and methanol in a ratio of 95% and 5%, respectively.
This fuel reduces carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere compared to conventional diesel fuel. Scientists have found that the production of biodiesel fuel allowed our country to reduce the purchase of oil by 300 thousand.
Solar panels are also known to be used as a source of energy for transportation. In July 2015, a Swiss manned aircraft equipped solar panels, for the first time in the world, spent more than 115 hours in a non-stop flight. At the same time, he reached an altitude of about 8.5 km, using exclusively solar energy during the flight.
Preservation of the gene pool
The species of living organisms on the planet are unique.
They store information about all stages of the evolution of the biosphere, which is of practical and great educational importance. There are no useless or harmful species in nature; they are all necessary for the sustainable development of the biosphere. Any species that disappears will never appear on Earth again. Therefore, in conditions of increased anthropogenic impact on the environment it is extremely important to preserve the gene pool existing species planets.
In the Republic of Belarus, the following system of measures has been developed for this purpose:
- creation of environmental areas - nature reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, etc.
- development of a system for monitoring the state of the environment - environmental monitoring;
- development and adoption of environmental laws providing for various shapes responsibility for negative impact on the environment. Responsibility concerns pollution of the biosphere, violation of the regime of protected areas, poaching, inhumane treatment of animals, etc.;
- breeding rare and endangered plants and animals.
Relocating them to protected areas or new favorable habitats;
- creation of a genetic data bank (plant seeds, reproductive and somatic cells of animals, plants, fungal spores capable of reproducing in the future). This is relevant for the conservation of valuable plant varieties and animal breeds or endangered species;
- carrying out regular work on environmental education and education of the entire population, and especially the younger generation.
Rational environmental management is a type of relationship between a person and the environment, in which a person is able to intelligently develop natural resources and prevent the negative consequences of his activities.
An example of rational environmental management is the use of low-waste and non-waste technologies in industry, as well as the greening of all spheres of human economic activity.
Irrational environmental management
Examples of environmental degradation as a result of unsustainable environmental management include deforestation and depletion of land resources. The process of deforestation is expressed in a reduction in the area under natural vegetation and, above all, forest.
According to some estimates, during the period of the emergence of agriculture and cattle breeding, 62 million square meters were covered with forests. km of land, and taking into account shrubs and copses - 75 million.
sq. km, or 56% of its entire surface. As a result of deforestation, which has been going on for 10 thousand years, their area has decreased to 40 million square meters. km, and the average forest cover is up to 30%.
However, when comparing these indicators, one must keep in mind that virgin forests untouched by man today occupy only 15 million hectares.
sq. km - in Russia, Canada, Brazil. In most other areas, all or almost all primary forests have been replaced by secondary forests. Only in 1850 - 1980. Forest areas on Earth have decreased by 15%. In foreign Europe until the 7th century. forests occupied 70-80% of the entire territory, and currently - 30-35%. On the Russian Plain at the beginning of the 18th century.
forest cover was 55%, now it is only 30%. Large-scale destruction of forests also occurred in the USA, Canada, India, China, Brazil, and the Sahel zone in Africa.
Currently, forest destruction continues at a rapid pace: more than 20 thousand are destroyed annually.
sq. km. Forest areas are disappearing as the cultivation of land and pastures expands, and timber harvesting increases. Particularly threatening destruction occurred in the tropical forest zone, where, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in the mid-80s. 11 million hectares of forests were destroyed annually, and in the early 90s. - approximately 17 million
ha, especially in countries such as Brazil, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. As a result, over the past decades, the area of tropical forests has decreased by 20 - 30%. If the situation does not change, then in half a century their final death is possible. Moreover, tropical forests are being cut down at a rate that is 15 times faster than their natural regeneration. These forests are called the “lungs of the planet” because they supply oxygen to the atmosphere. They contain more than half of all species of flora and fauna on Earth.
Land degradation due to the expansion of agriculture and livestock production has occurred throughout human history.
According to scientists, as a result of irrational land use, during the Neolithic revolution, humanity has already lost 2 billion hectares of once productive land, which is significantly more than the entire modern area of arable land. And in the present, as a result of soil degradation processes, about 7 million hectares of fertile land are removed from global agricultural production annually, losing their fertility and turning into wasteland. Soil losses can be assessed not only by area, but also by weight.
American scientists have calculated that the arable lands of our planet alone annually lose 24 billion tons of fertile bud layer, which is equivalent to the destruction of the entire wheat belt in the south-east of Australia. In addition, more than 1/2 of all these losses occurred in the late 80s. accounted for four countries: India (6 billion tons), China (3.3 billion tons), USA (3 billion tons).
t), and the USSR (3 billion tons).
The worst effects on the soil are water and wind erosion, as well as chemical (contamination with heavy metals, chemical compounds) and physical (destruction of soil cover during mining, construction and other work) degradation.
The causes of degradation primarily include overgrazing (overgrazing), which is most typical for many developing countries. The depletion and extinction of forests and agricultural activities (salinization in irrigated agriculture) also play an important role here.
The process of soil degradation is particularly intense in arid areas, which occupy about 6 million hectares.
sq. km, and is most characteristic of Asia and Africa. The main desertification areas are also located within the drylands, where overgrazing, deforestation and unsustainable irrigated agriculture have reached their maximum levels. According to existing estimates, the total area of land desertification in the world is 4.7 million square meters. km. Including the territory where anthropogenic desertification occurred is estimated at 900 thousand square meters. km. Every year it grows by 60 thousand km.
In all major regions of the world, pastoral lands are most susceptible to desertification. In Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australia and Europe, desertification affects about 80% of all pastures located in dry areas. In second place are rain-fed cultivated lands in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Waste problem
Another reason for the degradation of the global ecological system is its pollution by waste from industrial and non-productive human activities.
The amount of this waste is very large and lately has reached proportions that threaten the existence of human civilizations. Waste is divided into solid, liquid and gaseous.
Currently, there is no single estimate of the amount of solid waste generated by human economic activity. Not so long ago, for the whole world they were estimated at 40 - 50 billion tons per year with a forecast of an increase to 100 billion tons or more by 2000. According to modern calculations, by 2025.
the volume of such waste may increase another 4-5 times. It should also be taken into account that now only 5-10% of all extracted and received raw materials are converted into final products and 90-95% of them are converted into direct income during the processing process.
An illustrative example of a country with ill-conceived technology is Russia.
Thus, in the USSR, about 15 billion tons of solid waste were generated annually, and now in Russia - 7 billion tons. The total amount of solid production and consumption waste located in dumps, landfills, storage facilities and landfills today reaches 80 billion tons.
The structure of solid waste is dominated by industrial and mining waste.
In general and per capita, they are especially large in Russia, the USA and Japan. In terms of solid household waste per capita, the lead belongs to the United States, where each resident produces 500–600 kg of garbage per year. Despite the ever-increasing recycling of solid waste in the world, in many countries it is either at initial stage, or is completely absent, which leads to contamination of the Earth's soil cover.
Liquid waste primarily pollutes the hydrosphere, with the main pollutants here being wastewater and oil.
The total volume of wastewater in the early 90s. reached 1800 km3. to dilute contaminated wastewater to an acceptable level for use (process water) per unit volume, an average of 10 to 100 and even 200 units is required. clean water. Thus, the use of water resources for dilution and purification of wastewater has become the largest expenditure item.
This applies primarily to Asia, North America and Europe, which account for about 90% of the world's wastewater discharges. This also applies to Russia, where out of 70 km3 of wastewater discharged annually (in the USSR this figure was 160 km3), 40% is untreated or insufficiently treated.
Oil pollution primarily negatively affects the state of the sea and air environment, since the oil film limits gas, heat and moisture exchange between them.
According to some estimates, about 3.5 million tons of oil and petroleum products enter the World Ocean every year.
As a result, the degradation of the aquatic environment today has become global. Approximately 1.3 billion
People use only contaminated water at home, which causes many epidemic diseases. Due to the pollution of rivers and seas, fishing opportunities are reduced.
Of great concern is atmospheric pollution with dust and gaseous waste, emissions of which are directly related to the combustion of mineral fuels and biomass, as well as mining, construction and other earthworks.
The main pollutants are usually considered particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Every year, about 60 million tons of particulate matter are emitted into the Earth's atmosphere, which contribute to the formation of smog and reduce the transparency of the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide (100 million tons) and nitrogen oxides (about 70 million tons) are the main sources of acid rain.
Carbon monoxide emissions (175 million tons) have a great impact on the composition of the atmosphere. Almost 2/3 of all global emissions of these four pollutants come from economically developed Western countries (the US share is 120 million tons). In Russia in the late 80s. Their emissions from stationary sources and road transport amounted to about 60 million.
t (in the USSR -95 million tons).
Even larger and dangerous aspect The environmental crisis is associated with the impact of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane, on the lower layers of the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere mainly as a result of the combustion of mineral fuels (2/3 of all receipts). The sources of metal entering the atmosphere are the combustion of biomass, some types of agricultural production, and leaks from oil and gas wells.
According to some estimates, only in 1950 - 1990. Global carbon emissions quadrupled to 6 billion.
t, or 22 billion tons of carbon dioxide. The main responsibility for these emissions lies with the economically developed countries of the Northern Hemisphere, which account for the majority of such emissions (USA - 25%, EU member countries - 14%, CIS countries - 13%, Japan -5%).
The degradation of the ecological system is also associated with the release into nature of chemical substances created during the production process. According to some estimates, about 100 thousand chemicals are involved in environmental poisoning these days.
The main dose of pollution falls on 1.5 thousand of them. These are chemicals, pesticides, feed additives, cosmetics, medications and other drugs.
They can be solid, liquid and gaseous and pollute the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere.
Recently, chlorofluorocarbon compounds (freons) have caused particular concern. This group of gases is widely used as refrigerants in refrigerators and air conditioners, in the form of solvents, atomizers, sterilizers, detergents etc.
The greenhouse effect of chlorofluorocarbons has been known for a long time, but their production continued to grow rapidly, reaching 1.5 million tons. It was estimated that over the past 20 - 25 years, due to increasing emissions of freons, the protective layer of the atmosphere has decreased by 2 - 5%.
According to calculations, a 1% decrease in the ozone layer leads to an increase in ultraviolet radiation by 2%. In the Northern Hemisphere, the ozone content in the atmosphere has already decreased by 3%. The Northern Hemisphere's particular exposure to freons can be explained by the following: 31% of freons are produced in the USA, 30% in Western Europe, 12% - in Japan, 10% - in the CIS.
Finally, in some areas of the Earth, “ ozone holes“—great destruction of the ozone layer (especially over Antarctica and the Arctic).
At the same time, it must be borne in mind that CFC emissions are apparently not the only reason for the destruction of the ozone layer.
One of the main consequences of the environmental crisis on the planet is the impoverishment of its gene pool, a decrease in biological diversity on Earth, which is estimated at 10 -20 million species, including in the territory former USSR— 10-12% of total number. The damage in this area is already quite noticeable. This occurs due to the destruction of plant and animal habitats, overexploitation of agricultural resources, and environmental pollution.
According to American scientists, over the past 200 years, about 900 thousand species of plants and animals have disappeared on Earth. In the second half of the twentieth century. the process of gene pool reduction has accelerated sharply.
Scientists believe that if existing trends continue in 1980 - 2000. the extinction of 1/5 of all species inhabiting our planet is possible.
All these facts indicate the degradation of the global ecological system and the growing global environmental crisis.
Their social consequences are already manifested in food shortages, increased morbidity, and increased environmental migration.
Nature management
Nature management -the totality of human impacts on the geographical envelope of the Earth, considered in its entirety
There are rational and irrational use of natural resources. Rational environmental management is aimed at ensuring the conditions for the existence of mankind and obtaining material benefits, at maximizing the use of each natural territorial complex, at preventing or maximizing the possible harmful consequences of production processes or other types of human activity, at maintaining and increasing the productivity and attractiveness of nature, ensuring and regulating economic development of its resources. Irrational use of natural resources affects the quality, waste and depletion of natural resources, undermining the restorative powers of nature, polluting the environment, and reducing its health and aesthetic benefits.
The impact of humanity on nature has changed significantly in the process of historical development of society. In the early stages, society was a passive consumer of natural resources. With the growth of productive forces and changes in socio-economic formations, the influence of society on nature increased. Already under the conditions of the slave system and feudalism, large irrigation systems were built. The capitalist system, with its spontaneous economy, the pursuit of profits and private ownership of many sources of natural resources, as a rule, sharply limits the possibilities for rational use of natural resources. The best conditions for rational use of natural resources exist under the socialist system with its planned economy and concentration of natural resources in the hands of the state. There are numerous examples of improvements in the natural environment as a result of comprehensive accounting possible consequences certain transformations of nature (successes in irrigation, enrichment of fauna, creation of shelterbelt forests, etc.).
Environmental management, along with physical and economic geography, is closely connected with ecology, sociology, economics, and especially with the technology of various industries.
Rational environmental management
Rational environmental management is a system of environmental management in which:
Extracted natural resources are used quite fully and the amount of consumed resources is correspondingly reduced;
The restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured;
Production waste is fully and repeatedly used.
The system of rational environmental management can significantly reduce environmental pollution. Rational use of natural resources is characteristic of an intensive economy, that is, an economy that develops on the basis of scientific and technological progress and better organization of labor with high labor productivity. An example of environmental management could be a zero-waste production or a zero-waste production cycle, in which waste is completely used, resulting in reduced consumption of raw materials and minimized environmental pollution. Production can use waste from both its own production process and waste from other industries; Thus, several enterprises of the same or different industries can be included in the waste-free cycle. One of the types of non-waste production (the so-called recycled water supply) is repeated use in technological process water taken from rivers, lakes, boreholes, etc.; the used water is purified and re-entered into the production process.
The components of rational environmental management - protection, development and transformation of nature - manifest themselves in various forms in relation to different types of natural resources. When using practically inexhaustible resources (solar and underground heat energy, ebbs and flows, etc.), the rationality of environmental management is measured primarily by the lowest operating costs and the highest efficiency of extractive industries and installations. For extractable and at the same time non-renewable resources (for example, minerals), the complexity and cost-effectiveness of production, waste reduction, etc. are important. The protection of resources that are replenished during use is aimed at maintaining their productivity and resource circulation, and their exploitation should ensure their economical, comprehensive and waste-free production and be accompanied by measures to prevent damage to related types of resources.
Irrational environmental management
Unsustainable environmental management is a system of environmental management in which the most readily available natural resources are used in large quantities and usually incompletely, resulting in rapid depletion of resources. In this case, a large amount of waste is produced and the environment is heavily polluted. Irrational use of natural resources is typical for an extensive economy, that is, for an economy developing through new construction, the development of new lands, the use of natural resources, and an increase in the number of workers. Extensive farming initially brings good results at a relatively low scientific and technical level of production, but quickly leads to the depletion of natural and labor resources. One of the many examples of irrational environmental management is slash-and-burn agriculture, which is still widespread in Southeast Asia today. Land burning leads to the destruction of wood, air pollution, poorly controlled fires, etc. Often, irrational environmental management is a consequence of narrow departmental interests and the interests of transnational corporations that locate their hazardous production facilities in developing countries.
Natural resources
The geographical envelope of the earth has huge and varied reserves of natural resources. However, resource reserves are unevenly distributed. As a result, individual countries and regions have different resource endowments.
Resource availability is the relationship between the amount of natural resources and the amount of their use. Resource availability is expressed either by the number of years for which these resources should be sufficient, or by resource reserves per capita. The resource availability indicator is influenced by the richness or poverty of a territory in natural resources, the scale of extraction and the class of natural resources (exhaustible or inexhaustible resources).
In socio-economic geography, several groups of resources are distinguished: mineral, land, water, forest, resources of the World Ocean, space, climate and recreational resources.
Almost everything mineral resources belong to the non-renewable category. Mineral resources include fuel minerals, ore minerals and non-metallic minerals.
Fossil fuels are of sedimentary origin and usually accompany the cover of ancient platforms and their internal and marginal bends. More than 3.6 thousand coal basins and deposits are known on the globe, which occupy 15% of the earth's land area. Coal basins of the same geological age often form coal accumulation belts stretching for thousands of kilometers.
The bulk of the world's coal resources are located in the northern hemisphere - Asia, North America and Europe. The main part lies in the 10 largest basins. These pools are located in Russia, the USA and Germany.
More than 600 oil and gas basins have been explored, another 450 are being developed, and total number oil fields reach 50 thousand. The main oil and gas basins are concentrated in the northern hemisphere - in Asia, North America and Africa. The richest basins are the Persian and Gulf of Mexico and the West Siberian basin.
Ore minerals accompany the foundations of ancient platforms. In such areas, large metallogenic belts are formed (Alpine-Himalayan, Pacific), which serve as raw material bases for the mining and metallurgical industries and determine the economic specialization of individual regions and even entire countries. Countries located in these belts have favorable prerequisites for the development of the mining industry.
They are widespread non-metallic minerals , deposits of which are found in both platform and folded areas.
For economic development, the most advantageous are territorial combinations of mineral resources, which facilitate the complex processing of raw materials and the formation of large territorial production complexes.
Land is one of the main resources of nature, the source of life. The global land fund is about 13.5 billion hectares. Its structure includes cultivable lands, meadows and pastures, forests and shrubs, unproductive and unproductive lands. Cultivated lands are of great value, providing 88% of the food needed by humanity. Cultivated lands are mainly concentrated in forest, forest-steppe and steppe zones of the planet. Meadows and pastures are of considerable importance, providing 10% of food consumed by humans.
The structure of the land fund is constantly changing. It is influenced by two opposing processes: the artificial expansion of land by man and the deterioration of land due to a natural process.
Every year, 6-7 million hectares of land fall out of agricultural production due to soil erosion and desertification. As a result of these processes, the load on the land is constantly increasing, and the availability of land resources is constantly falling. The least secure land resources include Egypt, Japan, South Africa, etc.
Water resources are the main source of satisfying human needs for water. Until recently, water was considered one of the free gifts of nature; only in areas of artificial irrigation it always had a high price. The planet's water reserves amount to 47 thousand m3. Moreover, only half of the water reserves can actually be used. Resources fresh water constitute only 2.5% of the total volume of the hydrosphere. In absolute terms, this amounts to 30-35 million m3, which is 10 thousand times more than the needs of humanity. But the overwhelming majority of fresh water is conserved in the glaciers of Antarctica, Greenland, in the ice of the Arctic, in mountain glaciers and forms an “emergency reserve”, which is not yet suitable for use. River waters (“water ration”) remain the main source of satisfying humanity’s needs for fresh water. It is not that significant and you can realistically use about half of this amount. The main consumer of fresh water is agriculture. Almost 2/3 of water is used in agriculture for irrigation. The constant increase in water consumption creates the threat of fresh water shortage. Countries in Asia, Africa, and Western Europe experience such a shortage.
To solve water supply problems, people use several ways: for example, constructing reservoirs; saves water by introducing technologies that reduce water losses; carries out desalination of sea water, redistribution of river flow in moisture-abundant areas, etc.
River flow is also used to obtain hydraulic potential. Hydraulic potential is of three types: gross (30-35 trillion kW/h), technical (20 trillion kW/h), economic (10 trillion kW/h). Economic potential is part of the gross and technical hydraulic potential, the use of which is justified. The countries of foreign Asia, Latin America, North America, Europe and Australia have the greatest economic hydraulic potential. However, in Europe this potential has already been used by 70%, in Asia - by 14%, in Africa - by 3%.
The Earth's biomass is created by plant and animal organisms. Plant resources are represented by both cultivated and wild plants. Among wild plants, forest vegetation predominates, which forms forest resources.
Forest resources are characterized by two indicators :
1) size of forest area (4.1 billion hectares);
2) standing timber reserves (330 billion hectares).
This reserve increases annually by 5.5 billion m3. At the end of the 20th century. forests began to be cut down for arable land, plantations and construction. As a result, forest area is reduced annually by 15 million hectares. This leads to a reduction in the wood processing industry.
The forests of the world form two huge belts. The northern forest belt is located in the temperate and subtropical zones. The most forested countries in this belt are Russia, the USA, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. The southern forest belt is located in the tropical and equatorial zones. The forests of this belt are concentrated in three areas: the Amazon, the Congo basin and Southeast Asia.
Animal resources also fall into the renewable category. Together, plants and animals form the genetic fund (gene pool) of the planet. One of the most important tasks of our time is the preservation of biological diversity and the prevention of “erosion” of the gene pool.
The world's oceans contain a large group of natural resources. Firstly, it is sea water, which contains 75 chemical elements. Secondly, these are mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, solid minerals. Thirdly, energy resources (tidal energy). Fourthly, biological resources (animals and plants). Fourthly, these are the biological resources of the World Ocean. The ocean biomass includes 140 thousand species, and its mass is estimated at 35 billion tons. The most productive resources are the Norwegian, Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese seas.
Climate Resources – this is the solar system, heat, moisture, light. The geographical distribution of these resources is reflected on the agroclimatic map. Space resources include wind and wind energy, which is essentially inexhaustible, relatively cheap and does not pollute the environment.
Recreational resources are distinguished not by the characteristics of their origin, but by the nature of their use. These include both natural and anthropogenic objects and phenomena that can be used for recreation, tourism and treatment. They are divided into four types: recreational-therapeutic (for example, treatment with mineral waters), recreational-health-improving (for example, swimming and beach areas), recreational-sports (for example, ski resorts) and recreational-educational (for example, historical monuments).
The division of recreational resources into natural-recreational and cultural-historical attractions is widely used. Natural and recreational resources include sea coasts, banks of rivers, lakes, mountains, forests, mineral springs and medicinal mud. Cultural and historical attractions are monuments of history, archeology, architecture, and art.
From early childhood, my parents took me on vacation to a small spring lake. I loved this lake, its clean and cool water. But, suddenly for us, it began to disappear and almost disappeared. It turned out that a local farmer began to irrigate his land with water from this lake, and his irrational activities drained the reservoir in just three years, leaving the entire area without water, and us without a lake.
Nature management
The use of natural resources has certain consequences, and I would like these actions to be aimed at creation, not destruction. With the development of technology, people are increasingly using natural resources, using them for their personal needs and enrichment. Moreover, such activity can be both rational and irrational. The first does not harm nature, does not change its appearance and properties, while the second leads to the depletion of deposits and air pollution.
Examples of rational environmental management
Rational use of resources implies their maximum possible reasonable consumption. For industry, this could be the use of a closed water cycle, the use alternative types energy, recycling.
Another example is the creation of parks and reserves, the use of new technologies that do not pollute the air, soil and water.
Examples of unsustainable environmental management
Unwise and negligent examples of environmental management can be observed at every step, and we are all already paying for such careless attitude towards nature. Here are some of these examples:
In my life, I quite rarely observe the rational use of resources, from individual people to the scale of corporations and countries. I would like people to appreciate our planet more and use its gifts wisely.
Being a part of nature, man has used its gifts for many centuries to develop technology and for the benefit of human civilization, while causing colossal and irreparable harm to the surrounding space. Modern facts scientists indicate that it is time to think about the wise use of nature, because thoughtless waste of the earth's resources can lead to an irreversible environmental disaster.
Environmental management system
Modern system environmental management is an integral structure covering all areas of human activity in modern stage, including public consumption of natural resources.
Science views environmental management as a set of measures for the rational use of natural resources, aimed not only at processing, but also at restoration, using improved methods and technologies. In addition, this is a discipline that provides theoretical knowledge and practical skills to preserve and enhance the natural diversity and wealth of the entire world space.
Classification of natural resources
By origin, natural resources are divided into:
According to industrial use, they are distinguished:
- World Land Trust.
- Forest fund is part of the land resources on which trees, shrubs, and grasses grow.
- Hydro resources are the energy and fossils of lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans.
By degree of depletion:
Rational and irrational environmental management
Rational environmental management is the continuous impact of man on the surrounding space, where he knows how to manage relationships with nature on the basis of its conservation and protection from undesirable consequences in the process of his activities.
Signs of rational environmental management:
- Restoration and reproduction of natural resources.
- Conservation of land, water, animals and flora.
- Gentle extraction of minerals and harmless processing.
- Preservation of the natural environment for human, animal and plant life.
- Maintaining the ecological balance of the natural system.
- Regulation of fertility and population.
Rational environmental management implies the interaction of the entire natural system based on maintaining the laws of ecology, rationalization in the use, conservation and enhancement of available resources. The essence of environmental management is based on the primary laws of mutual synthesis of various natural systems. Thus, rational environmental management means the analysis of a biological system, its careful operation, protection and reproduction, taking into account not only current, but also future interests of the development of economic sectors and the preservation of human health.
Examples of rational environmental management are:
The current state of environmental management shows an irrational approach, which leads to the destruction of the ecological balance and a very difficult recovery from human impact. In addition, extensive exploitation based on old technologies has created a situation in which the environment is polluted and degraded.
Signs of irrational environmental management:
There are quite a large number of examples of irrational environmental management, which, unfortunately, prevails in economic activity and is characteristic of intensive production.
Examples of unsustainable environmental management:
- Slash-and-burn farming, plowing of slopes on highlands, which leads to the formation of ravines, soil erosion and destruction of the fertile layer of soil (humus).
- Changes in hydrological regime.
- Deforestation, destruction of protected areas, overgrazing.
- Discharge of waste and sewage into rivers, lakes, seas.
- Atmospheric pollution by chemicals.
- Extermination of valuable species of plants, animals and fish.
- Open method of mining.
Principles of rational environmental management
Human activity, as part of the search for ways to rationally use natural resources and improve environmental safety methods, is based on following principles:
Ways to implement the principles
At the present stage, many countries are implementing political programs and projects in the field of applying rational methods of using natural resources, which relate to:
In addition, within an individual state, work is underway aimed at developing and implementing regional environmental plans and measures, and management and control of activities in this area should be carried out by both state and public organizations. These measures will allow:
- provide the population with environmentally friendly work in production;
- create a healthy environment for residents of cities and villages;
- reduce the hazardous impact of natural disasters and disasters;
- preserve the ecosystem in disadvantaged regions;
- implement modern technologies to ensure environmental standards;
- regulate acts of environmental legislation.
Problem rational use natural resources are much broader and more complex than it might seem at first glance. It must be remembered that in nature everything is closely interconnected and not a single component can exist in isolation from each other.
The damage caused during centuries of economic activity can only be corrected if society consciously approaches solving problems regarding the global environmental situation. And this is everyday work for the individual, the state and the world community.
In addition, before preserving any biological entity, it is necessary to thoroughly study the entire agrobiological system, acquire knowledge and understand the essence of its existence. And only by understanding nature and its laws, a person will be able to rationally use all its benefits and resources, as well as increase and save for the future generation of people.
Rational environmental management– this is a system of environmental management in which extracted natural resources are used quite fully (and, accordingly, the amount of consumed resources is reduced), the restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured, production waste is fully and repeatedly used (i.e. waste-free production is organized), which can significantly reduce pollution environment. Rational use of natural resources is characteristic of an intensive economy, that is, an economy that develops on the basis of scientific and technological progress and better organization labor with high labor productivity. An example of environmental management could be a zero-waste production or a zero-waste production cycle, in which waste is completely used, resulting in reduced consumption of raw materials and minimized environmental pollution. Production can use waste from both its own production process and waste from other industries; Thus, several enterprises of the same or different industries can be included in the waste-free cycle. One of the types of waste-free production (the so-called recycled water supply) is the repeated use in the technological process of water taken from rivers, lakes, boreholes, etc.; used water is purified and re-participated in the production process. Rational environmental management provides not a step-by-step, but an integrated approach to nature and includes a whole chain of phenomena and actions.
When using natural resources, it is necessary to take into account local conditions and the characteristics of each natural complex. Taking into account local characteristics, the volumes of use of natural resources, methods and methods of influencing natural environment. Rational environmental management includes a set of measures that are aimed at:
– complete cessation of air, soil, and water pollution by harmful substances through the development of waste-free and low-waste technologies and reasonable application mineral fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture and forestry;
– rational use of all types of natural resources, providing for the renewal of biological and economical use of non-renewable resources;
– targeted transformation natural conditions in large areas (river flow regulation, reclamation work, field-protecting and water-protective forest plantings, creation of parks, etc.);
– preservation of the gene pool of plants and animals, carrying out scientific research to increase the biological productivity of natural complexes.
UNRATIONAL USE OF NATURE
Irrational use of natural resources, as noted by Yu.K. Efremov, is the human impact on nature, leading to the undermining of its restorative abilities, a decrease in its quality, the depletion of natural resources, environmental pollution, and the reduction or destruction of the health-improving and aesthetic properties of nature. Examples include the destruction of tropical forests, desertification, pollution of the oceans, etc.
Irrational environmental management is a system of environmental management in which the most readily available natural resources are used in large quantities and usually incompletely, resulting in rapid depletion of resources. In this case, a large amount of waste is produced and the environment is heavily polluted. Irrational use of natural resources is typical for an extensive economy, that is, for an economy developing through new construction, the development of new lands, the use of natural resources, and an increase in the number of workers. Extensive farming initially brings good results at a relatively low scientific and technical level of production, but quickly leads to the depletion of natural and labor resources. One of the many examples of irrational environmental management is slash-and-burn agriculture, which is still widespread in Southeast Asia today. Land burning leads to the destruction of wood, air pollution, poorly controlled fires, etc. Often, irrational environmental management is a consequence of narrow departmental interests and interests transnational corporations locating their hazardous production in developing countries.
Unsustainable environmental management can also be the result of both intentional and unintentional impacts (direct and indirect) of humans on nature. Preventing the negative consequences of irrational environmental management is the task of nature conservation. The concept of “conservation” has evolved over time. At the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century, when human activity was mainly local in nature, nature conservation was considered as the protection of individual areas withdrawn from economic use (reserves), the preservation of valuable, rare and endangered species of plants and animals, as well as natural monuments. Last time under nature protection understand a set of measures aimed at maintaining the existing productivity of landscapes, protecting nature from pollution and destruction, preserving favorable conditions for human life and external attractiveness.
Economic development is generally considered to be the use of territory by industries in both production and non-production spheres. Depending on the types of economic use, territories of various profiles are distinguished: industrial, agricultural, water management, transport, residential, recreational.
