Private environmental protection. Types, sources and causes of environmental pollution

environmental protection- a system of measures aimed at ensuring favorable and safe conditions for the environment and human life. The most important environmental factors are atmospheric air, air of dwellings, water, soil. O. o. with. provides for the conservation and restoration of natural resources in order to prevent direct and indirect negative impacts of human activities on nature and human health.

Under the conditions of scientific and technological progress and the intensification of industrial production, the problem of O. o. with. have become one of the most important national tasks, the solution of which is inextricably linked with the protection of human health. For many years, the processes of environmental degradation were reversible. affected only limited areas, individual areas and were not of a global nature, therefore, effective measures to protect the human environment were practically not taken. In the last 20-30 years, irreversible changes in the natural environment or dangerous phenomena have begun to appear in various regions of the Earth. In connection with the massive pollution of the environment, the issues of its protection from regional, intrastate have grown into an international, global problem. All developed states defined O. o. with. one of the most important aspects of humanity's struggle for survival.

The advanced industrial countries developed a number of key organizational and scientific and technical actions for O. about. with. They are as follows: identification and assessment of the main chemical, physical and biological factors that adversely affect the health and performance of the population, in order to develop the necessary strategy to reduce the negative role of these factors; assessment of the potential impact of toxic substances polluting the environment in order to establish the necessary risk criteria for public health; development of effective programs to prevent possible industrial accidents and measures to reduce the harmful effects of accidental emissions on the environment. Besides, special value in O. about. with. acquires the establishment of the degree of danger of environmental pollution for the gene pool, in terms of the carcinogenicity of some toxic substances contained in industrial emissions and waste. To assess the degree of risk of mass diseases caused by pathogens contained in the environment, systematic epidemiological studies are needed.

When solving issues related to O. o. with., it should be borne in mind that a person from birth and throughout his life is exposed to various factors (contact with chemicals in everyday life,

at work, the use of drugs, the ingestion of chemical additives contained in food products, etc.). Additional exposure to harmful substances entering the environment, in particular with industrial waste, can have a negative impact on human health.

Among environmental pollutants (biological, physical, chemical and radioactive), one of the first places is occupied by chemical compounds. More than 5 million chemical compounds are known, of which over 60 thousand are in constant use. The world output of chemical compounds increases by a factor of 2 1/2 every 10 years. The most dangerous is the entry into the environment of organochlorine compounds of pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, asbestos.

The most effective measure O. o. with. from these compounds are the development and implementation of waste-free or low-waste technological processes, as well as the neutralization of waste or their processing for recycling. Another important direction of O. o. with. is a change in the approach to the principles of location of various industries,

replacement of the most harmful and stable substances by less harmful and less stable ones. Mutual influence of different industrial and page - x. objects is becoming more and more significant, and the social and economic damage from accidents caused by the proximity of various enterprises may exceed the benefits associated with the proximity of the resource base or transport facilities. In order for the tasks of placing objects to be optimally solved, it is necessary to cooperate with specialists of different profiles who are able to predict the adverse effects of diverse factors, use mathematical modeling methods. Quite often, due to meteorological conditions, territories remote from the direct source of harmful emissions are polluted.

In many countries since the late 70s. there were centers on O. about. pp., integrating world experience, exploring the role of previously unknown factors that harm the environment and public health.

The most important role in the implementation of the planned state policy in the field of O. o. with. belongs to hygienic science (see. Hygiene ). In our country, research in this area is conducted by more than 70 institutions (hygienic institutes, departments of communal hygiene of medical institutes, institutes for the improvement of doctors).

The head of the problem "Scientific foundations of environmental hygiene" is the Research Institute of General and Communal Hygiene. A.N. Sysina.

The scientific basis for regulating adverse environmental factors has been developed and implemented, standards have been established for many hundreds of chemicals in the air of the working area, water in reservoirs, atmospheric air in populated areas, soil, food products; Permissible levels of exposure to a number of physical factors have been established - noise, vibration, electromagnetic radiation (see.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (a. environment protection; n. Umweltschutz; f. protection de l "environnement; and. proteccion de ambiente) - a set of measures to optimize or preserve the natural environment. The purpose of environmental protection is to counteract negative changes in it, which have taken place in the past, are happening now, or are to come.

General information. The cause of adverse events in the environment can be natural factors (in particular those causing natural disasters). However, the relevance of environmental protection, which has become a global problem, is mainly associated with the deterioration of the environment as a result of an actively growing anthropogenic impact. This is due to the population explosion, accelerating urbanization and the development of mining and communications, environmental pollution with various wastes (see also), excessive pressure on arable, pasture and forest lands (especially in developing countries). According to the UN Environment Program (UNEP), by the year 2000 the world's population will reach 6.0-6.1 billion people, 51% of which are city dwellers. At the same time, the number of cities with a population of 1-32 million people will reach 439, urbanized territories will occupy over 100 million hectares. Urbanization usually leads to air pollution, surface and groundwater pollution, deterioration of flora and fauna, soils and soils. As a result of construction and improvement in urban areas, tens of billions of tons of soil masses are moved, and artificial soil stabilization is carried out on a large scale. The volume of underground structures that are not related to the extraction of minerals is growing (see).

The growing scale of energy production is one of the main factors of anthropogenic pressure on the environment. Human activity disrupts the energy balance in nature. In 1984, the production of primary energy amounted to 10.3 billion tons of standard fuel due to the combustion of coal (30.3%), oil (39.3%), natural gas (19.7%), and the operation of hydroelectric power stations (6.8%) , nuclear power plants (3.9%). In addition, 1.7 billion tons of reference fuel was generated from the use of firewood, charcoal and organic waste (mainly in developing countries). By 2000, energy generation is expected to increase by 60% compared to 1980 levels.

In areas of the globe with a high concentration of population and industry, the scale of energy production has become commensurate with the radiation balance, which has a noticeable effect on changes in microclimate parameters. Large energy costs in the territories occupied by cities, mining enterprises and communications lead to significant changes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and geological environment.

One of the most acute environmental problems caused by the increased technogenic impact on the natural environment is related to the state of atmospheric air. It includes a number of aspects. First, the protection of the ozone layer, which is necessary in connection with the growth of atmospheric pollution with freons, nitrogen oxides, etc. By the middle of the 21st century. this could result in a 15% reduction in stratospheric ozone. Observations over the past 30 years (by 1986) have revealed a trend towards a decrease in the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere over Antarctica in spring. The same information was obtained for the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere. A probable reason for the partial destruction of the ozone layer is an increase in the concentration of organochlorine compounds of anthropogenic origin in the Earth's atmosphere. Secondly, the increase in CO 2 concentration, which is mainly due to increased burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, depletion of the humus layer and soil degradation (Fig. 1).

Since the end of the 18th century, about 540 billion tons of anthropogenic CO2 have accumulated in the Earth's atmosphere; over 200 years, the CO2 content in the air has increased from 280 to 350 ppm. By the middle of the 21st century a doubling of the gas concentration that occurred before the start of the HTP is expected. As a result of the combined action of CO 2 and other "greenhouse" gases (CH 4 , N 2 O, freons), by the 30s of the 21st century (and according to some forecasts, earlier), an increase in the average temperature of the surface air layer by 3 ± 1 may occur, 5°C, with the maximum warming occurring in the circumpolar zones, and the minimum at the equator. An increase in the rate of glacier melting and sea level rise of more than 0.5 cm/year is expected. An increase in CO 2 concentration leads to an increase in the productivity of terrestrial plants, as well as to a weakening of transpiration, the latter can lead to a significant change in the nature of water exchange on land. Thirdly, acid precipitation (rain, hail, snow, fog, dew with a pH of less than 5.6, as well as dry aerosol deposition of sulfur compounds and) have become essential components of the atmosphere. They fall in Europe, North America, as well as in areas of the largest agglomerations and Latin America. The main cause of acid precipitation is the release of sulfur and nitrogen compounds into the atmosphere during the combustion of fossil fuels in stationary installations and vehicle engines. Acid rain damages buildings, monuments and metal structures; cause degradation and death of forests, reduce the yield of many agricultural crops, worsen the fertility of acidic soils and the state of aquatic ecosystems. Atmospheric acidification adversely affects human health. General atmospheric pollution has reached significant proportions: annual dust emissions into the atmosphere in the 80s. estimated at 83 million tons, NO 2 - 27 million tons, SO 2 - over 220 million tons (Fig. 2, Fig. 3).

The problem of depletion of water resources is caused by an increase in water consumption by industry, agriculture and utilities, on the one hand, and water pollution, on the other. Every year, humanity uses an average of over 3800 km3 of water, of which 2450 in agriculture, 1100 in industry, and 250 km3 for household needs. The consumption of sea water is growing rapidly (so far its share in the total water intake is 2%). Pollution of many water bodies on land (especially in the countries of Western Europe and North America) and the waters of the World Ocean has reached a dangerous level. Every year (million tons) enters the ocean: 0.2-0.5 pesticides; 0.1 - organochlorine pesticides; 5-11 - oil and other hydrocarbons; 10 - chemical fertilizers; 6 - phosphorus compounds; 0.004 - mercury; 0.2 - lead; 0.0005 - cadmium; 0.38 - copper; 0.44 - manganese; 0.37 - zinc; 1000 - solid waste; 6.5-50 - solid waste; 6.4 - plastics. Despite the measures taken, oil pollution, the most dangerous for the ocean, is not decreasing (according to some forecasts, it will increase as long as the production and use of oil and oil products continue to grow). In the North Atlantic, the oil film occupies 2-3% of the area. The North and Caribbean Seas, the Persian Gulf, as well as areas adjacent to Africa and America, where oil is transported by tanker fleet, are most polluted with oil. Bacterial pollution of the coastal waters of some densely populated regions, in particular the Mediterranean Sea, has acquired dangerous proportions. As a result of water pollution by industrial effluents and wastes, an acute shortage of fresh water has arisen in a number of regions of the world. Water resources are also depleted indirectly - during deforestation, draining swamps, lowering the level of lakes as a result of water management activities, etc. Due to the need to search for new water resources, predict their condition and develop a rational water use strategy, mainly for densely populated, highly areas, the water problem has acquired an international character.

One of the main environmental problems is related to the deterioration of land resources. The anthropogenic load on agricultural and forestry lands in terms of energy is disproportionately less than on lands under cities, communications and mining, but it is precisely this that is the cause of the main losses of flora, fauna and land cover. Human economic activity on productive lands leads to a change in relief, a decrease in reserves and pollution of surface and groundwater. In the world, more than 120 million tons of mineral fertilizers and over 5 million tons of pesticides are annually applied to soils. Of the 1.47 billion hectares of arable land, 220 million hectares are irrigated, of which more than 1 is saline. During the historical time, as a result of accelerated erosion and other negative processes, mankind has lost almost 2 billion hectares of productive agricultural land. In territories with arid, semi-arid and semi-humid climates, as well as on the productive lands of regions with a hyperarid climate, the problem of land resources is associated with desertification (see Desert). Desertification affects an area of 4.5 billion hectares, on which about 850 million people live, it is rapidly developing (up to 5-7 million hectares per year) in the tropical regions of Africa, South Asia and South America, as well as in the subtropics of Mexico . Great damage to the condition of agricultural land is caused by accelerated erosion caused by tropical downpours, characteristic of countries with a tropical, constantly and variable humid climate.

An increase in the area of land converted to agricultural use for the construction of roads, settlements and industrial (primarily mining) enterprises causes rapid deforestation, which occurs mainly in the tropical zone, in areas of tropical rainforests, whose ecosystems combine from 0.5 to 3 million species of organisms, being the largest repository of the Earth's genetic fund. Industrial logging also plays a significant role in deforestation. The lack of fossil fuel reserves in many developing countries, as well as high prices for it, have led to the fact that about 80% of the wood harvested here is used for fuel. The rate of deforestation is 6-20 million hectares per year. Deforestation is fastest in South America, East and Southeast Asia, and West Africa. During 1960-80, the area of tropical rainforests decreased by 2 times, and of all forests of the tropical belt by almost 1/3.

An important problem for mankind is the protection of the geological environment, i.e. the upper part of the lithosphere, which is considered as a multicomponent dynamic system that is under the influence of human engineering and economic activities and, in turn, determines this activity to a certain extent. The main component of the geological environment is rocks, which, along with solid mineral and organic components, contain gases, groundwater, and also "inhabiting" their organisms. In addition, the geological environment includes various objects created within the lithosphere by man and considered as anthropogenic geological formations. All these components - components of a single natural and technical system - are in close interaction and determine its dynamics.

In the formation of the structure and properties of the geological environment, the processes of interaction of the geospheres play an essential role. Anthropogenic impact causes the development of natural-anthropogenic and the emergence of new (anthropogenic) geological processes that lead to regular changes in the composition, state and properties of the geological environment.

According to UNESCO estimates, by the year 2000 the extraction of the most important minerals will reach 30 billion tons, by this time another 24 million hectares of land will be disturbed, and the amount of solid waste per unit mass of finished products will double. The size of the transport and communication network will double. Water consumption will increase to about 6,000 km3 per year. The area of forest land will decrease (by 10-12%), and the area of arable land will increase by 10-20% (compared to 1980).

Historical outline. The need for harmony between society and nature was pointed out in their works by K. Marx, F. Engels and V. I. Lenin. Marx, for example, wrote: "Human projects that do not take into account the great laws of nature bring only disasters" (K. Marx, F. Engels, Soch., vol. 31, p. 210). This phrase was especially noted in the notes of V. I. Lenin, who emphasized that “generally speaking, it is also impossible to replace the forces of nature with human labor, just as it is impossible to replace arshins with poods. Both in industry and in agriculture, a person can only use the action of the forces of nature if he has known their action, and facilitate this use for himself by means of machines, tools, etc." (Lenin V.I., PSS, vol. 5, p. 103).

In Russia, extensive measures for the protection of nature were already provided for by decrees of Peter I. The Moscow Society of Naturalists (founded in 1805), the Russian Geographical Society (founded in 1845), and others published articles in which questions of the nature protection plan were raised. The American scientist J. P. Marsh wrote about the relevance of maintaining equilibrium in the natural environment in 1864 in his book Man and Nature. The ideas of protecting the natural environment at the international level were promoted by the Swiss scientist P. B. Sarazin, on whose initiative the first international conference on nature protection was convened in Bern (Switzerland) in 1913.

In the 30s. In the 20th century, a Soviet scientist, having considered on a global scale the anthropogenic impact on the natural environment, came to the conclusion that "human economic and industrial activity in its scale and significance has become comparable to the processes of nature itself ... Man geochemically remakes the world" (Fersman A. E. ., Selected Works, vol. 3, p. 716). He made an invaluable contribution to understanding the global features of the evolution of the natural environment. Having revealed the origin of the three outer geospheres, he apparently formulated the main law of geological development: in a single mechanism of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, the living matter of the Earth "performs the functions of the greatest importance, without which it could not exist." Thus, V. I. Vernadsky actually established that the biotic "supercomponent" in the natural environment has control functions, because in a thin "film of life" on the planet, huge amounts of workable energy are concentrated and simultaneously dissipated from it. The conclusions of the scientist lead closely to the definition of a strategy for nature conservation: the management of the natural environment, its renewable resources should be built in accordance with how living matter and the habitat transformed by it are organized, i.e. it is necessary to take into account the spatial organization of the biosphere. Knowledge of the aforementioned law makes it possible to call the degree of reduction of the planetary biota by man the most important criterion for the state of the natural environment. Pointing to the beginning of the transformation of the biosphere into the noosphere, Vernadsky emphasized the spontaneous nature of many changes in the natural environment provoked by man.

The main attention to solving the problems of environmental protection is given after the 2nd World War 1939-45. The teachings of Vernadsky about living matter - the biosphere-noosphere and Fersman about technogenesis have been widely developed in the works of many Soviet and individual foreign scientists (A. P. Vinogradov, E. M. Sergeev, V. A. Kovda, Yu. A. Israel, A. (I. Perelman, M. A. Glazovskaya, F. Ya. Shipunov, P. Duvegno, etc.). In the same years, international cooperation aimed at solving environmental problems grew. In 1948 biologists created the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and in 1961 the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since 1969, extensive interdisciplinary research has been carried out by a specially created Scientific Committee on Environmental Problems (SCOPE). Much work is being done under the auspices of the UN, on whose initiative the permanent UN Environment Program (UNEP) was created in 1972. Within the framework of the UN, environmental problems are also solved by: the World Meteorological Organization (BMO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Commission on Environment and Development (MKOCP), etc. UNESCO implements or participates in a number of programmes, chief among which are Man and the Biosphere (MAB), the International Hydrological Program (IHP) and the International Program on Geological Correlation (IGCP). The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Economic Community (EEC), the Organization of American States (OAS), the League of Arab Countries for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO) pay much attention to the problems of environmental protection.

The protection of flora and fauna on land is regulated by many international conventions and agreements. Since 1981, within the framework of the MAB, the Northern Scientific Network has been created, uniting the scientific research of scientists from the northern countries (including the CCCP) in three priority areas: environmental conditions and land use in the zone of subarctic birch forests; biosphere reserves in subpolar and polar regions; land use practices and herbivorous animals in the tundra and northern taiga. In order to protect natural communities, genetic diversity and individual species, a Plan for Biosphere Reserves was developed, approved in 1984 by the International Coordinating Council of the MAB program. Works on biosphere reserves are being carried out in 62 countries under the auspices of UNESCO, UNEP and IUCN. At the initiative of UNESCO, UNEP, FAO and IUCN, the network of protected areas of the most valuable areas of tropical rain forests is expanding. Keeping about 10% of the area of primary forest intact can provide protection for at least 50% of the species of organisms. In developing countries, in order to reduce the volume of industrial logging in virgin forests, the use of forest plantations is increasing, the total area of which reaches several million hectares. The area of plantations of export crops is growing, this should reduce the use of forest resources for selling wood on the world market.

Protection of the geological environment. The main types of protection of the geological environment: protection of mineral and energy resources of the subsoil; groundwater protection; protection of rock masses as a source of natural underground space resources and the creation of artificial underground reservoirs and premises; protection and improvement of natural and anthropogenic soils as grounds for the placement of ground structures and components of natural and technical systems; forecasting and combating natural disasters. The goals of protecting the geological environment as a source of non-renewable minerals: ensuring scientifically based, rational use of natural mineral and energy resources, the greatest technically possible and economically feasible completeness of their extraction from, integrated use of deposits and mined mineral raw materials at all stages of processing; rational use of mineral raw materials in the economy and disposal of production waste, excluding unjustified losses of mineral raw materials and fuel. An increase in the effectiveness of the protection of the geological environment is facilitated by an increase in the use of alternative methods for obtaining mineral raw materials (for example, the extraction of minerals from sea water), the replacement of natural materials with synthetic ones, etc.

Groundwater protection measures are aimed at preventing the penetration of harmful (and generally polluting) substances into groundwater horizons and their further spread. Groundwater protection includes: the implementation of technical and technological measures aimed at the multiple use of water in the technological cycle, waste disposal, the development of effective methods for cleaning and neutralizing waste, preventing the ingress of wastewater from the Earth's surface into groundwater, reducing industrial emissions into the atmosphere and water bodies , reclamation of polluted soils; compliance with the requirements for the procedure for exploration of groundwater deposits, design, construction and operation of water intake facilities; implementation of proper water protection measures; management of the water-salt regime of groundwater.

Preventive measures include: systematic monitoring of the level of groundwater pollution; assessment of the scale and forecasts of changes in pollution; careful justification of the location of the projected large industrial or agricultural facility so that its negative impact on the environment and groundwater is minimal; equipment and strict observance of sanitary protection zones of the water intake site; assessment of the impact of the designed facility on groundwater and the environment; study of groundwater protection for reasonable placement of industrial and other facilities, water intake facilities and planning of water protection measures; identification and accounting of actual and potential sources of groundwater pollution; liquidation of abandoned and inactive wells, transfer of self-flowing wells to crane operation. The most important type of these measures is the creation of a specialized network of observation wells at large industrial facilities and centralized water intakes to monitor the state of groundwater.

Pollution is the introduction of pollutants into the natural environment that cause adverse changes. Pollution can take the form of chemicals or energy such as noise, heat or light. Pollution components can be either foreign substances/energy or natural pollutants.

The main types and causes of environmental pollution:

Air pollution

Coniferous forest after acid rain

Smoke from chimneys, factories, vehicles, or from burning wood and coal makes the air toxic. The effects of air pollution are also obvious. The release of sulfur dioxide and dangerous gases into the atmosphere causes global warming and acid rain, which in turn increase temperatures, causing excessive rainfall or droughts around the world, and making life difficult. We also breathe every polluted particle in the air and as a result, the risk of asthma and lung cancer increases.

Water pollution

It caused the loss of many species of flora and fauna of the Earth. This was due to the fact that industrial wastes discharged into rivers and other water bodies cause an imbalance in the aquatic environment, which leads to serious pollution and death of aquatic animals and plants.

In addition, spraying insecticides, pesticides (such as DDT) on plants pollute the groundwater system. Oil spills in the oceans have caused significant damage to water bodies.

Eutrophication in the Potomac River, USA

Eutrophication is another important cause of water pollution. Occurs due to untreated sewage and fertilizer runoff from the soil into lakes, ponds or rivers, due to which chemicals enter the water and prevent the penetration of sunlight, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen and making the reservoir uninhabitable.

Pollution of water resources harms not only individual aquatic organisms, but the whole, and seriously affects people who depend on them. In some countries of the world, due to water pollution, outbreaks of cholera and diarrhea are observed.

Soil pollution

soil erosion

This type of pollution occurs when harmful chemical elements enter the soil, usually caused by human activities. Insecticides and pesticides absorb nitrogen compounds from the soil, after which it becomes unsuitable for plant growth. Industrial waste, and also adversely affect the soil. Because plants cannot grow as they should, they are unable to hold the soil, resulting in erosion.

Noise pollution

Occurs when unpleasant (loud) sounds from the environment affect a person's hearing and lead to psychological problems, including tension, high blood pressure, hearing loss, etc. It can be caused by industrial equipment, aircraft, cars, etc.

Nuclear pollution

This is a very dangerous type of pollution, it occurs due to failures in the operation of nuclear power plants, improper storage of nuclear waste, accidents, etc. Radioactive contamination can cause cancer, infertility, loss of vision, birth defects; it can make the soil infertile, and also adversely affects the air and water.

light pollution

Light pollution of planet Earth

Occurs due to noticeable over-illumination of the area. It is common, as a rule, in large cities, especially from billboards, in gyms or entertainment venues at night. In residential areas, light pollution greatly affects people's lives. It also interferes with astronomical observations by making the stars almost invisible.

Thermal/thermal pollution

Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes the temperature of the surrounding water. The main cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a refrigerant by power plants and industrial plants. When water used as a refrigerant is returned to the natural environment at a higher temperature, the change in temperature reduces the supply of oxygen and affects the composition. Fish and other organisms adapted to a particular temperature range can be killed by sudden changes in water temperature (or rapid increases or decreases).

Thermal pollution is caused by excess heat in the environment creating unwanted changes over long periods of time. This is due to the huge number of industrial enterprises, deforestation and air pollution. Thermal pollution increases the Earth's temperature, causing drastic climate change and extinction of wildlife species.

Visual pollution

Visual pollution, Philippines

Visual pollution is an aesthetic problem and refers to the effects of pollution that impair the ability to enjoy the outside world. It includes: billboards, open dumps, antennas, electrical wires, buildings, cars, etc.

Overcrowding of the territory with a large number of objects causes visual pollution. Such pollution contributes to distraction, eye fatigue, loss of identity, and so on.

plastic pollution

Plastic pollution, India

Includes the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that have adverse effects on wildlife, animal or human habitats. Plastic products are inexpensive and durable, which has made them very popular among people. However, this material decomposes very slowly. Plastic pollution can adversely affect soil, lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. Living organisms, especially marine animals, become entangled in plastic waste or are affected by chemicals in plastic that cause interruptions in biological function. People are also affected by plastic pollution, causing a hormonal imbalance.

Objects of pollution

The main objects of environmental pollution are such as air (atmosphere), water resources (streams, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans), soil, etc.

Pollutants (sources or subjects of pollution) of the environment

Pollutants are chemical, biological, physical or mechanical elements (or processes) that harm the environment.

They can be harmful both in the short and long term. Pollutants originate from natural resources or are produced by humans.

Many pollutants have a toxic effect on living organisms. Carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) is an example of a substance that harms humans. This compound is taken up by the body instead of oxygen, causing shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, heart palpitations, and in severe cases can lead to serious poisoning, and even death.

Some pollutants become hazardous when they react with other naturally occurring compounds. Nitrogen and sulfur oxides are released from impurities in fossil fuels during combustion. They react with water vapor in the atmosphere to form acid rain. Acid rain adversely affects aquatic ecosystems and leads to the death of aquatic animals, plants, and other living organisms. Terrestrial ecosystems also suffer from acid rain.

Classification of pollution sources

According to the type of occurrence, environmental pollution is divided into:

Anthropogenic (artificial) pollution

Deforestation

Anthropogenic pollution is the impact on the environment caused by the activities of mankind. The main sources of artificial pollution are:

industrialization;
the invention of automobiles;
the growth of the world's population;
deforestation: destruction of natural habitats;
nuclear explosions;
overexploitation of natural resources;
construction of buildings, roads, dams;
the creation of explosive substances that are used during military operations;
use of fertilizers and pesticides;
mining.

Natural (natural) pollution

Eruption

Natural pollution is caused and occurs naturally, without human intervention. It can affect the environment for a certain period of time, but it can be regenerated. Sources of natural pollution include:

volcanic eruptions, with the release of gases, ash and magma;
forest fires emit smoke and gas impurities;
sandstorms raise dust and sand;
decomposition of organic matter, during which gases are released.

Consequences of pollution:

environmental degradation

Left photo: Beijing after the rain. Right photo: smog in Beijing

The environment is the first victim of atmospheric pollution. An increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to smog, which can prevent sunlight from reaching the earth's surface. As a result, it becomes much more difficult. Gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide can cause acid rain. Water pollution in terms of an oil spill can lead to the death of several species of wild animals and plants.

Human health

Lung cancer

Decreased air quality leads to some respiratory problems, including asthma or lung cancer. Chest pain, sore throat, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease can be caused by air pollution. Water pollution can create skin problems, including irritation and rashes. Similarly, noise pollution leads to hearing loss, stress and sleep disturbance.

Global warming

Male, the capital of the Maldives, is one of the cities facing the prospect of being flooded by the ocean in the 21st century.

The release of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, leads to global warming. Every day new industries are created, new cars appear on the roads, and the number of trees is reduced to make room for new homes. All these factors, directly or indirectly, lead to an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. Rising CO2 causes the polar ice caps to melt, which increases sea levels and endangers people living near coastal areas.

Ozone layer depletion

The ozone layer is a thin shield high in the sky that prevents ultraviolet rays from reaching the earth. As a result of human activity, chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons are released into the atmosphere, which contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer.

Badlands

Due to the constant use of insecticides and pesticides, the soil can become infertile. Various types of chemicals from industrial waste end up in water, which also affects soil quality.

Protection (protection) of the environment from pollution:

International protection

Many of these are particularly vulnerable as they are subject to human influence in many countries. As a result, some states unite and develop agreements aimed at preventing damage or managing human impact on natural resources. They include agreements that affect the protection of the climate, oceans, rivers and air from pollution. These international environmental treaties are sometimes binding instruments that have legal consequences in case of non-compliance, and in other situations are used as codes of conduct. The most famous include:

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), approved in June 1972, provides for the protection of nature for the present generation of people and their descendants.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed in May 1992. The main goal of this agreement is "stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system"
The Kyoto Protocol provides for the reduction or stabilization of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. It was signed in Japan at the end of 1997.

State protection

The discussion of environmental issues often focuses on the level of government, legislation and law enforcement. However, in the broadest sense, the protection of the environment can be seen as the responsibility of the whole people, and not just the government. Decisions that affect the environment will ideally include a wide range of stakeholders, including industrial sites, indigenous groups, representatives of environmental groups and communities. Decision-making processes in the field of environmental protection are constantly evolving and becoming more active in different countries.

Many constitutions recognize the fundamental right to protect the environment. In addition, in various countries there are organizations and institutions dealing with environmental issues.

While protecting the environment is not simply the responsibility of government agencies, most people consider these organizations paramount in creating and maintaining basic standards that protect the environment and the people who interact with it.

How to protect the environment yourself?

Population and technological advances based on fossil fuels have seriously affected our natural environment. Therefore, now we need to do our part to eliminate the consequences of degradation so that humanity continues to live in an ecologically safe environment.

There are 3 main principles that are still relevant and important more than ever:

use less;
reuse;
recycle.

Create a compost heap in your garden. This helps to recycle food waste and other biodegradable materials.
When shopping, use your eco-bags and try to avoid plastic bags as much as possible.
Plant as many trees as you can.
Think about how you can reduce the number of trips you make with your car.
Reduce car emissions by walking or cycling. These are not just great alternatives to driving, but also health benefits.
Use public transport whenever you can for your daily commute.
Bottles, paper, waste oil, old batteries and used tires must be properly disposed of; All this causes serious pollution.
Do not pour chemicals and used oil onto the ground or down drains leading to waterways.
If possible, recycle selected biodegradable waste, and work to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste used.
Reduce the amount of meat you consume or consider a vegetarian diet.

Protection of Nature- this is a rational, reasonable use of natural resources, which helps to preserve the pristine diversity of nature and improve the living conditions of the population. For nature protection Earth the world community is taking concrete action.

Effective measures to protect endangered species and natural biocenoses are to increase the number of reserves, expand their territories, create nurseries for the artificial cultivation of endangered species and reintroduce (that is, return) them into nature.

A powerful human impact on ecological systems can lead to sad results that can provoke a whole chain of environmental changes.

The influence of anthropogenic factors on organisms

Most of the organic matter does not decompose immediately, but is stored in the form of wood, soil and water sediments. After being preserved for many millennia, these organic substances turn into fossil fuels (coal, peat and oil).

Every year on Earth, photosynthetic organisms synthesize about 100 billion tons of organic substances. Over the geological period (1 billion years), the predominance of the synthesis of organic substances over the process of their decomposition led to a decrease in the content of CO 2 and an increase in O 2 in the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, since the second half of the XX century. the increased development of industry and agriculture began to cause a steady increase in the content of CO 2 in the atmosphere. This phenomenon can cause climate change on the planet.

Conservation of natural resources

In the matter of nature protection, the transition to the use of industrial and agricultural technologies, which make it possible to economically use natural resources, is of great importance. For this you need:

the most complete use of fossil natural resources;
recycling of production wastes, use of non-waste technologies;
obtaining energy from environmentally friendly sources by using the energy of the Sun, wind, ocean kinetic energy, underground energy.

Especially effective is the introduction of non-waste technologies operating in closed cycles, when waste is not emitted into the atmosphere or into water basins, but is reused.

Biodiversity conservation

The protection of existing species of living organisms is also of great importance in biological, ecological and cultural terms. Every living species is a product of centuries of evolution and has its own gene pool. None of the existing species can be considered absolutely beneficial or harmful. Those species that were considered harmful may eventually turn out to be useful. That is why the protection of the gene pool of existing species is of particular importance. Our task is to preserve all living organisms that have come down to us after a long evolutionary process.

Plant and animal species, the number of which has already declined or is endangered, are listed in the Red Book and are protected by law. In order to protect nature, reserves, micro-reserves, natural monuments, plantations of medicinal plants, reservations, national parks are created and other environmental measures are taken. material from the site

"Man and the Biosphere"

In order to protect nature in 1971, the international program "Man and the Biosphere" (in English "Man and Biosfera" - abbreviated as MAB) was adopted. According to this program, the state of the environment and human impact on the biosphere are studied. The main objectives of the program "Man and the Biosphere" are to predict the consequences of modern human economic activity, to develop methods for the rational use of the riches of the biosphere and measures for its protection.

In countries participating in the MAB program, large biosphere reserves are being created, where changes that occur in ecosystems without human influence are studied (Fig. 80).

environmental protection

KEMEROVSK STATE UNIVERSITY

REPORT

"The essence and directions of environmental protection ..."

St-t gr. SP-981

Pavlenko P. Yu.

Checked:

Belaya Tatyana Yurievna

1. Essence and directions of environmental protection

§ 1. Types of environmental pollution and directions of its protection

§ 2. Objects and principles of environmental protection

2. Engineering protection of the environment

§ 2. Types and principles of operation of treatment equipment and facilities

3. Regulatory framework for environmental protection

§ 2. Law on guard of nature

1. ESSENCE AND DIRECTIONS OF PROTECTION

ENVIRONMENT

§ 1. TYPES OF POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND DIRECTIONS OF ITS PROTECTION

A variety of human intervention in natural processes in the biosphere can be grouped into the following types of pollution, understanding them as any anthropogenic changes undesirable for ecosystems:

Ingredient (ingredient - an integral part of a complex compound or mixture) pollution as a set of substances quantitatively or qualitatively alien to natural biogeocenoses;

Biocenotic pollution, which consists in the impact on the composition and structure of the population of living organisms;

Stationary-destructive pollution (station - the habitat of the population, destruction - destruction), which is a change in landscapes and ecological systems in the process of nature management.

territories, the adoption of legal acts restricting the hunting of individual animals, etc. Scientists and the public were primarily concerned about the biocenotic and partially stationary-destructive effects on the biosphere. Ingredient and parametric pollution, of course, also existed, especially since there was no talk of installing treatment facilities at enterprises. But it was not as diverse and massive as it is now, it practically did not contain artificially created compounds that were not amenable to natural decomposition, and nature coped with it on its own. So, in rivers with undisturbed biocenosis and normal flow rate, not slowed down by hydraulic structures, under the influence of mixing, oxidation, sedimentation, absorption and decomposition by decomposers, disinfection by solar radiation, etc., polluted water completely restored its properties over a distance of 30 km from pollution sources .

Of course, separate centers of nature degradation were observed earlier in the vicinity of the most polluting industries. However, by the middle of the XX century. the rates of ingredient and parametric pollution have increased and their qualitative composition has changed so dramatically that in large areas the ability of nature to self-purify, i.e., the natural destruction of the pollutant as a result of natural physical, chemical and biological processes, has been lost.

At present, even such full-flowing and long rivers as the Ob, Yenisei, Lena and Amur are not self-purifying. What can we say about the long-suffering Volga, the natural flow rate of which is several times reduced by hydraulic structures, or the Tom River (Western Siberia), all the water of which industrial enterprises manage to take for their needs and drain back polluted at least 3-4 times before how it gets from source to mouth.

The ability of the soil to self-cleanse is undermined by a sharp decrease in the number of decomposers in it, which occurs under the influence of the immoderate use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers, the cultivation of monocultures, the complete harvesting of all parts of grown plants from the fields, etc.

§ 2. OBJECTS AND PRINCIPLES OF PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental protection is understood as a set of international, state and regional legal acts, instructions and standards that bring general legal requirements to each specific polluter and ensure its interest in meeting these requirements, specific environmental measures to implement these requirements.

in the term "protection of the (human) natural environment".

Legal protection, formulating scientific environmental principles in the form of legal laws that are binding;

Material incentives for environmental activities, seeking to make it economically beneficial for enterprises;

In accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation "On Environmental Protection", the following objects are subject to protection:

Natural ecological systems, the ozone layer of the atmosphere;

The earth, its subsoil, surface and underground waters, atmospheric air, forests and other vegetation, fauna, microorganisms, genetic fund, natural landscapes.

their habitats.

The main principles of environmental protection should be:

Priority to ensure favorable environmental conditions for life, work and recreation of the population;

Scientifically substantiated combination of environmental and economic interests of society;

Taking into account the laws of nature and the possibilities of self-healing and self-purification of its resources;

The right of the population and public organizations to timely and reliable information about the state of the environment and the negative impact on it and on people's health of various production facilities;

§ 1. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES OF ENTERPRISES

Nature protection is any activity aimed at maintaining the quality of the environment at a level that ensures the sustainability of the biosphere. It includes both large-scale activities carried out at the national level to preserve reference samples of untouched nature and preserve the diversity of species on Earth, organize scientific research, train ecologists and educate the population, as well as the activities of individual enterprises for the treatment of harmful substances from wastewater and waste gases, lowering the norms for the use of natural resources, etc. Such activities are carried out mainly by engineering methods.

There are two main areas of environmental protection activities of enterprises. The first is the cleaning of harmful emissions. This path "in its pure form" is ineffective, since it does not always succeed in completely stopping the flow of harmful substances into the biosphere. In addition, reducing the level of pollution of one component of the environment leads to increased pollution of another.

And For example, the installation of wet filters in gas cleaning reduces air pollution, but leads to even more water pollution. Substances captured from waste gases and drain waters often poison large areas of land.

The use of treatment facilities, even the most efficient ones, drastically reduces the level of environmental pollution, but does not completely solve this problem, since the operation of these plants also produces waste, although in a smaller volume, but, as a rule, with an increased concentration of harmful substances. Finally, the operation of most of the treatment facilities requires significant energy costs, which, in turn, is also unsafe for the environment.

In addition, pollutants, for the neutralization of which huge funds are spent, are substances for which labor has already been spent and which, with rare exceptions, could be used in the national economy.

with the second.

The second direction is the elimination of the very causes of pollution, which requires the development of low-waste, and in the future, non-waste production technologies that would make it possible to comprehensively use the raw materials and utilize the maximum of substances harmful to the biosphere.

However, not all industries have found acceptable technical and economic solutions for a sharp reduction in the amount of waste generated and their disposal, so at present we have to work in both of these areas.

Taking care of improving the engineering protection of the natural environment, it must be remembered that no treatment facilities and waste-free technologies will be able to restore the stability of the biosphere if the permissible (threshold) values of the reduction of natural, untransformed by man natural systems are exceeded, which manifests the effect of the law of biosphere indispensability.

Such a threshold may be the use of more than 1% of the energy of the biosphere and the deep transformation of more than 10% of natural areas (rules of one and ten percent). Therefore, technical achievements do not remove the need to solve the problems of changing the priorities of social development, stabilizing the population, creating a sufficient number of protected areas and others discussed earlier.

§ 2. TYPES AND PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION OF PURIFICATION EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES

Many modern technological processes are associated with crushing and grinding of substances, transportation of bulk materials. At the same time, part of the material turns into dust, which is harmful to health and causes significant material damage to the national economy due to the loss of valuable products.

For cleaning, various designs of apparatuses are used. According to the method of dust capture, they are divided into mechanical (dry and wet) and electrical gas cleaning devices. Dry apparatuses (cyclones, filters) use gravitational settling under the action of gravity, settling under the action of centrifugal force, inertial settling, and filtration. In wet apparatuses (scrubbers), this is achieved by washing the dusty gas with a liquid. In electrostatic precipitators, deposition on the electrodes occurs as a result of the electrical charge being imparted to the dust particles. The choice of devices depends on the size of dust particles, humidity, speed and volume of gas supplied for purification, the required degree of purification.

To purify gases from harmful gaseous impurities, two groups of methods are used - non-catalytic and catalytic. Methods of the first group are based on the removal of impurities from a gaseous mixture using liquid (absorbers) and solid (adsorbers) absorbers. Methods of the second group consist in the fact that harmful impurities enter into a chemical reaction and turn into harmless substances on the surface of the catalysts. An even more complex and multi-stage process is wastewater treatment (Fig. 18).

Waste water is water used by industrial and municipal enterprises and the population and subject to purification from various impurities. Depending on the conditions of formation, wastewater is divided into domestic, atmospheric (stormwater, flowing down after rains from the territories of enterprises) and industrial. All of them contain mineral and organic substances in varying proportions.

Wastewater is purified from impurities by mechanical, chemical, physicochemical, biological and thermal methods, which, in turn, are divided into recuperative and destructive. Recovery methods provide for the extraction from wastewater and further processing of valuable substances. In destructive methods, water pollutants are destroyed by oxidation or reduction. Destruction products are removed from the water in the form of gases or precipitation.

Mechanical cleaning is used to remove solid insoluble impurities, using the methods of settling and filtering using gratings, sand traps, settling tanks. Chemical cleaning methods are used to remove soluble impurities using various reagents that enter into chemical reactions with harmful impurities, resulting in the formation of low-toxic substances. Physical and chemical methods include flotation, ion exchange, adsorption, crystallization, deodorization, etc. Biological methods are considered the main methods for neutralizing wastewater from organic impurities that are oxidized by microorganisms, which implies a sufficient amount of oxygen in the water. These aerobic processes can occur both in natural conditions - in irrigation fields during filtration, and in artificial structures - aerotanks and biofilters.

Industrial wastewater that cannot be treated by the above methods is subjected to thermal neutralization, i.e. burning, or injection into deep wells (resulting in the risk of groundwater pollution). These methods are carried out in local (workshop), plant-wide, district or city cleaning systems.

To disinfect wastewater from microbes contained in household, especially fecal, effluents, chlorination is used in special sedimentation tanks.

After the grates and other devices have freed the water from mineral impurities, the microorganisms contained in the so-called activated sludge “eat up” organic contaminants, that is, the purification process usually goes through several stages. However, even after this, the degree of purification does not exceed 95%, i.e., it is not possible to completely eliminate the pollution of water basins. If, in addition, any plant discharges its wastewater into the city sewerage, which has not undergone preliminary physical or chemical treatment of any toxic substances at workshop or factory facilities, then the microorganisms in the activated sludge will generally die and it may take several years to revive the activated sludge. months. Consequently, the runoff of this settlement during this time will pollute the reservoir with organic compounds, which can lead to its eutrophication.

kg per year per capita. It is solved by organizing landfills, processing garbage into composts with subsequent use as organic fertilizers or into biological fuel (biogas), as well as burning in special plants. Specially equipped landfills, the total number of which in the world reaches several million, are called landfills and are rather complex engineering structures, especially when it comes to storing toxic or radioactive waste.

More than 50 billion tons of waste accumulated in Russia are stored on 250,000 hectares of land.

3. REGULATORY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR PROTECTION

ENVIRONMENT

§ 1. SYSTEM OF STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS

One of the most important components of environmental legislation is the system of environmental standards. Its timely scientifically substantiated development is a necessary condition for the practical implementation of the adopted laws, since it is these standards that polluting enterprises should be guided by in their environmental activities. Failure to comply with the standards entails legal liability.

Standardization is understood as the establishment of a single and mandatory for all objects of a given level of a management system of norms and requirements. Standards can be state (GOST), industry (OST) and factory. The system of standards for nature protection has been assigned the general number 17, which includes several groups in accordance with protected objects. For example, 17.1 means “Nature Conservation. Hydrosphere", and group 17. 2 - "Nature protection. Atmosphere”, etc. This standard regulates various aspects of the activities of enterprises for the protection of water and air resources, up to the requirements for equipment for monitoring air and water quality.

The most important environmental standards are environmental quality standards - maximum allowable concentrations (MPC) of harmful substances in natural environments.

MPC is approved for each of the most hazardous substances separately and is valid throughout the country.

In recent years, scientists have argued that compliance with MPC does not guarantee the preservation of environmental quality at a sufficiently high level, if only because the influence of many substances in the long term and when interacting with each other is still poorly understood.

Based on MPC, scientific and technical standards for maximum permissible emissions (MPE) of harmful substances into the atmosphere and discharges (MPD) into the water basin are being developed. These standards are set individually for each source of pollution in such a way that the cumulative environmental impact of all sources in a given area does not lead to an excess of the MPC.

environmental protection activities at enterprises should be carried out taking into account the need to comply with these standards.

Unfortunately, at present, many enterprises, due to technical and economic reasons, are not able to immediately meet these standards. The closure of such an enterprise or a sharp weakening of its economic situation as a result of penalties is also not always possible for economic and social reasons.

In addition to a clean environment, a person for a normal life needs to eat, dress, listen to a tape recorder and watch movies and TV shows, the production of films and electricity for which is very "dirty". Finally, you need to have a job in your specialty near your home. It is best to reconstruct ecologically backward enterprises so that they no longer harm the environment, but not every enterprise can immediately allocate funds for this in full, since environmental protection equipment, and the reconstruction process itself are very expensive.

a strictly defined period sufficient to carry out the environmental measures necessary to reduce emissions.

§ 2. LAW ON GUARD OF NATURE

It has already been noted earlier that the state ensures the rationalization of nature management, including the protection of the natural environment, by creating environmental legislation and monitoring its observance.

Environmental legislation is a system of laws and other legal acts (decrees, decrees, instructions) that regulates environmental relations in order to preserve and reproduce natural resources, rationalize nature management, and preserve public health.

To ensure the possibility of practical implementation of the adopted laws, it is very important that they be backed up in time by by-laws adopted on their basis, which precisely define and clarify, in accordance with the specific conditions of the industry or region, to whom, what and how to do, to whom and in what form to report, what environmental regulations, standards and rules to follow, etc.

Yes, the law "On the Protection of the Environment" establishes a general scheme for achieving the coincidence of the interests of society and individual users of natural resources through limits, payments, tax benefits, and specific parameters in the form of exact values of standards, rates, payments are specified in resolutions of the Ministry of Natural Resources, industry instructions etc.

The objects of environmental legislation are both the natural environment as a whole and its separate natural systems (for example, Lake Baikal) and elements (water, air, etc.), as well as international law.

One of the most important is the comprehensive law “On the Protection of the Environment”, adopted in 1991.

It states that every citizen has the right to protect health from the adverse effects of a polluted natural environment, to participate in environmental associations and social movements, and to receive timely information about the state of the natural environment and measures to protect it.

At the same time, every citizen is obliged to take part in the protection of the natural environment, to raise the level of his knowledge of nature, ecological culture, to comply with the requirements of environmental legislation and established standards for the quality of the natural environment. If they are violated, then the perpetrator bears responsibility, which is divided into criminal, administrative, disciplinary and material.

In cases of the most serious violations, for example, when a forest is set on fire, the perpetrator may be subjected to criminal punishment in the form of imprisonment, the imposition of large monetary fines, and confiscation of property.

However, more often administrative responsibility is applied in the form of fines both on individuals and on enterprises as a whole. It occurs in cases of damage or destruction of natural objects, pollution of the natural environment, failure to take measures to restore the disturbed environment, poaching, etc.

Officials may also be subject to disciplinary action in the form of full or partial loss of bonuses, demotion, reprimand or dismissal for failure to comply with environmental protection measures and non-compliance with environmental standards.

In addition, the payment of a fine does not exempt from material civil liability, i.e., the need to compensate for the damage caused by pollution or irrational use of natural resources to the environment, health and property of citizens, and the national economy.

In addition to the declaration of the rights and obligations of citizens and the establishment of responsibility for environmental offenses, the above law formulates environmental requirements for the construction and operation of various facilities, shows the economic mechanism for environmental protection, proclaims the principles of international cooperation in this area, etc.

It should be noted that the Environmental Legislation, although it is quite extensive and versatile, in practice is still not effective enough. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most important is the discrepancy between the severity of the punishment and the severity of the crime, in particular, the low rates of fines levied. For example, for an official, it is equal to three to twenty times the minimum monthly wage (do not confuse with the actual salary received by the employee, which is always much higher). However, twenty minimum wages often do not exceed one or two real monthly salaries of these officials, since we are usually talking about heads of enterprises and departments. For ordinary citizens, the fine does not exceed ten times the minimum wage.

Criminal liability and compensation for damages are applied much less frequently than they should. And it is impossible to fully compensate for it, since it often reaches many millions of rubles or cannot be measured in money at all.

And Usually, no more than two dozen cases of liability for air and water pollution, which led to serious consequences, are considered throughout the country every year, and the most numerous cases related to poaching do not exceed one and a half thousand a year, which is incomparably less than the actual number of offenses. However, in recent years there has been an upward trend in these figures.

Other reasons for the weak regulatory effect of environmental legislation are the insufficient provision of enterprises with technical means for the effective treatment of wastewater and polluted gases, and inspection organizations with devices for monitoring environmental pollution.

Finally, the low ecological culture of the population, their ignorance of the basic environmental requirements, their condescending attitude towards the destroyers of nature, as well as the lack of knowledge and skills necessary to effectively defend their right to a healthy environment, proclaimed in law, are of great importance. Now it is necessary to develop a legal mechanism for the protection of environmental human rights, i.e., by-laws specifying this part of the law, and turn the flow of complaints to the press and higher administrative authorities into a flow of lawsuits to the judiciary. When every resident whose health has been affected by harmful emissions from an enterprise files a claim demanding financial compensation for the damage caused, valuing their health at a fairly large amount, the enterprise will simply be economically forced to urgently take measures to reduce pollution.

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