Causes of irrational nature management. Rational and irrational nature management
Rational nature management- this is a system of nature management, in which extracted natural resources are used quite fully (and, accordingly, the amount of consumed resources is reduced), restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured, production wastes are fully and repeatedly used (i.e. waste-free production is organized), which can significantly reduce pollution environment. Rational nature management 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 sustainable use of natural resources would be waste-free production or a zero-waste production cycle in which waste is fully utilized, resulting in reduced consumption of raw materials and minimizing 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 non-waste cycle. One of the types of non-waste production (the so-called recycling water supply) is the repeated use in the technological process of water taken from rivers, lakes, boreholes, etc.; used water is purified and re-participates in the production process. Rational environmental management does not provide for a phased, 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, the characteristics of each natural complex. Taking into account local features, the volumes of use of natural resources, ways and methods of influencing the natural environment are determined. Rational nature management includes a set of measures aimed at:
- complete cessation of air, soil, water pollution by harmful substances through the development of waste-free and low-waste technologies and the reasonable use of 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;
- purposeful transformation of natural conditions in large areas (regulation of river flow, land reclamation, field-protective and water-protective forest plantations, creation of parks, etc.);
- Preservation of the gene pool of plants and animals, conducting scientific research to increase the biological productivity of natural complexes.
IRRATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT
Irrational use of natural resources, as Yu.K. Efremov, is the impact of man on nature, leading to the undermining of its regenerative abilities, a decrease in its quality, the depletion of natural resources, environmental pollution, and the reduction or destruction of the healing and aesthetic properties of nature. Examples include the destruction of tropical forests, desertification, pollution of the waters of the oceans, etc.
Irrational nature management is a system of nature management in which the most readily available natural resources are used in large quantities and usually not fully, which leads to rapid depletion of resources. In this case, a large amount of waste is produced and the environment is heavily polluted. Irrational nature management is typical for an extensive economy, that is, for an economy that develops through new construction, the development of new lands, the use of natural resources, and an increase in the number of employees. An extensive economy at first brings good results with a relatively low scientific and technical level of production, but quickly leads to the exhaustion of natural and labor resources. One of the many examples of irrational nature management is slash-and-burn agriculture, which is also widespread in Southeast Asia today. Land burning leads to the destruction of wood, air pollution, poorly controlled fires, etc. Often, irrational nature management is a consequence of narrow departmental interests and the interests of transnational corporations that locate their hazardous industries in developing countries.
Irrational nature management can also be the result of both intentional and unintentional impacts (direct and indirect) of man on nature. Preventing the negative consequences of irrational nature management is the task of nature protection. The concept of "nature conservation" has evolved over time. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, when human activity was mainly of a local nature, nature protection was considered as the protection of individual sites withdrawn from economic use (reserves), the preservation of valuable, rare and endangered species of plants and animals, as well as natural monuments. Recently protected by nature understand a set of measures aimed at maintaining the existing productivity of landscapes, protecting nature from pollution and destruction, maintaining favorable conditions for human life and external attractiveness.
Under economic development, it is customary to consider the use of the territory by industries of 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.
nature management- this is the activity of human society, aimed at using.
Allocate rational and irrational nature management.
Irrational nature management
Irrational nature management - it is a system of nature management in which readily available natural resources are used in large quantities and not completely, which leads to the rapid depletion of resources. In this case, a large amount of waste is produced and the environment is heavily polluted.
Irrational environmental management is typical for an economy that develops through new construction, the development of new lands, the use of natural resources, and an increase in the number of employees. Such an economy at first brings good results with a relatively low scientific and technical level of production, but quickly leads to a decrease in natural and labor resources.
Rational nature management
- this is a system of nature management, in which extracted natural resources are used to a sufficient extent, restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured, production wastes are fully and repeatedly used (i.e. waste-free production is organized), which can significantly reduce environmental pollution.
Rational nature management is characteristic of an intensive economy, which develops on the basis of scientific and technological progress and good labor organization with high labor productivity. An example of rational nature management there can be waste-free production, in which waste is fully used, as a result of which the consumption of raw materials is reduced and environmental pollution is minimized.
One of the types of non-waste production is the multiple use of water taken from rivers, lakes, boreholes, etc. in the technological process. The used water is purified and re-used in the production process.
The system of measures aimed at maintaining the interaction between human activity and the natural environment is called nature conservation. Environmental protection is a complex of various measures aimed at ensuring the functioning of natural systems. Rational nature management implies ensuring the economical exploitation of natural resources and the conditions for the existence of mankind.
The system of specially protected natural areas includes nature reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, natural monuments. The tool for monitoring the state of the biosphere is environmental monitoring - a system of continuous observations of the state of the natural environment in connection with human economic activity.
Nature protection and rational use of natural resources
In the process of the formation of the science of ecology, there was a confusion of concepts about what determines the essence of this science in general and the structure of the ecological cycle of sciences in particular. Ecology began to be interpreted as the science of the protection and rational use of nature. Automatically, everything related to the natural environment began to be called ecology, including the protection of nature and the protection of the human environment.
At the same time, the last two concepts were artificially mixed and are currently considered in combination. Based on the ultimate goals, nature conservation and environmental protection are close to each other, but still not identical.
Protection of Nature is aimed primarily at maintaining a rational interaction between human activities and the environment in order to preserve and restore natural resources and prevent the harmful effects of the results of economic activities on nature and human health.
environmental protection focuses primarily on the needs of the individual. This is a complex of various measures (administrative, economic, technological, legal, public, etc.) aimed at ensuring the functioning of natural systems necessary to preserve human health and well-being.
Nature management is aimed at meeting human needs through the rational use of natural resources and natural conditions.
nature management is the totality of human impacts on the geographic envelope of the Earth, considered in a complex, the totality of all forms of exploitation of natural resources. The tasks of nature management are reduced to the development of general principles for the implementation of any human activity associated either with the direct use of nature and its resources, or with impacts on it.
Principles of rational nature management
The practical application of environmental knowledge can be seen primarily in the solution of environmental issues. Only ecology as a science is able to create a scientific basis for the exploitation of natural resources. The attention of ecology is directed primarily to the laws underlying natural processes.
Rational nature management involves ensuring the economical exploitation of natural resources and conditions, taking into account the interests of future generations of people. It is aimed at ensuring the conditions for the existence of mankind and obtaining material benefits, at the maximum use of each natural territorial complex, at preventing or significantly reducing the possible harmful consequences of production processes or other types of human activity, at maintaining and increasing the productivity of nature, maintaining its aesthetic function, ensuring and regulation of the economical development of its resources, taking into account the preservation of people's health.
As opposed to rational irrational nature management affects the quality reduction, waste and exhaustion of natural resources, undermining the restorative forces of nature, environmental pollution, reducing its health and aesthetic merits. It leads to the deterioration of the natural environment and does not ensure the conservation of the natural resource potential.
Nature management includes:
- extraction and processing of natural resources, their protection, renewal or reproduction;
- use and protection of the natural conditions of the human environment;
- preservation, restoration and rational change of the ecological balance of natural systems;
- regulation of human reproduction and the number of people.
The protection of nature, the rational use and reproduction of natural resources is a universal task, in the solution of which everyone living on the planet should participate.
Conservation activities are focused mainly on the preservation of the diversity of life forms on Earth. The totality of species of living organisms on our planet creates a special fund of life, which is called gene pool. This concept is wider than just the totality of living beings. It includes not only manifested, but also potential hereditary inclinations of each species. We still do not know everything about the prospects for using one or another type. The existence of some organism, which now seems unnecessary, in the future may turn out to be not only useful, but, perhaps, saving for humanity.
The main task of nature conservation is not to protect a certain number of plant or animal species from the threat of extinction, but to combine a high level of productivity with the preservation of a wide network of centers of genetic diversity in the biosphere. The biological diversity of fauna and flora ensures the normal circulation of substances, the sustainable functioning of ecosystems. If humanity can solve this important environmental problem, in the future we can count on the production of new food products, medicines, and raw materials for industry.
The problem of preserving the biological diversity of living organisms on the planet is currently the most acute and significant for mankind. How this problem will be solved depends on the possibility of preserving life on Earth and humanity itself as part of the biosphere.
Nature management is a set of human actions associated with the use of natural resources. They are soil, bowels, etc. Distinguish n rational and rational nature management. Consider their features.
General information
Rational use is such nature management, in which conditions are formed for human life and obtaining material benefits, the most efficient exploitation of each natural complex. At the same time, human actions are aimed at preventing or reducing possible harm to the environment, maintaining and increasing the attractiveness and productivity of natural resources.
The irrational use of natural resources includes actions that reduce the quality of resources. Such activity leads to waste and exhaustion of mineral resources, pollution of nature, deterioration of the aesthetic and health-improving properties of the environment.
Development of the sphere of nature management
Human impact on the environment has undergone significant changes in the course of historical development. At the initial stages of the formation of society, a person was a passive user of resources. With the growth of productive forces, due to changes in socio-economic formations, the impact on nature has increased markedly.
Irrigation systems arose during the slaveholding period and during the era of feudalism. Under the conditions of the capitalist system, people sought to extract as much profit from resources as possible. Private property relations were accompanied by irrational use of natural resources. This has led to a significant reduction in the amount of renewable resources.
The most favorable conditions for the rational use of resources, according to many experts, are formed under a socialist system with a planned economy. In this case, the state is the owner of all the country's wealth and, accordingly, controls their spending. The use of resources under the socialist system is carried out taking into account the likely consequences of various transformations of nature.
Features of rational nature management
With the proper use of natural resources, the restoration of renewable resources is ensured, and industrial waste is used many times and in full. Due to this, environmental pollution is significantly reduced.
There are many examples in human history rational and irrational nature management. The amount of beneficial impact on nature, unfortunately, decreases over time. Nevertheless, even today there is a rational use of natural resources. Examples of such activities include the creation of landscapes, national parks, nature reserves, the use of advanced production technologies. To reduce the negative impact on nature, treatment facilities are being created, recirculating water supply systems are used at enterprises, and new, environmentally friendly types of fuel are being developed.
What activities are classified as unsustainable environmental management?
The use of resources in large quantities or not in full is considered incorrect. This leads to their rapid depletion. Irrational environmental management is such an impact on nature, in which a large amount of waste appears that is not reused. As a result, the environment is heavily polluted.
Quite a lot can be cited Examples of unsustainable environmental management. As a rule, the misuse of resources is characteristic of an extensive economy. Examples of irrational nature management are:
- Use of slash-and-burn agriculture, overgrazing. This method of management is used mainly in underdeveloped African countries.
- Cutting down the equatorial forest.
- Uncontrolled dumping of waste into lakes and rivers. Such irrational nature management is a big problem for the states of Western Europe and Russia.
- air and water bodies.
- Uncontrolled extermination of animals and plants.
Work to prevent the destruction of natural resources
Today, many countries are fighting against irrational use of natural resources. This work is carried out on the basis of special programs and laws. To reduce the negative impact on nature, additional sanctions are introduced. In addition, special supervisory structures are being formed. Their powers include monitoring the use of resources, revealing facts irrational nature management, identification and prosecution of the perpetrators.
International interaction
Cooperation between countries at the international level is extremely important for the effective fight against irrational nature management. This is especially true for those states in which environmental problems are very acute.
Interaction at the international level should be aimed at developing joint projects on:
- Assessment of the state and productivity of fishing resources in water bodies under national jurisdiction, bringing fishing capacity to a level comparable to long-term productivity. It is necessary to develop programs to restore populations of fish and other aquatic life to sustainable levels. At the same time, the developed measures should also apply to the resources available in the open seas.
- Conservation and rational use in the aquatic environment. In particular, we are talking about the termination of the practice of rational nature management leading to irreversible consequences: the destruction of populations, large-scale destruction of the habitat.
It is necessary to develop effective legal mechanisms and instruments, to coordinate actions on the use of land and water resources.
Ecological problems
Pollution of nature is such an undesirable change in the properties of the environment that entails or may cause a negative impact on humans or ecosystems. Its most famous and widespread type is chemical emissions. However, no less, and sometimes a greater threat is posed by radioactive, thermal,
As a rule, a person has a negative impact on the state of natural resources in the course of his economic activity. Meanwhile, pollution of ecosystems is also possible due to natural phenomena. For example, volcanic eruptions, mudflows, earthquakes, etc., negatively affect the nature.
Soil pollution
As a rule, the state of the upper layer of the earth worsens when metals, pesticides, and various fertilizers enter it. According to statistics, more than 12 billion tons of garbage are removed from large cities every year.
Mining operations over large areas lead to the destruction of the soil cover.
Negative impact on the hydrosphere
With irrational nature management, a person causes significant damage to the environment. Particularly acute in recent years is the problem of pollution of water bodies by wastewater from industrial (chemical, metallurgical, etc.) enterprises, waste from agricultural land, and livestock farms.
Oil products represent the greatest danger to the aquatic environment.
Air pollution
A variety of enterprises that emit combustion products of mineral fuels, chemical and metallurgical production wastes have a negative impact on the state of the air environment. The main pollutants are carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur, and radioactive compounds.
Pollution Control Measures
As a result of irrational use, many environmental problems arise. First they appear at the local, then at the regional level. Without proper attention from the authorities, environmental problems become global. Examples are the depletion of the ozone layer, the depletion of water reserves, global warming.
Ways to solve these problems can be very different. At the local level, industrial enterprises, taking care of the well-being of the population and the preservation of nature, are building powerful treatment facilities. Recently, energy-saving technologies have become widespread. Significantly reduce the negative impact on nature allows It involves the recycling of waste raw materials.
Creation of protected areas
This is another way to ensure the safety of natural complexes. Specially protected zones are objects of national heritage. They are land plots with water bodies and air space above them, which have recreational, aesthetic, health-improving, cultural, historical, and scientific significance.
Such territories are withdrawn from circulation by the state. Within these zones there is a special regime of nature management.
According to international environmental organizations, there are specially protected zones in many states. There are many nature reserves and national parks in Russia. In such areas, conditions are created that are close to natural.
Conclusion
Environmental problems, unfortunately, today are very acute. At the international level, work is constantly underway to reduce the negative impact on nature. Almost all countries of the world participate in the Climate Agreement.
Within the states, programs aimed at conservation are being developed. This work is being carried out especially actively in Russia. On the territory of the country there are national parks, reserves; some territories are under international protection.
Syktyvkar State University
Institute for the Humanities
Faculty of International Relations
Test
Discipline: "Ecology"
Topic: "Differences between rational and irrational nature management"
Completed by: Popov A.N., group 517
Checked by: Dorovskikh G.N.
Syktyvkar, 2014
Introduction
Conclusion
Bibliography
Introduction
From the very first appearance, man began to develop natural resources in the context of his needs, whether it be animal or plant species. As man developed, he moved from an appropriating economy to a producing economy, that is, instead of being engaged in hunting or gathering, he discovered some patterns and subsequently, following these phenomena, began to produce means for his existence. Thus, man was able to domesticate a few animal species and cultivate many varieties of plants. It was from that moment that people began to provide their livelihood on their own.
However, in view of the depletion of soils, man faced the need to develop new fertile territories that would provide him with the same yield and feed for livestock as before. In connection with the emerging need, people began to move in search of favorable lands. Having found them, he faced another problem: now he had to somehow protect himself from external conditions and adapt to environmental conditions, for which he needed to build a dwelling. This led to the massive development of forest resources. Wooden houses began to be built, which provided relative protection from the outside world and kept warm. But as a result, the large-scale use of wood as a resource also had a negative impact on the natural environment. It led to the problem of deforestation, which is still relevant today. However, the use of wood for construction was gradually reduced due to the introduction of various new materials such as stone or brick. But at the same time, wood was still widely used as a fuel for stoves. In rural areas, firewood is still the main source of heating, especially in winter.
Later, during the XVIII century. In connection with the intensive development of technology and the transport system in society, it became necessary to switch to qualitatively new resources, such as coal, natural gas and oil. This transition was marked by the fact that as these resources were developed, the further environmental situation in the world began to deteriorate, which in turn caused a number of problems in the environment. This was explained by the fact that at that time the level of scientific development was not high enough to organize ecological non-waste production, therefore, industrial and agricultural resources still remained not fully developed and could not be processed. In addition, due to the lack of processing, a person had to constantly develop more and more new deposits and deposits. Thus, the undeveloped resources accumulated over many years began to have a direct impact on the surrounding world of our planet.
The constant use of natural resources by man often had a negative impact on the environment and caused many environmental problems. In addition, wildlife for many centuries has been suffering from pollution by surpluses that have not been processed and not included in production. And, although scientific progress has already reached sufficient development in the development of non-waste industries, many difficulties arise in the re-equipment of enterprises. The main reason for not implementing high-tech environmental production is the lack of adequate financial resources, thanks to which it would be possible to re-equip the plants. However, thanks to investment, one can already notice how such productions are being actively introduced, which allows rational and more efficient use of natural resources.
Rational nature management
To consider all aspects of this concept, first you need to try to explain it. So, what is sustainable environmental management and what does it consist of?
Rational nature management is a production activity aimed at meeting human needs through the full exploitation of extracted resources: restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured and production waste is used, which in turn allows saving the environment. In other words, rational nature management is a non-waste, environmentally safe production aimed at meeting the needs of society.
The main goal of rational nature management is the scientifically based efficient use of natural resources, which contributes to the preservation of the natural environment to the maximum extent and to the minimum degree violates the ability of biogeocenoses to self-recovery. Therefore, rational nature management should be extremely beneficial both to the person himself and to all living things around. Firstly, it saves the environment from unprocessed excess production and the release of harmful substances into it, which is important for the health of any living organism; Fourth, it encourages the development of science and the emergence of new technologies.
So, rational environmental management allows you to protect nature from the negative impacts of production factors. How does it happen? In order to protect the external environment from the harmful effects of enterprises, it is necessary to optimize production and find such types of resources that could be used to the maximum by man and would cause relatively little damage to nature.
Relatively environmentally friendly nuclear power plants can serve as one of the examples of nature management. Unlike thermal power plants, nuclear power plants do not emit harmful substances into the atmosphere. The second advantage of nuclear power plants may be the lack of oxygen consumption, while thermal power plants consume about 8 million tons of oxygen per year for fuel oxidation. In addition, coal-fired power plants emit more radioactive substances into the environment than nuclear power plants. Another advantage of nuclear power plants is the removal of energy for heating and hot water supply of cities, which also makes it possible to reduce unproductive heat losses.
In addition, wave power plants can be another example. This type of power plant can serve as wave suppressors, protecting ports, coasts and harbors from destruction. In addition, wave power plants also save resources and are more profitable than wind power plants. They also protect the environment from harmful emissions.
Another type of ecological power plants is solar. Their main advantages, first of all, are the availability and inexhaustibility of the source of energy in the face of a constant rise in prices for traditional types of energy carriers. In addition, at the current level of consumption, absolute safety for the outside world is an exceptional advantage.
Also, waste-free production can be the repeated use of water taken from rivers, lakes, boreholes and other sources in the technological process, since the used water is purified and re-participates in the production process without harming the environment.
Irrational nature management
Irrational nature management is a system of production in which easily accessible natural resources are developed on a large scale, while their rapid depletion occurs due to incomplete processing. Thus, a large amount of waste is distributed and environmental pollution occurs.
Such nature management is typical for the rapid development of the economy in the absence of a sufficiently developed scientific and technical potential, and although at first such activities can give good results, later they still lead to detrimental consequences in relation to the ecological environment.
An example of irrational use of natural resources is the campaign for the development of virgin lands in the USSR in 1955-1965. The reasons for the failure of this company were a number of factors: the development of virgin lands began without preparation in the absence of infrastructure - there were no roads, no granaries, no qualified personnel. The natural conditions of the steppes were also not taken into account: sandstorms and dry winds were not taken into account, there were no methods of soil cultivation and varieties of grain adapted to this type of climate.
It should be noted that the plowing of land was carried out at an accelerated pace and at huge costs. Thanks to such a colossal concentration of funds and people, as well as natural factors, the new lands in the early years gave super-high yields, and from the mid-1950s - from half to a third of all grain produced in the USSR. However, stability was never achieved: in lean years, it was hardly possible to collect a seed fund in the virgin lands. In addition, due to the violation of the ecological balance and soil erosion in 1962-1963. there were dust storms. One way or another, the development of virgin lands entered the stage of crisis, and the efficiency of cultivation decreased by 65%.
All these data only indicate that soil development took place in an extensive way, but, nevertheless, this way did not lead to an effective result. On the contrary, the structure of the soil began to collapse, the level of the harvest decreased noticeably, and the funds did not justify their investment. All this, of course, indicates an inefficient use of resources in an attempt to quickly and immediately solve all agricultural problems, without having as a firm basis neither science, nor high-quality technologies, nor an appropriate level of infrastructure, due to which the outcome could be very different.
Differences between rational and irrational nature management
Having previously compared the two concepts of rational and irrational nature management and illustrating them with examples, we can correlate their meanings, compare and identify fundamental differences between them. These differences can be essentially designated as two ways of development: intensive and extensive.
The first way is fully consistent with rational nature management. It points to the efficient use of resources, which makes a tangible contribution both to production in general and to high-quality waste-free technologies, thereby making production environmentally friendly and not harmful to nature. In addition, the intensive path often fully satisfies the cultural and material needs of society.
The second way, on the contrary, is applicable to irrational use of natural resources. Its main features are a disproportionate ratio between the resources expended and the result, a focus on spatial (quantitative) rather than high-tech (qualitative) value, and, most often, failure to meet social needs. And, finally, the extensive route causes enormous damage to nature through actions that are not based on any scientific developments or technologies, emissions of chemically harmful and hazardous substances, and other production wastes into the environment. Including sometimes this damage can reach an ecological catastrophe and be the causes of negative global processes and phenomena occurring around the world.
rational irrational nature management
Conclusion
Summing up, it is necessary to note the priority importance of the future development of rational nature management in order to ensure the once disturbed ecological balance. The development of science in this area will allow efficient use of resources with minimal damage to ecosystems, which will restore some balance that existed long before the advent of industrial production. And although it will hardly ever be possible to completely normalize the ecological situation in the world, perhaps, thanks to a new path of development, we will be able to avoid some world problems and cataclysms, and then the environment will begin to regenerate again. We must not repeat past mistakes and understand the full responsibility for our actions. It is also necessary to educate ecological consciousness and instill love for the world around us, and, therefore, to support it, and, first of all, to protect the nature of our homeland.
Bibliography
1.IN AND. Korobkin, L.V. Peredelsky - "Ecology"
2.S.I. Kolesnikov - "Ecology"
3.
https://ru. wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power plant
https://ru. wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_Power Plant
https://ru. wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power plant
https://ru. wikipedia.org/wiki/Development of virgin lands
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The Federal Law "On Environmental Protection" states that "... the reproduction and rational use of natural resources ... the necessary conditions for ensuring a favorable environment and environmental safety ..."
Nature management (use of natural resources) is a combination of all forms of human impact on nature and its resources. The main forms of influence are: exploration and withdrawal (development) of natural resources, their involvement in economic circulation (transportation, sale, processing, etc.), as well as the protection of natural resources. In possible cases - renewal (reproduction).
According to environmental consequences, nature management is divided into rational and irrational. Rational nature management is a consciously regulated, purposeful activity carried out taking into account the laws of nature and providing:
- society's need for natural resources while maintaining a balance between economic development and the sustainability of the natural environment;
- environmentally friendly natural environment for human health and life;
- preservation of natural resources in the interests of present and future generations of people.
A prerequisite is the legislative provision of nature management at the state level, regulation, implementation of measures aimed at solving environmental problems and monitoring the state of the natural environment.
Irrational nature management is an activity associated with a high intensity of the use of natural resources, which does not ensure the preservation of the natural resource complex, which violates the laws of nature. As a result of such activities, the quality of the natural environment deteriorates, it is degraded, natural resources are depleted, the natural basis of human life is undermined, and their health is harmed. Such nature management violates environmental safety, can lead to environmental crises and even disasters.
An ecological crisis is a critical state of the environment that threatens human existence.
Ecological catastrophe - changes in the natural environment, often caused by the impact of human economic activity, a man-made accident or a natural disaster, which led to adverse changes in the natural environment and are accompanied by mass death of people or damage to the health of the population of the region, the death of living organisms, vegetation, large losses of material values and natural resources.
Reasons for irrational use of natural resources include:
- the unbalanced and unsafe system of nature management that spontaneously developed in the last century;
- the idea among the population that many natural resources are given to a person for nothing (he cut down a tree to build a house, took water from a well, picked berries in the forest); the entrenched concept of a “free” resource that does not stimulate thrift, encourages wastefulness;
- social conditions that caused a sharp increase in population, the growth of productive forces on the planet and, accordingly, the impact of human society on nature and its resources (life expectancy has increased, mortality has decreased, the production of food, consumer goods, housing, and other benefits has increased).
After humanity realized what was happening and began to compare economic benefits with the opportunities and environmental losses of nature, the quality of the environment began to be considered as an economic category (goods). The consumer of this product is primarily the population living in a certain territory, and then industry, construction, transport and other sectors of the economy.
Many advanced countries, starting with Japan, embarked on the path of resource conservation in the middle of the 20th century, while the economy of our country continued its extensive (costly) development, in which the growth in production increased mainly due to the involvement of new natural resources in the economic circulation. And at present, an unreasonably large amount of use of natural resources remains. The extraction of natural resources is constantly growing. For example, water consumption in Russia (for the needs of the population, industry, agriculture) has increased 7 times over 100 years. The consumption of energy resources has increased many times over.
Another problem is the fact that only about 2% of the extracted minerals go into finished products. The rest of the amount is stored in dumps, dispersed during transportation and reloading, lost during inefficient technological processes, replenishes waste. At the same time, pollutants enter the natural environment (soil and vegetation cover, water sources, atmosphere). Large losses of raw materials are also due to the lack of economic interest in the rational and complete extraction of all useful components from it.
Economic activity has destroyed entire populations of animals and plants, many species of insects, has led to a progressive decrease in water resources, to the filling of underground workings with fresh water, due to which aquifers of groundwater that feed rivers and are sources of drinking water supply are dehydrated.
The result of irrational nature management was an intensive decrease in soil fertility. Acid rains - the culprits of soil acidification - are formed when industrial emissions, flue gases and vehicle exhausts are dissolved in atmospheric moisture. From this, the reserves of nutrients in the soil are reduced, which leads to the defeat of soil organisms, a decrease in soil fertility. The main sources and causes of soil pollution with heavy metals (especially dangerous soil pollution with lead and cadmium) are car exhaust gases, emissions from large enterprises. From the burning of coal, fuel oil, oil shale, soils are polluted with benz (a) pyrene, dioxins, and heavy metals. The sources of soil pollution are urban sewage, industrial and domestic waste dumps, from which rain and melt water carry unpredictable sets of components, including dangerous ones, into soils and groundwater. Harmful substances, getting into the soil, plants, living organisms, can accumulate there to high, life-threatening concentrations. Radioactive contamination of soils is caused by nuclear power plants, uranium and enrichment mines, radioactive waste storage facilities.
When agricultural tillage is carried out in violation of the scientific foundations of agriculture, soil erosion inevitably occurs - the process of destruction of the upper, most fertile soil layers under the influence of wind or water. Water erosion is the washing away of soil by melt or storm water.
Atmospheric pollution as a result of irrational nature management is a change in its composition when impurities of technogenic (from industrial sources) or natural (from forest fires, volcanic eruptions, etc.) origin enter. Emissions from enterprises (chemicals, dust, gases) spread through the air over considerable distances. As a result of their deposition, the vegetation cover is damaged, the productivity of agricultural land, livestock and fisheries is reduced, and the chemical composition of surface and ground waters changes. All this has an impact not only on natural systems, but also on the social environment.
Motor transport is the largest air pollutant of all other vehicles. It is the share of road transport that accounts for more than half of all harmful emissions into the atmosphere. It has been established that road transport is also the leader in terms of a set of harmful components in exhaust gases, which contain about 200 different hydrocarbons, as well as other harmful substances, many of which are carcinogens, i.e. substances that promote the development of cancer cells in living organisms.
A pronounced human impact of vehicle emissions is recorded in large cities. In houses located near highways (closer than 10 m from them), residents get cancer 3-4 times more often than in houses located at a distance of 50 m or more from the road.
Water pollution as a result of irrational nature management occurs mainly due to oil spills in tanker accidents, nuclear waste disposal, domestic and industrial sewage discharges. This is a big threat to the natural processes of the water cycle in nature in its most critical link - evaporation from the surface of the ocean. When oil products enter water bodies with wastewater, they cause profound changes in the composition of aquatic vegetation and wildlife, as their habitat conditions are violated. The surface oil film prevents the penetration of sunlight, which is necessary for the vital activity of vegetation and animal organisms.
A serious problem for humanity is the pollution of fresh water. The water quality of most water bodies does not meet regulatory requirements. About half of the population of Russia is already forced to use water for drinking purposes that does not meet hygienic regulatory requirements. One of the main properties of fresh water as a component of the environment is its indispensability. The ecological load on the rivers has increased especially sharply due to the insufficient quality of wastewater treatment. Oil products remain the most common pollutants for surface waters. The number of rivers with a high level of pollution is constantly growing. The current level of wastewater treatment is such that even in waters that have undergone biological treatment, the content of nitrates and phosphates is sufficient for intensive blooming of reservoirs.
The state of groundwater is assessed as pre-critical and tending to further deterioration. Pollution enters them with runoff from industrial and urban areas, from landfills, from fields treated with chemicals. Of the substances polluting surface and groundwater, in addition to petroleum products, the most common are phenols, heavy metals (copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel, mercury), sulfates, chlorides, nitrogen compounds, and lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury are highly toxic metals.
An example of an irrational attitude to the most valuable natural resource - clean drinking water - is the depletion of the natural resources of Lake Baikal. Depletion is associated with the intensity of the development of the lake's wealth, the use of environmentally dirty technologies and outdated equipment at enterprises that dump their sewage (with insufficient cleaning) into the waters of Lake Baikal and the rivers flowing into it.
Further deterioration of the state of the environment poses a serious threat to the population and future generations of Russia. It is possible to restore practically any destruction, but it is impossible to revive the disturbed nature in the foreseeable future even for big money. It will take centuries to stop its further destruction and postpone the approach of an ecological catastrophe in the world.
Residents of industrialized cities have an increased level of morbidity, as they are forced to constantly be in a polluted environment (the concentration of harmful substances in which can exceed the MPC by 10 or more times). To the greatest extent, air pollution is manifested in an increase in respiratory diseases and a decrease in immunity, especially in children, in the growth of oncological diseases in the population. Control samples of food products of agricultural production unacceptably often show non-compliance with state standards.
The deterioration of the quality of the environment in Russia can cost the cause of the violation of the human gene pool. This is manifested in an increase in the number of diseases, including congenital ones, and a decrease in average life expectancy. The negative genetic consequences of environmental pollution on the state of nature can be expressed in the appearance of mutants, previously unknown diseases of animals and plants, a reduction in populations, and the depletion of traditional biological resources.
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