Environmentální problémy

Civilization has brought many advantages but mankind also products pollute and damage to the environment in which we live.

The main environmental issues are:

Atmosphere keeps Earth temperatures too high to support life.
In a process called the greenhouse effect high energy radiation from the solar system is trapped by gases such as carbon dioxide.
Global warming come into existence when people burn fossil fuels such as coal.
It produces large amounts of carbon dioxide.
More carbon dioxide means a larger greenhouse effect so the Earth’s temperature is increasing.
Global warming may cause rising sea levels and unpredictable weather.
Solution:
- - Change the way we produce energy and produce less carbon dioxide.

In the Atmosphere, about 30 km above the Earth’s surface, there is the ozone layer.
The ozone layer absorbs dangerous ultra violet radiation = UV.
But the scientist discovered that the ozone layer above the Antarctic and Australia is very thin.
It is caused by some chemicals that are part of aerosols, refrigerators and car air conditioning.
UV causes damage DNA and may causes cancer. Sheep at high altitude are often blinded by UV.
Solution
- Ban the use of dangerous chemicals in Aerosols,..

= Cutting down the rainforest.
Because people need more land for agriculture, they cut down the rainforest.
The second reason is that we use more wood for furniture.
This is happening in the Amazon basin in Brazil and in SE Asia.
This causes that many plants and animal will become extinct.
Then the forests absorb carbon dioxide in the process called photosynthesis = without trees carbon dioxide levels will increase.
Solution
- Must be found alternative sources for food and wood.

We produce lots of waste in the home and toxic chemicals from industrial processes – some people can establish dump.
Also in agriculture are used harmful chemicals to killed pests called pesticides.
It causes that toxic waste leak into our water system and soil.
Toxic waste kills fish, it also getting into our drinking water and into our food – this causes illnesses and diseases.
Solution
- Regulation of chemicals in agriculture, recycling toxic waste.

Coal burning in power stations and car exhaust gases release sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere.
This mixes with water in clouds and acid rain is formed.
Acid rain is very harmful – kills fish, destroys leaves on trees and other plants.
Solution
- Remove the sulphur dioxide from chimneys of power stations and use alternative sources of energy.

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