Excessive consumption of meat products causes harm not only the health of those who like to eat tightly, but also the surrounding environment... This is the conclusion reached by the specialists of the Information and Research Center of the Brussels Institute. the surrounding Wednesday... According to the data, the Belgians ... one of the main "culprits" of pollution of water and land resources. Moreover, in addition to production complexes, the surrounding Wednesday animals themselves pollute, which in the process of digestion produce methane - one of the gases, ...

https: //www.site/journal/15636

From the age of the child. A document entitled Principles for Addressing Children's Health Risks from Pollution the surrounding Wednesday”, Reveals the fact that a child's body is more sensitive than an adult's body, since it is not only physically ... prerequisites for the development of lung diseases later in life. About a third of all childhood illnesses can be associated with factors the surrounding Wednesday, scientists report, water and air pollution, pesticides in food, pigs in the soil, and ...

https: //www.site/journal/117066

This is the conclusion reached by the British researcher Chris Goodall, who is constantly trying to dispel myths about the surrounding environment... The researcher emphasizes that the climate will only benefit if people stop exercising and spend more time watching TV or getting around by car. ... what a lot physical exercise and then food consumption is bad for global warming. Less food and more driving - safer for the surrounding Wednesday.

https: //www.site/journal/16713

The number of twins will double, according to a group of German ecologists. And this will happen due to the increasing pollution. the surrounding Wednesday industrial waste. Scientists investigated the fertility situation in one of the regions of Germany in the Rhine Valley. Where are toxic waste incinerators located and by questioning ...

https: //www.site/journal/14834

The use of bioethanol as fuel for automobiles will entail an increase in the volume of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, and will also lead to an increase in the area of ​​logging. Such data were obtained in the course of studies conducted by American scientists Tim Serchinger, Dan Kammen and Jerry Melillo. Previously it was believed that biofuels are neutral in relation to the environment, however, scientists have calculated all the damage caused to the atmosphere during the collection of plants, of which ...

https: //www.site/journal/121343

Human damage to the planet is estimated at 6.6 trrn

Convert to monetary equivalent harm inflicted the surrounding environment industrial production and predict the future consequences of further industrial growth and company earnings. " As noted in the study, only 3 thousand of the largest companies in the world "are responsible for a third of all damage to the planet." The UN report also notes that by 2050, the total harm the surrounding environment could rise to $ 28.6 trillion ...

The corresponding amendments to some laws were signed by the President of the Russian Federation. Thus, a chapter on the elimination of accumulated harm is introduced into the Law on Environmental Protection. environment, as well as amendments are made to a number of current provisions of the law.

Recall that earlier, in 2010, following the results of the meeting of the Presidium State Council RF The Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia was instructed to conduct an inventory and accounting of objects of accumulated environmental damage and to develop a set of measures for its elimination with the definition of mechanisms and amounts of financing for these measures, including "pilot" projects to develop technologies for eliminating accumulated damage.

The first practical steps to assess and eliminate past environmental damage were started in 2011 in the areas most vulnerable from the point of view of anthropogenic impact (the islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the islands of the Northern archipelago Novaya Zemlya, the territory of the Wrangel Island reserve and the village of Amderma in Nenets autonomous region, Russian part of the Spitsbergen Island, Baikal Natural Territory).

In 2011, the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia was instructed to prepare amendments to the legislation Russian Federation aimed at improving the legal regulation of the elimination of the consequences of negative impact on the environment and compensation for environmental damage caused and accumulated as a result of the past economic activity... At the same time, a draft federal law was developed, providing for the creation of legal, organizational and financial mechanisms for the elimination of accumulated environmental damage. And now, after 5 years, having passed numerous approvals, the version of the bill was signed by the President of the Russian Federation (Federal Law of 03.07.2016 No. 254-FZ "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation").

The Law defines the concepts of "accumulated harm to the environment" and "objects of accumulated harm to the environment".

In accordance with the Law, the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and bodies local government granted the right to identify and assess objects of accumulated environmental damage and organize work to eliminate the accumulated environmental damage. In a number of cases established by the Government of the Russian Federation, these activities will be carried out by the federal executive body.

The law also establishes criteria for assessing objects of accumulated harm to the environment (the volume of pollutants, waste and their hazard classes; the area of ​​the contaminated area / water area; the number of people living in the zone of the negative impact of the facility, etc.).

Accounting for objects of accumulated harm to the environment will be carried out through their inclusion in the state register of objects of accumulated harm to the environment. At the same time, in order to justify the sequence of work to eliminate accumulated environmental damage and take urgent measures, the law provides for the categorization of objects of accumulated environmental harm.

To implement these provisions of the Law, it is envisaged to develop a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation "On approval of the Procedure for maintaining the state register of objects of accumulated environmental damage", which will disclose the procedures for making decisions on the inclusion or "non-inclusion" of objects in the register, the procedure for categorizing objects on the basis of a point assessment will be determined values ​​of each criterion, procedures for updating information on the status of objects, etc.

The procedure for organizing work to eliminate the accumulated harm to the environment will be established by an act of the Government of the Russian Federation.

It should be noted that the need to eliminate accumulated pollution is also established in the Main Directions of Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Concept of Long-Term Socio-Economic Development of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2020, the Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Environmental Development of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2030, approved by the President of the Russian Federation 04/30/2012.

Agreements worth 507 million rubles have already been signed to carry out work to eliminate past environmental damage. In 2016, the federal budget provided 2 billion rubles for the implementation of new projects to eliminate accumulated pollution.

Also Federal law dated 03.07.2016 No. 254-FZ "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" established:

a transitional period for the application of legislation on production and consumption waste for waste disposal facilities created in Crimea before it was adopted into the Russian Federation;


the possibility of creating biosphere polygons on part of the territory of state natural reserves in accordance with the decisions of the Government of the Russian Federation;

the possibility of transferring the powers of federal executive bodies for federal state environmental supervision to executive bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;

the authority of the Government of the Russian Federation to determine the organization performing the functions of the Bureau of the best available technologies.

According to the organizers of the ECOTECH exhibition-forum

Incredible facts

It's lunchtime, but there is no food at home, so you get behind the wheel and drive to the nearest grocery store.

You stroll among the stalls hoping to buy something. In the end, you choose the chicken and the prepared salad and return home to enjoy your meal.

Consider how a seemingly innocuous trip to the store has impacted the environment.

First, driving a car has contributed to the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The electricity in the store is nothing more than the combustion of coal, the mining of which has ravaged the Appalachian ecosystem.

The lettuce ingredients were grown on a farm and treated with pesticides, which then entered the waterways, poisoning fish and aquatic plants (which help keep the air clean).

The chicken was raised on a far-away poultry farm where animal waste releases large amounts of toxic methane into the atmosphere. When delivering goods to the store, many types of transport were involved, each of which caused its own harm to the environment.

Even the smallest human actions initiate changes in the environment. How we heat our homes, power our electrical appliances, what we do with our waste, and what the origin of our food is - all of these put a huge strain on the environment.

Considering the problem at the social level, it can be noted that human behavior has significantly influenced the environment. The earth's temperature has increased by one degree Fahrenheit since 1975, and the amount of polar ice has decreased by 9 percent in just one decade.

We've done tremendous damage to the planet, far more than you might imagine. Construction, irrigation, mining significantly spoil the natural landscape and disrupt the flow of important ecological processes. Aggressive fishing and hunting can deplete all stocks of species, human migration can introduce alien species into established food chains. Greed leads to catastrophic accidents, and laziness leads to destructive practices.

10. Public projects

Sometimes public works projects don't actually work for the public good. For example, dam projects in China have devastated everything around them to generate clean energy, causing flooding in cities and places where environmental waste accumulates, which significantly increased the risk of natural disasters.

In 2007, China completed 20 years of construction on the world's largest hydroelectric dam, the Three Gorges. During the implementation of this project, more than 1.2 million people had to leave their habitats as they were flooded 13 major cities, 140 ordinary cities and 1350 villages. Hundreds of factories, mines, dumps and industrial centers were also flooded, plus the main reservoirs were heavily polluted. The project changed the ecosystem of the Yangtze River, transforming the once mighty river into a stagnant basin, thereby largely destroying local flora and fauna.

Redirected rivers also significantly increase the risk of landslides along the banks, which are home to hundreds of thousands of people. According to forecasts, about half a million people living along the river are planned to be relocated by 2020, since landslides are inevitable, and the ecosystem will continue to deplete.

Recently, scientists have linked the construction of dams to earthquakes. The Three Gorges Reservoir was built on top of two major fault lines and has experienced hundreds of minor shocks since its discovery. Scientists have suggested that the disastrous 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan province, which killed 8,000 people, was also caused by water accumulation in the area of ​​the dam, located less than half a mile from the center of the tremors. The phenomenon of dams causing earthquakes is related to the water pressure under the reservoir, which in turn increases the pressure in the rocks and acts as a softener of already stressed fault lines.

9. Overfishing

"There are a lot of fish in the sea" is no longer a completely reliable statement. Humanity's appetite for seafood has devastated our oceans to the point where experts fear the ability of many species to rebuild their populations on their own.

According to the World Wildlife Federation, the global fish catch is 2.5 times the target. More than half of the world's fish stocks and species are already depleted, and one quarter of the species are over-depleted. Ninety percent of large fish species - tuna, swordfish, cod, halibut, flounder, marlin - have lost their natural habitat. According to forecasts, if the situation does not change, then by 2048 the stocks of these fish will disappear.

It is worth noting that the main culprit is the advances in fishing technology. Most commercial fishing vessels today are equipped with fishfinding sonar. Once they find a suitable spot, the fishermen release huge nets, the size of three football fields, which can sweep up all the fish in a matter of minutes. Thus, with this approach, fish populations can be reduced by 80 percent in 10-15 years.

8. Invasive species

Throughout the foundation of the world, man himself was a distributor of invasive species. Even though it may seem to you that your favorite pet or plant feels much better in a new place, in fact, the natural balance of nature is disturbed. It has been proven that invasive flora and fauna is the most destructive thing that humanity has done for the environment.

In the United States, 400 of the 958 species are listed as endangered because of competition with invasive alien species.

Invasive species problems mostly affect invertebrates. For example, in the first half of the 20th century, an Asian mushroom destroyed more than 180 million acres of American chestnuts. As a result, more than 10 chestnut-dependent species became extinct.

7. Coal mining industry

The biggest threat posed by coal mining is climate change, but it also threatens local ecosystems.

Market realities pose a serious threat to mining coal, especially in the United States. Coal is a cheap source of energy - one megawatt of energy from coal costs $ 20-30, as opposed to one megawatt obtained from natural gas- 45-60 dollars. Moreover, one quarter of the world's coal reserves are located in the United States.

Two of the most destructive forms of coal mining are mountain tops and gas mining. In the first case, the mountain workers can "cut down" more than 305 meters of the mountain peak in order to get to the coal deposit. Gas extraction occurs when the coal is closer to the surface of the mountain. In this case, all the "inhabitants" of the mountain (trees and any other creatures living in them) are exterminated to extract valuable minerals.

Each practice of this kind creates a large amount of waste along the way. Extensive damaged and old forest areas are dumped into nearby valleys. In the United States alone, it is estimated that over 121,405 hectares of deciduous forest has been destroyed by coal mining in West Virginia alone. By 2012, the 5,180 square kilometers of Appalachian forest is said to have ceased to exist.

The question of what to do with this kind of "waste" is still open. Usually, mining companies just dump unnecessary trees, dead wildlife, etc. into nearby valleys, which, in turn, not only destroys natural ecosystems, but also affects the drying up of large rivers. Industrial waste from mines finds refuge in river beds.

6. Human disasters

While most of the ways in which humans harm the environment evolve over several years, some events can happen in an instant, but that instant will have far-reaching consequences.

In 1989, the oil spill in Prince Williams Bay, Alaska, had dire consequences. Around 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled at the time, killing more than 25,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 seals, 250 eagles, about 22 killer whales, and billions of salmon and herring. At least two species, Pacific herring and guillemot pigeon, did not recover from the disaster.

It is too early to assess the wildlife damage caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but the scale of the disaster is incomparable to anything seen in American history. For several days, more than 9.5 million liters of oil seeped into the bay every day - the largest spill in American history. By most estimates, the damage to the wildlife world is still lower than the 1989 spill due to the lower species density. However, despite this, there is no doubt that the damage from the spill will continue for many years to come.

5. Cars

America has long been considered the land of automobiles, so it's no surprise that cars account for one fifth of all US greenhouse gas emissions. There are 232 million cars on the roads of this country, with a very small proportion of them powered by electricity, and the average car consumes about 2,271 liters of gasoline annually.

A single car emits about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the form of exhaust gases. In order to purify the air from these impurities, 240 trees are needed. In America, cars emit roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide as coal-fired plants.

The combustion process in a car engine produces fine particles of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide. In large quantities, these chemicals can harm a person's respiratory system, causing coughing and choking. Cars also generate carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas produced by burning fossil fuels that blocks the transport of oxygen to the brain, heart, and other vital organs.

At the same time, the extraction of oil, which is necessary to create fuel and oil for the movement of the car, in turn, also has a serious impact on the environment. Onshore drilling is displacing native species, and offshore drilling and subsequent transportation has created an unimaginable number of problems over the years, as more than 40 million gallons of oil have been spilled worldwide since 1978.

4. Unstable Agriculture

In all the ways in which humanity harms the environment, there is one general trend: we are not able to make plans for the future. But nowhere is this more evident than in our method of growing our own food.

Current agricultural practices are responsible for 70 percent of the pollution in the country's rivers and streams, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Drains chemical substances, contaminated soil, animal waste, all of this ends up in waterways of which more than 173,000 miles are already in a deplorable state. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides increase nitrogen levels and decrease oxygen levels in the water.

Pesticides used to protect crops from being eaten by predators threaten the survival of some species of birds and insects. For example, the number of bee colonies on US farmland fell from 4.4 million in 1985 to less than 2 million in 1997. When exposed to pesticides, bees' immune systems are weakened, making them more vulnerable to the enemy.

Large-scale industrial agriculture also contributes to global warming. The vast majority of the world's meat products are manufactured on industrial farms. On any farm, tens of thousands of livestock are concentrated in small areas to save space. Among other things, when untreated animal waste is destroyed, harmful gases are emitted, including methane, which, in turn, has a significant impact on the global warming process.

3. Deforestation

There were times when most of the earth on the planet was covered with forests. Today the forests are disappearing before our eyes. According to the United Nations, 32 million acres of forest are lost every year, including 14,800 acres of primeval forest, that is, land not occupied or affected by human activity. Seventy percent of the animals and plants of the planet live in forests, and, accordingly, having lost their home, they themselves will face the threat of extinction as a species.

The problem is especially acute for tropical forests with a humid climate. These forests cover 7 percent of the land area and provide home to about half of all species on the planet. At the current rate of deforestation, scientists believe the rainforest will be razed to the ground in about 100 years.

Deforestation also contributes to global warming... Trees absorb greenhouse gases, so fewer trees means more greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. They also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapor to the atmosphere. Without trees, forests will quickly turn into barren deserts, leading to even more severe fluctuations in global temperatures. When forests burn, trees emit carbon into the atmosphere, which also aggravates the problem of global warming. Scientists estimate that trees in the Amazonian forests have processed an amount of greenhouse gases equivalent to 10 years of human activity.

Poverty is one of the main causes of deforestation. Most of the rainforests are in third world countries, and politicians there regularly stimulate economic development weak regions. Thus, loggers and farmers are slowly but surely doing their job. In most cases, deforestation is due to the need to create a farm plot. The farmer typically burns trees and vegetation to produce ash, which can then be used as fertilizer. This process is called slash and burn farming. Among other things, the risk of soil erosion and flooding increases, as nutrients from the soil evaporate over several years, and the land is often unable to support the crops planted for which the trees were felled.

2. Global warming

The average surface temperature of the Earth has risen by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 130 years. Ice caps are melting at an alarming rate - since 1979, more than 20 percent of the world's ice has disappeared. Sea levels are rising, causing flooding and significantly contributing to catastrophic natural disasters that are increasingly occurring around the world.

Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect, in which some gases channel the heat generated from the sun back into the atmosphere. Since 1990, annual greenhouse gas emissions have grown by about 6 billion tonnes worldwide, or 20 percent.

The gas most responsible for global warming is carbon dioxide, which accounts for 82 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels are burned, mainly when running cars and when powering factories and factories with coal. Five years ago, global atmospheric gas concentrations were already 35 percent higher than before the industrial revolution.

Global warming can lead to natural disasters, large-scale food and water shortages, and devastating consequences for wildlife. According to the intergovernmental group of experts on climate change, sea level may rise by 17.8 - 58.4 cm by the end of the century.And since most of the world's population lives in coastal regions, this is a very great danger to both people and ecosystems ...

1. Overcrowding

“Overpopulation is' an elephant in a room that no one wants to talk about," says Dr. John Guillebaud, professor of family planning and reproductive health at University College London. to reduce the population, nature will do it for us with the help of violence, epidemics and hunger, "he adds.

Over the past 40 years, the world's population has grown from 3 billion to 6.7 billion. 75 million people (equivalent to the German population) are added annually, or more than 200,000 people daily. The world's population is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050.

More people means more waste, more demand for food, more consumer goods production, more needs for electricity, cars, etc. In other words, all the factors that contribute to global warming will only get worse.

Increased demand for food will force farmers and fishermen to increasingly harm already fragile ecosystems. Forests will be removed almost entirely, as cities will constantly expand and new areas for farmland will be needed. The list of endangered species will get longer and longer. In emerging economies such as India and China, increased energy consumption is expected to increase carbon emissions. In short, the more people, the more problems.

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 matter / energy or natural pollutants.

The main types and causes of environmental pollution:

Air pollution

Coniferous forest after acid rain

Smoke from chimneys, factories, Vehicle or burning wood and coal makes the air toxic. The effects of air pollution are also evident. The release of sulfur dioxide and hazardous gases into the atmosphere causes global warming and acid rain, which in turn increases temperatures, causing excessive rainfall or droughts around the world, and makes life difficult. We also breathe every contaminated particle from 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 waste discharged into rivers and other water bodies causes imbalances 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, contaminates the system groundwater... Oil spills in the oceans caused significant damage to water bodies.

Eutrophication in the Potomac River, USA

Eutrophication is another important cause of water pollution. Occurs due to unprocessed Wastewater and the flushing of fertilizers from the soil into lakes, ponds or rivers, which allows chemicals to enter the water and obstruct the penetration of sunlight, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen and making the body of water uninhabitable.

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

Soil pollution

Soil erosion

This type of pollution occurs when harmful substances enter the soil. chemical elements is usually caused by human activity. Insecticides and pesticides absorb nitrogen compounds from the soil, making it unsuitable for plant growth. Industrial waste, and also negatively affects the soil. Since plants cannot grow as needed, they are unable to hold onto the soil, resulting in erosion.

Noise pollution

Appears when unpleasant (loud) sounds from the environment affect the human hearing organs and lead to psychological problems, including stress, high blood pressure, hearing impairment, 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 malfunctions of nuclear power plants, improper storage of nuclear waste, accidents, etc. Radioactive pollution can cause cancer, infertility, loss of vision, birth defects; it can make the soil infertile, and also negatively affect air and water.

Light pollution

Light pollution of the planet Earth

Occurs when there is noticeable excess illumination of the area. It is common, as a rule, in big 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, making the stars nearly invisible.

Thermal / thermal pollution

Thermal pollution is the deterioration 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 coolant in power plants and industrial plants. When the water used as a refrigerant returns to its natural environment for more than high temperature, the change in temperature reduces the oxygen supply and affects the composition. Fish and other organisms that are adapted to a specific temperature range can be killed by a sudden change in water temperature (or a rapid increase or decrease).

Thermal pollution is caused by excess heat in the environment creating undesirable changes over long periods of time. This is due to the huge number of industrial plants, deforestation and air pollution. Thermal pollution is increasing the temperature of the Earth, causing dramatic climatic changes and extinction of wildlife.

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 world around you. It includes: billboards, outdoor trash storage, antennas, electrical wires, buildings, cars, etc.

Overcrowded territory large quantity objects causes visual pollution. Such pollution contributes to distraction, eye fatigue, loss of identity, etc.

Plastic pollution

Plastic pollution, India

Includes the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that adversely affect wildlife, animal and human habitats. Plastic products are inexpensive and durable, which has made them very popular with people. However, this material degrades very slowly. Plastic pollution can adversely affect soil, lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. Living organisms, especially marine animals, become entangled in plastic waste or suffer from the effects of chemicals in plastic that interfere with biological functions. People are also affected by plastic pollution, causing hormonal disruption.

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 in both the short and long term. Pollutants come from natural resources or are made by humans.

Many pollutants are toxic to living organisms. Carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) is an example of a substance that is harmful to humans. This compound is absorbed by the body instead of oxygen, causing shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, heart palpitations, and 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 negatively affects aquatic ecosystems and leads to the death of aquatic animals, plants, and other living organisms. Terrestrial ecosystems are also affected by acid rain.

Classification of pollution sources

By type of occurrence, environmental pollution is subdivided into:

Anthropogenic (artificial) pollution

Deforestation

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

• industrialization;
• 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 hostilities;
• the 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 is capable of being 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 organic matter, during which gases are released.

The consequences of pollution:

Environmental degradation

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

The environment is the first victim of air pollution. The increase in CO2 in the atmosphere leads to smog, which can prevent sunlight from reaching the earth's surface. In this regard, it becomes much more difficult. Gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen 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, and respiratory problems can be caused by air pollution. Water pollution can cause skin problems, including irritation and rashes. Likewise, 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 emission of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, leads to global warming. Every day, new industries are being created, new cars are on the roads, and the number of trees is dwindling to make way for new homes. All of these factors, directly or indirectly, lead to an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. The rise in CO2 is causing the polar ice caps to melt, raising sea levels and posing a threat to people living near coastal areas.

Depletion of the ozone layer

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

Badlands

The constant use of insecticides and pesticides can make the soil unfertile. Different kinds chemicals from industrial waste end up in water, which also affects soil quality.

Protection (protection) of the environment from pollution:

International protection

Many are particularly vulnerable as they are susceptible to human influence in many countries. As a result, some states are joining together and developing agreements aimed at preventing damage or managing anthropogenic impact on natural resources. These include agreements that affect the protection of the climate, oceans, rivers and air from pollution. These international environmental treaties are sometimes binding documents that have legal consequences if not complied with, and in other situations are used as codes of conduct. The most famous are:

• The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), approved in June 1972, provides for the protection of nature for the current generation of people and their descendants.
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) was signed in May 1992. The main goal of this agreement is "to stabilize 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

Discussions on environmental issues often focus on government, law, and law enforcement. However, in the broadest sense, protecting the environment can be seen as the responsibility of the entire people, not just the government. Solutions that affect the environment will ideally involve a wide range of stakeholders, including industrial sites, indigenous groups, environmental groups and communities. Environmental decision-making processes 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 isn't just a responsibility government agencies Most people regard these organizations as paramount in creating and maintaining basic standards that protect the environment and the people who interact with it.

How to protect the environment on your own?

The population and technological advances based on fossil fuels have seriously impacted our natural environment. Therefore, now we need to contribute to eliminating 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 pile in your garden. This helps to dispose of 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.
• Consider how you can reduce the number of trips you make using your vehicle.
• Reduce car emissions by walking or cycling. These are not just great alternatives to driving, but health benefits as well.
• Use public transport when you can, for everyday transportation.
• Bottles, paper, waste oil, old batteries and used tires must be disposed of properly; all this causes serious pollution.
• Do not pour chemicals and used oil onto the ground or into drains leading to bodies of water.
• Recycle some biodegradable waste, if possible, and work to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste used.
• Reduce the amount of meat you eat or consider a vegetarian diet.

In accordance with Art. 86 of the Law of the Russian Federation, damage to the environment can be caused by legal entities and citizens by environmental pollution, damage, destruction, damage, irrational use of natural resources, destruction of natural ecosystems and other environmental offenses. Harm means real damage and lost profits. Real damage in the ecological sphere can be expressed in the reduction of forest areas, a decrease in soil fertility, as well as in the costs of their restoration. Lost profit in the environmental sphere can be expressed in lost income, for example, from the economic use of the soil, the fertility of which has decreased.

The harm to the environment can be both economic (destruction of a forest area intended for felling and sale) and ecological. These types of harm are organically linked with each other, both by the source and by the method of causing. Unlike economic, ecological is more durable in its consequences. This harm cannot always be compensated for. Therefore, preventive work to prevent the onset of harm is of great importance.

Damage to the environment can be caused both by lawful actions (permitted by the state), and as a result of violation of environmental legislation. Environmental and legal responsibility for unlawful harm occurs only when it is a direct consequence of a violation of environmental legislation.

Legal regime of nature management. Water pollution.

Pollution, contamination, depletion of surface or underground waters, drinking water sources or alteration of natural properties if they caused significant harm to the animal or flora, fish stocks, forestry or agriculture.

Significant means harm to the animal and plant world - the occurrence of diseases or death of animals and plants, the destruction of fish stocks, spawning grounds, disease or death of forests, a decrease in land productivity, the emergence of wetlands or saline lands. The assessment of the damage caused is carried out taking into account the fish stocking, the real cost of the costs of restoring work and eliminating the consequences.

Biosphere pollution... Violation of the rules for the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere or violation of the operation of installations, structures and other objects, if this entailed pollution or a change in the natural properties of the air, is punishable. Pollution is: introduction into the composition of atmospheric air, atmosphere or the formation of pollutants in them in concentrations exceeding quality standards or levels of natural content; increasing the concentration of chemicals; changes in thermal conditions, radiation, electromagnetic and noise indicators.

Sources of pollution can be vehicles, industrial enterprises, overhead power lines, distribution substations, power plants, radar stations, cellular and space communications.

Marine pollution - the introduction of substances and materials that degrade the quality of the marine environment, restrict its use, leading to the destruction, depletion, disease or reduction of the living resources of the sea. Pollution of the marine environment from sources on land or as a result of a violation of the burial or discharge from vehicles of substances or materials harmful to human health and living resources of the sea or hindering the lawful use of the marine environment is punished.

Violations include: immersion of substances and materials from a ship without an appropriate permit, dumping of unused nuclear fuel from military ships; failure to take action in the event of an incident with a ship or other entity, resulting in or likely to result in the discharge of oil or other pollutants; discharge of chemicals into the sea from sedimentation tanks. These violations occur during the construction of drilling rigs, platforms at sea, transportation of oil products, dumping of waste, conducting military tests, accidents on ships, and the discharge of chemicals into the sea by enterprises located on the coast. The harm caused to the marine environment can manifest itself in the mass death of marine biological resources, the destruction of the food supply for fish, and the pollution of recreation areas for citizens.

Spoilage of the earth... Poisoning, pollution or other damage to the land by harmful products of economic activity due to violation of the rules for handling fertilizers, plant growth stimulants, pesticides and other hazardous chemical and biological substances during their storage, use and transportation, resulting in harm to human health or the environment, are considered offenses.

Destruction or damage of forests as a result of careless handling of fire or other sources of increased danger is an offense. Forest pollution can occur during the discharge of hazardous substances, as well as the disposal of waste and industrial waste, municipal and other waste, and landfills.

Illegal hunting - tracking for the purpose of prey, pursuit and the prey itself of wild animals. Being in hunting grounds with a gun, hunting dogs, hunting tools is equated to hunting. It is illegal to hunt without a permit or carried out in spite of the prohibition, or by a person who does not have the right to hunt. The subject of illegal hunting is wild animals in their natural habitat.

Illegal catch of fish, sea animals or other animals if it caused major damage or was made with the use of a self-propelled vehicle, electric current, chemical or explosive substances, or occurred on the territory of a reserve or in an ecological disaster zone, in spawning grounds or along migration routes, is punished. An offense is illegal hunting of fur seals, sea beavers, seals and other marine mammals on the high seas or in restricted areas. Prey means the process of catching, slaughtering, extracting and otherwise removing aquatic animals and plants from the natural environment, ending in the seizure of the prey item.

Violation of environmental protection rules.

Environmental protection is regulated by the norms established by environmental and environmental legislation. Violation of these norms in the design of industrial, agricultural and other facilities by persons responsible for their observance, if this entailed a significant change in the radioactive background, causing harm to human health, mass death of animals or other grave consequences, is recognized as an offense. When placing, designing, building, when laying power lines that have a direct or indirect impact on the state of the environment, the requirements for environmental safety and protection of public health must be met, including measures for environmental protection, rational use and reproduction of natural resources.

All these requirements are detailed in the relevant federal laws, in the articles of the Land, Forest, Water Codes, in the instructions and decrees of construction and design organizations. Failure to comply or improper implementation of them is a violation of environmental protection rules during the performance of work.

Violation of the rules for handling environmentally hazardous substances.

The production of prohibited types of hazardous waste, transportation and storage, burial, use or other handling of radioactive, bacteriological, chemical substances and waste in violation of the established rules, if this has created a threat of causing significant harm to human health or the environment, is an offense. Prohibited types of hazardous waste - potent toxic substances; hazardous waste - raw materials, substances and energy that are unsuitable for production or have lost their consumer properties, which can cause poisoning. Violation of the rules for waste management consists in unlawful action or inaction (failure to fulfill official duties); neutralization, utilization, warehousing, storage, burial, transportation, disposal.

Illegal Traffic in Potent and Poisonous Substances the increased public danger of potent and poisonous substances required a special law prohibiting their manufacture, processing, acquisition, storage, transportation, shipment, sale. Their use for scientific and medical purposes requires special permission. More than 100 types of potent substances are distinguished, for example, chlorpromazine, sodium barbidol, clonidine, pipradol, tazepam, theofedryl, frenolone, chloroform, ether. There are more than 60 types of toxic substances: methyl alcohol, strychnine, phenol, potassium cyanide, snake venom, some mercury compounds, hydrocyanic acid, etc.

Violation of the rules for the protection and use of subsoil during the design, construction, commissioning of mining enterprises and underground structures, unauthorized development of areas of occurrence of minerals, if these actions entailed significant damage, is considered an offense.

Subsoil - part crust, located below the soil layer and the bottom of water bodies. The rules for their protection are regulated by the mining and geological legislation of the country. Violations consist of flooding, watering or fire, when as a result the quality of minerals decreases; in the discharge of wastewater, disposal of industrial waste, pollution of the subsoil, the accumulation of industrial waste in places of sources of drinking or industrial water supply. This also includes the failure to recover associated components, non-compliance with the terms of the license for the extraction of minerals, failure to conduct a full study of the subsoil prior to construction. Development of areas is permitted only in the absence of minerals in the depths of the building site. Damage from violation of the rules for the use of subsoil includes the loss of minerals, deterioration of the condition of the land, and an increase in the cost of mining.

Violation of the regime of specially protected natural areas and natural objects: sanctuaries, reserves, natural monuments causing significant damage to them is an offense. Objects of protection in this case are land plots, water surface and air space above them, if they have special environmental, scientific, cultural or aesthetic value and are removed from economic circulation. These are state nature reserves, natural and national parks, botanical gardens, medical and recreational areas and resorts, where any activity, exploration and development of minerals, the placement of garden plots, the movement and parking of mechanized vehicles, the extraction of animals is prohibited.

A natural complex is understood as a natural-geographic complex, representing a limited area of ​​the territory in which natural components are in stable interaction. Objects with a special status include reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, botanical gardens, and national parks.

Concealment or distortion of information about events, facts, phenomena that create a danger to life or health of people or to the environment, committed by a person, is recognized as an offense.

Events, facts or phenomena that create a hazard include natural, man-made processes that, with an unfavorable development or the absence of control and regulation measures, can cause a danger to humans and the environment. Information falling within the scope of these requirements includes environmentally and medically significant information, information about disasters, accidents at nuclear power facilities, epidemics, military operations, industrial processes that could pose a danger to humans, the nation as a whole, and the environment.

Concealment - failure to bring information to the attention of persons who have the right to receive it or need it, in order to influence events and phenomena. Distortion of information is considered to be a message of incomplete or incorrect data, forecasts, estimates.

Illegal handling of radioactive materials- destruction of radioactive materials is an offense. Nuclear power facilities include nuclear installations, including nuclear power plants, space and aircraft, installations and devices with nuclear charges, storage facilities for nuclear materials and radioactive substances, storage of radioactive waste. Radioactive substances can be in a gaseous, liquid or solid state.

Violation of safety rules when handling microbiological agents or toxins if this caused harm to human health, the spread of epidemics, is considered an offense. Violation consists in active actions or inaction, inappropriate control, release of macroorganisms into the environment, non-use of protective equipment, violation of storage and transportation conditions.

This law applies to the activities of medical, pharmaceutical, research, military organizations involved in genetic engineering, production and cultivation of microorganisms. Dangerous for humans are viruses, bacteria, toxins, genetically modified microorganisms that can cause infectious diseases, health disorders, permanent loss of health and death. Damage from violation of the rules for combating diseases and pests of plants consists of the costs of destroying contaminated areas of the forest, food and animals, restoring the vegetation of the affected areas, compensation for property damage in the event of the death of perennial cultivated plantations, crops.

Violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules is understood as the use of food without prior control, the use of dirty water, the use of dirty water in cooking, violation of the rules for waste disposal.

Types of liability for environmental offenses. Environmental and legal responsibility is a type of legal responsibility, it differs from other types of legal responsibility and has characteristic features:

All offenses are in the field of the natural environment.

The object of the encroachment is a component of the environment.

An environmental and legal violation usually covers two objects - the environment and human health.

It manifests itself in the forms of legal liability - criminal, administrative, civil, disciplinary and material liability, regulated by the Law "On the Environment". The requirements of the law imply the establishment of a clear causal link between the violation and environmental degradation. The subject of environmental offenses is a person who has reached the age of 16, who has violated environmental legislation.

An environmental offense is characterized by the presence of three elements:

Wrongful conduct

Causing environmental harm

A causal relationship between unlawful behavior and environmental harm or the emergence of a real threat of harm.

Disciplinary responsibility occurs for non-fulfillment of plans or measures for the protection of nature and the rational use of natural resources, for violation of environmental standards. Disciplinary responsibility is borne by officials and other guilty employees (Article 82 of the Law "On Environmental Protection"

Liability is regulated by the Labor Code (Articles 118-126). Such responsibility is borne by officials and other employees of enterprises, through whose fault the enterprise incurred expenses for compensation for harm caused by an environmental offense.

Administrative responsibility is regulated by both environmental legislation and the RSFSR Code of Administrative Offenses.

Criminal liability for violation of environmental safety rules, violation of the rules for storage, disposal of hazardous substances, violation of safety rules, damage to land, illegal extraction of aquatic animals, violation of the rules for the protection of fish stocks, illegal hunting, illegal felling of trees, bushes, destruction or damage to forests.

(all environmental crimes are highlighted in a separate chapter)

The application of disciplinary, administrative or criminal liability for environmental offenses does not relieve the perpetrators of the obligation to compensate for the harm caused by the environmental offense.

Responsibility for environmental offenses performs a number of functions:

Stimulating Responsibility of Citizens

Compensating for damage caused

Preventive measure

An environmental offense provides for three levels of punishment:

For violation

For a violation that caused significant damage

For a violation that resulted in the death of a person.

The types of punishment can be: a fine, deprivation of the right to engage in certain activities, correctional labor, restriction of freedom, imprisonment.

Ecological catastrophy - manifests itself in a serious violation of the ecological balance in nature, the destruction of the stable species composition of living organisms, a complete or significant reduction in their number, in the violation of the cycles of seasonal changes in the circulation of substances and biological processes. An environmental crime can be motivated by misunderstood military or state interests.