List Of 30 Top Environmental Concerns 39292a

List of 30 Top Environmental Concerns By Sandra Ketcham The media, public, and scientific communities are focusing more and more on the top 30 environmental concerns the Earth is currently facing. Top 30 Environmental Concerns From water pollution to global warming, environmental issues affect every person, animal, community, and nation on the planet. As increasing evidence s the devastating effect humans have on the environment, more people are taking steps to protect the environment and educate others about environmental problems by looking at the top 30 environmental concerns. Top 5 Public Concerns According to a series of Gallup polls conducted between 1997 and 2008, Americans are most concerned about the following five environmental issues: 1. Contamination of Drinking Water: Contamination of fresh water used for household needs, including pollution of oceans, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, ranks top on the list of environmental concerns for many Americans. More than half of respondents stated they worry about the safety of their drinking water a great deal. 2. Water Pollution: General worry over water pollution and associated environmental issues greatly concerns half of all Americans who participated in the 2008 poll. Related issues include acid rain, ocean dumping, urban runoff, oil spills, ocean acidification, and wastewater. 3. Soil Contamination: Soil erosion, soil conservation, soil salination, and soil contamination by waste, pesticides, and lead worries 50 percent of Americans. 4. Wildlife Conservation: More than 40 percent of Americans expressed concern about wildlife conservation and associated environmental issues, such as endangered species, animal and plant extinction, coral bleaching, introduction of invasive species, poaching, and loss of natural animal habitats resulting in relocation and a break in the food chain. 5. Air pollution: Concerns over air pollution have remained steady over the last decade, with more than 40 percent of Americans worried about indoor and outdoor air quality, carbon emissions, tropospheric ozone, particulate matter, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, radon, refrigerants, and methane emissions. Other Top Concerns (in Alphabetical Order) 6. Biological pollutants, including bacteria, viruses, molds, mildew, dander, dust, mites, pollen, ventilation and infection. 7. Carbon footprint and the responsibility of individuals to reduce their effect on the environment, including the use of renewable energy sources (solar power, geothermal heat pumps), recycling, and sustainable living. 8. Climate change and issues related to global warming, such as the greenhouse effect, global dimming, and the gradual rise in sea level. 9. Consumerism and over-consumption and their effect on the planet. 10. Dams and the impact of dams on the environment. 11. Ecosystem destruction and associated environmental concerns, such as aquaculture, estuaries, shellfish protection, landscaping, wetlands, and ecological restoration.

12. Energy conservation issues, including renewable energy for home and business, energy efficiency, and fossil fuel depletion. 13. Fishing and its effect on marine ecosystems, blast fishing, cyanide fishing, bottom trawling, whaling, and over-fishing. 14. Food safety concerns and the effects of hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, toxic contamination, and lack of quality control on health. 15. Genetic engineering, including concerns about genetically modified foods and genetic pollution. 16. Intensive farming, irrigation, overgrazing, monoculture, methane emissions, and the damaging environmental effects of deforestation for farming and cattle. 17. Land degradation and related problems, such as desertification and soil and land pollution. 18. Land use, urban sprawl, lack of free space, and habitat destruction and fragmentation. 19. Logging, deforestation, clear-cutting, destruction of wildlife habitats, and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. 20. Mining and its role in global warming, acid mine drainage, and soil and air pollution resulting from toxic emissions and heavy metals. 21. Nanotechnology and the future effects of nanopollution and nanotoxicology. 22. Natural disasters and their impact on all aspects of the environment. 23. Nuclear issues, including the effects of nuclear fallout, nuclear meltdown, radioactive waste, and the population's reliance on nuclear power. 24. Other pollution issues, such as light pollution and noise pollution, and their effects on human health and behavior. 25. Overpopulation concerns, such as continued building and burial. 26. Ozone depletion and damage to the Earth's ozone layer caused by CFC. 27. Resource depletion, the need for newer, cleaner energy sources, and exploitation of natural resources. 28. Sustainable communities and issues such as reducing reliance on fossil fuels, ing local farmers and merchants, encouraging green practices and building, consideration of native wildlife, and adoption of mass transportation and cleaner methods of commuting. 29. Toxins, including chlorofluorocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, toxic waste, PCB, DDT, bioaccumulation, endocrine disruptors, asbestos, and poorly implemented hazardous waste management. 30. Waste and associated environmental issues, such as litter, landfills, recycling, incineration, marine debris, E-waste, and contamination of water and soil caused by improper disposal and leaching toxins.

List of environmental issues From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an alphabetical list of environmental issues, harmful aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment. As such, they relate to the anthropogenic effects on the natural environment, which are loosely divided into causes, effects and mitigation, noting that effects are interconnected and can cause new effects. Contents [hide] 

1Issues

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2Effects

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3Mitigation

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4See also

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5External links Issues[edit] 

Human overpopulation — Biocapacity • Carrying capacity • Exploitation • Industrialisation • I = PAT • Land degradation • Land reclamation • Optimum population • Overshoot (population) • Population density • Population dynamics • Population growth • Projections of population growth • Total fertility rate • Urbanization • Waste • Water conflict •Water scarcity • Overdrafting

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Hydrology — Environmental impacts of reservoirs • Tile drainage • Hydrology (agriculture) • Flooding• Landslide •

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Intensive farming — Agricultural subsidy • Environmental effects of meat production • Intensive animal farming • Intensive crop farming • Irrigation • Monoculture • Nutrient pollution • Overgrazing • Pesticide drift • Plasticulture • Slash and burn • Tile drainage

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Land use — Built environment • Desertification • Habitat fragmentation • Habitat destruction • Land degradation — Land pollution • Lawn-environmental concerns • Urban heat island • Urban sprawl

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Nanotechnology — Impact of nanotechnology

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Natural disasters

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Nuclear issues — Nuclear fallout • Nuclear meltdown • Nuclear power • Nuclear weapons • Nuclear and radiation accidents • Nuclear safety • High-level radioactive waste management • Ocean trash

Effects[edit] 

Climate change — Global warming • Global dimming • Fossil fuels • Sea level rise • Greenhouse gas • Ocean acidification • Shutdown of thermohaline circulation •Environmental impact of the coal industry • Urban Heat Islands • Flooding

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Environmental degradation — Habitat destruction • Invasive species

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Environmental health — Air quality • Asthma • Birth defect • Developmental disability • endocrine disruptors • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of nanotechnology • Electromagnetic field • Electromagnetic radiation and health • Indoor air quality • Lead poisoning • Leukemia • Nanotoxicology • Nature deficit disorder • One Health • Sick Building Syndrome • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

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Environmental issues with energy — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of the energy industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

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Environmental issues with war - Agent Orange • Depleted Uranium • Military Superfund site (Category only)•Scorched earth • War and environmental law • Unexploded ordnance

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Overpopulation — Burial • Overpopulation in companion animals • Tragedy of the commons • Gender Imbalance in Developing Countries • Sub-replacement fertility levels in developed countries •

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Genetic engineering — Genetic pollution • Genetically modified food controversies

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Pollution — Nonpoint source pollution • Point source pollution • Air pollution — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Indoor air quality • Smog • Tropospheric ozone • Volatile organic compound Atmospheric particulate matter CFC • Biological effects of UV exposure Light pollution • Visual pollution • Noise pollution • Soil pollution — Alkali soil • Brownfield • Residual Sodium Carbonate Index • Soil conservation • Soil erosion • Soil contamination • Soil salination • Superfund • Superfund sites Space debris • Interplanetary contamination * Ozone depletion Water pollution — Acid rain • Agricultural runoff • Algal bloom • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing• Eutrophication •Fish kill • Groundwater pollution • Groundwater recharge • Marine debris • Marine pollution • Mercury in fish • Microplastics • Nutrient pollution • Ocean acidification •Ocean dumping • Oil spills• Soda lake • Ship pollution • Thermal pollution • Urban runoff • Wastewater 

Resource depletion — Exploitation of natural resources • Overdrafting (groundwater) •Overexploitation Consumerism — Consumer capitalism • Planned obsolescence • Over-consumption Fishing — Blast fishing • Bottom trawling • Cyanide fishing • Ghost nets • Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Overfishing • Shark finning • Whaling Logging — Clearcutting • Deforestation • Illegal logging Mining — Acid mine drainage • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Mountaintop removal mining • Slurry impoundments Water (depletion) — Anoxic waters • Aral Sea • California Water Wars • Dead Sea • Lake Chad • Water scarcity 

Toxicants — Agent Orange • Asbestos • Beryllium • Bioaccumulation • Biomagnification • C hlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • Cyanide • DDT • Endocrine disruptors • Explosives •Environmental impact of the coal industry • Herbicides • Hydrocarbons • Perchlorate • Pesticides • PBDE • Persistent organic pollutant • PBBs • PBDEs • Toxic heavy metals •PCB • Dioxin • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons • Radioactive contamination • Volatile organic compounds

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Waste — Electronic waste • Great Pacific Garbage Patch • Illegal dumping • Incineration • Litter • Waste disposal incidents • Marine debris • Medical waste • Landfill •Leachate • Toxic waste • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Exporting of hazardous waste

Mitigation[edit] 

Conservation 

Ecosystems — Anoxic waters • Biodiversity • Biosecurity • Coral bleaching • Edge effect • Habitat destruction • Habitat fragmentation • In-situ leach

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Fishing — Blast fishing • Bottom trawling • By-catch • Cetacean bycatch • Gillnetting • Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Environmental effects of fishing •Marine pollution • Overfishing • Whaling

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Forests — Clearcutting • Deforestation • Illegal logging

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Natural resources — Resource depletion • Exploitation of natural resources

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Species — Endangered species • Genetic diversity • Habitat destruction • Holocene extinction • Invasive species • Poaching • Pollinator decline • Species extinction •Threshold host density • Wildlife trade • Wildlife disease

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Energy conservation — Efficient energy use

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Renewable energy — Renewable energy commercialization

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Recreation — Protected areas

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Water conservation

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Disaster mitigation

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Environmental law - Environmental crime • Environmental justice • Polluter pays principle • Precautionary Principle • regulatory capture

Environmental issues[edit] Water pollution[edit] Further information: Water supply and sanitation in the Philippines

The Pasig River in Manila, one of the world's most polluted rivers.[1] Although water resources become scarce in some regions and seasons, the Philippines as a whole has more than enough surface and groundwater. However, the neglect of a coherent environmental policy led to the actual situation, in which 58% of the groundwater is contaminated. [2] The main source of pollution is untreated domestic and industrial wastewater. [1] Only one third of Philippine river systems are considered suitable for public water supply.[2] It is estimated that in 2025, water availability will be marginal in most major cities and in 8 of the 19 major river basins.[3]Besides severe health concerns, water pollution also leads to problems in the fishing and tourism industries.[4] The national government recognized the problem and since 2004 has sought to introduce sustainable water resources development management (see below). [5]

Only 5% of the total population is connected to a sewer network. The vast majority uses flush toilets connected to septic tanks. Since sludge treatment and disposal facilities are rare, most effluents are discharged without treatment.[6] According to the Asian Development Bank, the Pasig River is one of the world's most polluted rivers.[1] In March 2008, Manila Waterannounced that a wastewater treatment plant will be constructed in Taguig.[7] The first Philippine constructed wetland serving about 700 households was completed in 2006 in a peri-urban area of Bayawan City which has been used to resettle families that lived along the coast in informal settlements and had no access to safe water supply and sanitation facilities.[8] Deforestation[edit] Main article: Deforestation in the Philippines Over the course of the 20th century the forest cover of the Philippines dropped from 70 percent down to 20 percent.[9] In total, 46 species are endangered, and 4 were already eradicated completely. 3.2 percent of total rainforest has been left. Based on an analysis of land use pattern maps and a road map an estimated 9.8 million ha of forests were lost in the Philippines from 1934 to 1988. [10] Illegal logging occurs in the Philippines [11] and intensify flood damage in some areas.[12] According to scholar Jessica Mathews, short-sighted policies by the Filipino government have contributed to the high rate of deforestation: The government regularly granted logging concessions of less than ten years. Since it takes 30–35 years for a second-growth forest to mature, loggers had no incentive to replant. Compounding the error, flat royalties encouraged the loggers to remove only the most valuable species. A horrendous 40 percent of the harvestable lumber never left the forests but, having been damaged in the logging, rotted or was burned in place. The unsurprising result of these and related policies is that out of 17 million hectares of closed forests that flourished early in the century only 1.2 million remain today. [13] In Manila[edit] Due to industrial waste and automobiles, Manila suffers from air pollution,[14][15] affecting 98% of the population.[16] Annually, the air pollution causes more than 4,000 deaths. [17]Ermita is Manila's most air polluted district due to open dump sites and industrial waste.[18] According to a report in 2003, The Pasig River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world with 150 tons of domestic waste and 75 tons of industrial waste dumped daily.[19] Government policy[edit] Sustainable Development[edit] Recognizing the need to tackle the environment issues as well as the need to sustain development and growth, the Philippines came up with the Sustainable Development Strategy. [20] The nation for the Sustainable Development Strategy includes assimilating environmental considerations in istration, apposite pricing of natural resources, conservation of biodiversity, rehabilitation of ecosystems, control of population growth and human resources development, inducing growth in rural areas, promotion of environmental education, strengthening citizens’ participation, and promoting small to medium-sized enterprises and sustainable agricultural and forestry practices. [21] One of the initiatives signed in part of the strategy was the 1992 Earth Summit. Upon g the 1992 Earth Summit,[22] the government of Philippines has been constantly looking into many different initiatives to improve the environmental aspects of the country. Environmental protection[edit] Currently, the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been busy tracking down illegal loggers and been spearheading projects to preserve the quality of many remaining rivers that are not yet polluted.