ALARMING ECOLOGICAL CHANGES WITHIN THIS CENTURY

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

More than 40 percent of Americans have expressed concern

in the past few years about wildlife conservation and

associated environmental issues, such as endangered

species, animal and plant extinction, coral bleaching, the

introduction of invasive species, poaching, and the loss of

natural animal habitats resulting in relocation and a

break in the food chain.

WATER POLLUTION

Water covers over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface but only

a small part of it is fresh (2.5% to be exact). Consequently,

water pollution is considered one of the most important

ecological problems. Water pollution affects drinking water,

rivers, lakes, and oceans all over the world.

SOIL CONTAMINATION

Soil contamination is when the concentration of chemicals,

nutrients, or elements in the soil becomes more than it

normally or naturally is, as a result of human action. An

official study released by the Chinese government has

shown that almost a fifth of China’s soil is contaminated.

RESOURCE DEPLETION

Our current global population is 7.2 billion and growing.

Earth’s total resources are sufficient for about 2.5 billion

people at the current demand. We are already using two to

three times more of the Earth’s natural resources than is

sustainable. A desolate, dry Earth won’t be a fun place for

our children and later generations to live.

OZONE DEPLETION

Ozone depletion and the damage to the Earth’s ozone layer

caused by CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) has been a problem

worrying the scientific community for a few decades now

but in the past decade its negative effects have been

more noticeable than ever before.

OVERPOPULATION

The human population is growing as never before. We are now

adding one billion people to the planet every twelve years.

That’s about 220,000 per day. Truth be told, human

overpopulation appears to be among the most pressing

environmental issues, silently aggravating the forces behind

climate change, environmental pollution, and habitat loss,

while continued building and burial of humans all over the

world only makes things worse.

OVERFISHING

Over three-quarters of our planet is covered by water. Ocean

biodiversity is unmatched and they contain over 80 percent

of all life on Earth, mostly unexplored. Millions of people

worldwide depend on the oceans for their livelihood but

increasingly this has become endangered because of

ignorance and a lack of global management,

which often leads to overfishing.

NUCLEAR ISSUES

Despite popular belief, the greenhouse gas emissions from

nuclear fission power are much smaller than those associated

with coal, oil, and gas. However, there is a “catastrophic risk”

potential if containment fails, which in nuclear reactors

can be brought about by overheated fuels melting and

releasing large quantities of fission products into

the environment.

NATURAL DISASTERS

The cataclysmic natural disasters that have taken place in the

past fifteen years, such as gigantic tsunamis in Asia and their

terrible impact on all aspects of the environment, are

becoming an increasingly alarming problem that the

scientific community is watching closely.