Current Environmental Issues : Environment plays a crucial role in the sustainability of life on earth. All the living beings residing on the planet earth need a healthy, clean and better environment for increased adaptability and enhanced survival chances.
Since the millennium, environmental issues have significantly risen to a new height needing immediate attention.
Humans have played a devastating role in ruining natural resources and intervening in atmospheric activities.
Being the third-largest country globally, the United States of America has emerged as one of the significantly affected regions from environmental concerns and issues.
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Current Environmental Issues Let’s take a glance at the 15 environmental issues of the US today. These issues are not listed in any particular order.
1. Contaminated Soil
Huge industrialization and man intervened activities as a spray of various chemicals to kill pests and herbs could leach out into the soil resulting in raised levels of toxic agents and chemicals in soil. Soil contamination may not only negatively affect the health of people residing in the vicinity but also result in weak plants Numerous cases of diseases caused to people as a result of soil pollution have been reported in several regions of the US such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Montana, and so on.
2. Air Pollution
The situation seems better specifically in the US with decreased mortality rate due to air contamination. California is considered the most air-polluted state of the US having many cities considered the uppermost in poor quality of air. This sub-standard air result in serious air passageway illnesses in human beings including respiratory complications, behavioral changes, cancer, and even premature death. Contamination of air due to cooking and heating wastes, industrial processes, oil plants, and vehicle emissions are widespread along diverse areas across the US comprising of both compactly and lightly populated areas such as western and eastern coasts, Detroit, Chicago, and Gulf coast areas.
3. Water Pollution
Americans pose grave concerns over the level of toxic metabolites present in both tap and sea water resulting in water contamination. Though land and air pollution also influence the water level of toxic metabolites, oil spills in California and the Gulf of Mexico have also been a source of damage to the marine environment. Presence of lead in Michigan tap water, mercury in low water quality of Washington DC and brown water from taps in California Maywood are examples of severe concerns to local environmental authorities.
4. Waste Disposal
Almost every American household is responsible for the production of 65% of garbage waste including diapers Dumping of non-recyclable waste leads to filling of landfills and loss of natural resources. The west part of the US is composed of the most significant number of landfills that lead to increased soil, water, and marine contamination.
5. Climate Change
All these calamities are owed to a single major cause of global warming and change in climate. After China, the US is considered to be second in the production of greenhouse gases Previously, the US government have been involved in passing out legislation to control the major environmental concern including usage of more energy It has been decided to reduce the emission rate of carbon to 17% by 2020, but still, the issue requires serious emphasis.
6. Loss of Biodiversity
Global warming, pollution, rising sea levels, urbanization, and industrialization are gravely deteriorating the situation in the US. Regions of Louisiana, North Carolina, and Florida are markedly affected by the loss of biodiversity and species extinction. Reductions in some trees affect the seasonal birds Bio-invasion poses a severe threat to biodiversity Due to specific hunting and harvesting methods in the US, there is a significant decline in the biodiversity (eco-regions) pushing about 230+ animals
7. Deforestation
According to surveys, since the year 1600, the US deforestation has caused the removal of virgin forests by 75%. There are many reasons for deforestation in the US, which includes cutting trees for monetary benefits (i.e., for selling timbers), farmland creation, and infestations of invasive plants and animals. Up to 20-40% of lands of Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida have suffered land conversions. The issue has given rise to other environmental concerns like loss of biodiversity and increased pollution.
8. Ocean Acidification
The coastal regions of various American states such as Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana are markedly affected by the change in ocean waters. Ocean acidification has resulted in the loss of marine habitat and ocean life. However, the serious efforts are being incorporated by environmental agencies to set control over this issue to save the marine habitat and coastal lines of the US.
9. Reduction of Ozone Layer
It could result in similar effects as in regions of poles of sudden unexplainable storms. Lessening of ozone could result in the eruption of various chemical reactions that could have damaging impacts on living beings and the environment. The threats of radiation of ultraviolet nature cannot be undermined in this regard, having detrimental health effects such as cancers and skin illnesses. In the US, the long-term ozone loss is attributed to increased recurrence and severity of storm systems, higher levels of atmospheric CO2 and methane, and other factors.
10. Invasive species
About 40,000-50,000 varieties of plants and animals have invaded various regions of American states today. Billions of dollars per annum are spent over the control as well as to counter the damaging effects of these intruders that are rising alarmingly around the US such as Burmese python, Nutria, Northern snakehead, Lionfish, feral hogs and many more.
11. Urban Extension
About 60-70% of the US citizens are residing in cities accentuating the American population. This massive trend of urbanization renders many effects damaging to society as a whole. The urbanization leads to a competition of resources, shelter, employment Gigantic cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are crushed by the burden of urbanization and its damaging impacts as homelessness, pollution, and over-crowding.
12. Nano pollution/Nanotoxicology
Although the nano industry has revolutionized the way of product designing and productivity, concurrently it has also given upsurge to an obstinate type of unnoticeable contamination. Car exhausts and manganese from building sites are already considered as contributing reasons in nano-pollution. Nanopollutants are considerably more lethal to cells of living organisms as compared to conventional pollutants, thus, resulting in further critical illnesses.
13. Toxins
US States Toxin Level Chart (Source: ODE ) Alaska is considered to be the most toxin producing states of America along with Nevada also in the same line. The top 2 toxins in the US come from the metal mining industries which constitutes about 1. 5 billion pounds of toxins; followed by chemical wastes from manufacturing facilities and medical industries which are about 0. 5 billion pounds per year. Based on US city ranking (being the most toxin producing city), Kotzebue, Alaska takes the first place producing about 0. 75 billion pounds of toxins every year. The second-ranked city is Indianapolis, Indiana producing approximately 11 million pounds of toxins.
14. Radioactive Pollution
Unfortunately, the US being the major producer of nuclear materials had to spend billions of dollars per year to dispose of the nuclear wastes. The handling of radioactive material demands expertise and is easily disrupted. Hanford in Washington is considered as the lethal nuclear-contaminated site in the US that has raised radioactive eruptions due to mishandling of the site.
15. Mine Pollution
The mining extraction is coupled with the output of dangerous heavy chemicals that contaminate the water as well as the land. Arsenic, mercury in Amazon and cyanide are common mine pollutants damaging the environment. Recently, dangerous mine contaminants from silver and gold mine of Landusky have polluted nearby canals making it hard for the residing tribes.
How to Solve Environmental Issues In the US? The US government and the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is putting in potential efforts to control the above-mentioned environmental issues.
However, individual efforts are required to be incorporated. Although, many natural and human-based factors are contributing to this disastrous phenomenon discrete lifestyle interventions can pose substantial positive impacts. Global warming should be addressed on priority as it is the root cause of many other types of pollutions across all the states of America. Reduced carbon emission from vehicles and factories as in Washington DC need to be ensured across different states. Offshore wind power generation operative in Atlantic coasts and Rhode Islands should be exercised across other coastal lines also. Zero deforestation commitment needs more sprout among the oil refineries of the US, which was earlier less than 70%. Apart from natural phenomena such as thinning of ozone layers that are to some extent unavoidable, man-made interventions need to be curbed to have a secure, healthy, clean and prosperous future for all the species of living beings ahead.
If things are kept moving similarly the way they are striding today, there would be no way in the future for upcoming generations to live.
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