The environmental problem is generated by the conflicting relationship between human activities (economic system) and the environment (ecosystem). Since prehistoric times, man has needed to adapt the environment to make it more welcoming and safe.
However, the demographic growth of the world population and technological progress (technosystem), since the eighteenth century, have accelerated this phenomenon, putting at risk the entire ecosystem of which man is also an integral part.
The major environmental problems of contemporary times are as follows:
- Pollution. Pollution is the sum total of the consequences of the interaction between the environment and human activities. Pollution is, in turn, distinguished into air pollution ( air pollution ), water pollution, and soil pollution. It consists in the release of harmful substances and contaminants into the environment, in concentrated quantities, beyond the natural capacity of ecosystems to self-purify (eg smog, industrial pollution, toxic waste, etc.). Pollution causes destruction of natural habitats for the animal and plant world, health problems and diseconomies ( economic problems ) for the human population.
- Ozone Hole. The hole in the ozone layer is the depletion of the ozone layer ( CO3 ) in the Earth's atmosphere due to the release of CFCs ( chlorofluorocarbons ). The thinning of the atmospheric ozone layer weakens the ability of Earth's atmosphere to filter out the sun's ultraviolet rays, which are harmful to life on Earth.
- Greenhouse Effect. The greenhouse effect is one of the major environmental problems on a global scale. The presence of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere allows Earth's heat to dissipate more slowly into space, increasing the average temperature on Earth. Various human activities release gases (greenhouse gases) into the atmosphere that strengthen the greenhouse effect and cause global warming. The main greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and CFCs. In addition to human activities, various natural phenomena (e.g. volcanic phenomena) contribute to the release of excessive quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
- Acid Rain. Acid rain is a type of air-hydro pollution. The combustion of fossil fuels releases excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. In contact with the molecules of rainwater in the Earth's atmosphere, an oxidation process takes place that generates acidic substances (nitric acid and sulfuric acid) in the rainwater.Rain brings pollutants back to the ground, damaging natural habitat and even buildings constructed of limestone.
