As noted above, the global problems of mankind, first of all, pose a danger directly to the existence of man himself.

Most often, both scientific and popular literature, the following environmental problems associated with anthropogenic activities are considered:

The "greenhouse effect" is a natural phenomenon, the existence of which is not associated with anthropogenic activity and exists on the planet due to the presence of the atmosphere. Moreover, this phenomenon is a necessary condition for the existence of a protein form of life. Greenhouse gases are of natural origin. These include: water vapor, oxides of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, some other inorganic and organic compounds (hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, etc.).

However, human activity leads to an increase in emissions of these gases, which in turn can cause an increase in the "greenhouse effect" and, as a result, climate change.

In the natural biosphere, the content of carbon dioxide in the air is regulated so that its intake equals its removal. At present, people are disturbing this balance. As a result of fuel combustion, additional portions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases enter the atmosphere. It is this process that is considered as a trend that can lead to global warming. As a result, it is possible that the polar ice will melt, the ocean level will rise and possible flooding will occur.

Changes in the temperature difference at the poles and the equator may also cause changes in atmospheric circulation. Stronger warming at the poles will weaken it. This will change the whole picture of circulation and the transfer of heat and moisture associated with it, which will entail global climate change. In most regions, which are now characterized by a hot and dry climate, the amount of precipitation will increase, in the temperate zone it will become drier.

At the same time, there are hypotheses that the accumulation of solid particles in the atmosphere, which get there with various emissions, can also cause the opposite effect - global cooling. Since a sufficiently large amount of the sun's rays can be blocked and not hit the earth, gradually the surface of the Earth will cool.

Recently, the ecological concepts of climate change and its causes have been significantly different from each other.

Not without reason, there is a concept of natural directed climate change, based on periodic climate changes on the planet of the type of cooling-warming. Moreover, these changes do not depend much on the anthropogenic contribution, but are entirely associated with cosmic changes, with the activity of the sun and the general cycle of the planet's development.

Perhaps, at the present stage, the anthropogenic contribution to the enhancement or reduction of the greenhouse effect is not so significant on a global scale, but a constant increase in greenhouse gas emissions can sooner or later lead to pronounced climate changes that will become fatal for the existence of mankind.

Destruction of the ozone layer. Along with visible light, the Sun also has ultraviolet radiation. Of particular danger to protein organisms is the short-wave part - hard ultraviolet radiation. Over 99% of it is absorbed by the ozone layer in the stratosphere. The ozone layer is a layer of the atmosphere (stratosphere) with a high content of ozone (O 3), located at an altitude of 20-45 km. The ozone content in it is about 10 times higher than in the atmosphere near the Earth's surface.

Ozone is formed when ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by oxygen molecules. Oxygen atoms split off from these molecules and, colliding with oxygen molecules, combine with them. The same radiation destroys ozone molecules. The formation of ozone is facilitated by electrical discharges and the presence of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. In the process of formation and destruction of ozone, ultraviolet radiation is absorbed.

Three main mechanisms for the destruction of atmospheric ozone are described - the hydrogen cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the chlorine cycle.

The main substances of anthropogenic origin that destroy ozone are compounds such as fluorochlorohydrocarbons (freons) and nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxides can also be of natural origin. The hydrogen cycle is an exclusively natural mechanism for the destruction of the ozone layer.

The mechanism of hydrogen decomposition of ozone was discovered as early as 1965 and has been well studied by now. The key role in them belongs to the OH - hydroxyl group, which is formed during the interaction of hydrogen, methane and water molecules with atomic oxygen.

These ions quite actively destroy ozone molecules, acting as a catalyst for the hydrogen cycle of ozone decomposition, which can be represented by the following reactions:

OH + O 3 \u003d HO 2 + O 2,

HO 2 + O 3 \u003d OH + 2 O 2,

Result: 2 O 3 \u003d 3 O 2.

In total, the cycle has more than forty reactions and is always interrupted by the formation of water according to the scheme:

OH + HO 2 \u003d H 2 O + O 2,

OH + OH \u003d H 2 O + O.

The light gases hydrogen and methane, released from the depths to the earth's surface, quickly rise to stratospheric heights, where they actively react with ozone. The water resulting from such a reaction freezes at stratospheric heights with the formation of stratospheric clouds. The presence of streams of hydrogen, methane, and many other gases coming from underground has long been confirmed by multiple instrumental measurements. In the 80s of the last century, A.A. Marakushev formulated the hypothesis that the main storage of the planetary hydrogen reserve is the liquid core of the Earth. The process of crystallization of the solid inner core leads to the removal of hydrogen into the outer outer zone of the liquid core, to the boundary with the mantle.

The same instrumental measurements made it possible to detect an important feature of deep degassing. The outflow of gases is uneven in time and occurs mainly (hundreds of times more than in other areas of the planets) in rift zones located on the crests of mid-ocean ridges. The obvious coincidence of the main ozone anomalies and rift zones is a strong argument in favor of the hydrogen concept.

energy crisis. Modern energy consumption of mankind is about 10 13 W/year and is based on non-renewable fossil fuels - coal, oil, gas. It is approximately an order of magnitude higher than the power of renewable energy sources available for human use - solar, geothermal, wind, tidal, hydropower of rivers, etc.

The impending energy crisis is connected not so much with the fact that exhaustible energy sources will run out sooner or later, but with the fact that the growing anthropogenic contribution to the energy of the biosphere threatens its stability.

In natural ecosystems, which are characterized by a state of stable homeostasis, primary production is mainly processed by heterotrophic organisms, which ensures the closure of the biotic cycle - a necessary condition for the stable functioning of the biosphere. In terrestrial ecosystems, about 90% of vegetation production is consumed by decomposers - bacteria and saprophage fungi; about 10% of vegetation production is consumed by worms, mollusks and arthropods and vertebrates. All vertebrates, including humans, consume no more than 1% of vegetation production; at this ratio, ecosystems are stable.

According to some calculations, in the modern biosphere, about 25% of all primary plant production enters the anthropogenic channel formed by people and domestic animals. Naturally, the 25-fold increase in consumed products is no longer due to solar energy, but mainly due to additional energy sources.

In order to ensure the closure of the biotic cycle in natural economic systems, in order to maintain modern anthropogenic consumption, people need to construct an analogue of natural ecosystems with a power of about 10 15 W. Additional energy consumption on such a scale, even in the presence of unlimited reserves of energy sources, can destroy the stability of the Earth's climate.

The energy crisis is closely linked to the depletion of the planet's oxygen supply. A series of increasing aggressiveness of fuel in relation to oxygen is as follows: coal, oil, gas, hydrogen.

When burning 1 part of natural gas, 4 parts of oxygen are destroyed (for oil - 3.4, for coal - 2.7). True, after this, oxygen can partially return through carbon dioxide and photosynthesis. With hydrogen energy sources, 8 kg of oxygen per 1 kg of hydrogen disappears, and irrevocably, since water is formed. In addition, hydrogen leaks lead to the destruction of the ozone layer.

Therefore, promising in this regard are renewable energy sources and fuels that do not bind oxygen into water.

Population explosion. The beginning of the population explosion is attributed to the middle of the twentieth century. Every day the population increases by 250 thousand people, 1 million 750 thousand weekly 7.5 million per month, 90 million per year. At the same time, the highest population density is traditionally observed in Europe, China and India, certain regions of Southeast Asia, South and North America, with a predominance of the urban population in these areas. Rapid population growth in developing countries sharply exacerbates environmental and social problems. The number of inhabitants of developing countries makes up three quarters of the world's population, and consumes only one third of the world's production.

To demonstrate the general characteristics of the population of the Earth, we present the calculations of one sociological study. If the entire population of the Earth were “compressed” to the size of a village with a population of 100 people, and all the existing ratios of modern humanity would remain the same, then the following would happen: 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 representatives of the North, Central, and South America, 8 Africans; 70 out of 10 would be non-white; 50% of all wealth would be in the hands of 6 people and all of them would be US citizens; 70 people would not be able to read; 50 would suffer from malnutrition; 80 people would live in dwellings unsuitable for habitation; only 1 person would have higher education.

Although in itself the fact of a decrease in the birth rate in developed countries is positive on a global scale, however, in the future it will have a negative effect on society. The role of social institutions of an aging society will have to increase more and more. Also, politically, an older, more conservative society will have trouble innovating, which will eventually cause that society to lose out to the younger, more mobile systems of developing countries.

Depletion of soil fertility. One of the consequences of the population explosion is the problem of hunger. The total area of ​​arable land in the world is 1 billion 356 million ha. The total area of ​​possible arable land is 5 billion ha. Since half of the arable land is now used for depletion with the current technology of agriculture, there is gradually an absolute reduction in arable land. During the historical period, humanity has already lost through its own fault - 2 billion quality lands. And the most acute problem is desertification, which threatens 19% of the land.

The surface of the land accessible to man is constantly exposed to man-caused impact. Natural landscapes are changing, forests are being cut down, the development of new territories does not take into account the need to maintain the dynamic balance of natural systems. Great harm is caused by inadequate reclamation, leading to salinization and waterlogging of soils, as well as the use of toxic chemicals to increase crop yields and to control "pests" of crops.

acid rain. Any atmospheric precipitation is called acidic: rain, fog, snow, the pH value of which (pH) is less than 5.6.

Chemical analysis shows that the formation of acid precipitation is often associated with the release of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus oxides into the atmosphere, which, when interacting with water vapor, form acids. These substances are of both natural and anthropogenic origin. Anthropogenic emissions occur as a result of fuel combustion during the operation of coal-fired thermal power plants, industrial enterprises, road transport, etc.

The pH value is important from an ecological point of view, since the activity of almost all enzymes and hormones in the body that regulate metabolism, growth and development depends on it. Hydrobionts (aquatic living organisms) are especially sensitive to changes in pH.

But at the same time, the damage is not limited to the death of aquatic organisms. Many food chains, covering almost all wild animals, begin in water bodies.

Acid rain causes forest degradation. By breaking the protective wax cover, they make the leaves and needles of plants more vulnerable to insects, mycoorganisms and other pathogenic organisms.

By affecting the soil, acid precipitation disrupts soil ecosystems. At low pH values, the activity of decomposers and nitrogen fixers decreases, which further exacerbates nutrient deficiency: soils lose fertility. In addition, in an acidic environment, compounds of aluminum and other metals become soluble and have a strong toxic effect on soil biota, plants, and animals.

In the fight against soil acidification, the buffer capacity of the soil is of great importance. Many natural systems contain calcium carbonate as a buffer. Soil liming has long been used in agriculture as an agricultural technique aimed at neutralizing acidic soils.

Pollution of the oceans. Increasing exploitation of the resources of the World Ocean itself is already having an increasingly strong impact on its ecosystem. However, there are also powerful external sources of pollution - atmospheric flows and continental runoff. As a result, today it is possible to state the presence of pollutants not only in areas adjacent to the continents and in areas of intensive navigation, but also in the open parts of the oceans, including the high latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic.

More than 30 thousand various chemical compounds are discharged into the World Ocean annually, with a total mass of several billion tons. The most dangerous are pollutants with a toxic, mutagenic or carcinogenic effect on marine organisms - hydrocarbons, toxic metals, and radioactive substances. In addition to them, the role of biological pollution also increases.

Recently, man-made accidents, such as the accident in the Gulf of Mexico and the release of radioactive substances during the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, have posed a particular danger to the pollution of the oceans.

Many countries with access to the sea carry out marine burial of various materials and substances, in particular soil excavated during dredging, drill slag, industrial waste, construction waste, solid waste, explosives and chemicals, and radioactive waste. The volume of burials amounted to about 10% of the total mass of pollutants entering the World Ocean. The basis for dumping in the sea is the ability of the marine environment to process a large amount of organic and inorganic substances without much damage to the water. However, this ability is not unlimited. Therefore, dumping is considered as a forced measure, a temporary tribute to the imperfection of technology by society.

Thermal pollution of the surface of reservoirs and coastal marine areas occurs as a result of the discharge of heated wastewater from power plants and some industrial production. The discharge of heated water in many cases causes an increase in water temperature in reservoirs. A more stable temperature stratification prevents water exchange between the surface and bottom layers. The solubility of oxygen decreases, and its consumption increases, since with increasing temperature, the activity of aerobic bacteria that decompose organic matter increases.

Pollutants change the physical and chemical properties of water, which determine gas exchange, solar radiation and heat fluxes through its surface. All this as a whole can pose a serious threat to the stability of the ecosystem of the World Ocean and the entire biosphere as a whole.

Induced seismic activity. Induced earthquakes resulting from anthropogenic activity are often associated with both direct destruction of integrity as a result of explosions, and with indirect impact, for example, during the construction of hydraulic structures.

Carrying out underground nuclear explosions, pumping into the bowels or extracting a large amount of water, oil or gas from there, creating large reservoirs that put pressure on the earth's bowels with their weight, a person, unwittingly, can cause underground strikes. An increase in hydrostatic pressure and induced seismicity are caused by the injection of fluids into deep horizons of the earth's crust.

Weak and even stronger "induced" earthquakes can cause large reservoirs. The accumulation of a huge mass of water leads to a change in hydrostatic pressure in rocks, a decrease in friction forces at the contacts of earth blocks. The probability of manifestation of induced seismicity increases with increasing dam height.

An increase in the activity of weak earthquakes was observed at the time of filling the reservoirs of the Nurek, Toktogul, Chervak ​​hydroelectric power stations.

In India, in 1967, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 occurred near the Koina Dam, from which 177 people died. It was caused by the filling of the reservoir. The nearby town of Koina Nagar suffered great damage. Cases of occurrence of strong induced earthquakes with magnitudes of about six are known during the construction of the Aswan Dam in Egypt, the Koyna Dam in India, Kariba in Rhodesia, Lake Mead in the USA.

With an unfavorable combination of man-made factors and features of the natural deformation process, the likelihood of man-made earthquakes, as well as significant displacements of the earth's surface, which can lead to emergency catastrophic situations, increases.

The level of human impact on the environment depends primarily on the technical equipment of society. It was extremely small at the initial stages of human development. However, with the development of society, the growth of its productive forces, the situation begins to change dramatically. The 20th century is the century of scientific and technological progress. Associated with a qualitatively new relationship between science, engineering and technology, it colossally increases the possible and real scale of the impact of society on nature, poses a number of new, extremely acute problems for humanity, primarily environmental.
What is ecology? This term, first used in 1866 by the German biologist E. Haeckel (1834-1919), refers to the science of the relationship of living organisms with the environment. The scientist believed that the new science would deal only with the relationship of animals and plants with their environment. This term has firmly entered our lives in the 70s of the XX century. However, today we are actually talking about the problems of ecology as social ecology - a science that studies the problems of interaction between society and the environment.

Today, the ecological situation in the world can be described as close to critical. Among the global environmental problems are the following:

1. - the atmosphere in many places is polluted to the maximum permissible extent, and clean air becomes scarce;

2. - the ozone layer is partially broken, protecting from cosmic radiation harmful to all living things;

3. the forest cover has been largely destroyed;

4. - surface pollution and disfigurement of natural landscapes: on Earth it is impossible to find a single square meter of the surface, where there are no elements artificially created by man.
thousands of species of plants and animals have been destroyed and continue to be destroyed;

5. - the world ocean is not only depleted as a result of the destruction of living organisms, but also ceases to be a regulator of natural processes

6. - the available stock of minerals is rapidly declining;

7. - extinction of animal and plant species

1Atmospheric pollution

Back in the early sixties, it was believed that atmospheric pollution is a local problem of large cities and industrial centers, but later it became clear that atmospheric pollutants can spread through the air over long distances, having an adverse effect on areas located at a considerable distance from the place of emission of these substances. । Thus, air pollution is a global phenomenon and international cooperation is needed to control it.

Table 1 Ten most dangerous pollutants of the biosphere

Among the mostcommon atmospheric pollutants include gases such as freons
। Greenhouse gases also include methane released into the atmosphere during the extraction of oil, gas, coal, as well as during the decay of organic residues, an increase in the number of cattle। Methane growth is 1.5% per year। This also includes such a compound as nitrous oxide, which enters the atmosphere as a result of the widespread use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture, as well as as a result of the combustion of carbon-containing fuels in combined heat and power plants। However, do not forget that despite the huge contribution of these gases to the "greenhouse effect", the main greenhouse gas on Earth is still water vapor। With this phenomenon, the heat received by the Earth does not spread into the atmosphere, but thanks to greenhouse gases remains at the Earth's surface, and only 20% of the total thermal radiation of the Earth's surface irretrievably goes into space. Roughly speaking, greenhouse gases form a kind of glass cap over the surface of the planet.

In the future, this can lead to increased ice melting and an unpredictable rise in the level of the world ocean, to the flooding of part of the coast of the continents, the disappearance of a number of plant and animal species that are unable to adapt to new natural living conditions. The phenomenon of the "greenhouse effect" is one of the main root causes of such an urgent problem as global warming।

2 Ozone holes

The ecological problem of the ozone layer is no less complex in scientific terms. As you know, life on Earth appeared only after the protective ozone layer of the planet was formed, covering it from cruel ultraviolet radiation. For many centuries, nothing foreshadowed trouble. However, in recent decades, intensive destruction of this layer has been noticed.

4 Desertification

Under the influence of living organisms, water and air on the surface layers of the lithosphere

gradually formed the most important ecosystem, thin and fragile - the soil, which is called the "skin of the Earth." It is the keeper of fertility and life. A handful of good soil contains millions of microorganisms that support fertility.
It takes a century to form a layer of soil with a thickness (thickness) of 1 centimeter. It can be lost in one field season. Geologists estimate that before people began to engage in agricultural activities, graze livestock and plow land, rivers annually carried about 9 billion tons of soil into the oceans. Now this amount is estimated at about 25 billion tons 2 .

Soil erosion - a purely local phenomenon - has now become universal. In the US, for example, about 44% of cultivated land is subject to erosion. Unique rich chernozems with 14–16% humus content (organic matter that determines soil fertility) disappeared in Russia, which were called the citadel of Russian agriculture. In Russia, the areas of the most fertile lands with a humus content of 10-13% have decreased by almost 5 times 2 .

A particularly difficult situation arises when not only the soil layer is demolished, but also the parent rock on which it develops. Then the threshold of irreversible destruction sets in, an anthropogenic (that is, man-made) desert arises.

One of the most formidable, global and fleeting processes of our time is the expansion of desertification, the fall and, in the most extreme cases, the complete destruction of the biological potential of the Earth, which leads to conditions similar to those of a natural desert.

Natural deserts and semi-deserts occupy more than 1/3 of the earth's surface. About 15% of the world's population lives on these lands. Deserts are natural formations that play a certain role in the overall ecological balance of the planet's landscapes.

As a result of human activity, by the last quarter of the 20th century, more than 9 million square kilometers of deserts appeared, and in total they already covered 43% of the total land area 2.

In the 1990s, desertification began to threaten 3.6 million hectares of drylands.

This represents 70% of potentially productive drylands, or ¼ of the total land area, and this figure does not include the area of ​​natural deserts. About 1/6 of the world's population suffers from this process 2 .

According to UN experts, the current loss of productive land will lead to the fact that by the end of the century the world may lose almost 1/3 of its arable land 2 . Such a loss, at a time of unprecedented population growth and increased food demand, could be truly disastrous.

5 Pollution of the hydrosphere

One of the most valuable resources of the Earth is the hydrosphere - oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, glaciers of the Arctic and Antarctic. There are 1385 million kilometers of water reserves on Earth and very little, only 25% of fresh water suitable for human life. And in spite of

these are people who are very crazy about this wealth and completely, randomly destroy it, polluting the water with various wastes. Mankind uses mainly fresh water for its needs. Their volume is slightly more than 2% of the hydrosphere, and the distribution of water resources across the globe is extremely uneven. In Europe and Asia, where 70% of the world's population lives, only 39% of river waters are concentrated. The total consumption of river waters is increasing from year to year in all regions of the world. It is known, for example, that since the beginning of the 21st century, fresh water consumption has increased 6 times, and in the next few decades it will increase by at least 1.5 times.

The lack of water is exacerbated by the deterioration of its quality. The waters used in industry, agriculture and everyday life are returned to water bodies in the form of poorly treated or generally untreated effluents. Thus, pollution of the hydrosphere occurs primarily as a result of the discharge into rivers, lakes and seas of industrial,

agricultural and domestic wastewater.
According to the calculations of scientists, soon 25,000 cubic kilometers of fresh water, or almost all of the actually available resources of such a runoff, may soon be required to dilute these very wastewaters. It is not difficult to guess that this, and not the growth of direct water intake, is the main reason for the aggravation of the problem of fresh water. It should be noted that wastewater containing the remains of mineral raw materials, human life products enrich water bodies with nutrients, which in turn leads to the development of algae, and as a result, to waterlogging of the reservoir. Currently, many rivers are heavily polluted - the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Ohio, Volga, Dnieper, Dniester and others. Urban runoff and large landfills are often the cause of water pollution with heavy metals and hydrocarbons. Since heavy metals accumulate in marine food chains, their concentrations can reach lethal doses, which happened after a large industrial release of mercury into the coastal waters of Japan near the city of Minimata. The increased concentration of this metal in the tissues of fish has led to the death of many people and animals who have eaten the contaminated product. Increased doses of heavy metals, pesticides and petroleum products can significantly weaken the protective properties of organisms. The concentration of carcinogens in the North Sea is currently reaching enormous values. Huge reserves of these substances are concentrated in the tissues of dolphins,

being the last link in the food chain. The countries located on the coast of the North Sea have recently been implementing a set of measures aimed at reducing, and in the future, completely stopping the discharge into the sea and the incineration of toxic waste. In addition, man carries out the transformation of the waters of the hydrosphere through the construction of hydraulic structures, in particular reservoirs. Large reservoirs and canals have a serious negative impact on the environment: they change the groundwater regime in the coastal strip, affect soils and plant communities, and, in the end, their water areas occupy large areas of fertile land.

Nowadays, pollution of the world's oceans is growing at an alarming rate. And here a significant role is played not only by sewage pollution, but also by the ingress of a large amount of oil products into the waters of the seas and oceans. In general, the most polluted are the inland seas: the Mediterranean, North, Baltic, Japan, Java, and Biscay,

Persian and Mexican Gulfs. Pollution of the seas and oceans occurs through two channels. Firstly, sea and river vessels pollute water with waste products from operational activities, products of internal combustion in engines. Secondly, pollution occurs as a result of accidents when toxic substances, most often oil and oil products, enter the sea. Diesel engines of ships emit harmful substances into the atmosphere, which subsequently settle on the surface of the water. On tankers, before each next loading, tanks are washed to remove the remains of previously transported cargo, while the washing water, and with it the remains of cargo, are most often dumped overboard. In addition, after the delivery of the cargo, the tankers are sent to the new loading point empty, in this case, for proper navigation, the tankers are filled with ballast water, which is contaminated with oil residues during the navigation. Before loading, this water is also poured overboard. As for the legislative measures to control oil pollution during the operation of oil terminals and the discharge of ballast water from oil tankers, they were taken much earlier, after the danger of large spills became obvious.

Among such methods (or possible ways of solving the problem) can be attributed the emergence and activity of various kinds of "green" movements and organizations. In addition to the notorious « Green PeaWithe'a",distinguished not only by the scope of its activities, but also, at times, by a noticeable extremism of actions, as well as similar organizations that directly carry out environmental protection

In other words, there is another type of environmental organization - structures that stimulate and sponsor environmental activities - such as the Wildlife Fund, for example. All environmental organizations exist in one of the forms: public, private state or mixed type organizations.

In addition to various kinds of associations defending the rights of civilization gradually destroying nature, there are a number of state or public environmental initiatives in the field of solving environmental problems. For example, environmental legislation in Russia and other countries of the world, various international agreements or the system of "Red Books".

International "Red Book" - a list of rare and endangered species of animals and plants - currently includes 5 volumes of materials. In addition, there are national and even regional "Red Books".

Among the most important ways to solve environmental problems, most researchers also highlight the introduction of environmentally friendly, low-waste and waste-free technologies, the construction of treatment facilities, the rational distribution of production and the use of natural resources.

Although, undoubtedly - and this proves the entire course of human history - the most important direction in solving the environmental problems facing civilization is the increase in the ecological culture of man, serious environmental education and upbringing, everything that eradicates the main environmental conflict - the conflict between the savage consumer and the rational inhabitant of a fragile world, existing in the mind of man.

Global environmental problems are problems whose negative impact is felt anywhere in the world and affects the entire structure, structure and parts of the biosphere. These are all-encompassing and all-encompassing issues. The complexity of their perception by an individual is that he may not feel them or feel them insufficiently. These are problems shared by all the inhabitants of the Earth, all living organisms and the natural environment. A little bit of everything. But here the impact of the problem cannot be divided or distributed among everyone. In the case of global problems, the effect of them must be added up, and the consequences of such an addition will be much greater.

These problems can be conditionally divided into two types, which correspond to two stages in the history of our planet. The first is natural. The second is artificial. The first type refers to the existence of the Earth before the appearance of man on it, or, more precisely, before he made some scientific discoveries. Second, these are the problems that arose immediately after the introduction of these discoveries. With the first, nature, as a system striving for a stable existence, coped on its own. She adapted, adapted, resisted, changed. With the second, too, she could fight for some time, but over time her possibilities were practically exhausted.

Modern problems and their differences

Modern environmental problems are problems that have arisen as a result of the active influence of man on the natural processes occurring in nature. Such influence became possible in connection with the development of the scientific and technical potential of mankind, aimed at ensuring the life of people. At the same time, the existence of the surrounding animate and inanimate nature is not taken into account. Their consequence will be that the biosphere will gradually turn from a natural system into an artificial one. For a person, this means only one thing, that, like any ecosystem created by him, it cannot exist without a person, without his help and close attention. The ecological problems of our time will become, if they have not yet become, the ecological problems of mankind. Can a person cope with such a task?

Man-made disasters and accidents are examples of global environmental problems from which no one doubts. These incidents receive international condemnation. They become an impetus for the improvement of security systems. Measures are being taken to eliminate the destruction and other consequences. The environmental problems of our time are that they are trying to deal with the consequences that occurred in the immediate vicinity of the epicenter of the accident. No one can eliminate the consequences resulting from the biosphere. If the Earth's biosphere is compared with glass, and an accident, such as at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, with a hole from a stone that fell into it, then the cracks that spread from it are the consequences that still render all glass unusable. A person can and should increase safety, but cannot eliminate the consequences. This is the key difference between an artificial ecosystem and a natural one. Natural can reverse the effects and does so itself.

Global and their types

Relates to global environmental problems and the reduction of natural resources, primarily those that are the main sources of energy production. The amount of energy necessary for the existence of mankind is growing, and alternatives to natural energy sources in sufficient quantities have not yet been created. The existing energy complexes - hydro, heat and nuclear power plants are not only dependent on natural sources of raw materials - water, coal, gas, chemical elements, but also pose a danger to the environment. They pollute water, air and soil, change or destroy adjacent ecosystems, thereby contributing to the loosening and destabilization of the entire biosphere of the Earth. And this applies not only to catastrophes and accidents that periodically occur at stations, the consequences of which are known to the whole world. Hydraulic structures that change the natural circulation of rivers, technological warm waters discharged into reservoirs at stations, and much more, which may seem insignificant and small from the point of view of the problems of the entire planet, but still contributes to the imbalance of the biosphere. By changing the ecosystem of a pond, river, reservoir or lake, an integral part of the entire ecosystem of the Earth changes. And since this is not a one-time phenomenon, but a massive one, the effect is global.

"Global environmental problems" is a concept that requires not only universal understanding and scientific research, but also actions, joint and equally global.

It is believed that the main environmental problems of our time are global warming caused by the "greenhouse effect" and the appearance of "ozone holes", "acid" rains, a decrease in the number of forests and an increase in desert areas, a decrease in the amount of natural resources, primarily fresh water.

The consequences of warming will be climate change, accelerated melting of glaciers, rise in the level of the World Ocean, flooding of land, increased evaporation of surface water, the “onset” of deserts, a change in the species diversity of living organisms and their balance in favor of heat-loving ones, and so on. Warming causes, on the one hand, a decrease in the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere, due to which more ultraviolet radiation begins to enter the planet. On the other hand, the heat emitted by the Earth and living organisms is retained in excess in the lower layers of the atmosphere. There is an effect of "excessive" energy. The question is whether the consequences described and assumed by scientists are all possible, or there are "cracks" that we do not know about and do not even assume.

pollution

Environmental problems of mankind have always been and will be associated with environmental pollution. A special role in this is played not only by the quantity of pollutants, but also by their "quality". In some regions, where for one reason or another, the process of getting foreign elements into the environment stops, nature gradually “puts things in order” and restores itself. The situation is worse with the so-called xenobiotics - substances that do not occur in the natural environment and therefore cannot be processed in a natural way.

The most obvious environmental problems of our time are the decrease in the number of forests, which occurs with the direct participation of man. Cutting down for timber extraction, liberation of territories for construction and agricultural needs, destruction of forests due to careless or careless behavior of people - all this primarily leads to a decrease in the green mass of the biosphere, and hence to a possible oxygen deficiency. This is becoming increasingly possible thanks to the active combustion of oxygen in industrial production and vehicles.

Humanity is becoming more and more dependent on artificially produced energy and food. More and more land is being devoted to agricultural land, and existing ones are increasingly filled with mineral fertilizers, pesticides, pest control agents and similar chemicals. The efficiency of such soil filling rarely exceeds 5%. The remaining 95% is washed away by storm and melt waters into the oceans. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the main components of these chemicals, when they enter natural ecosystems, they stimulate the growth of green mass, especially algae. Violation of the biological balance of water bodies leads to their disappearance. In addition, chemical elements contained in plant protection products rise with water vapor to the upper atmosphere, where they combine with oxygen and turn into acids. And then they fall out as "acid" rains on soils that may not require acidity. Violation of the pH balance leads to the destruction of soils and the loss of their fertility.

Is it possible to include the process of urbanization in the main environmental problems of our time? The increasing concentration of people in confined spaces should have given more space for wildlife. That is, there could be hope that the Earth's ecosystem could adapt to such internal changes. But urban "aquariums", and in fact, the ecosystem of cities, especially large ones, megacities and agglomerations, is nothing more than an artificial ecosystem, they require a huge amount of energy and water. Back they "throw out" from themselves no less waste and effluents. All this includes the surrounding lands in the "aquarium" ecosystem of cities. As a result, wildlife exists in small areas that are temporarily not involved in the provision of "aquariums". And this means that nature does not have a resource for its restoration, species richness, sufficient energy, a full-fledged food chain, and so on.

Thus, the main environmental problems of our time are the totality of all the problems that have arisen in nature in connection with the vigorous activity of man in his life support.

Video - Problems of ecology. Chemical weapon. fires

I am glad to welcome you, dear readers!

Today I want to touch on a topic that concerns me personally and, unfortunately, does not concern the majority of people. I am talking about the global problems of mankind and the planet Earth as a whole, which have been caused by man through his activities.

However, let's leave that for now. Friends, I sincerely congratulate you on Victory Day! It was for you and me, for our future and the future of our children, that our ancestors fought and brought us this victory in the Great Patriotic War! And it is on our hands that the responsibility lies to make this future bright and promising for all of us!

I wish us all peace and prosperity, let no ambitions and greed of other people force us, ordinary people, to go to war against anyone. Anyone who can read between the lines will understand me. May God grant us the development and realization of our goals!

Well, it was a celebratory retreat. I confess that I was inspired by the victory parade that is shown on TV

Well, I have set you up for a positive atmosphere, and now I want to talk with you about things that are less pleasant, but no less important for all of us and humanity as a whole.

As you know, man is a highly developed biological species. His high intelligence due to evolution allowed him to adapt to any environmental conditions and protect himself from almost any threat from the outside world, thanks to which his population expanded throughout our planet.

However, as a person develops (and this development occurs exponentially), we observe the degradation of other types of organisms, as well as the gradual dying of the planet as a whole.

Unfortunately, very often a person forgets that in pursuit of the extraction of current goods, he destroys the environment in which he is, that then he (or, more precisely, his descendants) will get sideways. Let's look at what problems are most relevant at the moment, what kind of human activity creates these problems, and what consequences it can bring.

1. Air pollution.

One of the most pressing global environmental problems of mankind. It is not difficult to guess that heavy industry enterprises create the lion's share of this problem. Any factory or plant that needs to burn a large amount of fuel for activities emits the remains of this fuel into the atmosphere. After that, they are assisted by vehicles that also burn gasoline. And all this "cocktail" of the exhaust we breathe with you.

Why is it harmful and what can it lead to? Oh, there are many points, but here are the main ones:

a) banal lung pollution - all these residues of burned fuel are heavy substances that settle in the lungs, which can lead to serious diseases of the latter; I would like to note that the person himself often helps these substances, “sprinkling” soot from tobacco smoke into the lungs;

b) the occurrence of cancerous tumors - even now it is difficult to determine the causes of cancer in humans, but many doctors argue that the lion's share of cancer lies in the radiation that is in the air; I think it's easy to guess where it comes from;

c) mutations are the most terrible, in my opinion, what the impact of dirty air on the human body can lead to, because in this case the human DNA changes, which can lead to undesirable deviations in the body of not only the person himself, but also all his descendants; agree, no one wants to doom their children to an inferior life already starting from their very birth.

There is much more to be said about the effects of polluted air on the human body. If I missed something important - add it in the comments. We go further.

I think many people have heard about this phenomenon. For others, I'll elaborate. It is known that before the beginning of the industrial revolution, the share of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 0.026%. At the moment, it is about 0.04% and continues to grow exponentially. This is again due to the combustion of fuel in large quantities, the main product of which is carbon dioxide.

In nature, green plants - trees, shrubs and others - are engaged in the processing of carbon dioxide back into oxygen, but we all know very well how people treat them now.

As a result, an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to the greenhouse effect - an increase in temperature throughout the planet. And although changes of 1-2 degrees are not critical for us, people, nevertheless, at the polar latitudes, such changes cause the melting of ice in large quantities, which raises the level of the world ocean, and the coasts of the continents are simply flooded irrevocably, with all the fertile lands and the rest the goodness of people.

I confess that I have not returned to the topic of the greenhouse effect for a long time, so if you have something to add or correct me, feel free to write in the comments.

1. El Niño effect.

The last serious global environmental problem of mankind that I want to touch upon. I could write and write a lot about it, but I'll just leave here a small forty-minute documentary, from which I actually learned about this phenomenon myself. Take your time and watch it, it's worth it.

Well, have you looked? How do you like the movie? What do you think of El Niño? Nothing dangerous or can we repeat the fate of past civilizations? Rather, write your thoughts in the comments, I just can’t wait to listen to you and discuss it all with you!

Here, friends, are the main and, in my opinion, the most serious global environmental problems of mankind. In addition to data, there are still very, very many threats and problems for people and the planet, so I leave this topic entirely for addition and discussion in the comments.

Once again, Happy Victory Day! May success and good luck accompany you, although we ourselves create our own luck, don't we?

Sincerely, .

“One thing annoys me: before we destroy ourselves, we will destroy the planet”
Ursula Le Guin

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Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region

GOU SPO Moscow Regional College for the Humanities

REPORTBY GEOGRAPHY

TOPIC: "Ecological problems of mankind"

1st year students

Ermakova Xenia

Serpukhov 2012

Introduction

The problems of ecology in the modern world are becoming more and more urgent every year. Catastrophes that happen in the world, through physical, chemical, biological components, irreparably affect the planet's ecosystem. However, mankind does not yet understand the true danger that lurks in all ongoing processes in the world. The latest productions, the development of modern industrial technologies, the unrestrained extraction of natural resources unwittingly make people living on planet Earth hostages of environmental problems.

The global environmental problems that exist in the world are well known - this is the pollution of the world's oceans, the destruction of tens, thousands of species of animals and plants, deforestation, violation of the ozone layer, pollution of the atmosphere by exhaust gases and waste products from factories and factories. Do you involuntarily think about what we will breathe, what we will drink and eat after a while? It is clear that humanity cannot exist without natural resources, but their ruthless consumption should be limited. We must try to be economical, because natural resources are limited. Natural resources may dry up in the future and many factories, factories and industrial complexes will be forced to switch to new types of fuel. The global energy balance should be aimed at the use of new types of energy that are absolutely harmless to the environment. All efforts should be directed to the search for efficient and safe types of nuclear energy, including space energy. pollution ocean ozone waste

Currently, world ecologists characterize the natural situation that has developed on the planet as close to critical. Mankind does not need to treat nature only as an object of consumption. Nature cries out to be treated with care, attention, appreciated its beauty, indispensability and necessity. To date, it is a well-known fact that the temperature on the planet has increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius. According to environmental scientists, this is primarily due to the greenhouse effect resulting from human activities in the field of industrial technology. Changes in the atmosphere are already taking place and there are suggestions that in a few millennia all these problems can lead to a redistribution of precipitation, and these are, as a rule, natural disasters - all kinds of droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, etc. Environmental problems can only be solved together , taking into account the combined efforts of all countries.

Saving nature is an international issue that does not require delay. Recently, the work of the international ecological communities on the development of programs, conventions, agreements on environmental protection has intensified. All of them bring the solution of environmental problems to a new, more perfect level. However, the attitude towards nature should be brought up from early childhood. The upbringing and education of a child, the formation of ecological consciousness and the understanding that nature must be treated with great trepidation, not harm it, be in harmony with all living organisms that inhabit our planet is an important aspect of the entire world community.

Air pollution

Pollution is understood as the process of introducing into the air or the formation in it of physical agents, chemicals or organisms that adversely affect the living environment or damage material values. In a certain sense, the removal of certain gas components (in particular, oxygen) from the air by large technological facilities can also be considered pollution. And it's not just that gases, dust, sulfur, lead and other substances that enter the atmosphere are dangerous for the human body - they adversely affect the cycles of many components on earth. Pollutants and poisonous substances are transported over long distances, fall with precipitation into the soil, surface and underground waters, into the oceans, poison the environment, and adversely affect the production of plant mass.

Air pollution also affects the planet's climate. There are three points of view on this. 1. The global warming observed in the current century is due to an increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, and by the middle of the next century, a catastrophic climate warming will occur, accompanied by a strong increase in the height of the World Ocean. 2. Atmospheric pollution reduces the level of solar radiation, increases the number of condensation nuclei in the clouds, as a result, the Earth's surface cools, which in turn can cause new glaciation in the northern and southern latitudes (there are few supporters of this point of view). 3. According to supporters of the third point of view, both of these processes will balance and the Earth's climate will not change significantly.

The main sources of air pollution are enterprises of the fuel and energy complex, manufacturing industry and transport. More than 80% of all atmospheric emissions are emissions of carbon oxides, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, hydrocarbons, and solids. Of the gaseous pollutants, carbon oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, which are formed mainly during the combustion of fuel, are emitted in the largest quantities. Sulfur oxides are also emitted into the atmosphere in large quantities: sulfur dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, etc. The most numerous class of substances polluting the air of large cities are hydrocarbons. Free chlorine, its compounds, etc. are also among the constant ingredients of gas pollution of the atmosphere.

In addition to gaseous pollutants, tens of millions of tons of particulate matter enter the atmosphere. These are dust, soot, soot, which in the form of small particles freely penetrate the respiratory tract and settle in the bronchi and lungs. However, this is not all - "along the way" they are enriched with sulfates, lead, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, zinc and other elements and substances, many of which are carcinogenic. From this point of view, asbestos dust is especially dangerous for human health. Cadmium, arsenic, mercury and vanadium also belong to the first hazard class. (The results of a comparative analysis performed by American scientists are curious. The content of lead in the bones of the skeleton of a native of Peru, who lived 1600 years ago, is 1000 times less than in the bones of modern US citizens.)

Such a specific phenomenon as acid rain is also associated with atmospheric pollution.

Pollution of the oceans

One of the most important objects of environmental protection is the oceans. The peculiarity of which is that the current in the seas quickly carries pollutants to a great distance from the place of their release. That is why the problems of protecting the cleanliness of the oceans and seas are of a strongly pronounced international character.

Without exception, all serious incidents of ocean pollution are closely related to oil. In connection with the widespread practice of cleaning the holds of tankers, about 10 million barrels of oil are deliberately dumped into the ocean every year. At one time, such violations often went unpunished; today, satellites make it possible to collect the necessary evidence and bring the guilty people to justice.

All oceans suffer from pollution, but the pollution of coastal waters is much higher than in the open ocean, due to the greater number of sources of pollution: from coastal industrial installations to the increased speed of ships, the environment suffers and there is a danger to human health.

Wastewater contains a lot of harmful organisms that multiply in mollusks and can cause a large number of significant diseases in humans. The indicator of infection is the most common bacterium Escherichia coli.

There are other microorganisms that are no less dangerous to human health, which also affect crustaceans. Among other things, toxic properties that accumulate in marine organisms (have an enhanced effect). All industrial pollutants are poisonous to humans and animals. Like many other water pollutants, such as those used in chemicals, they can be persistent chlorine compounds.

These chemicals are removed from the soil with a solvent and end up in the seas, where they begin to penetrate into living organisms. Fish with chemicals can be eaten by both humans and fish. In the future, seals eat the fish, and in due time they become food for polar bears or some whales. Whenever chemicals are transferred from one stage of the food chain to another, their concentration increases. An unsuspecting polar bear can eat about a dozen seals, eating with them the toxins that are contained in 10,000 infected fish.

There is speculation that pollutants are also to blame for the growth of plague-susceptible marine mammals. Apparently, metal contaminants in the ocean, in turn, also became the basis for enlarged livers in fish and skin ulcers in humans.

Toxic substances that eventually enter the ocean may not be harmful to all living organisms: some lower life forms even thrive thanks to such conditions.

There are a number of worms that live in relatively polluted bodies of water and are often assigned ecological indicators of relative pollution. The study of the power of using the lower class of marine worms to check the sanitary condition of the oceans continues to this day.

deforestation

The death or destruction of a natural forest is mainly the result of human activities associated with deforestation. Wood is used as fuel, raw material for pulp and paper mills, building material, etc.

In addition, the forest is cut down when clearing areas for pastures, when conducting slash-and-burn farming, as well as in places where minerals are mined.

Not all deforestation is human-caused, sometimes it is a combination of natural processes such as fire and floods. Every year, fires destroy significant forest areas, and although fire can be a natural life cycle of the forest, after which forests can gradually recover, this does not happen, due to the fact that people bring livestock to the burnt areas, develop agriculture, as a result of young the forest cannot grow again.

Forests still cover about 30% of the Earth's surface, but every year about 13 million hectares of forest are cut down, the areas freed from forests are used for agriculture and the construction of growing cities. Of the cut areas, 6 million hectares are virgin forests, i.e. no man has ever set foot in these forests.

Rainforests in places like Indonesia, the Congo and the Amazon are particularly vulnerable and at risk. At this rate of deforestation, tropical rainforests will be gone in less than 100 years. West Africa has lost about 90% of its coastal rainforests, similar rates in South Asia. In South America, 40% of tropical forests have disappeared, new areas have been developed for pastures. Madagascar has lost 90% of its eastern rainforests. Several countries have declared catastrophic deforestation of their territories, such as Brazil.

Scientists have calculated that 80% of all species of flora and fauna live in tropical forests. Deforestation destroys ecosystems and leads to the extinction of many species of animals and plants, some plants are irreplaceable species from which medicines are obtained.

In 2008, the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany, found that deforestation and damage to ecological systems could cut the standard of living for poor people in half.

Extinction of animals and plants

There are fewer and fewer plants and animals on our planet: some species are disappearing, the number of others is declining ... This worried people back in the 19th century, but only in 1948 was the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) formed. The Commission on rare and endangered species created under him began collecting data on endangered plants and animals. In 1963, the first list of rare and endangered species of wild animals and plants of the world appeared, called the Red Data Book.

ALARM LIST

All species of animals and plants listed in the Red Book need special protection. But their current state, number and area of ​​habitats are different. There are species quite numerous, but living in a very limited area. As a rule, these are species inhabiting one or several small islands. For example, the Komodo monitor lizard, which lives on the islands of Eastern Indonesia. Such species are very vulnerable: human impact or natural disasters can lead to their extinction in just a few years. This is what happened to the white-backed albatross.

The decrease in the number of a particular species occurs for various reasons. In one case, this is mass hunting, fishing or egg collection. In the other, deforestation, plowing up the steppe, or building hydroelectric stations, that is, the destruction of not the animal itself, but its habitat. Some animals and plants are endangered only due to natural causes, usually climate change (for example, the relict gull). Therefore, in order to preserve some species, it is enough to prohibit hunting (or gathering - for plants). For others, it is necessary to create special protected areas with a complete ban on any economic activity (see the article "Reserved lands") or even the organization of special nurseries for captive breeding of animals that are on the verge of extinction. Therefore, in the Red Books, all species are divided into different categories, depending on their current state and trends.

Category I includes species that are endangered and whose salvation is impossible without special measures. Category II includes species whose numbers are still relatively large, but are declining catastrophically, which in the near future may put them on the verge of extinction. Category III consists of rare species that are currently not threatened by anything, but they are found in such small numbers or in such limited areas that they can disappear with an unfavorable change in habitat. Category IV includes poorly studied species, whose abundance and condition are alarming, but the lack of information does not allow them to be assigned to any of the previous categories. And finally, category V includes restored species, whose condition, thanks to the measures taken, no longer causes concern, but which are not yet subject to commercial use.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature is a public organization, and its decisions, unfortunately, are not binding. Therefore, the IUCN initiated the conclusion of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. The convention was signed in 1973 in Washington, and now more than 100 countries have joined it. This intergovernmental agreement made it possible to tightly control the international trade in rare species. Partially, even those species that live in countries that have not joined the Convention turned out to be protected, since the main sales markets - Western Europe, the USA, Japan and other developed countries - turned out to be closed.

The list of species listed in the Red Books is constantly growing. This happens not only due to a decrease in the number of well-studied species, but also in connection with the emergence of new data on the flora and fauna of the Earth. The latest edition of the International Red Book (1996) lists almost 34 thousand plant species (12.5% ​​of the world flora) and more than 5.5 thousand animal species (about 3 thousand vertebrates and 2.5 thousand invertebrates).

After the first edition of the International Red Book, similar national lists were compiled in many countries. They were given the status of a state document - a law. The criteria for compiling national or regional Red Books are the same as for the international one, but the state of the species is assessed in a limited area. Therefore, the national Red Book often includes species that are rare in a given country, but common in neighboring ones. For example, the crake, whose numbers have declined sharply in Western Europe, but remained high in Russia. But the Mediterranean tortoise had to be listed in the Russian Red Book. This animal was caught almost completely, especially in the Black Sea region. The national Red Books also include species that live mainly outside the borders of a given country. For example, in Russia, the Japanese snake is found only on the island of Kunashir, while in Japan it is a common species.

In the USSR, the Red Book was established in 1974 and first published in 1978; in 1984 the second edition was published. And the first Red Book of Russia (at that time the RSFSR) appeared in 1982. In the late 90s. A new list of rare and endangered animals has been prepared. Now it has 155 species of invertebrates, 4 - round-stomes, 39 - fish, 8 - amphibians

21 - reptiles, 123 - birds and 65 species of mammals. A number of regions, territories and republics of the Russian Federation have their own Red Data Books.

Soil pollution

Soil is a natural formation that has a whole set of specific properties. The structure of the soil, its composition and fertile layer are formed as a result of complex biological processes over many centuries. Its main characteristic is fertility, the level of which determines whether the soil is capable of ensuring the full growth and development of plants growing on it. There is such a thing as natural soil fertility, which means the level of nutrient content, looseness of the structure and the presence of living organisms in all soil layers. Also, the fertile layer is formed as a result of the accumulation of solar energy, which enters it due to plant photosynthesis. Increasing soil fertility remains to be quite a topical issue. The level of soil fertility is invariably affected by humans and often this impact is detrimental. Today, soil pollution is global in nature and can lead to irreparable consequences. The destruction of the fertile layer inexorably leads to a violation of the natural balance, metabolism in nature. Based on this, we can say that soil pollution can result in the destruction of other ecosystems.

Mass soil pollution with pesticides. From time immemorial, man has sought to obtain the maximum amount of crop and used a variety of tricks for this. However, if in ancient times the methods of influencing the soil were reduced to the tricks of processing and the application of some organic fertilizers, today the methods of influencing the soil have reached a completely different level. Soil pollution problems arise from the uncontrolled use of pesticides and herbicides. For the cultivation of various kinds of crops, a wide variety of pesticides are widely used, which lead to the accumulation of toxic substances in the soil layers. This cannot but affect human health, since the crop harvested from plants grown on poisoned land also contains particles of these poisons. Based on the increase in the incidence of people, and there is an assessment of soil pollution - biodiagnostics. Pesticides protect plants from various kinds of diseases and allow them to be preserved until harvest. Pesticides directly enter the soil with treated seeds and further processing of various crops. Soil pollution with pesticides is the most widespread. They can be in the soil for many years, even if it is clay soil, without losing their destructive properties. In such soil, new microorganisms will not appear for a very long time. Modern trends are such that people stop using pesticides so harmful to the soil and the human body and prefer to influence the increase in yields by other methods.

Other ways of soil pollution. Not only pesticides can increase soil pollution levels. To date, soil cultivation is carried out with various technical devices, which leads to inexorable contamination of the soil with elements of heavy metals, such as lead, mercury. These substances can get into the soil together with production wastes and during the decomposition of products of the pulp and paper industry. Small particles of lead also enter the soil from car exhaust. That is why it is not recommended to cultivate the land and set up garden plots near highways. The characteristics of the sources of soil pollution show that the main enemy of the soil is the technological process, the products of which mercilessly destroy it. However, not always the destruction of the fertile soil layer is related to a person. For example, soil erosion is a natural phenomenon. At the same time, erosion regularly leads to the washing out of humus, the leaching of nutrients and the disruption of soil structure. Protection against soil pollution in this case should consist in the creation of dams and the correct placement of various crops that will prevent the soil from being washed away. The soil restores the fertile layer by self-regulation, but this process can take hundreds of years, and regular soil pollution reduces its results to zero. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to restore and purify the soil. Only in this case the fertile layer will not be lost.

Conclusion

Achieving an ideal state of absolute harmony with nature is basically impossible. Just as impossible is a final victory over nature, although in the process of struggle a person discovers the ability to overcome the difficulties that arise. The interaction of man with nature never ends, and when it seems that man is about to gain a decisive advantage, nature increases resistance. However, it is not infinite, and its overcoming in the form of suppression of nature is fraught with the death of man himself.

The current success of man in the fight against the natural environment has been achieved by increasing the risk, which should be considered in two ways - the risk of possible adverse environmental events due to the fact that science cannot give an absolute forecast of the consequences of human impact on the natural environment, and the risk of random disasters associated with the fact that technical systems and the person himself do not have absolute reliability. Here, one of Commoner's propositions, which he calls the "law" of ecology, turns out to be true: "nothing is given for free."

Based on the analysis of the ecological situation, we can conclude that we should rather not talk about the final and absolute solution of the environmental problem, but about the prospects for shifting particular problems in order to optimize the relationship between man and the natural environment in the existing historical conditions. This circumstance is due to the fact that the fundamental laws of nature impose restrictions on the implementation of the goals of mankind.

List of sources

Printed publications:

1. Ananichev K. V. Problems of the environment, energy and natural resources. International aspect. M.: "Progress", 1974.

2. Vorontsov A.I., Kharitonova N.Z. Protection of Nature. - M: Higher School, 1977. - 408 p.

3. Kamshilov M. M. Evolution of the biosphere.-M.: Nauka, 1979.-256 p.

4. Patin S.A. Impact of pollution on biological resources and productivity of the world's oceans. M.: Food industry, 1979. - 304 p.

5. Chernova N.M., Bylova A.M. Ecology. - M.: Enlightenment, 1981.- 254 p.

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