Air, liquid water, ice caps, weather and climate courses, deep oceans, the ozone layer, and other natural systems have the ability to self-heal. Contemporary adverse atmospheric and hydrospheric processes that change our future are mostly the works of our hands. That means we are blacksmiths of our destiny.
Indeed, life on Earth can flourish undisturbedly without humans, so it should be mentioned that the following processes are prone to alterations with or without us. But if we want to live proudly and healthy we should take care of them at least as much as our planet does.
Without any biased order, these phenomena are described as follows.
- Air polution
- Climate change
- Ozon layer depletion
- Polar ice caps issues
- Acid precipitations
- Water pollutation
- Ocean acidification
1. Air pollution
“Ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths per year due to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases. Around 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits”. WHO
This statement from WHO might have changed a bit in the meantime due to the COvid 19 recession, but, “Latest estimates by the European Environment Agency (EEA) show that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) continues to cause the most substantial health impacts. Air pollution is a major cause of premature death and disease and is the single largest environmental health risk in Europe”. (EEA)
The GAIA air quality monitoring stations are using high-tech laser particle sensors to measure Real-time Air Quality Index.
Also, table data on air quality in major cities worldwide, including the air quality analyses, health recommendations, and weather forecasts, can be observed and learned in real-time on the IQ Air website.
To break the deadlock, we need to harness the whole of world politics and economy in a corrective direction. In a deeply divided world, this will not be easy. Until that happens, we should have done something ourselves, finding solutions that are at our fingertips.
2. Climate change
Unlike other, more overt environmental phenomena that pose a threat to humans and life on the planet, scientists are still breaking spears around climate change and global warming culprits.
Some say it has nothing to do with humans because the planet’s atmosphere changes over time anyway (that is true), while others say that humans have greatly contributed to the complications of this process. Either way, this problem is present, and we certainly have household responsibilities on this planet.
This other side says that climate change is the direct aftermath of global warming. There are two primary causes for this:
- The increase in the temperature of the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels and the release of harmful greenhouse gas emissions by industries and other human activities, and
- Deforestation.
Consequences span from a change in overall weather patterns and seasons, the occurrence of new diseases, floods, droughts, biodiversity losses, all the way to economic, social, and human losses…
3. Ozone layer depletion
The ozone layer is not actually a “real” thick layer. It “only” contains a high concentration of ozone (oxygen molecules with three atoms – O3) in comparison to other parts of the atmosphere. And it is still a small amount in relation to other gases in the stratosphere. This “layer” extends at altitudes in the stratosphere between 15 and 35 km.
However, these molecules absorb 97 to 99 percent of the Sun’s medium-frequency ultraviolet rays (with wavelengths extending between 200 and 315 nm), which could jeopardize all living forms on the Earth’s surface – destroying DNA in cells and causing skin and other types of cancer (among the other problems).
A couple of decades after the enthusiastic inception of the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were considered perfect for various purposes, it turned out that chlorine and bromine from these compounds destroy the ozone layer. They created “holes” in the ozone layer (the largest one was above the Antarctic region).
Although there is a ban on nonessential products containing ozone-depleting substances, their harmful consequences are still present.
4. Polar ice caps issues and melting glaciers
There are areas on our planet where the ice age never stops, or, almost never. Those are polar ice caps – endless ice with a limited lifespan.
Measurements have shown that the sea level is rising, slowly but continuously, and the biggest contributor to this process is the melting of the Arctic ice. Antarctic ice is more stable as it lies on a large piece of land, so the patterns of cooling and warming are to some extent different (there are more factors, of course). Anyway, although slower, it seems that the melting of Antarctica’s ice cover is unstoppable.
Mountain glaciers, though smaller in volume, also play an essential role in ecosystem stability. And they are also melting, shrinking, and disappearing.
Over time, the melting of polar ice caps and mountain glaciers could lead to extensive flooding, contamination of drinking water, and major changes in ecosystems.
5. Acid precipitations
Acid precipitations (not only rain) are overly acidic, which means that they have elevated concentrations of hydrogen ions (and low pH value). This process is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide (mainly created by the combustion of fossil fuels in industry and traffic), which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to form low-concentration acids.
By the way, these compounds are also being generated “naturally” – nitrogen oxides by lightning strikes, and sulfur dioxide in volcanic processes (So, it’s not human’s fault for everything).
Nevertheless, this detrimental acid process has serious impacts on human health, plants, forests, wildlife, freshwaters, aquatic organisms, soils, monuments, buildings, infrastructure… because any change in pH values alters stable natural processes.
6. Water pollution – Belongs to the most adverse atmospheric and hydrospheric processes on Earth
The circulation of water in nature (also known as the water cycle or hydrological cycle) encompasses all vital spheres of the Earth and is, therefore, one of the most important processes on the planet. Any point of this cycle can alter entire ecosystems.
As we have heard many times, any kind of human activity can pollute the water. Of course, the biggest contributors are industry, traffic, agriculture, communal activities, waste disposal, within these “traditional” manners of managing those crucial activities. We all need food, water, paper, clothes, vehicles, and other commodities, but the ways of producing these goods are still environmentally harmful.
Also, water treatment plants are needed in all regions where spring water is hazardous to drinking due to geological or other conditions. “Water planet” cannot survive without water. Humans know that, but the paces of overcoming all these problems are pretty slow.
More than 99 percent of Earth’s water is unusable by humans and many other living things.
7. Ocean acidification
Ocean water absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) all the time in the dynamic process of gas exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. This process was also relatively stable before the phase of rapid industrialization. Problem(s) emerged when the amount of this gas increased due to the human industrial and other activities.
When carbon dioxide from the air interreacts with water molecules, dilute carbonic acid (H2CO3) is formed. This process alters the water pH value, which further leads to changes in the biochemistry of seawater.
The ocean acidity has increased over the last 250 years with a steady upward trend. Organisms with calcium shells and skeletons, and plankton suffer the most. It is in the same way osteoporosis destroys the human skeleton, as well as other human diseases caused by an acidic tissue environment. Cancer, for instance.
This all indicates how crucial natural processes are for understanding the importance of human survival.
