Back to: UGC NET Paper 1- Unit 9
Local, regional and global environmental issues UGC NET Notes
Environmental issues means any changes that has a negative impact on the quality and quantity of our environment. The various human activities has polluted our ecology impacting the nature with several environmental issues. Environmental issues occurs at three levels which are: local, regional, and global issues.
Local Environmental Issues
• Waste Disposal
Every area should have a proper way of waste management and disposal. We need to keep our hometown clean just like our home not so for outsiders or to attract touristsbut for our own well-being too. Improper management of waste harms the environment and our health through water and air pollution.
• Water Scarcity
Water is a basic necessity for every living being. There is no life without water. For us humans, we cannot spend a day without water. Water is required for many human activities in our day to day life. We need water for washing, cooking, and drinking everyday. It is hard to imagine our life without water. Hence, we should save water and teach others to do so too.
• Pollution
Pollution is caused by daily human activities whether intentionally or unintentionally. Water and air is polluted heavily through the human practices which is dangerous for our own health and environment.
Regional Environmental Issues
• Overpopulation
India has now overtaken China to become the highest populated country in the world as of April, 2023. Higher the population, greater is the use of limited natural resources. Overpopulation restrains the economic growth, increases unemployment,poverty, and inequality.
• Pollution
Pollution is caused excessively by humans whether directly or indirectly through daily human activities. Land, air, water, noise, and soil pollution are the various forms of pollution caused by humans. Pollution is severely harmful not only for the environment but our own health as it can cause several diseases in humans. It is also harmful for plants and animals. Pollution undoubtedly is in fact a local, regional, and global environmental issue.
• Deforestation
Deforestation means cutting down trees of our natural forest. It is the removal of trees for using that land for some other human purpose. Deforestation leads to severalenvironmental issues like destruction of natural forest, lose of biodiversity, and soil erosion.
Global Environmental Issues
• Global Warming
Global warming is the long-term rise of the temperatures on the Earth’s surface. It is caused by human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, and industrial release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Global warming leads to uneven weather patterns, rising of sea level, melting of glaciers, and early maturing of crops to list its few outcomes.
• Climate Change
Climate change is caused by the increase of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The increasing amount of release of these gases has lead to high heating from the sun. Climate change as well leads to unpredictable weather forecast, global temperature rise, melting of glaciers and so on.
• Use of Natural Resources
Humans beings around the world are using natural resources at a great extent. Human are greedy for resources, and sometimes consume even more than required. This is having a negative impact on the environment. The overuse and overexploitation of natural resources is leading to its reduction which is indeed a global concern.
