Environment Essay Examples

Environmental conservation is one of the main concerns in the modern society. Understanding the various components of the environment and the risks facing them is one of the milestones in the conservation process. This essay seeks to address this issue in detail. It stands for the position that failure to understand and appreciate the importance of these environmental components leads to the degradation of the same. Three main components of the environment and the challenges facing them are addressed below.
The first major component is land. This is the ground on which we live and work. It is also the source of our livelihoods through the farming and mining activities which are supported by the land. Land degradation has become very common in the recent past. The developments in technology have seen to it that a lot of chemicals are dumped into the land. The large agricultural farms tend to use a lot of chemicals in a bid to improve their production. These chemicals end up being lodged in the soil. This has a deteriorating effect on the quality of the soil. The industrialization processes have also had their share in degrading the soil quality. There are a lot of waste products which emanate from the industries. These are deposited in the land-fills. This not only takes up land and makes it desolate but also counts as a form of environmental degradation. Some man’s activities have also played a major role in degrading the quality of the soil. Overgrazing and poor land tenure systems are responsible for the exhaustion of soil nutrients. They are also accountable for the soil erosion which ends up reducing the soil fertility and quality. Other activities such as clearing land for cultivation and burning up the waste ends up killing the soil micro-organisms besides leaving the land bare. This exposes land to agents of erosion such as wind and water. All these factors contribute to the degradation of land. This is an aspect of environmental degradation.
The water is also another concept of the environment which has seen the bad side of degradation. It is well known that water is life. It helps in sustaining all forms of life on the earth’s surface. This important resource has not been spared by the environmental degradation factors. The industrialization process is the greatest culprit in this. The industries need water as a coolant for their machines. They also need to use it as a cleaning agent. The main problem is that these industries tend to return the dirty waters back to the water bodies. These waters are polluted with chemicals and other substances which are harmful to the marine life. This can lead to the deaths of fishes and other marine creatures. Man also fishes and consumes the fish which might have these chemicals in their bodies. The harmful materials end up in the human bodies where they can cause problems such as cancers. The pollution also makes it impossible to get clean and safe water for human consumption. This is quiet a disaster. The chemical companies and the agro-chemical firms are also to blame for these effects.
The discussion on the environment cannot be concluded without looking at the air. All living beings need air to survive. Polluting the air can be taken as an activity which endangers the lives of all the creatures on the planet including man. The main form of air pollution comes from the emission of other gases such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide. These come mainly from the exhaust chambers of motor vehicles and industries. The problem is that the se gases are not treated before being released into the atmosphere. They accumulate in the ozone layer and reflect trap the sun’s rays on the earth’s surface. This is responsible for the global warming which is threatening to bring the world total extinction. Such indications are evidenced by the changing climatic conditions as well as the melting of the polar ice glaciers.
The above account is not exhaustive of the challenges facing environmental conservation. It is just an overview of the main concepts which are related to the degradation of the environment. It is also an indication that man should be more concerned about his environment and what it entails. Continuing with the current trend could imply that our planet is at the brink of self-destruction. The effects described above are responsible for major changes in the world. Agricultural productivity has been really affected on the negative while more species are facing the reality of possible extinction. There are outcries all over the world on the need to conserve the environment. These calls should be adhered to before it is too late to salvage anything from our planet. Conserving the environment is the responsibility of each and every one of us. The little contribution that everyone makes can amount to much when combined with the efforts of others across the globe. This is the reason as to why this essay calls out to individuals to come out and advocate for environmental conservation.