Essays on Soil Erosion

Weathering and erosion are two basic events that take place on earth as part of the wear and tear of the natural resources like rocks, soils, and plants and trees that cover the earth. Closely observing weathering and erosion will help understand how the surface of the planet has been changing over the past several years and how it will change in the future as well. Weathering is the process through which rocks on the surface of the earth gradually break down into small pieces. On the other hand, erosion is the process through which the broken pieces and ...

Introduction

Urban sprawl has turned out to be a controversial issue in recent times due to the rate at which green spaces are disappearing in most of the cities, especially in the United States. Nnaemeka-Okeke (2016) describes urban sprawl as the expansion of a community devoid of concern for the environmental impact. In other words, urban sprawl is the uncontrolled expansion of the metropolitan areas. This phenomenon primarily results in the extinction of green spaces and a variety of environmental consequences. Banai and DePriest (2014) maintain that urban sprawl is considered a cause of the climate change, with environmental effects ...

Introduction

Human activity on the natural resources causes threats to the land sustainability either directly or indirectly. This paper examines soil erosion, genetically modified grains and overpopulation as the main threats to land sustainability.

Soil erosion and how it impacts the global food supply

Soil erosion is the washing away of the earth’s topsoil by agents such as wind and rainwater, and it occurs mainly due to human activities. Agriculture is the primary cause of soil erosion. When people clear natural vegetation to create framing fields, the topsoil is exposed to erosion agents such as the wind. Deforestation is also a leading contributor of soil erosion. As people cut ...

REDD+ in Kenya

Introduction

The prevalence of deforestation and massive degradation of forests from around the world are considered as one among the primary root of global warming. According to reports, the destruction of forests accounts for about 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions that occur globally (Forest, 2015), and it was found that deforestation are generally caused by factors that motivate people to clear the forests (Chakravarty, 2012). As a means to combat the problem on global emissions, the REDD+ was created with the goal to reduce the impact of the environmental degradation as well as to foster activities ...

Deforestation is the act of clearing the greenery and vegetation on Earth on a large scale. It occurs when trees and entire forests are cut down and cleared away for various purposes. This brings a lot of damage to the Earth’s surface, simultaneously creating environmental problems as well. Forests account for 30% of the Earth’s land, and they are an asset to the world’s ecosystem, however, much of this area is cleared away and vacated by mankind to serve their purposes. Although deforestation is done for needs such as housing, residence, mining, shopping and other means, ...

Broad topic – Is inorganic farming really beneficial in agriculture?

Narrowest topic - Should we really adopt the use of inorganic farming practices to boost the agricultural production? Should we really adopt the use of inorganic farming practices to boost the agricultural production? The issue The major differences between conventional and organic farming practices stem down to the farming methods that are applied during the food cultivation process. It is surprising enough that many individuals are yet unaware of the existing differences between the two farming methods. It is crucial to understand what goes on in agriculture because it has a direct effect on our environment. Inorganic farming also ...

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ASU Introduction In the modern times, natural catastrophes have been one of the major reasons for the destruction of the global environment. Although humanity is experiencing advancements in some of the aspects or fields in the society such as technology, health care and economics, environmental problems are still common due to natural catastrophes. Massive typhoons, earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions created large amounts of damage to our ecosystem. In addition, the world experienced hundreds, or even thousands or natural catastrophes in only a span of several years. Ecosystem fires or forest wildfires are one of the natural catastrophes which ...

Agriculture is a major part of the United States economy. To increase food abundance, the United States has incorporated various biological and mechanical technologies and innovations. Some of this innovations include genetic engineering and green revolution. Genetic engineering popularly referred to just GE is the biological modification of an animal or plant genetic composition through artificial means. Genetic engineering mostly involves transfer of genes or specific characteristics from one plant or animal into another entirely different plant or animal. Green revolution on the other hand is the increase in capacity to produce food through use agricultural research, development and ...

Introduction

Sharp Park and Golf Course is located on the sea front in San-Francisco. The park has a beach front view with holes 3 and 4 located right at the beach and a coastal trail passing adjacent to these two holes. The golf course in Pacifica is under the ownership of the government of San-Francisco. This prime piece of property generates a modest amount of revenue for the state. There has been a recent debate on whether the golf course should remain in operation with rising sea levels and erosion of the beachfront property threatens to engulf the whole course. ...

Abstract

Land and rockslides are natural disasters that threaten people living in the Sultanate of Oman. In this paper, the fundamentals of disaster management are identified from their causes. First, the aspect of slope stability is covered. The involvement of this information follows the need to appreciate the vulnerability of mountainous regions to mass movement. The causes of mass movement are also explained. Further, the risks of rock and landslides are expanded with the intention of directing the focus of the paper. To be objective, the paper progresses to a review of the measures employed by the government of Oman ...

According to EPA (2016), environmental management involves the development of systems aimed at reducing environmental impacts of various activities. In the Brundtland commission report (WCED), sustainable development has been described as development aimed at meeting the current needs of the present generation. However, as the current generation focuses on meeting their own needs, their activities should not compromise the capability of future generations to also meet their own needs. Available evidence suggests that the future generation would have challenges meeting their own needs if the current generation fails to adopt sustainable practices. The sustainable development incorporates the triple line: ...

Introduction

The 21st century generation has been plagued with various natural catastrophes that have provided significant negative impacts on the present status of the world’s environment. Much of the delight of the current technological advancements that people are experiencing, the world’s natural ecosystem has been left out of concern. In only a span of several years, hundreds, or even thousands of natural calamities have been recorded in different parts of the world. There are massive typhoons, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, etc. that had created massive amount of damage in our ecosystem. These natural scenarios are very alarming since ...

Abstract

Myanmar (Burma) is blessed with a vast variety of renewable and non-renewable resources. Among these resources is the forest resource which is a vital resource for the country due to its support of livelihoods and economic growth. The country is home to the world’s best quality teak which has proven a valuable commodity all over the world. The extensive logging by government authorities, foreign and private companies, and the local people has caused massive deforestation which has led to increased flooding, biodiversity loss, sedimentation of water bodies, water shortage, soil erosion and loss of wildlife species. The country ...

Introduction

China is one of the largest countries in the world. Its territory is home to more than 21% of the world's population. The economy of China is characterized by consistently high growth rates. However, the Chinese government faces numerous economic challenges, including:

• reducing its high domestic savings rate and correspondingly low domestic demand;

• support of respective job growth for tens of millions of workers and creating new jobs; • reducing corruption and other economic crimes; • reducing harm to the environment and the growth of social inequality, which is related to the rapid transformation of the economy. Economic development was much faster in coastal areas than in inland, and approximately 200 million ...

Lack of fresh water for agricultural, domestic, and industrial use is a great hindrance to development in many parts of the world. According to Mwakikagile, water shortages are more prominent in the arid and semi-arid areas. Groundwater is very sensitive to climatic changes and agricultural exploitation. Over the past few years, groundwater extraction for purposes of irrigation has resulted in disruption of natural balance and aquifer overdraft in these regions. According to Rushton, groundwater reproduction is imperative to establish apposite management policies since the hydrology of arid and semi-arid regions is quite different from that of more humid regions. This ...

Abstract:

Lack of fresh water for agricultural, domestic, and industrial use is a great hindrance to development in many parts of the world. Water shortages are more prominent in the arid and semi-arid areas. In addition to that, the inadequate fresh water resources found in these regions are endangered when it comes to quality due to the numerous man-induced changes. Moreover, the limited water available is limited to groundwater. In there is any surface water, it is mainly flash floods that results from high intensity rainfall that falls for a very short time. Therefore, these floods have very little potential to be a ...