Causes and Impact of Environmental Degradation

The physical surroundings of a person of which they are a part and upon whom they depend for activities like physiological working, production, and consumption, are referred to as Environment. Here, the physical environment comprises all natural resources, including soil, plants, energy-carrying materials, oxygen, water, and ecosystems. 

Environmental Degradation

Environmental degradation is the decay of the ecosystem caused by human consumption of resources such as air, water, and land. Simply put, the increasing deterioration of the climate as a result of different factors is referred to as Environmental degradation. Some of these factors include unusual weather fluctuations, deforestation, ecological pollution, and ozone-depleting compounds. Environmental degradation consists of both pollution and the degradation of resources. 

The environment meets our fundamental needs for endurance. People are a significant aspect of the environment and hold real responsibility for environmental damage. Our activities have an impact on the environment as well as on the organic organism. Hence, environmental degradation should be considered a major problem.

India faces issues from air pollution, river pollution, garbage, and environmental pollution. According to World Bank experts, India made one of the fastest progresses in the world in tackling environmental problems and improving environmental quality between 1995 and 2010. Still, it has a long way to go before attaining environmental purity comparable to that of developed nations. 

Causes of Environmental Degradation

The factors responsible for the degradation of the environment of the country are as follows:

1. High Population Growth: One of the major causes of environmental degradation is population explosion. The annual population growth is around 2%. It has a severe impact on natural resources and is accelerating degradation in the country. It means that population growth is eating into natural resources more than what is desired and is also putting more waste into the system than its absorption capacity. 

2. Industrial Pollution: In India, the growth of industries is uncontrollable and unplanned, and is creating huge atmospheric pollution on a regular basis. Besides, because of industrial wastes of industries like chemicals, etc., are being constantly discharged into the rivers, seas, and lakes, which is creating huge health hazards.

3. Mass Poverty: Another reason for environmental degradation is mass poverty. Poor people recklessly cut trees to use them as fuel. Besides, they earn their living through different activities such as collecting of firewood, gathering forest produce, fishing in rivers and ponds, or excessively intensive use of small pieces of land. These activities result in the loss of natural assets and environmental degradation.

4. Vehicular Pollution: The Indian transport system is formed on the basis of the intensive use of petroleum products and has increased air pollution at an immense rate. Besides, the increase in road traffic and the sound emitted from them has also increased noise pollution.

5. Increasing Urbanisation: In recent decades, urbanisation has occurred at a rapid pace as the bigger town are growing at a faster rate. It has put a severe strain on the infrastructural services, which ultimately depletes the environmental resource base of the cities. Besides, urbanisation is increasing so fast that the cities are now overcrowding, resulting in an increase in slums and undesirable land-use changes. All these things have led to the deterioration of the quality of air and water and are generating huge waste.

6. Pattern of Economic Growth: Another major cause of damage to the natural environment is the pattern of growth. Besides contaminating water, land, and air resources, natural resources are depleting because people are now giving more emphasis on the development of basic and capital goods industries and the technologies used for their development. These developments are also damaging the ecosystem of the country.

7. Increase in use of Chemical Fertilisers and Pesticides: Farmers are now using various environmentally-unfriendly farming methods like high use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Because of these methods of agricultural development, there has been an adverse impact on the environment which causes soil erosion, loss of fertility, and land salivation.

Of course, humans aren’t totally responsible for this. The Earth itself causes ecological problems. While environmental degradation is usually associated with what people do, the reality is that the environment is constantly changing. A few biological systems deteriorate to the point where they can no longer support the life that is meant to exist there whether the impact of human activity is present or not.

Impact of Environmental Degradation

1. Human Health Effects: Environmental degradation may have a negative impact on human health. Toxic air contaminants can cause respiratory issues such as pneumonia and asthma in areas that are exposed to them. Millions of people have died due to the indirect effects of air pollution.

2. Biodiversity Loss: Biodiversity is essential for maintaining the environmental balance by battling pollution, restoring nutrients, safeguarding water sources, and stabilising temperature. Some of the main reasons for biodiversity loss include deforestation, global warming, overpopulation, and pollution.

3. Depletion of the Ozone Layer: The ozone layer is responsible for protecting our planet from dangerous ultraviolet radiation. The existence of chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons in the environment depletes the ozone layer. It emits dangerous radiation back to the earth as it depletes.

4. Economic Loss for the Tourism Industry: The degradation of the natural environment can be an enormous loss for the tourism industry, which depends on tourists for a living. Most visitors are turned off by environmental harm such as loss of greenery, loss of species, massive landfills, and increased air and water pollution.

5. Economic Implications: The enormous costs that a nation may have to bear as a result of environmental deterioration can have a substantial economic effect in terms of green cover restoration, waste cleanup, and endangered species protection. The economic impact could also include the loss of the tourism sector.

Is the environmental crisis a recent phenomenon?

Yes, the environmental crisis is a recent phenomenon. The embers of such a crisis were never visible in the past. Growth in population was closely monitored in the early ages before industrialisation. The demand for environmental resources was significantly lower than the supply. 

In the past, the environment supported the global population because the rate of resource usage was lower. In addition, the rate of recovering resources outpaced the rate of resource exploitation. In other words, the threat of a global environmental crisis was never felt in the past because natural resource exploitation was within the environment’s carrying capacity. However, due to excessive industrialisation and urbanisation, man has begun to utilise nature to its full potential.

Dumped nuclear and industrial pollutants into bodies of water, as well as pollution of land and air have had a three-fold impact on the ecosystem. The rate of exploitation of natural resources is now falling behind the rate of renewal of natural resources. As a result, rising pressure on the carrying capacity of the environment is preparing the way for environmental crises.