Ecological problems and environmental protection

• Turn off lights, computers, and other appliances when you're not using them.
• Use energy-efficient appliances: lighting, air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. For more information, see EPA’s ENERGY STAR Program.
• Only use electric appliances when you need them.
• Keep your thermostat at 68°F in the winter and 72°F in the summer. You can turn it even lower in the winter and higher in the summer when you are away from home.
• Insulate your home as best you can.
• Carpool, use public transportation, or better yet, walk or bicycle whenever possible
• Buy vehicles with low NOx emissions, and properly maintain your vehicle.
• Be well informed.

As nations we all share a single ecological space. Acid rains, for example, have no boundaries. This pollution does not respect administrative or national regions. The other problem is that our forests are dying from acid rains. Deforestation, especially destruction of tropical forests, affects the balance of nature in many ways. It kills animals, changes the climate and ecosystem in the world. It is damaging to water, forest, and soil resources. It is blamed for the disappearance of fish from many lakes, for the widespread death of forests in European mountains, and for damaging tree growth in the United States and Canada. Acid rain has been reported in areas as far apart as Sweden and Canada, and in parts of the United States from New England to Texas.

All the nations must assume a position as responsible members of the world community level, cooperating in matters of environmental protection.  Radioactive materials present health and safety problems in an increasing number of countries. The acid falls to earth in form of rain or snow that can damage anything from the monuments to living organisms. . Unfortunately acid rain doesn’t always fall on the countries which produce the pollution

3. Nuclear pollution.

Also we have problem with nuclear pollution. People concern over the dangers resulting from massive releases of radioactive materials from nuclear weapons, which, if used on a major scale, could seriously endanger all of humanity. Nuclear pollution cannot be seen but its effect can be terrible. Underground nuclear-weapon tests are a major threat to the environment. Steps must be taken to do away with nuclear tests.

Another concern is accidents at nuclear power plants. In 1978 a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania suffered a severe accident leading to partial meltdown of its radioactive core. Nuclear power stations are of great danger. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are. Radiation.

Now it has become one of the main problems. It is not good for health of people. Many people died from radiation some years ago in Chernobyl.

About 18 percent of the territory of Belarus was also polluted with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the agriculture, forests and people's health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for many nations.  More than 20% of the population has also suffered.  A death rate among children has increased considerably.  The wide researches are carried out, but health state of the people living in polluted areas, is worsened. The  level  of  thyroid  gland  cancer  has  increased,  the immunity of children and women  is weakened, many diseases appear  out only a few years later. Everyone understands that this catastrophe is a threat to health of our nation and though many years  have  already passed, the results will be shown on the future generations.

 

 

3. Animals need help.

People have lived on our planet for many years. They lived and live on different continents, in different countries. People depend on their planet, on the sun, on animals and plants around them. People must take care of Earth. Ever since people lived on earth, they have used animals and plants to give them everything they need. Animals are killed for meat and skin, trees are cut down for paper, plants uprooted for food, and minerals are dug from ground. We know that the supply of animals and plants is not endless. Our ecology becomes worse and worse with every new day. Many species of animals and birds are disappearing nowadays. People destruct wildlife, cut down trees to make furniture. They forget that people can’t live without trees and plants, because they fill air with oxygen. And, of course, great problems are pollution and animals’ destruction. All around the world there are species of animals that are about to become extinct, disappearing for ever. We need to do something  to stop this happening. If we go on using nature as thoughtlessly as we have been doing, there will  soon be nothing left. So nature has to be looked after carefully.

 

           Pollution isn’t the only actual problem. Every day a big number of animals disappear. People kill animals for different aims: e.g. people hunt whales for their meat and oil, elephants for their tusks, crocodiles for their leather and so on. And also animals are used for medical experiments. The blue whale is the largest animal which has ever lived. Once there were over 200000 of these creatures living in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Since the seventeenth century they have been hunted for their oil and meat. In fact, so many of them were killed that by 1963 their population had been reduced to just 1000. Today it is even less than

that. The African elephant is the world’s largest land animal.  Today there are fewer than one million of these animals left. Even though they are now protected, they are still being hunted because of their tusks, which are used to make ornaments and jewellery. There is only one way to save wild animals and wild

habitats –conservation

  Modern life is bad for animals, birds, and fish. The air isn’t fresh and the water isn’t pure. They don’t have good meal and facilities for the life. You can find their names in the Red Book.

         Today, nearly 400 animals are listed as threatened or endangered in the United States. Many are at risk of becoming extinct or disappearing permanently. Unless efforts to save these vulnerable animals succeed, many of the country's greatest creatures will be lost forever. From the facts listed under each question mark, guess which animals are endangered.

Man has always been a hunter. He still is. But many modern hunters don't just kill for food - they kill for profit. That's why so many rare and protected animals are still dying. Hunters like these are called poachers. In 1981 there were 15,000 black rhinos in Africa. Today, because of illegal hunting, that number is 4,500.

In the 1970s there were 1.3 million African elephants. Today, because of poaching, there are under 85,000.In the I940s, 90% of skins and furs came from wild animals. Today that number is 15%. That's because most modern skins come from fur farms.

Fur Farm Facts:

• There are more than 2,000 in Scandinavia and 340 in Russia.
• They don't keep rare or protected animals.
• Fur farmers kill and sell over 34 million mink every year.
• Animals in fur farms live in good conditions and die without pain (the farmers give them an injection).

Perhaps the most famous rare animals is the panda. Twenty years ago it was nearly extinct. Now, its numbers are growing again. It's even become a symbol for wildlife conservation. But many other species have been less lucky than the panda. Sonic are already extinct. Today, many more are in serious danger. This is because man hunts them destroys and pollutes their habitat. There is a serious habitat problem because : After pollution or destruction, habitats take many years (sometimes hundreds or even thousands) to grow again.         Pollution and destruction change the balance of nature. Each species in a habitat (for example, wood, jungle, marsh or forest) needs and helps the rest. If one animal, bird or insect disappears, all the others suffer, too.         This is what's happening in the rainforests of South America, Africa and Asia. These are some of the world's oldest habitats. Or they were. Man is destroying an area of rainforest as big as Switzerland every year.         But the problem doesn't stop there. Habitats and animals are disappearing in Europe, too. Since 1947 in Britain, for example... 50% oft he woods have disappeared. 50% of the marshes have disappeared. 95% of the meadows have disappeared.        And what has taken the place of these green, natural places? Houses farms, cities, streets, roads and factories. Because of this (and pollution, too) several British species are dying. In fact scientists believe that 30 British animals, fish and birds may become extinct by the year 2000.      The solution: There is only one way to save wild animals and wild habitats-conservation. protecting animals in danger by law opening more national parks building fewer new roads planting more new forests cutting pollution      If this doesn't happen, many wild animals will soon have just one habitat, the zoo.  But what about the other 15% of furs? Well, these still come from wild animals. Hunters catch most of them in traps. These are made of metal and are very sharp. Most animals caught in traps die very slowly.       The USA traps over 20 million animals every year. The most popular furs are... mink, sable, fox, squirrel and lynx. These rare animals are all in danger because hunters kill them for their fur... snow leopard, jaguar, ocelot, Indian tiger cat, and lynx.      The solution: The fur trade argument. Stop the fur trade. It's wrong to keep wild animals in cages. It's wrong to kill animals for fashion and profit. It's wrong to kill wild animals in traps. It's wrong to sell the fur of rare, protected species.   4.  Rubbish.  One of the main reasons of pollution is rubbish.  We are surrounded by waste. Our rubbish is fly-tipped into railway cuttings, buried in landfill sites, and dumped at the bottom of oceans and rivers. Despite increasing recycling rates, we live on a planet awash with trash. Most of our rubbish goes to big holes in the ground, called ‘dumps’. But dumps are very dangerous for our life because they are full of rats, which can carry infections away from dumps. Another way to get rid of rubbish is to burn it. But the fires make poisons, which go into the air and pollute it

 

 

 

The rubbish situation has become a big concern in cities all around the country and not only is this a political issue, but it is also a problem that has caught the attention of the general population. We all realize there is a growing problem but nobody likes to admit that their rubbish is contributing to the problem.

Burning rubbish isn't a solution - it pollutes the air and may release toxic substances. Composting and recycling are healthier options for you, your neighbours and the environment.

If there is no other option for dealing with our rubbish then a modern, well-designed and operated landfill is a reasonable option for managing our rubbish.

 

While landfills effectively contain our rubbish, did you know that:

• rubbish doesn't break down very well in a landfill. Plastic, steel, aluminium and even paper and cardboard take tens or hundreds of years to break down
• while modern landfills don’t tend to cause dust or odour problems, nobody wants to live near one
• as garden rubbish and kitchen scraps break down in a landfill they produce methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (20 times worse than carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas) and can reach explosive concentrations in enclosed spaces such as basements
• rainwater percolating through the landfill and the break down of garden rubbish and kitchen scraps contribute to a liquid called leachate. In old landfills, leachate can escape and contaminate surface and groundwater. In modern, well-managed landfills it costs a lot of money to collect and treat the leachate.

 

III . Environmental protection The Royal Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals

 

Of course, people can't stay indifferent to these problems. There are a lot of special organizations, which try to save our nature. The most known are: The Royal Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (The RSPCA), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), "Friends of the Earth" (FoE) and Greenpeace.

The RSPCA tries to protect animals from bad use. It operates big nation campaigns aimed at lost pets, circus animals.

2. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The WWF rescued several species of animals, mammals as well as birds. These organizations also help to create more than 250 National parks. 3. "Friends of the Earth" (FoE)

"Friends of the Earth" (FoE) is one of the British pressure groups with an international reputation. Its general aim is to conserve the planet's resources and reduce pollution. FoE was established in 1971 and now it operated in 44 countries worldwide. It campaigns among other things, for recycling and renewable energy, and the destruction of wildlife and habitat. The main campaigning issues of the FoE are:

 

 

 

• The protection of all animals and plants in danger of extinction.
• An end to the destruction of wildlife and habitats.

• A program of energy conservation measures, etc.  

So, a number of campaigns resulted in:

• The ban or other hunting in England and Wales
• And indefinite delay in the construction of the Commercial East Breeder Reactor, etc.

But not only great groups can influence the problem of pollution. So, different people have their own opinions on this problem:

• The continued pollution of the earth, if unchecked, well eventually destroys the fitness of this planet as a place for human life.
• The Earth has enough for every man's need, but not for man's greed.

4. Greenpeace.

Greenpeace began its work 20 years ago from saving whales. And now Greenpeace is a world-famous organization, which saves plants, animals and people. Greenpeace is a very famous pressure group. It started functioning in 1971. Its headquarters are at Amsterdam, but it operates in 25 countries worldwide. The aim of Greenpeace is to protect wildlife of toxic wastes, nuclear tests.

These organizations want to rescue animals, to help them to survive and to save jungle rain forests, which are in danger of destruction. And they also help animals because many of them have already gone as they have nowhere to live. Their homes, the trees have disappeared.

Environmental protection is of a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken. We must save wild animals. And we must find the right way to save land, people and animals. We must take care of nature, because we are part of it. And I agree with them because it is really so. We are to stop pollution. So, we can grow plants and trees, to purify waste, to start urgent campaigns in order to preserve environment.

For example, one of such actions was held in 1989 in Australia, Sydney. In a year the same kind of action was held all over Australia and it was called "Clean up Australia". The following years 110 countries hold the similar actions within the ecological program of the UNO.

Fortunately all the countries realized the problems and cooperated to solve ecological problems. I would like to dwell on practical measures which must be taken in order to improve the ecological situation: the factories and plants must be removed from cities; green zones must be created; pollution control systems must be introduced; purifying systems for cleaning and trapping harmful substances must be widely used; almost everything is recyclable today — recycling is a great way to reduce waste. We need clean air to breathe and pure water to drink. We need also food that is safe to eat and housing to shelter us. We can’t get all these things by ourselves. We live in community so we can solve our problems only working together.

Russia is cooperating in the field of environmental protection with the USA, Canada, Norway, Finland and other countries. A lot of public organizations have

 

been established. One of them is Green Peace which was formed in 1971 with its 
Head-quarters in Amsterdam. The area of operation is 25 countries world-wide. Its   | 
objectives are to protect wild life and atmosphere, to prevent disposal of toxic 
waste and nuclear tests. 

Some progress has been already made in this direction.

As many as 159 countries - members of the UNO - have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous conferences have been held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbas, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl. An international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organization Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment.

But these are only the initial steps and they must be carried onward to protect f nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the | future generations.

Whether scientist or politicians, bankers or student, whether Greek, 
Norwegian, Hungarian or Finn ... all are encouraged to make a contribution 
towards protecting the environment. Dedication and the courage to change one's      | 
way of thinking are called for. 

IV. Ecological situation... |

1. In Russia I

At present the Russian Federation accommodates some of the most polluted cities and areas in the world. The environment in such cities as Nizhniy Tagil, Magnitogorsk, Novocherkassk and Bratsk is really dangerous as the volumes of various contaminants exceed the maximum allowed amounts by as much as 100%. Due to many diseases, the death rate is higher and the life expectancy is shorter overall in Russia and in these cities in particular. In the North and North-West Russia such cities as Nickel, Kostomuksha, Murmansk and St. Petersburg are the most polluted.

In most Russian regions the main sources of water pollution are residential areas and industrial and agricultural enterprises. The share of residential areas in total water pollution amounts to 96% in Moscow, from 80 to 90% in St Petersburg   | and Omsk, more than 50% in Nizhniy Novgorod and Saratov, 40% in Samara and about 30% in Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk and Chelyabinsk.

Pollution also contributes to forest degradation. For example, air pollution from huge nickel smelters in the Arctic city of Norilsk has killed 350,000 hectares

of forest and has damaged another 140,000 hectares. The Norilsk plant emits 2.3

million metric tons of sulphur dioxide every year, five times the total sulphur emissions of Sweden. Industrial emissions are blamed for killing off 1 million hectares of forest land, whereas the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident contaminated 4 million hectares of forests in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

2. In Saratov region 

On January 14, 2010, public organizations - the Partnership for Development Association, Centre for Promotion of Environmental Initiatives, and Bird Conservation Union of Russia - held in Saratov a roundtable "Global climate

change: a regional perspective." Its participants recognized the need to develop a system of adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change in the region.

The round table was attended by representatives of universities and scientific institutions of Saratov (Saratov State University, Saratov Stage Agricultural University, Saratov State Technical University, Institute of Agricultural Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Saratov Regional Center for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, the Federal Office of Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving in the South-Volga region), non-governmental environmental organizations and the media in the region. The round table was also attended by the officials of the Government of Saratov region (Ministry of Forestry, the Committee on Environment and Nature, Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, Ministry of Industry, Public Relations Committee and National Policy).

According to the head of the Regional Center for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, the average temperature in the Saratov region has increased by more than 1,5 C, the annual runoff of small rivers decreases (in 2008 it amounted to 2-10% of average annual values), the number of adverse and dangerous hydro-and agro-meteorological events (strong winds, tornadoes, hails, frosts, droughts, extreme temperatures, etc.) increases.

Despite the inevitable debate on the question of human contribution to climate change, all participants agreed that the adverse effects of climate change could have a significant impact on many spheres of activity, particularly in agriculture and forestry (which is especially important given the agrarian specific of the region).

The discussions also touched ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, implementing energy-saving technologies and alternative energy sources. Ministry of Housing announced the development of the Energy efficiency programme for 2011 and subsequent years (as a continuation of the current one), with account for the Law on energy saving and the Climate doctrine. The Committee on Environmental Protection and Nature reported on the program of environmental improvement and urged all participants to submit proposals in the Action Plan to implement the Concept of eco-safety (which, while in the outline, includes a paragraph on the development of the program of ecological house-building). However, the question by Olga Pitsunova, the Chairperson of the Committee on Environmental Policy, Public Chamber of the Saratov region, was left unanswered: Why the Action Plan for 2010 does not include the section "Development of measures for adaptation to climate change and for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions" proposed by NGOs.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Industry and Energy did not make any presentation, although many participants raised issues that are within its sphere of competence (gas flaring, lack of equipment industrial treatment plants, etc.). The structures responsible for the population health and welfare - The Federal Service and the Ministry of Health — also kept silence. Meanwhile, the report by the Centre for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring definitely noted that the decrease in annual river flow will not only cause water shortages, but also the deterioration of water quality. Due to existing and projected climate changes, this

 

will create favorable conditions for the spread of infectious and parasitic diseases, and deteriorate the situation for high-risk groups.

The Round table participants agreed that there is the need to develop the regional climate strategy, as well as the system for adaptation to climate change. This follows not only from the Climate Doctrine of Russia, but is forced by currently manifested effects of climate change on the regional level.

Taking into account the complexity of the problem, the round table participants agreed to create an interagency task force that will work on developing a regional climate strategy and action plans.

 

V. Conclusion 

People have affected Nature. But during the last two centuries due to the development of industry mankind has transformed the environment radically. So we must ask the question: "Are you a friend of the planet?" If so, everyone must follow some   environmental slogans.

 

- Please be quiet, leave radios at home.

- Help to keep all water clean. - Protect wildlife, plants and trees. - Do not spoil the gardens- do not leave Utter. - Do not take flowers and plants.