09. Environmental issues
Civilization has brought people many advantages but its products also pollute and damage the environment in witch we
live. Pollution affects air, water, land, forests, people, animals and plants.
Air pollution is the biggest problem in large cities and in areas with concentrated industrial production. Emissions range
from smoke, dust, and smells to car and lorry exhausts. Smoke contains sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NO) and
carbon dioxide witch are produced by coal-fired power stations and factories. Substances such as SO2 and NO can cause
major changes in the environment which can lead to climate changes.
These substances mix with water vapour in the atmosphere and from sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Sunlight turns these
acids into poisonous oxidants which fall in the form of acid rain onto trees and kill them.
Trees are vitally important for our life because they are the lungs of our planet. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air
and give our oxygen in return. In some parts of the world, such as Asia and South America, trees are not threatened by
pollution, but by people. The great rain forests are being destroyed for firewood and building materials. (The Amazon rain
forest covers an area as large as the whole of Europe and contains one third of the world’s trees, provides 50 per cent of
the world’s annual production of oxygen). If we lose tropical forests, it will become more difficult, perhaps even
impossible, to breath. With more carbon dioxide in the air, the temperature will rise; the ice-caps at the North and South
Poles will melt, and the sea level will rise which will result in the flooding of many coastal cities.
Greenhouse effect can also cause climate change. Without this effect there could be no life on earth because the earth is
warmed up naturally by the atmosphere which traps solar radiation. But manmade atmospheric emissions, such as carbon
dioxide, nitrogen oxides, CFCs from aerosol and refrigerators and water vapour prevent the heat from escaping. The
result is a rise in the Earth’s temperature, the melting of arctic ice and the flooding of areas situated near sea level.
Ozone is another air pollutant. It is produced by the reaction of sunlight on car exhaust fumes and is a major air pollutant
in hot summers. On the ground level ozone can cause asthma attacks, corrosion of certain materials and stunted growth of
plants which lowers the yields of some crops. On the other hand, ozone forms a layer in the upper atmosphere which
protect life on Earth from ultraviolet rays, which is a cause of skin cancer. A continent-sized hole has formed over
Antarctica as a result of damage of the ozone layer, caused in part by CFCs.
How can the problem of air pollution be solved? People should try to use alternative source of energy, such as solar,
water and wind energies. There are more ways to reduce air pollution caused by road traffic. First it is possible to switch
freight from road to railways and to support public transport. Another way is to encourage tree planting, because trees
absorb carbon dioxide. Then all new petrol-driven cars will have to be fitted with three-way catalytic converters in their
exhaust system which turn dangerous gases into CO2, nitrogen and water vapour. Lead emissions can fall if we reduce
lead content in petrol and encourage the use of unleaded petrol. People should burn smokeless fuels. End-of pipe system
can be installed to clean up emissions.
Water pollution results from industrial processes, households, from pesticides and other chemicals used in agriculture,
from waste disposal sites and from ships. Concentrations of heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, lead are increasing.
Solution discharges to water from industrial processes should be controlled. We should find technologies for saving
water. We should reduce the amount of chemicals and we should develop environmentally friendly pesticides. Solution
waste disposal should be controlled, waste should be re-used and recycled.
Soil pollution is when soil can become contaminated as a result of industrial waste, domestic rubbish, agriculture,
redioactive substances.
Noise poses a considerable problem for many people. It results in stress, lack of concentration, defective hearing or
sleeplessness. Neighbourhood noise can be tackled in various ways. First of all, we should be considerate to one another.
Noise from new motor vehicles and aircraft is regulated. Airport service are restricted at night.
Environmental protection should also include animal and plant protection because the balance of species of plants and
animals has also been affected by human activities. Some animals are protected (bats, badgers), other (otters, some
species of birds, such as owls) are bred in captivity for release in the wild so they have the best chance of survival. The
introduction of new species should be strictly or even prohibited, because their increase in number can easily slip out of
control. The establishment of national parks and nature reserves provide protection and also provide opportunities for
outdoor recreation.
The way how to personally protect the environment is save water (have a shower rather than a bath), save energy (switch
off the light when leaving), sort out waste and put it into containers if they are provided, compost kitchen garbage, use
deodorant sprays without CFC gases, put litter only into litter bins, not in the street, not be noisy in the woods, not use
many fertilizers in the garden, buy things that have less packaging, use public transport or unleaded petrol.
At least I would like to say, that we should preserve and restore the quality of our environment. We must keep our planet
habitable not only for the present generation but also for the future one. It would be necessary to develop more public
information and interest. It wouldn’t be right to adapt people to pollution and noise. It would be a progressive
degeneration of the quality of human life.
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Our Earth is very fragile (= křehká) so we have to be friendly to it. Man thought that the basic components, which we
need for our existence are granted (jsou samozřemé), but now we know, that there is real danger that we will loose clear
water, air and soil. We has polluted everything that might be polluted and now, when we try to clear it again, it could be
too late becasue we have polluted practically the whole planet.
We have problems with pollutions of seas, oceans, pollution of air, changes in the atmosphere´s ozone layer (=
vrstva) and concentration of carbon dioxide.
People release (= vypouštějí) to the air pollution from smokestacks (= komínů), chemical factories and from
means of transports like cars, buses etc. To the water man realises pollution for example from factories on starch (=
škrob) or from factories on paper, or when some people want to clean their cars they ride to the river and clean it there
and they don´t mind that they can pollute water and kill life in the river. Other big problem is that people pollute Earth
with waste (= odpad) and we may expect that , if we don´t find some way of getting rid of the waste, during few decades
we won´t move because everywhere will be only waste. Now we try to re – used some materials like paper, metal, plastic
and glass but it isn´t enough when few people do it because everybody must do so.
There is another big problem that rises (= pramení) from our using of freons. Now freons are prohobited but the
problem is still here. It is called hole in atmosphere´s ozone layer (= díra v ozonové vrstvě). The ozone layer stops some
of the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation causes a suntan. Too ultraviolet radiation causes sunburn
and skin cancer. CFC in atmosphere have caused these hole. Scientist first discovered the hole in 1982 and it is getting
bigger.
Other problem is the greenhouse effect. When Sun shine on Earth, some of the heat warms the atmosphere and
some some of the heat escape back into space. During the last 100 years we have produced a huge amount of carbon
dioxide which works in the atmosphere in the same way like glass in a greenhouse. It allows heat to get in but it doesn´t
allow much heat to get out. So the atmosphere becomes warmer because less heat can escape. The carbon dioxide comes
from our breathing, burning coil, oil, petrol, gass or wood. Some scientists think, that the greenhouse effect will make the
world hotter. Areas near the coast will be cloudier and wetter. There will be more storms. Inland areas will have a little
more rain, but because the temperature will be higher, they will be drier. Sea levell will rise. But some scientists think that
if there as more clouds they would reflect sunlight back into space.
Other problem is acid rain. Acid – rain is formed when sulphurous fumes (= sírový opar), created by our
industrial complexes, reach the air and combine with water to make sulphuric acid (= kyselina sírová) in the clouds.
These dangerous clouds are then blown by the winds and later fall as a rain. Then the acid rain comes into contact with
trees, soil,water, animals etc. and it is very bad.
People really should reduce pollution and try to protect natural resources if it is possible. We must restore the
quality of our environment and we must keep our planet habitable for us and for generations that will come in the future.
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