• ESDAW
    • Website information
    • Silence kills
    • Who we are
    • Contact
    • Donate
  • Humans
    • Homo Sapiens >
      • The modern human evolution
      • The Human Male
      • Tribes, terrorism and war
      • The Human Experiment
      • Stanford prison experiment
      • Animal abuse and Human abuse
      • The psychological roots of resource over-consumption
      • Boys don't cry
      • The Power of Media
      • #Meetoo
      • People protect what they love
      • Bread and circuses
      • Governments
    • Animals, Men and Morals
    • Heritage, tradition and culture >
      • Bad habits
      • Break bad habits
      • Blood fiestas
      • Superstition
      • Dog spinning
      • Break bad traditions
      • UNESCO
      • Bullfighting
      • Foie gras
      • Break bad cultures
    • Religion >
      • Freedom of religion
      • Religion & Animals
      • Animals in Islam
      • Halal slaughter (#)
      • Animals in Judaism
      • Kosher slaughter (#)
      • Break bad belief
    • Animal sacrifice
    • The food we eat >
      • Animal Kill Counter
      • Meat
      • Milk & Veal
      • Farm investigation (#)
      • Meat scandal
      • Animal transport
      • Animal ocean transportation
      • Animal slaughter
      • Animal slaughter (#)
      • A walk in a deserted abattoir
    • The clothes we wear
  • Business
    • The modern human progress
    • Business & Profits >
      • Capitalism & Greed
      • Stock market
      • Lobbying
      • Corruption
    • Big, big business >
      • Dog - breeding
      • Sale & buy
      • Trade & trafficking
      • Pet shops
    • The food industry >
      • Battery cage
      • Genetic engineering
      • Genetically Modified Foods
      • Pesticide and GMO Corporations
      • GMO - OMG
      • WHO about GMO
    • Animals in Sport & Competition >
      • Horse - sports
    • Animals in Entertainment >
      • Circus
      • Zoo
      • SeaWorld
    • Animal Testing >
      • Animal testing - Tobacco
      • Companion Animal - experiment
      • Soviet Space Dogs
      • Vivisection (#)
    • Animals and Gambling >
      • Dogfighting
      • Dogfighting documentry (#)
    • Fur business >
      • Companion Animal - fur, meat & skin
      • Fur farms
      • Fur & skin production
      • The BIG lie about FUR
      • Facts about Fur production in the EU
    • Fur trade >
      • The Fur trade history
      • Karakul Lambs
      • Fur trade - Canada & USA
      • Fur trade - China & Asia
      • Fur trade - Europe
      • Fur trade - Russia
    • Animals in tourism >
      • Born Free
  • Tourism
    • The ugly truth
    • Tourism - Cyprus (EU)
    • Tourism - France (EU)
    • Tourism - Greece (EU)
    • Tourism - Italy (EU)
    • Tourism - Portugal (EU)
    • Tourism - Spain (EU)
    • Tourism - Turkey (eu)
    • Travel Industry & Animal Welfare
    • Postcards
    • Postcards (#)
    • Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
    • Apollo Travel - Sweden
  • Animals
    • Domestication
    • Emotional Pain in Animals
    • Companion Animals
    • The Dog
    • Farm Animals
    • FAO - livestock
    • FAO - milk & dairy
  • The seven continents
    • Africa >
      • Dog meat - Africa
      • Wildlife Trade - Africa
    • Antartica
    • Asia >
      • The Moon Bears - Asia
      • China >
        • The indifference in China
        • Dr. Li explains animal cruelty in China
        • If I could tell you - China
        • Animal welfare and rights in China
        • Bear Bile Farming - China
        • Cat meat - China
        • Yulin Dog Meat Festival
        • Zoo - China
        • ‘Have you eaten?’ - China
        • Shark Fin - China
        • Dead pigs floating in river - China
        • Toxic food - China
        • Traditional Chinese medicine & food therapy
        • List of traditional Chinese medicines
        • Three Gorges Dam - China
      • Made in China >
        • The Illegal Wildlife Trade - China
        • Santa's real workshop - China
        • China’s Environmental Crisis
        • Dog-leather industry - China
        • Special locations in China
      • Indonesia >
        • Wild Animal Trade - Indonesia
      • Japan >
        • Culture & Traditions - Japan
        • Yakuza Mafia Syndicate - Japan
        • Society and Animal Welfare - Japan
        • Why You Shouldn’t Buy a Pet in Japan
        • The Tokyo 'euthanasia centre' for stray dogs
        • Dogfighting - Japan
      • Philippines >
        • Dog & cat meat - Philippines
      • Thailand >
        • Dog meat trade - Thailand
        • The sacred Bears in Thailand
      • Vietnam >
        • Dog & cat meat - Vietnam
        • The Bear Bile Trade - Vietnam
    • Australia & Oceania >
      • A Bloody Business - Australia
      • Trapping wild dogs - Australia
    • Europe
    • North America >
      • Canada
      • Canadian sealhunt
      • USA
      • American & International Corporations - China
      • CIrcus & Zoo - USA
      • Exotic pets - USA
      • Production chain
    • South America
  • Europe and the EU
    • The strays in Europe >
      • The cruel treatment
      • Accidents
      • Behind closed doors (#)
      • Captivity
      • Diseases
      • Dog catcher
      • Dog catcher (#)
      • Public shelter
      • Poisoning
      • Poisoning (#)
      • Victims (#)
    • Stray animals by country
    • Northern Europe >
      • Denmark (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Denmark
      • Estonia (EU)
      • Finland (EU)
      • Iceland (eu)
      • Ireland (EU) >
        • Society & Animal welfare - Ireland
        • Dogs - Ireland
      • Latvia (EU)
      • Lithuania (EU)
      • Norway
      • Sweden (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Sweden
        • Organic farming - Sweden
      • United Kingdom (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - UK
        • Culture - UK >
          • Circus - UK
        • Tradition - UK >
          • Hunting - UK
          • Puppy farms - UK
          • Sport & gambling - UK
        • Horses - UK
        • Farm animals - UK >
          • Organic farming - UK
    • Central Europe >
      • Austria (EU)
      • Belgium (EU) >
        • Farm animals - Belgium
      • Czech Republic (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Czech Republic
    • Eastern Europe >
      • Armenia >
        • Society and Animal welfare - Armenia
        • Non public shelter - Armenia
        • Dogs - Armenia (#)
        • Farm animals - Armenia
      • Belarus >
        • Society and animal welfare - Belarus
        • Fur farms - Belarus
      • Georgia >
        • Society and animal welfare - Georgia
        • Culture & tradition - Georgia
        • Dogs - Georgia
        • Public shelter - Georgia
      • Kosovo (eu)
      • Poland (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Poland
        • Public shelter - Poland
      • Romania (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Romania >
          • Society and animal welfare - Romania (#)
          • Beneath the streets of Romania
        • Cats - Romania
        • Dogs - Romania >
          • Dogs - Romania (#)
        • Public shelter - Romania >
          • Public shelter - Romania (#)
        • Non public shelter - Romania
        • Horses & Donkeys - Romania
        • Farm animals - Romania
      • Russia >
        • Society and animal welfare - Russia
        • Farm animals - Russia
        • Circus - Russia
      • Ukraine >
        • Society and animal welfare - Ukraine
        • Dogs - Ukraine
        • Ukraine massacre
    • Southeast Europe >
      • Bosnia & Herzegovina (eu) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Bosnia & Herzegovina >
          • Society and animal welfare - Bosnia & Herzegovina (#)
          • In memory of Vučko
        • Dogs - Bosnia & Herzegovina >
          • Dogs - Bosnia & Herzegovina (#)
        • Public shelter - Bosnia & Herzegovina >
          • Public shelter - Bosnia & Herzegovina (#)
        • Cats - Bosnia & Herzegovina
      • Bulgaria (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Bulgaria
        • Tradition - Bulgaria >
          • Dog spinning - Bulgaria
          • The Bulgarian doorbells
        • Dogs - Bulgaria >
          • Dogs - Bulgaria (#)
          • Dog fighting - Bulgaria
        • Public shelter - Bulgaria
      • Macedonia FYR (eu) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Macedonia (#)
      • Serbia (eu) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Serbia
        • Culture & tradition - Serbia
        • Dogs - Serbia >
          • Dogs - Serbia (#)
        • Public shelter - Serbia
        • Dog fighting - Serbia
        • Serbia massacre
    • Southern Europe >
      • Albania (eu) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Albania
        • Dogs - Albania >
          • Dogs - Albania (#)
        • Zoo - Albania
      • Croatia (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Croatia
      • Cyprus (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Cyprus
        • Cats - Cyprus
        • Dogs - Cyprus
        • Non public shelter - Cyprus
        • Farm animals - Cyprus
      • France (EU) >
        • Culture - France >
          • Bullfighting - France
          • Foie gras - France
        • Tradition - France >
          • Hunting - France
      • Greece (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Greece >
          • Society and animal welfare - Greece (#)
        • Tradition - Greece >
          • The Barrel dogs - Greece
        • Cats - Greece
        • Dogs - Greece
        • Public shelter - Greece
        • Greece massacre
        • Horses & Donkeys - Greece
      • Italy (EU) >
        • Society & animal welfare - Italy >
          • Society and animal welfare - Italy (#)
        • Culture & tradition - Italy
        • Public shelter - Italy
      • Vatican City State >
        • Animal welfare - Vatican City State
      • Malta (EU) >
        • Dogs - Malta
      • Portugal (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Portugal
        • Culture - Portugal >
          • Bullfighting - Portugal
        • Tradition - Portugal >
          • Hunting dogs - Portugal
        • Public shelter - Portugal
        • Farm animals - Portugal
        • Fur animals - Portugal
      • Spain (EU) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Spain
        • Culture & tradition - Spain >
          • Bullfighting - Spain
          • Blood fiestas - Spain
          • Fiestas & celebrations - Spain
        • Cats - Spain
        • Dogs - Spain >
          • Hunting dogs - Spain
          • Hunting dogs - Spain (#)
          • Hunting tools - Tenerife
          • Racing dogs - Spain
        • Public shelter - Spain >
          • Public shelter - Spain (#)
        • Non public shelter - Spain
        • Horses & Donkeys - Spain
        • Farm animals - Spain
      • Turkey (eu) >
        • Society and animal welfare - Turkey >
          • Society and animal welfare - Turkey (#)
          • Mafia, crime and corruption - Turkey (#)
        • Cats - Turkey
        • Dogs - Turkey
        • Public shelter - Turkey >
          • Public shelter - Turkey (#)
        • Turkey massacre
        • Farm Animals - Turkey
  • Global
    • The Global People
    • Food Industry >
      • Genetic engineering
      • The processed food
    • Organic agriculture >
      • Organic farming
    • Environmental degradation >
      • Overconsumption
      • Water shortage
    • Ecological footprint >
      • Land
      • Ocean
      • Population Matters
  • EU
    • ESDAW-EU
    • Animal Welfare - EU
    • The excluded animals
    • The management of strays
    • The pet and stray framework
  • Let's get political
    • Wage labour & Wage slavery >
      • Citizen's income
    • Europe >
      • Animal Welfare Parties in Europe
      • European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes
      • European Convention for the protection of pet animals
    • European Union >
      • ESDAW-EU.EU
      • EU - Organisation
      • EU - Trade
      • Your Europe
      • EU - Political groups
      • MEPs
      • Contact with the EU
      • Animal Welfare Parties in the European Parliament
      • Matters concerning companion animals
      • Law and Regulation
      • European Citizens Initiative
      • Intergroup
      • Eurogroup
    • Embargo
  • More
    • Let's get involved >
      • Activism
      • Animal Welfarism
      • Anti-consumerism
      • Consumer Power
      • Buycott
      • Environmentalism
      • Fairtrade
      • Freeganism
      • Social movement
      • Veganism
      • Vegetarianism
      • Whistleblower
    • I Am
    • The Road To Hell
    • The Mad Veterinarian
    • Free your mind ....
ESDAW
Tweet

Environmental degradation

Picture
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.

It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Environmental degradation is one of the Ten Threats officially cautioned by the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations.

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines environmental degradation as “The reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs”.

Environmental degradation is of many types. When natural habitats are destroyed or natural resources are depleted, environment is degraded.
The ten threats identified in 2004 by the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations are these:

  1. Poverty
  2. Infectious disease
  3. Environmental degradation
  4. Inter-state war
  5. Civil war
  6. Genocide
  7. Other Atrocities (e.g., trade in women and children for sexual slavery, or kidnapping for body parts)
  8. Weapon of mass destruction (nuclear proliferation, chemical weapon proliferation, biological weapon proliferation)
  9. Terrorism
  10. Transnational organized crime

Picture
Picture
Environmental Change and Human Health, a special section of World Resources 1998-99 in this report describes how preventable illnesses and premature deaths are still occurring in very large numbers. If vast improvements are made in human health, millions of people will be living longer, healthier lives than ever before. In these poorest regions of the world an estimated 11 million children, or about one in five, will not live to see their fifth birthday, primarily because of environment-related diseases. Child mortality is larger than the combined populations of Norway and Switzerland, and mostly due to malaria, acute respiratory infections or diarrhea — illnesses that are largely preventable.

Water deterioration

Picture
One major component of environmental degradation is the depletion of the resource of fresh water on Earth. Approximately only 2.5% of all of the water on Earth is fresh water, with the rest being salt water. 69% of the fresh water is frozen in ice caps located on Antarctica and Greenland, so only 30% of the 2.5% of fresh water is available for consumption.

Fresh water is an exceptionally important resource, since life on Earth is ultimately dependent on it. Water transports nutrients and chemicals within the biosphere to all forms of life, sustains both plants and animals, and molds the surface of the Earth with transportation and deposition of materials.

Picture
The current top three uses of fresh water account for 95% of its consumption; approximately 85% is used for irrigation of farmland, golf courses, and parks, 6% is used for domestic purposes such as indoor bathing uses and outdoor garden and lawn use, and 4% is used for industrial purposes such as processing, washing, and cooling in manufacturing centers.

It is estimated that one in three people over the entire globe are already facing water shortages, almost one-fifth of the world’s population live in areas of physical water scarcity, and almost one quarter of the world’s population live in a developing country that lacks the necessary infrastructure to use water from available rivers and aquifers.

Water scarcity is an increasing problem due to many foreseen issues in the future, including population growth, increased urbanization, higher standards of living, and climate change.

Picture
Water Shortage - Livestock require water for consumption but also for watering drops necessary for feed. Grains are often used to feed live stock about 50% of US grains produced does and 40% of world grains produced does as well. Grain and in general crop production requires various amounts of water, it takes 100,000 liters of water for a kilogram of grain fed beef, compared to wheat, which takes 900 liters.

Climate change and temperature

Picture
Climate change affects the Earth’s water supply in a large number of ways. It is predicted that the mean global temperature will rise in the coming years due to a number of forces affecting the climate, the amount of atmospheric CO2 will rise, and both of these will influence water resources; evaporation depends strongly on temperature and moisture availability, which can ultimately affect the amount of water available to replenish groundwater supplies.

Transpiration from plants can be affected by a rise in atmospheric CO2, which can decrease their use of water, but can also raise their use of water from possible increases of leaf area.


Temperature increase can decrease the length of the snow season in the winter and increase the intensity of snowmelt in warmer seasons, leading to peak runoff of snowmelt earlier in the season, affecting soil moisture, flood and drought risks, and storage capacities depending on the area.

Picture

Picture
Warmer winter temperatures cause a decrease in snowpack, which can result in diminished water resources during the summer. This is especially important at mid-latitudes and in mountain regions that depend on glacial runoff to replenish their river systems and groundwater supplies, making these areas increasingly vulnerable to water shortages over time; an increase in temperature will initially result in a rapid rise in water melting from glaciers in the summer, followed by a retreat in glaciers and a decrease in the melt and consequently the water supply every year as the size of these glaciers get smaller and smaller.

Thermal expansion of water and increased melting of oceanic glaciers from an increase in temperature gives way to a rise in sea level, which can affect the fresh water supply of coastal areas as well; as river mouths and deltas with higher salinity get pushed further inland, an intrusion of saltwater results in an increase of salinity in reservoirs and aquifers. Sea-level rise may also consequently be caused by a depletion of groundwater, as climate change can affect the hydrologic cycle in (water cycle) a number of ways. Uneven distributions of increased temperatures and increased precipitation around the globe results in water surpluses and deficits, but a global decrease in groundwater suggests a rise in sea level, even after meltwater and thermal expansion were accounted for, which can provide a positive feedback to the problems sea-level rise causes to fresh-water supply.

A rise in air temperature results in a rise in water temperature, which is also very significant in water degradation, as the water would become more susceptible to bacterial growth. An increase in water temperature can also affect ecosystems greatly because of a species’ sensitivity to temperature, and also by inducing changes in a body of water’s self-purification system from decreased amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water due to rises in temperature.


Picture


Climate change and precipitation

Picture
A rise in global temperatures is also predicted to correlate with an increase in global precipitation, but because of increased runoff, floods, increased rates of soil erosion, and mass movement of land, a decline in water quality is probable, while water will carry more nutrients, it will also carry more contaminants.

While most of the attention about climate change is directed towards global warming and greenhouse effect, some of the most severe effects of climate change are likely to be from changes in precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, and soil moisture. It is generally expected that, on average, global precipitation will increase, with some areas receiving increases and some decreases.

Picture
Climate models show that while some regions should expect an increase in precipitation, such as in the tropics and higher latitudes, other areas are expected to see a decrease, such as in the subtropics; this will ultimately cause a latitudinal variation in water distribution.

The areas receiving more precipitation are also expected to receive this increase during their winter and actually become drier during their summer, creating even more of a variation of precipitation distribution. Naturally, the distribution of precipitation across the planet is very uneven, causing constant variations in water availability in respective locations.

Changes in precipitation affect the timing and magnitude of floods and droughts, shift runoff processes, and alter groundwater recharge rates. Vegetation patterns and growth rates will be directly affected by shifts in precipitation amount and distribution, which will in turn affect agriculture as well as natural ecosystems.


Decreased precipitation will deprive areas of water, causing water tables to fall and reservoirs and wetlands, rivers, and lakes to empty, and possibly an increase in evaporation and evapotranspiration, depending on the accompanied rise in temperature. Groundwater reserves will be depleted, and the remaining water has a greater chance of being of poor quality from saline or contaminants on the land surface.

Picture

Population growth

Picture
The available fresh water being affected by climate is also being stretched across an ever-increasing global population. It is estimated that almost a quarter of the global population is living in an area that is using more than 20% of their renewable water supply; water use will rise with population while the water is also being aggravated by decreases in streamflow and groundwater caused by climate change.

Even though some areas may see an increase in freshwater supply from an uneven distribution of precipitation increase, an increased use of water supply is expected.

Picture
An increased population means increased withdrawals from the water supply for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses, the largest of these being agriculture, believed to be the major non-climate driver of environmental change and water deterioration. The next 50 years will likely be the last period of rapid agricultural expansion, but the larger and wealthier population over this time will demand more agriculture.

Population increase over the last two decades, at least in the United States, has also been accompanied by a shift to an increase in urban areas from rural areas, which concentrates the demand for water into certain areas, and puts stress on the fresh water supply from industrial and human contaminants.


Urbanization causes overcrowding and increasingly unsanitary living conditions, especially in developing countries, which in turn exposes an increasingly number of people to disease. About 79% of the world’s population is in developing countries, which lack access to sanitary water and sewer systems, giving rises to disease and deaths from contaminated water and increased numbers of disease-carrying insects.

Picture


Agriculture

Picture
Agriculture is dependent on available soil moisture, which is directly affected by climate dynamics, with precipitation being the input in this system and various processes being the output, such as evapotranspiration, surface runoff, drainage, and percolation into groundwater. Changes in climate, especially the changes in precipitation and evapotranspiration predicted by climate models, will directly affect soil moisture, surface runoff, and groundwater recharge.

In areas with decreasing precipitation as predicted by the climate models, soil moisture may be substantially reduced. With this in mind, agriculture in most areas needs irrigation already, which depletes fresh water supplies both by the physical use of the water and the degradation agriculture causes to the water. Irrigation increases salt and nutrient content in areas that wouldn’t normally be affected, and damages streams and rivers from damming and removal of water.


Picture
European Platform on Life Cycle Assessmen - CARBON FOOTPRINT - what it is and how to measure it.
The European Union and climate action.

Picture
Fertilizer enters both human and livestock waste streams that eventually enter groundwater, while nitrogen, phosphorus, and other chemicals from fertilizer can acidify both soils and water. Certain agricultural demands may increase more than others with an increasingly wealthier global population, and meat is one commodity expected to double global food demand by 2050, which directly affects the global supply of fresh water.

Cows need water to drink, more if the temperature is high and humidity is low, and more if the production system the cow is in is extensive, since finding food takes more effort. Water is needed in processing of the meat, and also in the production of feed for the livestock. Manure can contaminate bodies of freshwater, and slaughterhouses, depending on how well they are managed, contribute waste such as blood, fat, hair, and other bodily contents to supplies of fresh water.

Picture
The transfer of water from agricultural to urban and suburban use raises concerns about agricultural sustainability, rural socioeconomic decline, food security, an increased carbon footprint from imported food, and decreased foreign trade balance.

The depletion of fresh water, as applied to more specific and populated areas, increases fresh water scarcity among the population and also makes populations susceptible to economic, social, and political conflict in a number of ways; rising sea levels forces migration from coastal areas to other areas farther inland, pushing populations closer together breaching borders and other geographical patterns, and agricultural surpluses and deficits from the availability of water induce trade problems and economies of certain areas. Climate change is an important cause of involuntary migration and forced displacement

Picture
Picture
In modern developed countries, many take for granted that clean drinking water will automatically flow from taps - in inexhaustible quantities. But in many countries is clean freshwater short supply, and many are forced to drink contaminated water.

Water management

Picture
The issue of the depletion of fresh water can be met by increased efforts in water management. While water management systems are often flexible, adaptation to new hydrologic conditions may be very costly. Preventative approaches are necessary to avoid high costs of inefficiency and the need for rehabilitation of water supplies, and innovations to decrease overall demand may be important in planning water sustainability.

Water supply systems, as they exist now, were based on the assumptions of the current climate, and built to accommodate existing river flows and flood frequencies. Reservoirs are operated based on past hydrologic records, and irrigation systems on historical temperature, water availability, and crop water requirements; these may not be a reliable guide to the future.


Re-examining engineering designs, operations, optimizations, and planning, as well as re-evaluating legal, technical, and economic approaches to manage water resources are very important for the future of water management in response to water degradation. Another approach is water privatization; despite its economic and cultural effects, service quality and overall quality of the water can be more easily controlled and distributed. Rationality and sustainability is appropriate, and requires limits to overexploitation and pollution, and efforts in conservation.

Source: Environmental degradation

Picture
The giant and controversial Three Gorges Dam in China - Daily Mail


ESDAW® is not responsible for the content of external sites.