The environmental problems which concern the Mankind.
I’m going to speak about some kinds of pollution, for example air
pollution or acid rain, water pollution. Now different kinds of trees, many
of the animals, birds, fish are in serious danger. What should government
do to stop the polluting, nowadays?
First of all I would like to speak about water pollution There is no
ocean or sea which is not used as a dump. Many rivers and lakes are
poisoned, too. Fish and reptiles can’t live in them. There is not enough
oxygen in the water. It happens so because factories and plants produce a
lot of waste and pour it into rivers. In the 1970s, many of the elm trees
in Europe were killed by Dutch elm disease. Now an even greater danger is
threatening the woods and forests of Europe. This new danger attacks all
trees – deciduous trees like oak, beech, birch as well as coniferous trees
like fir and pine. First the branches turn yellow and brown. Then the
tree’s needles or leaves fall. The roots and the trunk shrink. Finally the
tree die. But what is killing the trees. Nobody knows exactly but it is
probably air pollution or acid rain. Factories, power stations, cars emit
tons of smoke into the air. This smoke contains sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide. These substances mix with water vapour in the atmosphere and form
sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Sunlight turns these acids into the
poisonous oxidants which fall in rain or snow onto the trees. Unfortunately
acid rain doesn’t always fall on the countries which produce the pollution.
The wind carries the poisonous substances from one country to another. In
some parts of the world trees are threatened by people. The great rain
forests of Asia or South America are being destroyed for firewood and
building material. Trees are important because they provide home for many
other plants and animals. They provide food for insects, reptiles, birds
and mammals. They protect the soil from the wind and rain. It may be that
the medicines we need will be discovered in wild plants in savannas,
deserts or rainforests. Most important of all Trees are the lungs of the
planet. If the trees die, we will too. Animals and birds are in danger too.
Many of the animals are now extinct. The reason is a Man that killed
animals and destroys their habitats. We used a lot of electricity. Our
house is full of electrical appliances. Using electricity doesn’t cause the
pollution, but making it does. There are many way to make electricity. For
example, Nuclear Power Stations, HydroElectric Power Stations, Fossil Fuel
Power Stations and some alternative means of energy like windmills and
solar mirrors. They all have there advantages and disadvantages. Nuclear
Power Station doesn’t cause any pollution and it is very effective, but It
has to be build and looked after very well, the used fuel needs to be
stored very carefully and it still give out the radiation. Hydroelectric
Power Station also doesn’t cause any pollution and there is no fuel to pay
for. But dams can cause flooding, it is expensive to build because it
should be build up to very high standards. Fossil Fuel Power Station is
cheap and the world has large stocks of fuel. It causes acid rain and a
global warming effect. Alternative means of energy don’t cause any
pollution, they are cheap and there is no fuel to pay for. But now they are
not effective enough and are very noisy. To produce much electricity you
need to build a lot of them – it’s expensive. We need to choose cheap
electricity and polluting the environment and expensive electricity but
healthy life and clean environment. But what government can do with it? I
think government can stop producing nuclear and chimic weapon, allocate
more money to various environmental projects, use organic fertilizer,
install purifying systems, plant and grow trees bushes and other greenery.
Mass media should atrach people’s attention to environmental problems.
Everything I have already spoken about it is only a small part of
nowadays polluting the environment. Everyone should remembers when he kills
a plant or animal he kills a part of himself because everything in the
world is interconnected. And people should to protect the nature but not to
kill it.