The nature of our planet is very diverse and inhabited by unique species of plants, animals, birds and microorganisms. All this diversity is closely interconnected and allows our planet to preserve and maintain a unique balance between various life forms.
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Human impact on the environment
From the very first days of the appearance of man, he began to influence the environment. And with the invention of more and more new tools, human civilization has increased its impact to a truly enormous scale. And at the present time several important issues How does man influence nature? What human actions harm the soil that provides us with basic food? What is the influence of man on the atmosphere we breathe?
At present, the impact of man on the world around him not only contributes to the development of our civilization, but often leads to the fact that appearance The planet is undergoing significant changes: rivers are drained and dry up, forests are cut down, new cities and factories appear in place of the plains, mountains are destroyed for the sake of new transport routes.
With the rapid increase in the population of the Earth, humanity needs more and more food, and with the rapid growth of production technologies, the production capacities of our civilization are growing, requiring more and more resources for processing and consumption, the development of more and more new territories.
Cities are growing, capturing more and more new lands from nature and displacing their natural inhabitants from there: plants and animals.
This is interesting: in the chest?
Main reasons
Causes negative impact man to nature are:
All these factors have a significant and sometimes irreversible impact on the world around us. And more and more often a question arises before a person: what consequences will such an influence eventually lead to? Will we eventually turn our planet into a waterless desert, unsuitable for existence? How can a person minimize Negative consequences its influence on the world? The inconsistency of human impact on the natural environment in our time is becoming a subject of discussion at the international level.
Negative and controversial factors
In addition to the obvious positive influence of man on surrounding nature, there are significant disadvantages of such interaction:
- Destruction of large areas of forests by cutting them out. This influence is connected, first of all, with the development of the transport industry - a person needs more and more new highways. In addition, wood is actively used in the paper industry and other industries.
- wide application of chemical fertilizers in agriculture actively contributes to the rapid contamination of the soil.
- Widely developed network of industrial productions with its own emissions harmful substances into the atmosphere and water not only cause pollution environment but also contribute to the death of entire species of fish, birds and plants.
- Rapidly growing cities and industrial centers significantly affect the change in the external living conditions of animals, the reduction of their natural habitat and the reduction of the populations of various species themselves.
Also, one cannot ignore man-made disasters that can cause irreversible harm not just to a separate species of flora or fauna, but to entire regions of the planet. For example, after the famous accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, to date, a large region of Ukraine is uninhabitable. The level of radiation in this area exceeds the maximum permissible norms by dozens of times.
Also, a leak of contaminated water from the reactor of a nuclear power plant in the city of Fukushima could lead to ecological disaster on a global scale. The damage that this heavy contaminated water could do ecological system world ocean, would be simply irreplaceable.
And the construction of conventional hydroelectric power plants does no less harm to the environment. Indeed, for their construction it is necessary to build a dam and flood a large area of adjacent fields and forests. As a result of such human activity, not only the river and adjacent territories suffer, but also animal world living in these areas.
In addition, many mindlessly throw away garbage, polluting not only the soil, but also the waters of the oceans with their waste products. After all, light debris does not sink and remains on the surface of the water. And given that the decomposition period of some types of plastic is more than a dozen years, such floating "dirt islands" make it much more difficult to obtain oxygen and sunlight sea and river inhabitants. Therefore, entire populations of fish and animals have to migrate in search of new, more habitable territories. And many of them die in the process of searching.
Deforestation on the slopes of mountains makes them susceptible to erosion, as a result, the soil becomes loose, which can lead to destruction of the mountain range.
Yes, and to vital supplies fresh water people are negligent - daily polluting freshwater rivers with sewage and industrial waste.
Of course, the existence of a person on the planet brings her considerable benefits. In particular, it is people who take action to improve environmental situation in the environment. On the territory of many countries, people organize nature reserves, parks and reserves, which allow not only to preserve the surrounding nature in its natural original form, but also contribute to the preservation and increase in the populations of rare and endangered species of animals and birds.
Special laws have been created to protect rare representatives of the nature around us from destruction. There are special services, funds and centers that fight against the destruction of animals and birds. Specialized associations of ecologists are also being created, the task of which is to fight for the reduction of emissions into the atmosphere that are harmful to the environment.
Security organizations
One of the most famous organizations fighting for the conservation of nature is Greenpease is an international organization created to save the environment for our descendants. The employees of Greenpease set themselves several main tasks:
- The fight against pollution of the world's oceans.
- Significant restriction on whaling.
- Reducing the scale of deforestation of the taiga in Siberia and much more.
With the development of civilization, humanity must look for alternative sources of energy: solar or space, to save life on Earth. Also great importance to preserve the nature around us, they have the construction of new canals and artificial water systems aimed at maintaining soil fertility. And to keep the air clean, many factories install specially designed filters to reduce the amount of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere.
Such reasonable and careful attitude to the world around us definitely has a positive impact on nature.
Every day, the positive impact of man on nature is increasing, and this cannot but affect the ecology of our entire planet. Therefore, the struggle of man for the preservation of rare species of flora and fauna, the preservation of rare species of plants is so important.
Mankind has no right to violate the natural balance and lead to the depletion of natural resources by its activities. To do this, it is necessary to control the extraction of minerals, carefully monitor and carefully treat the fresh water reserves on our planet. And it is very important to remember that it is we who are responsible for the world around us and it depends on us how our children and grandchildren will live!
Now in Lately I am more and more concerned about the question of whether we are handling what nature gives us correctly, because everything is very deplorable in the countries of Europe and the 3rd world, despite all the glamor and splendor Everyday life. Few people are now really attracted to the idea of \u200b\u200bpreserving nature and. Everyone is trying to fill their pockets with more money, no matter how they get it.
Let's take a look at some of the countries where Natural resources on the brink of extinction.
Kenya: Lake Naivasha. Not far from it are greenhouses of flowers. They occupy a huge territory, the flowers are sprayed with pesticides every day, which pollutes the lake very much, but people have jobs, of course poorly paid, but still there! From here, flowers are transported throughout Europe for a distance of about 6,000 km. Nairobi has the largest slum block in the world, people here survive in disgusting conditions.
Chinese people's republic : 2 thermal power plants are launched every week, which consume coal as fuel. It is because of this that China firmly ranks first in the world in terms of the amount of gas released into the atmosphere, which destroys the ozone layer.
The population in China is the largest in the world. And therefore, it is not surprising that the city with the largest number of people living in it is also in China, this is Chongqing. Population - 34 million inhabitants.
IN South Korea There is one of the largest shipyards in the world. The economy of the state is developing rapidly. Wealth comes at the price of pollution. Seoul is a city in South Korea- the most polluted in the world.
Nepal: it has been proven that the air around the peaks of the Himalayan range is as dirty as in our cities. Why? The fact is that the flows of atmospheric air are delayed by the mountains. Scientists believe that by 2035 most of the glaciers of the Himalayas may disappear, and yet they are the main source of water for large rivers in Asia.
India: in the 60s, the country intensively developed Agriculture which led to the depletion of groundwater. When wells begin to dry up, women dig reservoirs with improvised means to collect rainwater! Mumbai has become one of the largest cities in the world with a thriving stock exchange. more and more money and people, and less and less water ...
Indonesia: local tree species are being replaced by palm crops, they provide oil, it is already part of many products around the world. This is far from a useful product. In many rivers in Indonesia, the water has turned red-brown, because there are almost no trees in the mountains, and the earth is crumbling.
Thailand: Thangga Bay, near Phuket. Mangrove trees are disappearing, thanks to which there are many fish and shrimp. But the emerging shrimp industry, the shrimp business, has greatly contributed to the disappearance of mangrove trees. The thing is that for the growth of shrimp, the reservoirs in which they are bred must be constantly saturated with antibiotics, which have a deadly effect on trees. But on the other hand, on all the beaches where tourists rest, there are shrimp!
USA: mighty military power, the largest consumer on the planet. In America, everything is tied to oil. Basically, all cattle farms exist only thanks to oil. Modern methods animal husbandry are terrible because the by-product is a large number of poison gases - more than from all Vehicle taken together. 60% of the entire grain harvest goes to feed animals, so those who value natural resources convince us.
Nigeria: oil again. Here it is mined from underground. Nigeria ranks first in oil production in Africa, however, this country is one of the poorest on the planet. All the wealth of the country is being exported, and the locals are dying of poverty, there is a constant guerrilla war going on here.
Incredible Facts
It's lunchtime, but there's no food at home, so you get behind the wheel and drive to the nearest grocery store.
You walk among the stalls in the hope of buying something. In the end, you choose a chicken and a ready-made salad and return home to enjoy your meal.
Consider how a seemingly harmless trip to the store has affected the environment.
First, driving a car contributed to carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The electricity in the store is nothing but the result of burning coal, the mining of which has devastated the Appalachian ecosystem.
The salad ingredients were farm-grown and treated with pesticides, which then ended up in water streams, poisoning fish and aquatic plants (which help keep the air clean).
The chicken was raised on a remote poultry farm, where animal waste releases large amounts of toxic methane into the atmosphere. When delivering goods to the store, many modes of transport were involved, each of which caused its own harm to the environment.
Even the smallest human actions initiate changes in the environment. How we heat our homes, power our electrical appliances, what we do with our trash, and where our food comes from all have a huge impact on the environment.
Considering the problem at the public level, it can be noted that human behavior significantly affected the environment. The temperature of the earth has increased by one degree Fahrenheit since 1975. polar ice decreased by 9 percent in just one decade.
We have caused enormous damage to the planet, much more than you can imagine. Construction, irrigation, mining significantly spoils the natural landscape and disrupts important ecological processes. Aggressive fishing and hunting can deplete species stocks, and human migration can introduce alien species into established food chains. Greed leads to catastrophic accidents, and laziness leads to destructive practices.
10. Public projects
Sometimes public works projects don't really work for the benefit of the public. Designed to generate clean energy, for example, dam projects in China have devastated everything around them, flooding cities and environmental waste sites, greatly increasing the risk of natural disasters.
In 2007, China completed 20 years of construction on the world's largest hydroelectric dam, the Three Gorges Dam. During this project, more than 1.2 million people had to leave their usual habitats, as 13 major cities, 140 ordinary cities and 1350 villages. Hundreds of factories, mines, dumps and industrial centers were also flooded, plus the main reservoirs were heavily polluted. The project has changed the ecosystem of the Yangtze River, turning the once-mighty river into a stagnant basin, thereby destroying the local flora and fauna to a greater extent.
Redirected rivers also greatly increase the risk of landslides along banks that are home to hundreds of thousands of people. Nearly half a million people along the river are projected to be relocated by 2020 as landslides are imminent and the ecosystem continues to deplete.
Scientists have recently linked dam building to earthquakes. The Three Gorges Reservoir was built on top of two major fault lines, with hundreds of small shocks occurring since its discovery. Scientists have suggested that the catastrophic 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan province, which killed 8,000 people, was also caused by the accumulation of water in the area of the dam, located less than half a mile from the center of the start of the tremors. The phenomenon of dams causing earthquakes is due to water pressure building up under the reservoir, which in turn increases pressure in rocks and acts as a softener for fault lines that are already under stress.
9. Overfishing
"There are a lot of fish in the sea" is no longer a completely reliable statement. Humanity's appetite for seafood has devastated our oceans to the point where experts fear the ability of many species to repopulate on their own.
According to the World Wildlife Federation, the global fish catch exceeds the allowable rate by 2.5 times. More than half of the world's fish stocks and species are already depleted, and one quarter of the species is over-depleted. Ninety percent of large fish species - tuna, swordfish, cod, halibut, flounder, marlin - have lost their natural habitat. According to forecasts, if the situation does not change, then by 2048 the stocks of these fish will disappear.
It is worth noting that the main culprit of what is happening are advances in fishing technology. Most commercial fishing boats today are equipped with fishfinder sonar. Once they find the right spot, the fishermen release huge nets, the size of three football fields, that can sweep up all the fish in a matter of minutes. Thus, with this approach, fish populations can be reduced by 80 percent in 10-15 years.
8. Invasive Species
Man throughout the era of the founding of the world was himself a distributor of invasive species. Even though it may seem to you that your favorite pet or plant feels much better in a new place, in fact, the natural balance is disturbed. Invasive flora and fauna have been proven to be the most destructive thing humanity has done to the environment.
In the United States, 400 out of 958 species are listed in the Red List because they are considered to be at risk due to competition with invasive alien species.
Invasive species problems mostly affect invertebrates. For example, in the first half of the 20th century, an Asian fungus destroyed more than 180 million acres of American chestnut trees. As a result, more than 10 species dependent on chestnuts have become extinct.
7. Coal mining
The biggest danger posed by coal mining is climate change, but it also threatens local ecosystems.
Market realities pose a serious threat to coal mining, especially in the United States. Coal is a cheap source of energy - one megawatt of energy produced with coal costs $20-30, as opposed to one megawatt produced with natural gas - $45-60. Moreover, one quarter of the world's coal reserves are located in the United States.
Two of the most destructive forms of the coal mining industry are the extraction of coal from the tops of mountains and the use of gas. In the first case, the miners can "cut down" more than 305 meters of a mountain peak in order to get to the coal deposit. Extraction with the help of gas occurs when coal is closer to the surface of the mountain. In this case, all the "inhabitants" of the mountain (trees and any other creatures living in them) are exterminated to extract valuable minerals.
Each practice of this kind creates a large amount of waste in its path. Extensive damaged and old forest areas are being dumped into nearby valleys. In the United States alone, it is estimated that more than 121,405 hectares of hardwood forests have been destroyed by coal mining in West Virginia. By 2012, it is said that 5,180 square kilometers of Appalachian forest will cease to exist.
The question of what to do with this kind of "waste" is still open. Usually, mining companies simply dump unwanted trees, dead wild animals, etc. into the nearby valleys, which in turn not only destroys natural ecosystems, but also has an impact on the drying up of large rivers. Industrial waste from mines finds shelter in riverbeds.
6. Human disasters
Although most of the ways in which man harms the environment develop over a period of years, some events may occur in an instant, but this instant will have far-reaching consequences.
In 1989, the oil spill in Prince Williams Bay, Alaska, had the most serious consequences. Then there was a spill of about 11 million gallons of crude oil, as a result of this accident, more than 25,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 seals, 250 eagles, about 22 killer whales, as well as billions of salmon and herring, died. At least two species, the Pacific herring and the murre dove, did not recover from the disaster.
It is still too early to assess the damage to wildlife from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but the scale of the disaster is unlike anything seen before in American history. Over the course of several days, more than 9.5 million liters of oil were seeping into the bay daily, the largest spill in American history. By most estimates, wildlife damage is still lower than the 1989 spill due to lower species densities. However, despite this, there is no doubt that the damage from the spill will persist for many years to come.
5. Cars
America has long been considered the land of cars, so it's no surprise that one-fifth of all US greenhouse gas emissions come from cars. There are 232 million cars on the roads of this country, very few of which are powered by electricity, and the average car consumes about 2271 liters of gasoline annually.
One car emits about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the form of exhaust gases. In order to purify the air of these impurities, 240 trees will be needed. In America, cars emit about the same amount of carbon dioxide as coal-burning factories.
The combustion process that takes place in a car engine produces fine particles of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide. In large quantities, these chemicals can harm the performance respiratory system person, causing coughing and choking. Cars also generate carbon monoxide - poisonous gas, formed when fossil fuels are burned, which blocks the transport of oxygen to the brain, heart, and other vital organs.
At the same time, the extraction of oil, which is necessary to create fuel and oil for the movement of the car, in turn, also has a serious impact on the environment. Land drilling is crowding out native species, while offshore drilling and subsequent transportation has created an unthinkable amount of problems over the years, as more than 40 million gallons of oil have been spilled worldwide since 1978.
4. Unsustainable agriculture
In all the ways that humanity harms the environment, there is one common trend: we are not able to plan for the future. But nowhere is this more evident than in our method of growing our own food.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, real farming practices are responsible for 70 percent of the pollution in the country's rivers and streams. drains chemical substances, polluted soil, animal waste, all of this ends up in waterways, of which more than 173,000 miles are already in a deplorable state. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides increase nitrogen levels and decrease oxygen levels in water.
Pesticides used to protect crops from being eaten by predators threaten the survival of some bird and insect species. For example, the number of bee colonies on US farmland fell from 4.4 million in 1985 to less than 2 million in 1997. When exposed to pesticides, the immune system of bees weakens, making them more vulnerable to the enemy.
Large-scale industrial agriculture also contributes to the process of global warming. The vast majority of meat products in the world are produced on industrial farms. On any farm, tens of thousands of cattle are concentrated in small areas in order to save space. Among other things, the destruction of untreated animal waste releases harmful gases, including methane, which, in turn, has a significant impact on the global warming process.
3. Deforestation
There were times when most of the earth on the planet was covered with forests. Today, forests are disappearing before our eyes. According to the United Nations, 32 million acres of forests are lost every year, including 14,800 acres of virgin forests, that is, land that is not occupied or affected by human activity. Seventy percent of the planet's animals and plants live in forests, and, accordingly, having lost their home, they themselves will face the threat of extinction as a species.
The problem is particularly acute in tropical forests with a humid climate. Such forests cover 7 percent of the land area and provide a home for about half of all species on the planet. At the current rate of deforestation, scientists estimate that the rainforest will be wiped off the face of the earth in about 100 years.
Deforestation also contributes global warming. Trees absorb greenhouse gases, so fewer trees means emissions more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. They also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapor to the atmosphere. Without trees, forests will quickly turn into barren deserts, leading to even more severe fluctuations in global temperatures. When forests burn, trees release carbon into the atmosphere, which also contributes to the problem of global warming. Scientists have calculated that the trees of the Amazon forest have processed the amount of greenhouse gases equivalent to 10 years of human activity.
Poverty is one of the main causes of deforestation. Most rainforests are in Third World countries, and politicians there are regularly stimulating economic development weak regions. Thus, lumberjacks and farmers are slowly but surely doing their job. In most cases, deforestation occurs due to the need to create a farm site. The farmer usually burns trees and vegetation in order to obtain ash, which can then be used as fertilizer. This process is called slash-and-burn agriculture. Among other things, the risk of soil erosion and flooding increases as, over the years, the nutrients from the soil evaporate, and the land is often unable to support the planted crops for which the trees were cut down.
2. Global warming
The average surface temperature of the Earth has increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 130 years. Ice caps are melting at an alarming rate - since 1979 more than 20 percent of the world's ice has disappeared. Sea levels are rising, causing flooding, and having a significant impact on catastrophic natural disasters occurring worldwide with increasing frequency.
Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect, in which some gases channel the heat received from the sun back into the atmosphere. Since 1990, annual greenhouse gas emissions have increased by about 6 billion tons worldwide, or 20 percent.
The gas most responsible for global warming is carbon dioxide, which accounts for 82 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide is produced by burning fossil fuels, mainly by driving cars and by feeding factories and factories with coal. Five years ago, global atmospheric concentrations of gases were already 35 percent higher than before the industrial revolution.
Global warming can lead to the development of natural disasters, large-scale food and water shortages, and devastating effects on wildlife. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, sea levels could rise by 17.8 - 58.4 cm by the end of the century. And since most of the world's population lives in coastal areas, this is a very big danger for both people and ecosystems .
1. Overpopulation
"Overpopulation is 'the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about,'" says Dr John Guillebaud, professor of family planning and reproductive health at University College London. reduce the population, nature will do it for us through violence, epidemics and famine," he adds.
Over the past 40 years, the world's population has grown from 3 billion to 6.7 billion. 75 million people (equivalent to the population of Germany) are added annually, or more than 200,000 daily. According to forecasts, by 2050 the world population will exceed 9 billion people.
More people means more waste, more demand for food, more production of consumer goods, more need for electricity, cars, and so on. In other words, all the factors that contribute to global warming will only get worse.
Increasing demand for food will force farmers and fishermen to do more harm to already fragile ecosystems. The forests will be removed almost entirely as cities continue to expand and new areas for farmland will be needed. The list of endangered species is getting longer. In rapidly developing countries such as India and China, increased energy consumption is expected to increase carbon emissions. In short, the more people, the more problems.
A couple of centuries ago, man still remained a part of nature and lived in harmony with it, because the main population lived in. And villagers have always perceived themselves as part of the world around them. Hunters killed the beast when it was necessary to get meat for food and skins for clothes. Animals have never been killed for fun. The land was treated with respect and care, because it is the main breadwinner. There were no factories in the villages, no forests were cut down, no toxic waste was dumped into the rivers. But environmental problems on the planet did not begin suddenly and not yesterday. Remember the whales, which were almost all exterminated due to the fact that the Europeans needed materials to make corsets. And without them, not a single self-respecting woman left the house. Yes, and the vast majority of men had a noble posture, not because of strong, trained muscles, but thanks to the same corsets. And what did gentle and brave young ladies in rainy London or hot Madrid care about some distant and unknown whales? Over the past centuries, the population has increased dramatically. Cities with millions of people have grown. Increased hundreds or even thousands of times industrial production. Forests are destroyed, animals, water in rivers and lakes are polluted, in order to breathe clean air, the townspeople have to travel far outside the city. This is a retribution for the blessings of civilization. Who wants to grow bread today, bake in winter, walk tens of kilometers and sew clothes yourself? There are eccentrics who build eco-villages and try to lead an almost primitive communal system. But how many of them compared to the rest of the world's population? People want to live in comfort, and therefore turn a blind eye to many things. Life is already full of stress to think seriously about ozone holes. Who really cares about the problems of extinction of some animals in the Ussuri taiga or the death Aral Sea? Here you need to pay off the money for the mortgage faster and change the tires on the car. What kind of tigers or whales are there? Not up to them. And the official, sitting in a huge office on the top floor of a building made of stone and concrete, and giving orders to cut down several hectares of forest, does not consider himself a criminal and a destroyer of nature. He has not seen this forest and never will. What difference does it make to him that several species of animals will die there, because their natural habitat will be destroyed. But a personal bank account is close and understandable. And such people are not monsters with hooves and tails. No, these are often loving fathers of the family and witty interlocutors. Most likely, they have a beloved dog with whom they like to run in the morning or an affectionate cat. And they love animals in general. But they love themselves and their comfort more. No matter how a person breaks away from nature, he still remains a part of it. By destroying nature, humanity is slowly and systematically destroying itself. People suffer from diseases that few people knew about 50 years ago. Allergies, stress and phobias have become a real scourge modern society. What will happen next? Nobody can predict. One thing is clear - you need to change your attitude to the world around you. If it's not too late.
The AiF project "Explaining What's Happening" is dedicated to clarifying simple and at the same time complex issues about the life of Voronezh residents in society. The project is being implemented within the framework of the program “Improving media coverage of the problems of socially oriented NGOs and social (charitable) projects of representatives of the real sector of the economy (including support for NGOs)”.
From April 15 to June 5, All-Russian days of protection from environmental hazards are held. The correspondent of the AiF spoke with Victoria Labzukova, head of the department of activities in the field of ecology and nature management of the Regional Public Organization "Center for Environmental Policy", and learned shocking facts. An average family generates an average of 1.5 kg of garbage per day, about 10 kg per week and 40 kg per month. Now remember the arithmetic and multiply this figure by the number of families living in your high-rise building. And then on the number of high-rise buildings in the city. And then on the number of cities on the planet ...
Victoria Labzukova spoke about the Center's project - environmental classes "Lesson of Water", "Lesson of Cleanliness", " Ecological problems cities” - shared how communication with schoolchildren can help the environment in the future.
trash can pest
“Throwing another plastic bottle or piece of paper into the trash, few people think, but where does it end up? When you look at photographs of huge landfills for the disposal of household waste, you begin to come to a simple thought. If we do not collect waste separately, the number of landfills will increase, - says Victoria Labzukova. - Why not donate paper and plastic bottle separately? Plastic takes about 200 years to decompose, although it is possible that a bottle will not decompose during this period. Who knows? Anything that can be handed in separately must be handed over. Another problem is used batteries and mercury lamps, which many residents throw away with household waste. But these wastes are considered hazardous and cause irreparable harm to the environment, ending up at a waste disposal site.”
When he removed it himself, the next time you think about whether to throw a piece of paper or not. Photo: Center for Environmental Policy
- How to properly handle household waste?
In our opinion, one of the most competent ways of waste management is their separate collection. IN major cities it’s easier with this - there are points that deal with the reception of recyclables. You can donate glass, cardboard, waste paper, textiles, plastic bottles, polyethylene. It is desirable that such points be within walking distance for any resident of our city and region.
What to do if you don't live in regional center Do you want to dispose of waste separately?
We do everything in our power. Traveling to the regions Voronezh region, we agree with the heads of municipalities on holding a campaign to collect secondary material resources. In advance, the participants of the action - the population, educational establishments, business entities - begin to collect waste paper, plastic bottles. On the day of the action, all waste collected separately is transferred to specialized organizations. For this purpose, such organizations specially go to the area on the day of the action. During the action, waste batteries are also collected - batteries, accumulators from mobile devices.
- What happens to the batteries that we sell at promotions?
Collected waste batteries are transferred for disposal. The only plant in Russia that recycles used batteries is located in Chelyabinsk. Few people know that you have to pay money for the disposal of batteries. Last year, the cost of this service was 110 rubles per 1 kg of batteries. In 2015, together with the Department of Ecology, a collection of used batteries was organized. For this, containers for collecting batteries were installed in all district administrations, as well as in universities, schools, and libraries. About 500 kg of batteries were collected. In carrying out the campaign, we were supported by partner organizations that paid for the transfer of batteries for disposal.
If you think that building near your home, dumping or cutting down trees is illegal, you can contact the Center for Environmental Policy for help.
- What to do with waste mercury lamps?
By decree of the Voronezh administration, companies that manage apartment buildings must accept used mercury lamps from residents of these buildings. You can take your used light bulb to your management company or homeowners association. There is, however, one requirement - the light bulb must be in the package so that it does not break. And management companies must transfer waste mercury lamps to specialized organizations licensed to collect this type of waste. If your management company has refused you, you can report this to the administration of the city district of Voronezh or contact us.
If you live in the private sector, the mercury bulb must be transferred directly to a specialized organization. The problem is that such organizations, as a rule, are located in the industrial zone, where it is not very convenient to get to. But if you throw away a mercury bulb with household waste, it will go to a landfill. During the burial process, the light bulb is likely to break, thereby the mercury compounds will enter the soil and water, causing great harm to nature.
Children's lessons for adults
Schoolchildren are taught rational environmental management and waste management rules. Photo: Center for Environmental Policy
- Is it possible to develop this habit in society - to think about what you throw away?
Every person must start with himself. Now each of us can, for example, stop using plastic bags and use paper or buy cloth bags. Paper bags can be handed over with waste paper, and fabric bags last much longer than a regular bag.
Automatic machines for receiving plastic and aluminum containers have long appeared in Moscow. Perhaps we will have them too. Solving issues in the waste management system requires an integrated approach, and here we cannot do without the support of our government. Now the legislation in the field of waste management is changing a lot. Soon, I hope, we will come to a more civilized approach. For our part, our organization is doing a lot of educational work in this direction.
- How can you tell the whole city about the ecological lifestyle?
The Center for Environmental Policy organizes and conducts various environmental events and actions, both in the city and in the region. For example, timed to coincide with significant environmental dates - Water Day, Earth Day, Bird Day, Forest Day, etc. We invite people to participate different ages, but most of the activities are aimed at working with the younger generation. We conduct environmental lessons "Lesson of Water", "Lesson of Cleanliness", "Ecological problems of the city". All meetings are held in an interesting game form. Children learn rational nature management, waste management rules, rules of behavior in nature. We also organize excursions for school students to enterprises that collect secondary material resources.
- Why do you focus on the lessons for children?
It is easier to communicate with children, they perceive new information with interest and try to apply the acquired knowledge in everyday life. Children tell their parents and relatives about what they learned during the classes. Again, students who take part in subbotniks develop a more careful attitude towards nature. When he removed it himself, the next time you think about whether to throw a piece of paper or not. Yes, and relatives will have the thought: “My child cleaned here, I won’t litter here.”
eco-active lifestyle
Taking care of the environment is easy - you can not use plastic bags or start making birdhouses. Photo: Center for Environmental Policy
- Where do you go if you want to become an eco-activist?
There are initiative groups of citizens and movements that are not indifferent to environmental issues. They create their own pages in various social networks, for example, VKontakte, and inform about their events there. The Center for Environmental Policy is ready to share its experience. We have prepared presentations, handouts. We need volunteers who could carry out the environmental events we have developed.
And there are people who, without waiting for help, are trying to do something themselves in order to improve the environmental situation. So, in Voronezh, an active group of citizens appeared who bought containers for collecting plastic bottles and installed them in the courtyards of apartment buildings. The containers were labeled with phone numbers to call when they were full. This initiative has found a great response from the townspeople, calls are received several times a day. From this we can conclude that Voronezh residents are ready to collect waste separately. Such initiatives, of course, must be supported by the government of our region.
- What to do if you notice illegal dumping or felling of trees?
You see some kind of violation. For example, you think that construction near your house is illegal, or you find a garbage dump, or you notice that work is underway to cut down trees. You can contact our organization, call by phone, write to e-mail or leave information in the VKontakte group. To do this, you must indicate the exact address where, in your opinion, an environmental violation occurs, leave your coordinates, it is advisable to record the fact of the violation and send it to us. It happens that they call anonymously, report that something is happening somewhere and hang up. It is important to leave your contacts so that we have the opportunity to contact and clarify the necessary information. In turn, we send an appeal to the executive authorities, whose competence includes resolving these issues.
If you need to cut down trees in the city, you can contact the environmental department directly. There you will be answered whether there is a permit for felling or not. If there is no permission, the necessary measures will be taken to prevent this fact.
Our organization cooperates with social movements, initiative groups of citizens who are not indifferent to the problems associated with environmental protection, and we also actively cooperate with the authorities to solve these problems.
