We are increasingly aware of the fact that we only have one planet and we have to take care of it. Therefore, we show you what are the main environmental problems in the world .
1. Global warming due to human action
This is one of the main environmental problems, because it affects everyone in a very important way .
Sudden changes in climate, melting ice caps and rising ocean levels, invasive species of flora and fauna… The entire planet is affected by climate change, sometimes in ways we don’t expect.
This climate change caused by human action comes from the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere , which trap more heat from the sun than normal and increase the temperature. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is the main gas of this type, but it is not the only one.
These gases are emitted especially in some activities, such as the generation of electricity from non-renewable sources, travel by plane or car and, in general, in many construction or manufacturing activities.
What can we do to help
Some of the main activities to fight against climate change are:
- Choose for our homes and businesses companies that generate renewable electricity .
- A rational use of the car , the plane and choosing less polluting means, such as trains and public transport.
- Walk more and take the bike.
- Don’t buy unnecessary things.
2. Air pollution
Especially in cities, where more and more people live, air quality has dropped and it is estimated that up to 5 million deaths a year in the world are derived from this pollution . In fact, it is already considered the biggest risk factor today.
In addition, air pollution causes all kinds of ailments and increases the incidence and severity of asthma, respiratory, cardiac, neurological difficulties, etc.
What can we do to help
Especially if we live in cities and more polluted areas, we must raise awareness to:
Walk, ride a bike or scooter whenever we can.
Use public transport more often, reducing the use of private cars.
Support the environmental policies and projects that are proposed.
3. Deforestation
Currently, the forests and jungles of the world are reduced by no less than 20 football fields a day.
This deforestation causes many problems, because it changes the entire ecosystem. Animal species are forced to migrate or become extinct, the climate is changing and weather events are becoming more extreme.
Forests are the base of our ecosystem and their disappearance is a great threat.
What can we do to help
- Support organizations that work for the conservation and reforestation of forests and jungles.
- Support policies and actions aimed at the preservation of natural spaces, rejecting those that claim otherwise.
- As much as possible, use less paper and choose recycled.
- Consume responsibly, only what is necessary and, where possible, recycled as well.
- Do not consume products that promote monoculture at the expense of cutting down forests, such as palm oil.
4. The loss of biodiversity and the accelerated extinction of species
We are not only deforesting the planet, we are also producing an extinction of many species, plants and animals . In fact, books like The Sixth Extinction show how human action is about to cause a massive and rapid disappearance that will have terrible consequences.
In addition, biodiversity is necessary and, if this balance is broken, there are also more unknown consequences. For example, a higher probability of pandemics .
What can we do to help
Once again, we must remember that we can have a lot of influence on these issues, not only with our individual action and supporting initiatives in favor of solving these problems, but also by “voting” with our pocket.
If we choose respectful products, companies that are not will take note and will be forced to change. In addition to that, the activities that we usually recommend at Enérgya-VM usually have an impact on more than one problem at the same time. This means that we can take care of biodiversity in some of these ways:
- Choosing sustainably grown or produced food.
- Applying the Circular Economy that we have explained to you once, based on Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
- The rest of the activities we are looking at in this article.
5. Plastic pollution
Within the problem of pollution, plastic has a place of its own, because we manufacture it and use it so much that we drown in it.
Our oceans are full, there are real ” islands of plastic “, it is ingested by marine species and it reaches our table. In addition to that there is also a lot of waste on land that will take centuries to disappear.
What can we do to help
Of course, reduce the consumption of plastic. This implies:
Choose reusable and recyclable containers , such as glass or paper.
Buy products in bulk and reject those that are heavily packaged.
Write to companies or contact them through social networks, so that they apply plastic reduction policies.
These are the main environmental problems in the world and, unfortunately, they are not the only ones, although they are the most important. However, we can do a lot to solve them. Every action counts, no matter how small it seems, because in reality it is not.