Acid rain, ozone layer depletion, Nuclear accidents and holocaust - Wasteland reclamation-Consumerism and waste products

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Acid rain, ozone layer depletion, Nuclear accidents and holocaust - Wasteland reclamation-Consumerism and waste products

Acid rain

When fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are burned, chemicals like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are produced. These chemicals react with water and other chemicals in the air to form sulfuric acid, nitric acid and other harmful pollutants like sulfates and nitrates. These acid pollutants spread upwards into the atmosphere, and are carried by air currents, to finally return to the ground in the form of acid rain, fog or snow. The corrosive nature of acid rain causes many forms of environmental damage. Acid pollutants also occur as dry particles and gases, which when washed from the ground by rain, add to the acids in the rain to form a more corrosive solution. This is called acid deposition.

Damage from acid rain is widespread in North America, Europe, Japan, China and Southeast Asia. In the US coal burning power plants contribute to about 70% of sulfur dioxide. In Canada oil refining, metal smelting and other industrial activities account for 61% of sulfur dioxide pollution. Motor vehicle exhaust fumes are the main source of nitrogen oxides. The acids in acid rain chemically react with any object they come in contact with. Acids react with other chemicals by giving up hydrogen atoms.

Effects: Acid rain is known to cause widespread environmental damage.

1. Acid rain dissolves and washes away nutrients in the soil which are needed by plants. It can also dissolve naturally occurring toxic substances like aluminium and mercury, freeing them to pollute water or poison plants.

2. Acid rain indirectly affects plants by removing nutrients from the soil in which they grow. It affects trees more directly by creating holes in the waxy coating of leaves, causing brown dead spots which affect the plant’s photosynthesis. Such trees are also more vulnerable to insect infestations, drought and cold. Spruce and fir forests at higher elevations seem to be most at risk. Farm crops are less affected by acid rain than forests.

3. Acid rain that falls or flows as ground water to reach rivers, lakes and wetlands, causes the water in them to become acidic. This affects plant and animal life in aquatic ecosystems.

4. Acid rain also has far reaching effects on wildlife. By adversely affecting one species, the entire food chain is disrupted, ultimately endangering the entire ecosystem. Different aquatic species can tolerate different levels of acidity. For instance clams and mayflies have a high mortality when water has a pH of 6.0, while frogs can tolerate more acidic water, although with the decline in supply of mayflies, frog populations may also decline. Land animals that are dependent on aquatic organisms are also affected.

5. Acid rain and dry acid deposition damages buildings, automobiles, and other structures made of stone or metal. The acid corrodes the materials causing extensive damage and ruins historic buildings. For instance the Parthenon in Greece and the Taj Mahal in India have been affected by acid rain.

6. Although surface water polluted by acid rain does not directly harm people, the toxic substances leached from soil can pollute water supply. Fish caught in these waters may be harmful for human consumption. Acid, along with other chemicals in the air, produces urban smog, which causes respiratory problems.

Solutions

The best way to stop the formation of acid rain is to reduce the emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. This can be achieved by using less energy from fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles and industry. Switching to cleaner burning fuels is also a way out. For instance using natural gas which is cleaner than coal, using coal with lower sulfur content, and developing more efficient vehicles. If the pollutants have already been formed by burning fossil fuels, they can be prevented from entering the atmosphere by using scrubbers in smokestacks in industry. These spray a mixture of water and limestone into the polluting gases, recapturing the sulfur.

In catalytic converters, the gases are passed over metal coated beads that convert harmful chemicals into less harmful ones. These are used in cars to reduce the effects of exhaust fumes on the atmosphere. Once acid rain has affected soil, powdered limestone can be added to the soil by a process known as liming to neutralize the acidity of the soil.

Ozone layer depletion:

Ozone is formed by the action of sunlight on oxygen. It forms a layer 20 to 50kms above the surface of the earth. This action takes place naturally in the atmosphere, but is very slow. Ozone is a highly poisonous gas with a strong odour. It is a form of oxygen that has three atoms in each molecule. It is considered a pollutant at ground level and constitutes a health hazard by causing respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis. It also causes harm to vegetation and leads to a deterioration of certain materials like plastic and rubber. Ozone in the upper atmosphere however, is vital to all life as it protects the earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere absorbs the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, preventing it from reaching the earth’s surface.

This layer in the atmosphere protects life on earth from the dangerous UV radiation from the sun. In the 1970s, scientists discovered that chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, which were used as refrigerants and aerosol spray propellants, posed a threat to the ozone layer. The CFC molecules are virtually indestructible until they reach the stratosphere, where UV radiation breaks them down to release chlorine atoms. The chlorine atoms react with ozone molecules which break down into oxygen molecules, which do not absorb UV radiations. Since the early 1980s, scientists detected a thinning of the ozone layer in the atmosphere above Antarctica. This phenomenon is now being detected in other places as well including Australia. Although the use of CFCs has been reduced and now banned in most countries, other chemicals and industrial compounds such as bromine, halocarbons and nitrous oxides from fertilizers may also attack the ozone layer.

The destruction of the ozone layer is seen to cause increased cases of skin cancer and cataracts. It also causes damage to certain crops and to plankton, thus affecting natures food chains and food webs. This in turn causes an increase in carbon dioxide due to the decrease in vegetation.

With the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, a treaty for the protection of the ozone layer, the use of CFCs was to be banned by the year 2000. After 2000, the ozone layer is expected to recover slowly over a period of about 50 years.

Nuclear Accidents and Nuclear Holocaust:

Nuclear energy was researched and discovered by man as a source of alternate energy which would be clean and cheap compared to fossil fuels. And although this did happen, along with the benefits of nuclear energy came its downfalls. In the short history of nuclear energy there have been accidents that have surpassed any natural calamity or other energy source extraction in their impacts. A single nuclear accident can cause loss of life, long-term illness and destruction of property on a large scale for a long period of time. Radioactivity and radioactive fallout leads to cancer, genetic disorders and death in the affected area for decades after, thus affecting all forms of life for generations to come

Nuclear holocaust: The use of nuclear energy in war has had devastating effects on man and earth. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki incident during World War II, the only use of nuclear power in war in history, is one of the worst disasters in history. In 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs in Japan over the towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These two atomic bombs killed thousands of people, left many thousands injured and devastated everything for miles around. The effects of the radiation from these nuclear bombs can still be seen today in the form of cancer and genetic mutations in the affected children and survivors of the incident.

WASTELAND RECLAMATION

Loss of vegetation cover leads to loss of soil through erosion, which ultimately creates wastelands. This is one of the pressing problems of the country. Loss of soil has already ruined a large amount of cultivable land in our country. If it remains unchecked, it will affect the remaining land. Unless we adequately safeguard our ‘good’ lands, we may eventually face a serious shortage of food grains, vegetables, fruit, fodder and fuel wood. Hence, conservation of soil, protecting the existing cultivable land and reclaiming the already depleted wastelands figures prominently among the priority tasks of planning for the future. Some of the wasteland reclamation programs have been unsuccessful because after sometime the land reverts to its original poor condition due to mismanagement and unscientific ways in which the reclamation has been carried out.

In choosing wasteland reclamation methods attention must be paid to the cost factor. This has to be taken into account before deciding on a particular method for reclamation of wastelands. A proper study of environmental aspects and human impacts which are responsible for the development of wastelands have to be looked into.

Wasteland can be classified into three forms: (1) Easily reclaimable, (2) Reclaimable with some difficulty, (3) Reclaimable with extreme difficulty.

Easily reclaimable wastelands can be used for agricultural purposes. Those which can be reclaimed with some difficulty can be utilized for agro forestry. Wastelands that are reclaimed with extreme difficulty can be used for forestry or to recreate natural ecosystems.

Agriculture: Wasteland can be reclaimed for agriculture by reducing the salt content which can be done by leaching and flushing. Gypsum, urea, potash and compost are added before planting crops in such areas.

Agro forestry: This involves putting land to multiple uses. Its main purpose is to have trees and crops inter- and /or under planted to form an integrated system of biological production within a certain area. Thus, agro forestry implies integration of trees with agricultural crops or livestock management simultaneously.

Forestry: Attempts to grow trees in highly non alkaline saline soils have been largely unsuccessful. Field experiments have shown that species like Eucalyptus, Prosopis and Acacia Nilotica could not be grown in highly alkaline soil. Studies have shown that if tree seedlings are planted with a mixture of original soil, Gypsum, and manure, better growth can be achieved. It is however important to use indigenous species of trees so that the program recreates the local ecosystem with all its species.

Need for wasteland development: Wasteland development provides a source of income for the rural poor. It ensures a constant supply of fuel, fodder and timber for local use. It makes the soil fertile by preventing soil erosion and conserving moisture. The program helps maintain an ecological balance in the area. The increasing forest cover helps in maintaining local climatic conditions. Regenerated vegetation cover helps in attracting birds which feed on pests in the surrounding fields and function as natural pest controllers. The trees help in holding back moisture and reduce surface run off rates thus helping in the control of soil erosion.

Components of wasteland reclamation: The first major task is the identification of the problem at the micro level. For this it is necessary to have District, Village and plot level surveys of the wasteland. A profile of the maps indicating the detailed distribution and information on the wasteland is essential. With the help of local government institutions such as the village Panchayats, along with Block Development Officers, Revenue Department functionaries, a plan based on the community needs must be produced. This must be done through a participatory exercise that involves all the different stakeholders in the community. A think-tank of administrators, ecologists, and local NGOs must also be involved in the process.

The next step is to identify the factors that are responsible for the formation of wastelands. Based on these factors the wasteland is classified into: marginally, partially or severely deteriorated lands. Locale specific strategies for reclaiming the wasteland must be worked out. Government officials along with the local NGOs must assist the farmers by demonstrating improved methods of cultivation, arranging for loans for the small, marginal and landless farmers and the people from the weaker sections of the society. Involving local women has proved to be of great value. Another essential component of the program is to organize publicity campaigns, integrated with training farmers and frontline Government and Forest Department staff on the various aspects of wasteland utilization. Environmental scientists can help by suggesting the necessary changes in cropping patterns particularly for drought prone areas. Other tasks that should be addressed include the selection of appropriate crops for fodder and trees that provide local people with non-wooded forest products according to the nature of the wasteland. Testing soil in laboratories provides guidance to the farmers on the proper land management to be used. Irrigation and other expertise needed for improving productivity without creating unsustainable patterns of development provide the local people with newer technological advances. Guidelines regarding control of water logging must be provided. Appropriate technologies must be made available to people belonging to the weaker sections and landless farmers. Collective efforts have to be made to check soil losses through water and wind erosion to prevent the collapse of the irrigation system through siltation. Plans concerning wasteland reclamation and utilization prepared at various stages must be properly integrated for a successful long-term outcome

The demands of our increasing human population for environmental goods and services has imposed severe pressures on the available land resources especially on the forests and green cover. This is closely linked to the wellbeing of the rural population which constitutes a large percent of the population which depends on local natural resources for their survival. The increasing demand for food, fodder, fuel wood, etc. has led to activities that are responsible for increasing environmental degradation. This is responsible for the extension of wastelands. Thus the development of agro forestry based agriculture and forestry has become the prime prerequisite for an overall development of the economy in the country. The pressure on land is already very high and the only hope of increasing productivity lies in bringing appropriate improvement in the various categories of wasteland spread over the country.

Consumerism and waste products

Modern societies that are based on using large amounts of goods, especially those that are manufactured for one time use, are extremely wasteful. The increasing consumption of natural resources has lead to serious environmental problems around the world. Current consumption patterns are depleting non-renewable resources, poisoning and degrading ecosystems, and altering the natural processes on which life depends. The present pattern of consumption, especially in affluent societies, is mainly responsible for the high level of utilization of resources. People in the industrialized countries make up 20% of the world population but consume 80% of the world’s resources and produce 80% of wastes. This is due to a pattern of economic development that ensures that people go on consuming even more than they actually need. India is rapidly moving into this unsustainable pattern of economic growth and development. The rich in such a society get richer often at the cost of the poor whose lives are not improved by the process of development. It is seen that today’s consumption patterns are depleting natural resources at a rapid rate and widening the inequalities in consumption in different societies. Consumerism causes wasteful use of energy and material far beyond that needed for everyday living at a comfortable level. Money is not the only way to measure the cost of an item that we use. When one adds up all the raw material and energy that goes into the manufacture of goods or the services provided by nature that one uses during a day’s activities, the toll on the environment is large. When this cost is multiplied over a lifespan, the amount is staggering. If one considered the overutilisation in each family, city or a country, the impacts are incredibly high. For example: two hundred billion cans, bottles, plastic cartons and paper cups, are thrown away each year in the “developed” world. “Disposable” items greatly increase this waste. Rather than compete on quality or reliability, many industrial consumer products are made for one-time use. Buying quality products that are warranteed against failure or wearing out, learning about the raw materials that things are made of, and an appreciation of their origin from nature’s storehouse, as well as knowing the conditions of the workers that make them, are some ways of resisting consumerism and decreasing waste

While there may be some new appliances and cars that are more productive and energy efficient, discarding the old often leads to an almost total waste of the energy and material already invested in these products. This alone may more than nullify the energy savings of the new product. This is a tricky problem.

Consumerism is related to the constant purchasing of new goods, with little attention to their true need, durability, product origin, or the environmental consequences of their manufacture and disposal. Consumerism is driven by huge sums spent on advertising designed to create both a desire to follow trends, and a personal feeling of satisfaction based on acquisition. Materialism is one of the end results of consumerism.

Consumerism interferes with the sustainable use of resources in a society by replacing the normal common sense desire for an adequate supply of life’s necessities, with an insatiable quest for things that are purchased by larger and larger incomes to buy them. There is little regard for the true utility of what is bought. An intended consequence of this strategy which is promoted by those who profit from consumerism, is to accelerate the discarding of the old, either because of lack of durability or a change in fashion. Especially in developed countries, landfills are being rapidly filled with cheap discarded products that fail to work within a short time and cannot be repaired. In many cases consumer products are made psychologically obsolete by the advertising industry long before they actually wear out.

The inordinate amount of waste that is generated by consumer-oriented societies around the world is now a serious environmental issue. Most human activities are related to production and consumption cycles which produce excessive amounts of waste in the form of solid, liquid and gaseous waste products. The problems of waste management in the urban and rural sectors are different. Rural communities that were smaller, once had a limited amount of waste which was recycled as the communities used them effectively. With the advent of an industrial civilization the highly complex technological processes for production of goods has rapidly increased problems due to inadequate waste disposal. This creates a heavy burden on natural resources, degrades the environment and creates health hazards. With the rapid increase in population, the amount of waste in terms of quantity and quality has increased waste management pressures many fold in recent years. If the high quantities of waste generated continues, mankind will be drowned under heaps of garbage, and streams of sewage. His health will be affected by dangerous industrial effluents, and he will be smothered by clouds of smoke and unhealthy gases. Human civilisation will run out of resources, preventing further development.

The increasing demands of consumption on the finite resources of the planet, increasing level of environmental pollution, and the problems of waste disposal must be changed to the careful utilization of resources, recovery of used material by waste recycling. Therefore reuse of goods and waste utilization should become a part of the production -consumption cycle. Utilizing various forms of waste must be made a part of the planning and development process. Current patters in the industrial sector have led to the disposal of waste in a careless uneconomical manner. Burning or dumping wastes into streams and oceans, or creating more landfills damages the environment. For example it is estimated that the per capita production of domestic waste is many times higher in a developed country when compared to a developing country. Unfortunately, many developing countries are now working out similar wasteful trends through development, but do not have the same economic potential to handle the waste this new unsustainable strategy produces. Large quantities of solid, liquid and gaseous waste is produced by urban industrial communities in the form of plastic, paper, leather, tin cans, bottles, mineral refuse, and pathological waste from hospitals. Dead animals, agricultural wastes, fertilizer and pesticide overuse, and human and animal excreta are essentially rural concerns. The waste is either discharged into the atmosphere, into water sources, or buried underground. These wastes are not considered to have any economic value. This attitude towards waste has led to disastrous effects on the environment besides over exploiting natural resources.

Reduce, reuse, recycle Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or the 3Rs principle, is the new concept in waste management. But what does it actually mean? Although some waste is inevitable in any society, we must minimize the generation of waste at the source by using minimal resources. Do not use what you do not need. The goal of every society should be to reach a low-waste or no waste society.

Eg. Fancy packaging of consumer products in two or three layers is not necessary.

Use your own reusable cloth/ jute bags instead of plastic bags.

The residual waste can be converted into a useable resource. In developed countries waste is used to produce energy.

Several technological breakthroughs have recently been made to recover material from industrial waste such as heavy metals and chemicals such as mercury and nitric acid. Thus the waste does not remain a waste product anymore, but becomes a useful resource.

Eg. Using kitchen wet waste to make compost that can be used as an organic fertilizer.

Using sewage in a biogas plant to make fuel.

One industry’s waste could be a valuable resource for another industry.

Eg. Cloth rags from the textile industry are bought and used by paper and other industries.

Bagasse, a waste product of the sugar industry, is used in the paper, ply industries.

The material left over after extraction of oil from seeds is used as cattle feed.

The generated waste or discarded material that cannot be used again in its original form can be sent back to the industry to be broken down and used as a resource to be made into a new product of the same type or into something entirely different.

Eg. Plastic items are recycled into new plastic products.

Metal scrap and broken glass is used to make new metal products.

Finally, the waste material generated which can neither be reused or recycled, must be disposed off in a proper manner with minimum impact to the environment.

- Non toxic solid waste should be properly segregated and disposed off in landfills that are properly sealed to avoid leakage and contamination of surrounding land and groundwater.

- Toxic wastes should be treated or disposed off separately in a proper manner Sewage and industrial wastewater should be adequately treated and raw materials recovered from it where possible before it is released into our rivers and waterways.

The 3R principle of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, should be followed in that order.

- Reduction is the best option. If we reduce at source, there is a smaller chance of waste generation and the pressure on our already stretched natural resources is reduced.

- Reuse is the next best option, as the product is reused in its current form without any energy expended to convert it into a new item.

- Recycling is the last option, as although it converts a waste into a resource, it uses energy to transform that resource into a new useable product.

Thus by following the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ principle, i.e. by reducing use at source, by reusing and recycling whatever possible and finally by proper disposal of residual waste, we can cut down or the waste generated and ensure that the minimal residual waste does not harm our environment. This principle can be followed by everyone, from an individual or an industry to a whole country.

What can I do? You can follow the 3Rs principle in the following ways:

1. Use only as much as you need, be it any resource – water, food, paper, etc.

2. Next time you throw away something, think about whether it is really a waste. If it is of no use to you, could someone else use it? Reuse rinse water to water your garden, etc. Donate old clothes to the needy, instead of throwing them away.

3. If you are sure the item is not usable in its present form, can it be recycled? Paper, plastics, glass, metal can all be recycled.

4. Segregate your waste into wet and dry garbage. Wet garbage includes most kitchen wastes. Most of this can be used for composting. Most dry garbage is recyclable.

The amount of dry waste generated in your household is an indicator of how well you are following the 3Rs principle. A lot of dry waste means you should go back to the ‘Reduce and Reuse’ principles and try to follow them better.

5. Avoid the use of non-biodegradable materials such as Styrofoam and certain types of plastics.

Although most plastics are recyclable, recycling still takes up energy, which is another precious resource not to be wasted. If thrown away as waste, Styrofoam and plastics can take hundreds of years to decompose.

6. Do not litter or throw garbage in public places. Garbage and litter is a visual contaminant and can cause diseases health problems. Proper disposal of garbage is an important part of waste management.

7. Be a conscious consumer and do not buy products that are over packaged. Try choosing products that are made from recycled material or are organically grown.

Resources must be conserved by proper selection, production technologies, recovering and recycling what is usable and reducing unnecessary demands for consumption and inventing technologies which would make it possible for reusing the waste resources so as to reduce overexploiting of our existing resources.

CASE STUDY

Nuclear disasters and leakages

In 1986 the Nuclear Power Station at Chernobyl in USSR developed a problem that led to a fire and a number of explosions in its Nuclear Reactor. The radioactive dust spread over many kilometers and covered not only Europe but North America as well. Three people died in the explosion and 28 shortly after due to radiation exposure. Some 259 sick were hospitalized. As the area had to be evacuated 1,35,000 people had to be moved immediately and another 1.5 lac by 1991. As radioactive fall out continued even more people had to be moved. An estimated 6.5 lakh people may have been seriously affected. They may get cancer, thyroid tumours, and cataracts, and suffer from a lowered immune mechanism.

As radioactivity passes from grass to herbivores, sheep in Scotland and Reindeer in Lapland were affected and were unfit for human consumption. Vegetable, fruit and milk were contaminated in Europe.

A French Nuclear Waste Processing Center in Normandy may have affected the lives of children playing nearby. They may develop leukemia (blood cancer) in later life.

CASE STUDY

Tehri, Uttar Pradesh

Nagchaund village in Tehri District of Uttar Pradesh was once an eroded and deforested land. When Soban Singh Bhandari returned to his village after retirement from the army in 1987 he was struck by this degradation. After six months he became the pradhan of the village and decided to implement various village development schemes differently. Through the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, he gained immense community support. In 1990 the Forest Department selected a 30hectare barren piece of community land for a micro-watershed development program. The villagers controlled grazing in the area, undertook plantations for fuel and fodder. Bhandari helped the village raise money by selling the fodder from the area to a neighboring village and the money was used for development and maintenance work. This community effort has had a great impact on the ecology of the area. The moisture content of the area increased and the water sources of the villages were recharged. Local people now have access to all the natural resources they need for their daily lives

Case study

Himachal Pradesh was the first State in India to regulate the manufacture and use of plastics. The State proposed a ban on all types of polythene packing.

Case study

Plastic to oil

The Indian Oil Corporation Limited and the Department of Science and Technology are expected to establish India’s first plant to convert waste plastic into petrol, diesel and LPG.

Suggestions for better waste management:

1) Every country must survey all the different forms of waste generation along with its sources. They must set up priorities concerning waste utilization. Most waste can be converted to resources which can enhance the economy of the country.

2) Plans should be prepared for controlling waste at the source. This must include segregation of wet and dry waste, where the wet waste can be converted to compost and used and the dry waste is recycled.

3) Research and developmental programs to find innovative methods of waste recycling must be encouraged. Recycling should be a part of conservation and environmental protection programs. Private and public organizations for waste recycling and management should be set up.

4) Uneconomical methods of waste disposal like land filling, or incineration must be reduced to a minimum. Plans for appropriate disposal of non-utilizable hazardous waste from chemical industries must be implemented and strictly monitored.

5) Every community should organize extensive programs on education and demonstration on the reduction of waste, and the proper disposal and effective reutilization of waste material. People should be informed of the need for waste management to protect the quality of the environment. This should be included in the curriculum at school and college level.

6) Every society should make efforts to design peoples’ life styles and cultural patterns based on low waste production. The goal of every society should be to reach a low-waste or no waste society