For instance, Mexico City has been called as having the poorest air quality around the world. Satterthwaite and Mitlin (2001) points out the gravity of the situation --- only taking a breath in the air in the city can be seen as the equivalent of smoking of two packs of cigarettes per day. The fog mixed and polluted with smoke was often too dense in some days for cars to see clearly during the day. Consequently, the normal works in the factories and schools had to be stopped and the cars were restrained to use. According to the investigation by Audubon 95 (January – February 1993), 2.5 million cars, 200,000 buses, 35,000 taxis and thousands of trucks in the city produce 70% of the polluted air (Satterthwait and Mitlin, 2001).
In brief, Mexico City is not the only example of air pollution. Likewise, the problems in other cities are even more serious than Mexico City. Hence, the public and the government should take actions together to deal with these problems, and this will be discussed further in the second part of Chapter II.
Water Pollution
As the mentioned above the fact that pollution changes fresh air into dirty air, the pollution also exists in the water resources.
In most countries, there are serious problems with water pollution. Satterthwaite and Mitlin (2001) cited studies that found that the pollution harms both water bodies and clean water resource, resulting in the illness and possible death of people who drink or use it.
As illustrated by Seitz (1995), in some nations, a great deal of the dirty water without being cleaned by local sewage treatment plants which immediately flowed into rivers and lakes is the water mixed with industrial chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers from city streets, households, factories and farms.
We can take a data in US presented in Seize (1995) as an example. In the late 1980s at least 46 pesticides in the underground water of 26 states in the United States were found by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition, according to a domestic investigation by the EPA (published in 1990), the pesticides were found in about 10% of all national water systems.
Such possible consequences of water pollution cannot only be regarded as the risk of a small area. It can result in a large scope of negative influence around the world.
Land Pollution
Besides water and air pollution, land pollution is also a serious worldwide problem. Morris & Riki Therivel (1995) show that deforestation can be one of the main reasons for land pollution. Land eroding, soil hardening and lack of freshwater supply are caused by deforestation.
Seitz (1995) illustrates how major climate changes can result from deforestation. These changes usually mean the reduction of rainfall. However, as Seitz (1995) points out, at times, deforestation causes too much rainfall in the wrong areas. Severe overflowing of water, for instance, is taking place those years in some areas of India where such a serious flood had never happened before. The reducing of the quantity of forests and land degradation could be viewed as one of the most important reasons for this disaster.
Furthermore, Satterthwaite and Mitlin (2001) present a great deal of evidence which supports that the cutting of forests clearly causes global warming. When being burned after they are cut, the trees emit carbon dioxide into the air, resulting in a rise in temperature.
Environmental deterioration has brought a lot of problems to the nations and these problems will harm human beings. In the following chapter, we will discuss the direct harms and solutions of environmental degradation.
Harm and Solutions of Environmental Degradation
Impact On Human beings
The viewpoints that can be found in Morris & Riki Therivel (1995) are that certain diseases, such as cancer or some chronic diseases, can be seen as the consequences of human beings living in polluted water and air conditions and of some of the food they eat containing cancer causing substances.
In many cities, as discussed by Seitz (1995), the aged, children, women and people with respiratory problems can be viewed as the major victims of the high concentration of air pollutant which causes the sickness and death of those people. Air pollution is possibly diminishing the life length of people.
According to the data illustrated in Satterthwaite and Mitlin (2001), 1.5 billion city residents around the world are living in highly polluted air which is over the highest level they could bear with.
Besides, as Satterthwaite and Mitlin (2001) points out, pollution in the city causes that over 2 million children are afflicted with chronic coughs in Latin America and that 24,300 deaths per year can be regarded as the results of air pollution.
In addition, in India 40,000 uncommonly early deaths of urban population every year and a large amount of illnesses that need medical remedy are due to air pollution (Satterthwaite and Mitlin, 2001: 101).
Furthermore, in China 10,000 people in only four of its largest cities – Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang, died every year because of polluted air (Satterthwaite and Mitlin (2001) [found in World Bank, 1996b]). 50,000 people uncommonly died due to breathing smog and very small pieces from burning coal and 400,000 people suffered from chronic bronchitis per year in 11 of its largest cities in China (World Bank, 1997).
Let’s turn to some more data presented in Seitz (1995) that pesticide pollution causes 20,000 deaths and 1 million illnesses as well every year around the world. In the late 1970s, for instance, the highest concentrated level of DDT was found in the breast milk, which Guatemalan women, living in cotton farmland, drink every day (Seitz, 1995: 160).
As all above-mentioned negative effects of environmental deterioration on human beings, the people and the government are looking for the solutions to solve all these problems. Next, we will discuss some measures that should be taken or have been taken by the government or the public.
Solutions of Environmental Degradation
As stated by Lenschow (2002), solving environmental problems, the government should take actions to prohibit the behaviors which result in the environmental degradation rather than just acting against existing environmental problems. Thus, a worldwide programming in long-term should be shown in the measures, which should not be partial and nearsighted. In addition, before complete scientific definition and accurate proofs of environmental deterioration being found out, measures should be put forward in advance of environmental problems happening.
Initially, to solve water pollution, the systems of sewers and drains which carried off the wastes in the city are effective to prevent water pollution since the systems collect and treat the wastes before being poured into rivers, lakes, estuaries or seas (Satterthwaite and Mitlin, 2001: 109). An efficient rubbish accumulation and treatment system largely restricts the amount of solid-wastes polluting water bodies.
Besides, some regulations should be established. We take an example presented in Seitz (1995) that the US government passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, and made a target of giving back the cleanness of the water to a state so as to be “fishable, and swimmable”. Ten years later, a large amount of US rivers, streams, and lakes became much more unsoiled than that before the Act was passed.
What is more, Lenschow (2002) suggests some measures to decrease atmosphere deterioration from road vehicles, as suggested. More effective motors, commanded tests for all the cars, trucks and other vehicles every year and a change to lead-free petrol can be possible ways. Some efficient measures for raising better quality of fuels, which could decrease the discharges from diesel and two-stroke engines, would be practical. In addition, more vehicles with high efficiency of fuel can be promoted by raising taxes on petrol and affording considerable taxation supports while the utilization of lead-free petrol could be promoted by differentiated tax rates, making the petrol lower in price.
Furthermore, particular measures have been set up by many cities to restrict or prohibit from reaching the highest level of air pollution in a short time period. As soon as the accumulation of special polluted substances researches the highest peak, the people will be notified and may be ordered to restrain the utilization of cars (Satterthwaite and Mitlin, 2001: 275).
To conclude, establishing the public’s awareness of environmental protection is as vital as the measures taken by the government to solve environmental degradation. Every one should understand the importance of environment and protect the environment voluntarily.
Environment and Developing Country
Compared with the developed country, the environmental problems in developing country are much more serious. In this chapter, we aim at pointing out the relationship between environmental degradation and developing country, thus, to find out the ways to solve the problems.
- Utilization of Pesticides
The utilization of pesticides in developing countries is one of the main causes of the environmental degradation. Developing countries, which greatly depend on agriculture development, utilize a large amount of pesticides: especially for plantation, cultivation and greening of crops.
Wiley & Sons (1998) describe that the area of India, where the farmers used pesticides, for instance, enlarged from 60,000 km² in 1960 to more than 800,000 km²within approximately 25 years, and this kind of increasing rate is not uncommon among the developing nations. However, in contrast with a rapidly increasing tendency in the developing countries, the utilization of pesticides in industrialized countries has been reduced a lot in these years (Wiley & Sons, 1998: 92). Possibly in developing nations where the people were largely damaged by pesticides, a great deal of farmers using the pesticides can not read, and as a result, can not understand the notifying words on the containers.
- Rapid Increase of Population
Rapid increase of population caused the environmental problems in developing countries. In most cities in developing nations, as stated by Lenschow (2002), the supply of the essential social services, like sewers, drains or solid-waste collection systems, etc., could not follow the pace of sharply rising of population.
In comparison with the developed countries, some low – or middle – income nations face rather more severe problems of water pollution since a large amount of their population do not use the above-mentioned social services. Without these systems, considerable volumes of liquid and solid wastes from houses, factories, etc. are directly poured into the closest streams, rivers or lakes that greatly increase the biochemical oxygen demand of the water (Satterthwaite and Mitlin, 2001: 109).
- Less Widespread of Public Environmental Awareness
In contrast with industrialized countries, the environmental problems in less developed countries experience a serious rising trend. Although these nations are also gradually noticing that the negative effects of environmental deterioration should not be neglected (Seitz, 1995: 176). There the consciousness of environmental protection does not spread as widely as in the developed nations.
In the twenty-first century, one of the main difficulties of environmental management may occur in the developing world due to the less awareness of environmental problems, together with the worldwide rise in temperature and the reduction of tropical forest (Wiley & Sons, 1998: 176).
Although the first thing people in developing countries are concerned with is the decrease of poverty rather than environmental protection, we should still take actions to deal with the existing environmental problems and in the mean time establish the public’s awareness of environmental protection in developing nations. The environment is essential for human beings in both developed and developing nations as stated by Seitz (1995).
Conclusion
In conclusion, environmental degradation has been regarded as one of the main worldwide issues that have brought a lot of negative effects on human beings. But in some nations, the situation has improved after a number of measures and regulations adopted by the government and the public.
Unfortunately, in the developing world, environmental problems experience a serious increasing trend. Illiteration makes people misunderstand or not understand at all the warnings of using pesticides, rapid increasing population means the government could not afford the public the enough wastes treatment systems, and lack of environmental protection consciousness results in the worsening of environment.
However, all of these could not be excuses for environmental degradation in developing nations. Environmental protection can be seen as essential as the reduction of poverty in these nations. For both developing countries and developed countries, the environment is important.
References
AVIJIT GUPTA, School of Geography, University of Leeds & MUKEL G. ASHER, Department of Economics and the Public Policy Programme, National University of Singapore (1998). Environment and the Developing World, Principles, Policies and Management, England: JOHN WILEY & SONS.
Hardoy J. E., Mitlin D. & Satterthwaite D. (2001). Environmental Problems in an Urbanizing World, Finding Solutions for Cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America, London and Sterling, VA: EARTHSCAN Publications Ltd.
Lenschow A. (2002). Environmental Policy Integration, Greening Sectoral Policies in Europe, London and Sterling, VA: EARTHSCAN Publications Ltd.
Morris P. & Therivel R. (1995). Methods of Environmental Impact Assessment, London: UCL Press Limited.
Seitz J. L. (1995). Global Issues: An Introduction, UK: BLACKWELL Publishers.
