Environmental Issues and Solutions: A Comprehensive Analysis

Posted on Dec 8, 2024 in Geology

Environmental Issues and Their Impact

Relief and Coastal Alterations

Continental Relief: Significantly altered by extractive mining, quarrying, and infrastructure development (e.g., roads).
Coastal Sites: Undergoing severe alterations due to erosion, urban pressure, sand and gravel extraction, and the construction of artificial beaches and marinas.

Policy aims to recover the “naturalness” of these spaces by controlling further development.

Atmospheric Pollution

Caused by the emission of harmful products, dust particles, and smoke (CO, CO2, SO2, NOx, CL2) from burning fossil fuels in power plants and industries.

Key Problems:

Acid Rain: Precipitation with a higher-than-normal degree of acidity. Emissions of SO2 and NOx mix with water vapor in the air and fall to the surface as rain, causing alterations in water, soil, vegetation, and buildings.
Solution: The Geneva Convention aimed to reduce emissions by 65% to 41% of sulfur and nitrogen by 2010. Technological improvements in power generation are crucial. Emissions have fallen in recent years.
Ozone Depletion: The ozone layer, located 15 to 55 km above the Earth, is thinning. This layer filters harmful ultraviolet radiation. Depletion is primarily caused by aerosols, foams, and refrigerants. It affects plant, animal, and human life, increasing the risk of skin cancer and cataracts.
Solution: The Montreal Protocol established monitoring stations to track ozone levels. Thanks to this, ozone depletion has decreased considerably.

Noise Pollution

Environmental noise pollution is a significant concern. The main causes are road traffic and industrial activities (clubs, bars, etc.).

Effects: Headache, fatigue, hearing loss, deafness, hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, and aggressiveness. In Spain, three-quarters of the population are affected.

Water Overexploitation and Pollution

Overexploitation

Due to increased water consumption for agricultural, urban, and industrial uses, leading to the construction of dams and wells.

Solutions:

Water conservation
Improved irrigation techniques
Repair of leaks
Water purification for reuse in irrigation
Control of extractions (LINDE project)
Protection and rehabilitation of degraded wetlands

Pollution

Excessive waste volume hinders the natural purification of water. Sources include overuse of fertilizers in agriculture, industrial toxins, oil spills at sea, and fecal matter.

Consequences: Loss of water resources for aquatic ecosystems and negative impacts on human use (drinking, bathing, etc.).