Environmental Change and Balance

• Environmental change refers to shifts in natural conditions caused by natural factors or human activities.

Natural Factors of Environmental Change

• Climate change involves variations in global temperatures and rainfall patterns.
• Natural disasters include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods.

Human Factors of Environmental Change

• Deforestation is the clearing of forests for agriculture and settlement.
• Urbanization converts green spaces into industrial areas.
• Industry activities release greenhouse gases and waste.
• Deforestation in the Amazon accelerates climate change and reduces CO2 absorption.

Environmental Balance

• Environmental balance exists when biotic (living organisms) and abiotic (physical environment) components interact harmoniously.

Factors Supporting Environmental Balance

• Nutrient cycles, such as carbon and nitrogen cycles, are crucial.
• Predator-prey relationships maintain species populations within an ecosystem.

Disturbances to Environmental Balance

• Invasive species disrupt native species.
• Pollution damages food chains.
• The loss of top predators, like tigers, can lead to a surge in herbivore populations, which damages vegetation.

Factors Causing Changes in Environmental Balance

• Natural disasters like tsunamis and storms alter landscapes.
• Seasonal changes include El Niño and La Niña cycles.

Human Factors Affecting Environmental Balance

• Intensive farming practices involve the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
• Overfishing disrupts marine food chains.
• Urbanization reduces green spaces.
• Degradation of soil, reduced water quality, and species loss are some effects.

Ecological Impacts of Environmental Change

• Species extinction occurs due to habitat loss and climate change.
• Ecosystem damage includes coral bleaching from rising sea temperatures.

Economic Impacts of Environmental Change

• Losses in the agricultural sector result from crop failures due to extreme weather.
• Healthcare costs increase due to pollution-related diseases.

Social Impacts of Environmental Change

• Migration is caused by rising sea levels displacing coastal populations.
• Conflicts arise as scarce natural resources lead to disputes.

Physical Parameters of Water Pollution

• Physical parameters include solid particulates, dissolved solids, turbidity, color, odor, temperature, and pH levels.
• Chemical parameters include BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand), and DO (dissolved oxygen).

Biological Parameters of Water Pollution

• Biological parameters are used to identify the types and quantities of microorganisms that can cause disease.

Sources of Water Pollution

• Water pollution can originate from direct and indirect sources.
• Direct sources include effluent discharged directly into water bodies like rivers, canals, sewers, seas, and lakes.

Impacts of Water Pollution

• Water pollution can cause diseases like cholera and hepatitis A, and heavy metal poisoning.
• Eutrophication, caused by excessive nutrients and minerals in water, can occur in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and seas.
• Eutrophication is water pollution caused by an overabundance of nutrients and minerals in water.

Economic Impacts

• Fisheries suffer from reduced catches and tourism declines due to polluted beaches.

Types of Air Pollution

• CO reduces the blood's capacity to carry oxygen.
• NOx produces photochemical smog and acid rain.
• CFCs damage the ozone layer in the stratosphere.
• O3, in the troposphere, is a pollutant that damages the respiratory tract.
• CO2 is the primary greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.
• SOx results from burning fossil fuels and causes acid rain.

Efforts to Manage Air Pollution

• Regulations set maximum emission limits for industries.
• Scrubbers reduce SO2 emissions from smokestacks.
• Reforestation involves planting fast-growing trees.
• Carpooling reduces the number of vehicles on the road.

Soil Pollution

• Soil pollution occurs directly when pollutants like insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, DDT, and chemical fertilizers are excessively used.
• Indirect pollution happens through water and air.
• Non-degradable waste like plastics, glass, Styrofoam, and cans also leads to soil pollution.

Efforts to Prevent Soil Pollution

• Sanitary landfills involve containing waste with protective layers.
• Organic farming uses compost to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Bioremediation uses microbes to break down oil and heavy metals.

Solid Waste

• Solid waste, or garbage, includes organic and inorganic materials.
• Domestic solid waste comes from households, offices, commercial establishments, and hospitals.
• Non-domestic solid waste comes from agricultural activities, plantations, building construction, and general industries.

Efforts to Manage Solid Waste

• Reduce the use of disposable plastics.
• Reuse materials like glass bottles.
• Recycle paper and plastics.
• Repair broken items instead of discarding them.
• Refuse items that are likely to become waste, such as plastic bags.

Hazardous and Toxic Waste (B3)

• Hazardous and toxic waste (B3) includes substances that can pollute or damage the environment and endanger health and survival.

Sources of Hazardous Waste

• Industrial activities, such as fertilizer production, generate ammonia waste.
• Hospitals produce radioactive waste, pathological waste, chemical waste, pharmaceutical waste, and sharp objects contaminated with pathogens.
• Households generate waste such as expired medicines, bleach, detergents, mothballs, used batteries, aerosols, rat poison, and insecticides.
• Agricultural activities produce insecticide and fertilizer waste.

Hazardous Waste Management

• Managing hazardous waste involves storage, collection, utilization, transportation, and processing.
• The stages include reduction, packaging, storage, collection, transportation, utilization, and disposal.

Water Pollution

• Water pollution is the entry of living organisms or other substances into water, degrading its quality to a point where it can no longer serve its intended purpose.

Causes and Impacts of Air Pollution

• Increased industrial activities and the use of fossil fuels in motor vehicles cause air pollution.
• Air pollution can result in respiratory disorders, heart disease, cancer, and pregnancy complications.

Managing Solid Waste

• Recycling involves separating and processing materials like plastic, paper, and metal.
• Composting processes organic waste into fertilizer using microorganisms.
• Pyrolysis heats organic or plastic waste without oxygen to produce fuel.
• Electronic waste processing recovers valuable components from electronic waste safely.
• Bacteria can be used to decompose certain types of plastic.