List of Environmental and Conservation Issues

The number of environmental and conservation issues is vast and expanding. What all of these issues have in common is the fact that they relate to the anthropogenic effects on the natural environment. Here is an alphabetized list of 21 environmental and conservation issues and their 171 sub-categories (many of which are overlapping):

Air pollution

Environmental impact of fossil fuels • Smog • Tropospheric ozone • Ozone depletion resulting in UV exposure • Indoor air quality • Volatile organic compound • Atmospheric particulate matter• Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Climate change/Global warming

Global dimming • Fossil fuels • Sea level rise • Greenhouse gas • Ocean acidification • Shutdown of thermohaline circulation • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Urban Heat Islands

Conservation

Species extinction • Pollinator decline • Coral bleaching • Holocene extinction • Invasive species • Poaching • Endangered species

Ecosystems

Anoxic waters • Biodiversity • Biosecurity • Coral bleaching • Edge effect • Global warming • Habitat destruction • Habitat fragmentation • Illegal dumping

Energy 

Energy conservation • Renewable energy • Efficient energy use • Renewable energy commercialization • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Environmental degradation

Eutrophication • Habitat destruction • Invasive species • Soda lake

Environmental health

Asthma • Environmental impact of the fossil fuel industry • Electromagnetic fields • Electromagnetic radiation and health • Indoor air quality • Lead poisoning • Outdoor air quality • Sick Building Syndrome

Fishing

Blast fishing • Bottom trawling • By-catch • Cetacean bycatch • Gillnetting • Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Environmental effects of fishing • Overfishing • Marine pollution • Whaling

Genetic Engineering

Genetic pollution • Genetically modified food controversies

Intensive Farming

Overgrazing • Irrigation • Monoculture • Environmental effects of meat production • Slash and burn • Pesticide drift • Plasticulture

Land Issues

Land pollution • Desertification • Soil erosion • Soil contamination • Soil salination • Alkali soils * Residual Sodium Carbonate Index Urban sprawl • Habitat fragmentation • Habitat destruction

Logging and Forests

Clearcutting • Deforestation • Illegal logging

Mining

Acid mine drainage • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Mountaintop removal mining • Slurry impoundments

Natural Resources

Resource depletion • Exploitation of natural resources • Exploitation of natural resources • Overdrafting Consumerism — Consumer capitalism • Planned obsolescence • Over-consumption

Nuclear Issues 

Nuclear fallout  • Nuclear meltdown • Nuclear power • Nuclear weapons • Nuclear and radiation accidents • Nuclear safety •  radioactive waste

Overpopulation

Burial • Water crisis • Overpopulation in companion animals • Tragedy of the commons • Gender Imbalance in Developing Countries •

Pollution

Environmental impact of fossil fuels • Nonpoint source pollution • Point source pollution • Light pollution • Noise pollution • Visual pollution

Species

Habitat destruction • Holocene extinction • Invasive species • Poaching • Pollinator decline • Red-listed species • Species extinction • Wildlife trade • Genetic diversity

Toxins

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • DDT • Endocrine disruptors • Dioxin • Toxic heavy metals • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Herbicides • Pesticides • Toxic waste • PCB • Bioaccumulation • Biomagnification • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Waste

Electronic waste (e-waste) • Litter • Waste disposal incidents • Marine debris • Medical waste • Landfill • Leachate • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Incineration • Great Pacific Garbage Patch • Exporting of hazardous waste• Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing Conservation Issues

Water Pollution

Environmental impact of fossil fuels • Acid rain • Eutrophication • Marine pollution • Ocean dumping • Oil spills • Thermal pollution • Urban runoff • Water crisis • Marine debris • Microplastics • Ocean acidification • Ship pollution • Wastewater • Fish kill • Algal bloom • Mercury in fish • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

What would you add to the list?

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Complimentary Webinar - Who Cares About Sustainability?

Environmental sustainability has been a recurring topic in the corporate world for the past few decades. Whether from internal or external pressure, organizations are being held accountable for their impact on the environment and the community in which they operate.

Join Greg Scandrett, VP of Product Development for Enviance in this groundbreaking webinar, where he discusses the current approach many organizations take on corporate environmental sustainability and why it is a failed model.

By comparing the similarities between the current corporate environmental sustainability model and the quality movement from the 20th century, you will be challenged to question some of your concepts on what organizations should be doing to achieve corporate environmental sustainability.

In this complimentary webinar, you will also learn more about:

• The biggest challenges to improve corporate environmental sustainability
• Changes organizations can make to achieve corporate environmental sustainability
• How innovation plays a central role in achieving corporate environmental sustainability

Click here to sign up to download the webinar. sustainable, environment, economy, business, corporate, corporation, company, companies, commerce, trade, industry, approach, climate change, global warming, green, forecasts, trends,

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Green Economy is the Right Solution for our Troubled Times

The green economy offers a powerful solution to both a warming planet and economic volatility. There are a host of political and economic crises in the world today. The Eurozone crisis is expected to be followed by a European recession. In China we are seeing strong evidence of a slowdown and many are calling for major economic reforms. Finally, the hope and promise of the “Arab Spring’ has given way to a winter of discontent, as the Arab world suffers due to a weak economy and high unemployment.

Amidst all this economic uncertainty, global warming continues unabated. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said all 11 years of the 21st century rank among the 13 warmest. NASA noted 9 of the top 10 warmest years in its record have occurred since 2000. The La Nina effect was the warmest on record in 2011, according to data from NOAA and NASA. The increasing probability of massive flooding caused by melting Greenland and Antarctic icecaps are creating real concerns about the future of the planet.

The string of warm years in the last decade is linked to rapidly increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. In a press release, NASA wrote “Higher temperatures today are largely sustained by increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide.” As the world’s economies get stronger, energy demands will keep increasing and carbon emissions will keep rising.

As reported in a Green Energy Intelligence Report, it is predicted that by 2030, U.S. energy related CO2 emissions will amount to 6.9 billion metric tons (“MT”) under a “business-as-usual” scenario. Worldwide, energy-related CO2 emissions are projected to increase from 28.1 billion MT in 2005 to 42.3 billion MT in 2030. Together with non-energy related CO2 eq emissions (deforestation, industrial production processes, etc.), total CO2 eq emissions are projected to reach 62 giga (billion) tons (“Gt”) by 2030 (McKinsey June 2008).

The IEA’s chief economist has said that governments only have five years to avoid more than 2°C of global mean temperature rise. Extreme weather events add to the data and send an easy to read message that the time has arrived for a new economic framework. According to NOAA, there were 10 massive weather disasters in the U.S. last year, each exceeding a billion dollars. The unprecedented weather extremes include the following estimates of death and damage:

■Hurricane Irene: 50 deaths and $7 billion
■Upper Midwest flooding along the Missouri River: $2 billion
■Mississippi River flooding in spring and summer: $4 billion
■Drought and heat waves in Texas and Oklahoma: $5 billion
■Tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast in May: 177 deaths and $7 billion
■Tornadoes in the Ohio Valley and Southeast in April: 32 deaths and $9 billion
■Tornadoes in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania in April: $2 billion
■Tornadoes in the Northeast and Midwest April 8-11: $2.2 billion
■Tornadoes in central and southern states April 4-5: $2.3 billion
■Blizzard in January from Chicago to the Northeast: 36 deaths and $2 billion

The costs of extreme weather are astronomical, and it is predicted they will get much worse if we do not address the anthropogenic greenhouse gases that cause climate change. We need a framework to address both the economic and environmental ills that the world is facing. We also need a means of increasing our energy supply without increasing our greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Economy offers the solutions we so desperately need.

According to a July, 2011 report from the Brookings Institution, 2.7 million Americans work at green jobs – more than work in the fossil fuel industry. The US Conference of Mayors estimates that number will almost triple by 2040.

The green jobs study by the Brookings Institute suggests the U.S. should put primary emphasis on new, technology-intensive, energy-related sectors. The study by the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program is called “Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment” The chief conclusion they came to is that the driving force behind jobs and the growth of the U.S. clean economy over the last decade has been emerging energy technologies. This is a conclusion echoed in Google’s energy innovation report.

Green jobs are also quality jobs with median wages 13 percent higher than the average. Investment in clean energy projects yields more than three times as many jobs as investing in fossil fuels. Although the green economy is producing results now, the growth potential is staggering.

The failure of the US Congress to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation has slowed the growth of the green economy, but it is not too late. A good example of what can be done even in the absence of federal government legislation comes from a Los Angeles cleantech business incubator (LACI). The LACI approach identifies local talent, nurtures it, and helps it get to market, resulting in more jobs and a bigger green economy in Los Angeles and beyond.

A UNEP study reveals that investing in the green economy will spur growth. Contrary to conservative belief, the greening of economies is not generally a drag on growth but rather a new engine of growth and a net generator of decent jobs. The Green Economy Report is compiled by UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative. The report, called Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication, recommends spending $1.3 trillion a year on the green economy.

Pavan Sukhdev, head of UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative said, “Governments have a central role in changing laws and policies, and in investing public money in public wealth to make the transition possible. By doing so, they can also unleash the trillions of dollars of private capital in favour of a green economy,”

Source: Global Warming is Real

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