Environmental degradation is a process throughwhich the natural environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment. This process can be entirely natural in origin, or it can be accelerated or caused by human activities. Many international organizations recognize environmental degradation as one of the major threats facing the planet, since humans have only been given one Earth to work with, and if the environment becomesirreparably compromised, it could mean the end of human existence. One of the major threat the planet faces today, environmental degradation, is bound to make life difficult for all the life forms, including human beings, now or later. Studies by some of the eminent organizations reveal that the deterioration of environment is occurring at an alarming rate. In fact, the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations has enlisted environmental degradation as one of the ten threats for us. This issue shares space with problems like poverty, terrorism and civil war in the list, and this itself highlights the fact that we are heading for a certain disaster. It is defined as a process wherein the natural environment of the planet is degenerated to such an extent, that the biodiversity and the general health of the planet is subjected to drastic reduction.In otherwords, this phenomenon can be defined as deterioration of the Earth’s natural surroundings as a result of excessive exploitation of the available resources. These resources include water, air, flora, fauna, soil etc. Basically, the life on the planet is interwoven to such an extent that a decrease in a particular attribute triggers a domino effect on all the other attributes dependent on it. It is the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.
Environmental degradation is one of the Ten Threats officially cautioned by the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations.
Fig,1 Showing pollution from chimneysCauses:
Environmental degradation is a result of the dynamic inters play of socio-economic, institutional and technological activities. Environmental degradation can be attributed to various human activities, as well as some natural processes, with the later having an insignificant share. Most of the resources on the planet are vulnerable to depletion, and the rates at which we are exploiting them have already brought some of them to the brink of exhaustion. Exploitation of the fossil fuels is the best example of this phenomenon. Large scale exploitation has depleted the fossil fuel reserves across the world, thus leaving us with no option but to find an alternate source of energy. Other human activities which have been contributing to environmental degradation include urbanization, overpopulation, deforestation, pollution, hunting, etc.Environmental changes may be driven by many factors including economic growth, population growth, urbanization, intensification of agriculture, rising energy use and transportation.
Poverty still remains a problem at the root of several environmental problems.Social Factors:
Population
Population is an important source of development, yet it is a major source of environmental degradation when it exceeds the threshold limits of the support systems. Unless the relationship between the multiplying population and the life support system can be stabilized, development programmes, howsoever, innovative are not likely to yield desired results.
Population impacts on the environment primarily through the use of natural resources and production of wastes and is associated with environmental stresses like loss of biodiversity, air and water pollution and increased pressure on arable land.
