Chapter 1
Ecology is a
very popular word today. But what does it mean? Ecology is a since
which studies the relationship between all forms of life on our
planet and the environment. This word came from Greek “oikos”
which means home. The idea of home includes our whole planet, its
population, Nature, animals, birds, fish, insets and all other living
beings and even the atmosphere around our planet.
Since ancient times Nature has served
Man giving everything he needs: air to breathe, food to eat, water to
drink, wood for building and fuel for heating his home. For thousands
of years people lived in harmony with the environment and it seemed
to them that the resources of nature had no end or limit. With the
industrial revolution our negative influence on Nature began to
increase. Large cities with thousands of steaming, polluting plants
and factories can be found nowadays all over the world. The
by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe the water we
drink the fields where our crops are grown. That’s why those
who live in cities prefer spending their days off and their holidays
far from the noise of the city, to be closer to nature. Perhaps they
like to breathe fresh air or to swim in clear water because the
ecology is not so poor as in the cities.
So, pollution is one of the most
burning problems of nowadays. Now millions of chimneys, cars, buses,
trucks all over the world exhaust fumes and harmful substances into
the atmosphere. These poisoned substances pollute everything: air,
land, water, birds and animals. So, it is usually hard to breathe in
the large cities where there are lots plants. Everything there is
covered with soot and dirt. All these affect harmfully. Every year
the atmosphere is polluted by about 1000 tons of industrial dust and
other harmful substances. Big cities suffer from smog. Cars with
their engine have become the main source of pollution in industrial
countries. Vast forests are being cut down for the need of industries
in Europe and USA. The loss of the forests upsets the the oxygen
balance of the new wastelands. As the result some species of animals,
birds, fish and plants have disappeared and keep disappearing.
Water pollution is very serious, too.
Ugly rivers of dirty water polluted with factory waste, poisoned fish
are all-round us. And polluted air and poisoned water lead to the end
of the civilization. So, nowadays a lot of dead lands and lifeless
areas have appeared. Because our actions and dealings can turn the
land to a desert.
Chapter 2
What is the greenhouse effect, and is it affecting our climate?
The
greenhouse effect is unquestionably real, and is essential for life
on Earth. It is the result of heat absorption by certain gases in the
atmosphere (called greenhouse gases because they trap heat) and
re-radiation downward of a part of that heat. Water vapor is the most
important greenhouse gas, followed by carbon dioxide and other trace
gases. Without a natural greenhouse effect, the temperature of the
Earth would be about zero degrees F (-18°C) instead of its
present 57°F (14°C). However, the concern is not with the
fact that we have a greenhouse effect, but it is with the question
regarding whether human activities are leading to an enhancement of
the greenhouse effect.
Are greenhouse gases increasing?
Human activity has been increasing the concentration of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (mostly carbon dioxide from
combustion of coal, oil, and gas; plus a few other trace gases).
There is no scientific debate on this point. Pre-industrial levels of
carbon dioxide (prior to the start of the Industrial Revolution) were
about 280 parts per million by volume (ppmv), and current levels are
about 370 ppmv. According to the IPCC "business as usual"
scenario of carbon dioxide increase (IS92a) in the 21st century, we
would expect to see a doubling of carbon dioxide over pre-industrial
levels around the year 2065.
Is the climate warming?
Global surface temperatures have increased
about 0.6°C (plus or minus 0.2°C) since the late-19th
century, and about one half degree F (0.2 to 0.3°C) over the past
25 years (the period with the most credible data).
The
warming has not been globally uniform.
Some
areas (including parts of the southeastern U.S.) have cooled. The
recent warmth has been greatest over N. America and Eurasia between
40 and 70°N. Warming, assisted by the record El Niсo of
1997-1998, has continued right up to the present.
Linear
trends can vary greatly depending on the period over which they are
computed. Temperature trends in the lower troposphere (between about
2,500 and 18,000 ft.) from 1979 to the present, the period for which
Satellite Microwave Sounding Unit data exist, are small and may be
unrepresentative of longer term trends and trends closer to the
surface. Furthermore, there are small unresolved differences between
radiosonde and satellite observations of tropospheric temperatures,
though both data sources show slight warming trends. If one
calculates trends beginning with the commencement of radiosonde data
in the 1950s, there is a slight greater warming in the record due to
increases in the 1970s. There are statistical and physical reasons
(e.g., short record lengths, the transient differential effects of
volcanic activity and El Niсo, and boundary layer effects) for
expecting differences between recent trends in surface and lower
tropospheric temperatures, but the exact causes for the differences
are still under investigation (see National Research Council report
"Reconciling Observations of Global Temperature Change").
An
enhanced greenhouse effect is expected to cause cooling in higher
parts of the atmosphere because the increased "blanketing"
effect in the lower atmosphere holds in more heat. Cooling of the
lower stratosphere (about 30-35,000ft.) since 1979 is shown by both
satellite Microwave Sounding Unit and radiosonde data, but is larger
in the radiosonde data.
There has
been a general, but not global, tendency toward reduced diurnal
temperature range (the difference between high and low daily
temperatures) over about 50% of the global land mass since the middle
of the 20th century. Cloud cover has increased in many of the areas
with reduced diurnal temperature range.
Relatively
cool surface and tropospheric temperatures, and a relatively warmer
lower stratosphere, were observed in 1992 and 1993, following the
1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The warming reappeared in 1994. A
dramatic global warming, at least partly associated with the record
El Niсo, took place in 1998. This warming episode is reflected
from the surface to the top of the troposphere.
Indirect
indicators of warming such as borehole temperatures, snow cover, and
glacier recession data, are in substantial agreement with the more
direct indicators of recent warmth.
Arctic sea ice has decreased since
1973, when satellite measurements began but Antarctic sea ice may
have increased slightly.
Chapter 3
So, we see
that our environment offers an abundance of subject matter for
discussion. The problems and prospects of the blue planet interest
not only scientist and futurologists, but also politicians, industry,
the public – and above all, young people! There is hardly a
young person who is not conserved with the preservation of our
natural habitat. To recognize environmental problems and master them,
to reduce and avoid environmental pollution, to discover and develop
ecologically sound technologies – there are the essential
building blocks for our future.
Whether scientist
or politicians, bankers or student, whether Greek, Norwegian,
Hungarian or Finn … all are encouraged to make a contribution
towards protecting the environment. Dedication and the courage to
change one’s way of thinking are called for.
We are to stop
pollution. So, we can grow plants and trees, to purify waste, to
start urgent campaigns in order to preserve environment For example,
in 1989 in Australia, Sydney. In a year the same kind of action was
held all over Australia and it was called “Clean up Australia”
the following years 110 countries hold the similar actions within the
ecological program of the UNO.
Nowadays there are many different pressure
and interests groups in many countries, which try to find solutions
to the problems of pollution at the national and international level.
So they are groups of people with a common interest in trying to draw
the public attention to environment problems, to influence the
government decisions.
Greenpeace is a
very famous pressure group. It started functioning in 1971. Its
headquarters are at Amsterdam, but it operates in 25 countries
worldwide. The aim of Greenpeace is to protect wildlife of toxic
wastes, nuclear tests.
“Friends of the Earth” (FoE) is
one of the British pressure groups with an international reputation.
Its general aim is to conserve the planet’s resources and
reduce pollution. FoE was established in 1971 and now it operated in
44 countries worldwide. It campaigns among other things, for
recycling and renewable energy, and the destruction of wildlife and
habitat. The main campaigning issues of the FoE are:
The protection of
all animals and plants in danger of extinction.
An end to the
destruction of wildlife and habitats.
A program of
energy conservation measures, etc.
So, a number of
campaigns resulted in:
The ban or other
hunting in England and Wales
And indefinite
delay in the construction of the Commercial East Breeder Reactor,
etc.
But not only great groups can influence the problem of
pollution. So, different people have their own opinions on this
problem:
The continued
pollution of the earth, if unchecked, well eventually destroys the
fitness of this planet as a place for human life. (B. Commoner).
The Earth has
enough for every man’s need, but not for man’s greed.
(Ganlui).
And
I agree with them because it is really so. And terrible examples
prove them.
The
Baltic Sea is a special case. Because it is such a small sea and it
becomes dirty very easily. Its waster changes slowly through the
shallow straits. As many as 250 rivers run into the Baltic. There are
hundreds of factories in these rivers and millions of people live
along them. Quite a lot of big cities lie on its coast. All these
combined with the active navigation of the sea naturally affects the
state of the sea water and the shore line flora and fauna. People
suffer from the waster pollution; cancer deaths increase people’s
concern.
And there is no escape from this ecological crisis
without organizing a single body dealing with the environmental
problems, developing and carrying out a nationwide program of
environmental protection and co-operating with international schemes.
Conclusion.
Scientists now predict that by the year 2050 the
population will be doubled what is today. The fact remains that the
rate of food production fell behind population growth in many of
developing countries. The annual fish catch already exceeds what the
world ‘s oceans can successfully sustain. If we go on using our
natural recourses at today’s rates, we will have used up the
intire reserves of cooper, natural gas and oil by the year 2054.
But
the problem ahead lie not so much in what we use but in what we
waste. What faces us is not so much a recourse crisis as a pollution
crisis. The only solution is to try to change the areas of
consumption, technology and population. Changes in technology must be
baked by slower population growth. And it can be achieved by
education in health and women’s rights. And there is a little
hope of reducing consumption over the next half century.
Introduction.
My paper is devoted to the theme of
the global ecological catastrophes and the environmental protection.
I am giving a review of various global problems such as “Greenhouse
effect”. The aim of my project is to show and explain how
ecological catastrophes navel our life and and what consequence they.
The
sources of my work are:
Scientific
books and newspapers
Numerous
internet data
My project consists of the following
parts: Introduction, 3 chapters, conclusion, reference list.
Chapter 1 “Ecological
situation nowadays” – deals with global ecological
problems such as air, water pollution etc.
Chapter
2 “Global warming” – is devoted to a problem of a
global warming called “greenhouse effect”.
Chapter
3 “Pressure groups” –contains in formation about
different pressure groups such as “Greenpeace” etc.
Conclusion.
Reference
list.
I suppose that
the topic I choose is very actual nowadays and I hope that it will
contribute to our knowledge and will also have a practical
inplimintation in the class.
In my project today
I’d like to review the problem of environmental protection. The
reason why I chose this subject for developing is quite evident –
our planet is on the verge of global ecological catastrophe. Today
I’ll be developing several main points.
First I’ll give
you a general idea of the ecological situation on our planet. Second
I’d like to highlight the most dangerous tendencies that can
have deadly consequences for us. Lastly I’ll try to show what
can be done to save our planet from disaster.
What does the word
ecology mean? This word came from Greek “oikos” which
means home. The idea of home includes our whole planet, its
population, nature, animals, birds, fish and all other living beings
and even the atmosphere around our planet. But look what we have done
with our home? For thousands of years people exploited the nature
thoughtlessly thinking that its resources had no end or limit. With
the industrial revolution our negative influence on nature increased.
What has become with the air we breathe the water we drink and the
soil we grow crops on? It is all polluted. Statistics show that every
year the atmosphere is polluted by about 1000 tons of industrial dust
and other harmful substances. Thousands of kilometers of rainforests
are being cut down for the need of industries. Ton of exhaust wastes
are thrown into the World Ocean.
The consequences are
disastrous. There is a hardly river left
from which we can take a fresh water. A lot of species of animals,
birds, fish and plants have either disappeared completely or on the
verge of extinction. So you see that environmental pollution has
increased to enormous proportions.
And now let me move on
to another point of my research. How can we explain the global
climate warming? Haven’t you noticed that in this country
winters have become much warmer with hardly any snow? What are the
reasons for this? The first and the main reason is the greenhouse
effect. The green house effect is the result of heat absorption by
certain gases in the atmosphere (called greenhouse gases because they
trap heat) and reradiation downward of a part of that heat. Human
activity has been increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere (mostly carbon dioxide from combustion of coal, oil,
and gas plus few other gases). If you look at this diagram you’ll
see that the level of carbon dioxide before the start of industrial
revolution was 280 ppmv. The current level is 370 ppmv. and the
expected level for the year 2065 is 560 ppmv. The next table shows
the increase of global surface temperature. However the warming
hasn’t been globally uniform. Some areas (including southern
u.s.) have cooled. The recent warmth has been noted between North
America and Eurasia.
So what are the
potential effects of rising temperatures? In general scientists
believe that rising temperature will lead to increase evaporation and
therefor to more precipitation. But while some regions will
experience increased rainfall, others will become dryer. Another
effect is the rise of the sea levels, which will result in flooding
low-lying coastal areas. This may also lead to increasing the
salinity of the rivers and to decrease of water supplies. And finally
climate changes may cause extinction of many species of birds,
animals and plants.
On
the whole the environmental problems we have just touched upon are
only a small part of abundance of subject matters for discussion. We
are to stop pollution. So, we can grow plants and trees, to purify
waste, to start urgent campaigns in order to preserve environment For
example, in 1989 in Australia, Sydney. In a year the same kind of
action was held all over Australia and it was called “Clean up
Australia” the following years 110 countries hold the similar
actions within the ecological program of the UNO.
Nowadays there are many different pressure
and interests groups in many countries, which try to find solutions
to the problems of pollution at the national and international level.
So they are groups of people with a common interest in trying to draw
the public attention to environment problems, to influence the
government decisions.
Greenpeace is a
very famous pressure group. It started functioning in 1971. Its
headquarters are at Amsterdam, but it operates in 25 countries
worldwide. The aim of Greenpeace is to protect wildlife of toxic
wastes, nuclear tests.
“Friends of the Earth” (FoE) is one of the British
pressure groups with an international reputation. Its general aim is
to conserve the planet’s resources and reduce pollution. FoE
was established in 1971 and now it operated in 44 countries
worldwide. It campaigns among other things, for recycling and
renewable energy, and the destruction of wildlife and habitat.
I’m
sure there is no escape from this ecological crisis without
organizing a single body dealing with the environmental problems,
developing and carrying out a worldwide program of environmental
protection and co-operating with international schemes.
Ecological problems-сам реферат
Introduction-вступление к нему
presentation-кр. пересказ introduction+кр.пересказ реферата+вывод
Reference list-список литры-(если понадобится)
УСЕ!!!!!!!!
Сдано на "5"
Reference
list.
Internet
data:
www.greenpeace.com
www.world-ecology.com
Multimedia
Editions
(Multimedia Edition)
British Multimedia Encyclopedia
Table
of contents.
Introduction……………………………………….Page
1
Main
Part:
Chapter
1………………………………………….Page
2
Chapter
2…..…………………………………..Page
3 - 4
Chapter
3………………………………………Page
5 - 6
Conclusion………………………………………..Page
7
References……………………………………….Page
8