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Transcript of land,a time bomb
Development black book
Contamination
War Deforestation
Water
WorldTrashTree
Global warming
Land, a time bomb
This wonderful book was thought of, elaborated and designed by the students of the Second Language Program; English Intensive Group No. 3 in the second semester of 2011. Our book is a quick overview of the Natural Disasters ad Man-Made disasters that are faced every day by the planet's population and how these affect our ENVINRONMENT. Perhaps this group is calling out to the community to stop and think about how each one of us can help make this world a better place to live. Many thanks to Sebastian M. Moreno T. who had the patience and invested precious time to put our book together.
Introduction
Earth, the small blue planet, so big and so fragile, many
speak of its destruction but very few accept that we are
really the cause of most problems.
We are the principal cause of environment degradation,
every time that we ignite the car we are not aware of the
damage produced to the air, the same air that we breathe,
but this is not the worst; we have developed medicinal
techniques to fight the effects of pollution contrary to the
other living things that depend only on their natural
defenses.
On the other hand, we are predators that kill animals for
food, planting and harvesting plants indiscriminately, many
species have become extinct with our unbridled ambition of
a "better life" forgetting conveniently the natural equilibrium
concept and stupidly that one day we will be victims of our
own invention.
Einstein said “If the bee disappears from the planet, man
would have only 4 years of life” he was right, the bee is the
means of pollination, pollination is the source of plants
propagation, the plants are agriculture base and agriculture
is the most important source of life. But man thinks this is
impossible. Impossible?!! Every building, every road built, all
toxic products released to the environment, have stolen the
home of bees, have killed them, and this condemns
humanity to a terrible death… terrible but deserved, for their
excessive unconsciousness and irresponsibility.
The exploitation of petroleum has bled the planet, damaging
support structure, its derivate products are huge sources of
contamination and the fight for the control has been subject
of terrible and devastating wars... and this not is the worst,
the bill extends and the price that we must pay is
unattainable.
Religion, politics, envy, ambition, fear, insensibility ... we are
a self-destructive species, our destiny is written and the
ending is tragic… "Give us, Satan, eternal punishment, and
fall upon us the perpetual darkness"… we deserve it.
PROLOGUE (By J Luque Leandro)
IndexDEFORESTATION- Paula Moreno Caro
WILDFIRE- Camilo Duarte Sandoval
LANDSLIDE-domingo Coronado Arrieta
GLOBAL WARMING- Andrea Paola Ramirez Galindo
ACID RAIN- Cristian Camilo Torres Castro
FLOOD- William Ariza
EARTHQUAKES- Cristian Orlando Barrera
VOLCANO- Sergio Andres Gonzalo Rojas
TSUNAMIS- Vanessa Fajardo Piratoa
TORNADOES-carolina CuevasOIL SPILL- Angie Dayana Ortiz Rivera
HAIL STORM- Jonathan Granados
FAMINE- Diana Lancheros
DROUGHT- Deisy Lorena Gomez
WAR- Brayam Camilo Vela Galindo
TERRORISM- Daniela Nieto Tellez
NUCLEAR DISASTERS- Jessica Ortiz
BIOLOGICAL WARFARE- Juan David Vergara Ruiz
INFECTION DISEASES- Willington Padilla
SOLAR FLARE- Nicolas Moreno Anzola
POLLUTION - Edgar Alfonso Varco
POLLUTION ( )- Mayerly Torres
HEAT WAVES- Anderson Mora Lopez
ENVIRONMENT AGENCIES-froilan Villarea BarreraENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY- Diana Marcela Torres VivasECO-DESIGN- Sebastian Moreno Torres
contaminants into a natural environment
Page 5Page 7Page 9Page 11Page 14Page 16Page 18Page 20Page 22Page 24Page 26Page 28
Page 30Page 32Page 34Page 36Page 38
Page 40Page 42
Page 44Page 46Page 48Page 50Page 52Page 54Page 56
Deforestation in one of the biggest problem in the planet, because it is the major reason of climate changes, and it is
caused by human acts.
is that the native peoples in an area are put under
a lot of pressure to make a living to support their
families, and get jobs as loggers, often illegally so.
The people are often uneducated and know
nothing other than logging practices. In many
countries the logging trade is the biggest foreign
money-earner ,therefore, governments try to
exploit the forests for all they can take, and more.
Human settlement is a big problem in many areas.
People who have left the city to live in the rural
areas claim pieces of land as their own and slash
and burn the surroundings, using wood for fuel and
also selling it on roadsides ,etc.
The construction of roads and highways is a big problem in wooded areas.
The growth of the world´s population is also a
problem because more ground has to be cleared in
order to feed the ever-growing populations. As the
population grows there is a need for food. People
take the initiative and buy large pieces of land that
they cultivate with single crops. They have to cut
down trees and bush, etc.
The most popular reason behind deforestation is
the industrial use or fuel, the expansion of
agricultural grounds includes over exploitations,
cattle farming, lumber and woodland
experimentation.
Dioxide levels in the air. The essential point is
that we have to pull together to stop the
destruction of the world.
Causes: deforestation has too many causes
because it is multidimensional, the social part,
the political and the economic aspects also
origins in a deep way the deforestation.
The forests are cultivated, cleared and burned
every year by international ranchers and local
farmers. Logging, farming, population
expansion, growth of cities, roads and highways
are a little part of the biggest list.
Some of the social and economic factor
Deforestation is the continuous and the
permanent destruction of woodlands, forest and
all the agriculture areas. Deforestation is about
killing all the trees in a specific area, for
individual benefits, like money, property, and
possibly status; without thinking about the
consequences to others who live around the
area.
The problem is that the trees cannot be regrown
and replanted at the rate at which they are
being cut down. For this reason the forests are
declining at an incredible rate.
Deforestation is a problem with far reaching
consequences ranging from a barren landscape
to a higher Carbon woodlands and forests.
DEFORESTATION
5
Deforestation influences water cycle
transpiration to the atmosphere and it makes the
climate become drier; it makes the atmosphere
become less moist and reduces the water table
quantity.
- Deforestation lowers the soil quality and it
triggers soil erosion and flooding. Deforestation
has increased the sub-surface flow and it often
caused unexpected flooding to the lower
ground.
- Deforestation has messed up the rich
biodiversity on the forestlands.
- Deforestation is a contributing factor to the
green house effect. The trees are large carbon
dioxide stores, and when the trees are burnt
they release this gas. This leads too an increase
in the carbon dioxide levels in the air.
If there are no trees, the land becomes far more
unstable than before.
-Native people living in forest areas are pushed out
of their homes and have to encroach on more of
the forest. They can not go anywhere else because
they only know how to survive on the plants in the
forest. In this way more forest is destroyed and the
cycle will probably continue until all forests are
destroyed.
- In the Amazon they propose to build a 960km
highway called the BR-163 from Curiaba in the
middle of South America to Santarem in the top
right corner of Brazil. The BR-163 will allow giant
grain producers in the Matto Grosso region to
export their crops to Europe via Santarem far more
quickly and cheaply. It is estimated that 49 000km2
of forest will be destroyed during construction.
Effects and example
6
A Wildfire is the fire that spreads out of control on forest fuels located in the brush: Meaning greeneries and wood,
affecting the ecosystem and man.
Effect of weather: Heat waves, droughts, cyclical climate changes such as El Niño, and regional weather patterns such as high-pressure ridges can increase the risk and alter the behavior of wildfires dramatically. Years of precipitation followed by warm periods can encourage more widespread fires and longer fire seasons. Since the mid 1980s, earlier snowmelt and associated warming has also been associated with an increase in length and severity of the wildfire season in the Western United States. However, one individual element does not always cause an increase in wildfire activity.
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area.Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, grass fire, and wild land fire may be used to describe the same phenomenon depending on the type of vegetation being burned. A wildfire differs from other fires by its extensive size, the speed at which it can spread out from its
WILDFIRE
source, its potential to change direction unexpectedly, and its ability to jump gaps such as roads, rivers and fire breaks. Wildfires are characterized in terms of the cause of ignition, their physical properties such as speed of propagation, the combustible material present, and the effect of weather on the fire.
The most common cause of wildfires varies throughout the world. In the United States, Canada, and northwest China, for example, lightning is the major source of ignition. In Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa, Fiji, and New Zealand, wildfires can be attributed to human activities such as animal husbandry, agriculture, and land-conversion burning. Human carelessness is a major cause of wildfires in China and in the Mediterranean Basin. Too, the source of wildfires can be traced to both lightning strikes and human activities such as machinery sparks and cast-away cigarette butts.
7
The effects of wildfires are: People lose their
homes, animals are killed and also lose their
vegetation, affects the air quality, the wind and
heat. The good that wildfires do is they burn old
dead trees, leaves, grass, anything that Mother
Nature has not yet destroyed herself. Most
fires leave a lot of animals homeless which
causes these animals to come into the cities
nearer the fires and create a lot of confusion
not only to themselves but to the communities.
The Great Miramichi Fire refers to a massive
forest fire (or series of fires) which devastated
forests and communities throughout much of
northern New Brunswick in October 1825. It ranks
among the three largest forest fires ever recorded
in North America. About 1/3 of the homes in
Fredericton were destroyed, but the main
devastation was 100 miles (160 km) to the
northeast. The cause of the blaze is not known,
but was likely of human origin.
Effects and example
8
The land is the source of life, but through natural disasters or man- made disasters these can crush bigger dreams of
peoples, cities and ecosystems.
These phenomena are mass movements of soil
or rock a slope on suddenly.
The gravity of the earth is the most important
cause of landslides, bus there are other aspects
to consider such as:
- Class of rock and soils.
- Topography.
- Orientation of fracture or cracks in the
earth.
- Amount of rain in the area.
LANDSLIDE
- Seismic Activity.
-Human activity (deforestation).
- Erosion.
These are some of the major causes of landslide.
Human activity is relevant when studying the
causes of landslides, deforestation caused by
logging reduces the resistance of the earth. And
also it is occur when rain water seeps into the
mountains and these end up succumbing.
IMPACT
Landslide can impair the functioning of
infrastructure in cities, creating destruction and
loss of life, economic collapse in the markets, it
can destroy or bury the cultural heritage. It can
destroy roads, it can cause personal injury and
economic loss. Mountains may disappear. It can
affect water systems, damage the ecological
system, impair mobility and massive
transportation, generating lack of food, increased
diseases, disorderly conducts, insecurity,
vandalism, panic, among other things.
These are the main socio-economic impacts of a
landslide.
9
PREVENTION
Landslide cause great destruction, to overcome
and minimize damage, efforts to control
landslides have increased. One of the
technologies developed using a wireless sensor
network (WSN). This network is used to detect
and measure the vibrations caused by landslide.
And after measurements, the system indicated
significant changes in ground motion.
This is the main system for prevention on
landslides created so far.
thŸ The 5 of September, 2010, a landslide
buried 30 houses in “Bello – Antioquia”
(Colombia), 124 people were killed and 50
families were relocated, this is just one of the
faces of the tragedy and let the displacement
result of land.
Ÿ In September 2010, a landslide in “Oxaca”
(México). Killed at least eight people's dead
and 100 missing.
Ÿ In December 2010, a landslide in “La Cruz -
Nariño” (Colombia). Killed at eleven people.
Effects and example
10
“Global warming can have many different causes, but it is most commonly associated with the release of excessive
amounts of greenhouse gases.”
of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases. The
causes are split up into two groups, man-made or
anthropogenic causes, and natural causes.
Natural causes are causes created by nature. One
natural cause is a release of methane gas from
arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane is a
greenhouse gas.
Warming is worse when people cut down trees.
Trees and other plants collect carbon dioxide
(CO2), which is a greenhouse gas.
Another problem is burning fossil fuels, this is
one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are
fuels made of organic matter such as coal, or
oil. The burning of garbage in landfills is another
cause of global warming, this sends an
enormous amount of greenhouse gasses into
the air and makes global warming worse.
Global warming refers to climate change that
causes an increase in the average temperature
of the lower atmosphere. It happens when
greenhouse gases trap heat and light form the
sun in the earth's atmosphere, which increases
the temperature.
Global warming can have many different
causes, but it is most commonly associated with
the release
GLOBAL WARMING
11
EFFECTS SHORT TERMS AND EXAMPLES
There are also a number of effects to the nature
and atmosphere. One of the most serious
effects of Global Warming that humans have to
think about is the effects on the health of
individuals, nations and, therefore, civilizations.
The rise in temperature due to Global Warming
is known to be supportive to various viral
diseases like the west Nile virus and Malaria.
Global Warming increases the incidence of such
diseases in poorer countries where these
diseases exist.
Global Warming results in a drastic rise in
temperature. This rise in temperature finally
results in an increase in the mortality rate of
people. A higher temperature causes problems to
people with cardiovascular problems.
Global Warming may also cause a decline in
agriculture due to the rise in temperature. Global
Warming also results in increased number and
longer droughts.
The increase in temperature also causes various
damages to the transport infrastructure such a
bridges
Ships to face greater temperature changes. Due
to this, the maintainable costs of the transport
infrastructure will increase.
The effects and consequences of the Global
Warming are can be seen in the atmosphere,
weather as well as the health of individuals. As it is
One thing that is happening is warm water,
caused from global warming, is harming and
killing algae in the ocean. Fewer algae is a
problem because there is less food for us and
many animals in the sea.
12
EFFECTS LONG TERMS
obvious by its name, Global Warming is a
global phenomenon with a number of effects on
the global level. Global warming has various
effects, ranging from the effects to the
atmosphere to the economic, environmental as
well as the health life of human beings.
Increasing global temperatures are causing a
broad range of changes. Sea levels are rising
due to thermal expansion of the ocean, in
addition to melting of land ice. Amounts and
patterns of precipitation are changing.
One of the most important effects is the
increase in extreme temperatures. The levels of
evaporation will also increase due to Global
Warming. Other effects of global warming, like a
decreased snow level, increased temperature
and other weather changes will have a effect not
only on humans but also entire ecosystems.
These ecosystems will change and cause many
traditional inhabitants to leave their inhabitants.
This may cause extinction of species. Another
Global Warming consequence is the decline of
the ecosystem's productivity.
Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns
increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of
other extreme weather events, such as floods,
droughts, heat waves, and tornadoes. Other
effects of global warming include higher or lower
agricultural yields, further glacial retreat, reduced
summer stream flows, species extinctions. As a
further effect of global warming, diseases like
malaria are returning into areas where they have
been extinguished earlier.
13
Emissions of carbonic gas from the burning fuels, industrial processes, cars and more, cause toxic activity in
the atmosphere: its result is acid rain.
Furthermore, another cause of acid rain are the
human activities because long time people have
produced different chemicals in to the atmosphere
with industries or chemical experiments, for this
reason, pollution has increased and at this
moment we have lost a lot of nature. Some power
plants emit sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
when burning fossil fuels such as coal to produce
electricity. Also, the exhaust from cars, trucks and
buses emit nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide in
the air. These pollutants cause acid rain.
Dry deposition
Where the weather is dry, the chemicals products
are incorporated in dust or smoke. Dry deposited
gases and particles can be washed from these
surfaces by rainstorms, leading to increased
runoff. This runoff water makes the resulting
mixture more acidic. About half of the acidity in the
atmosphere falls back to earth through dry
deposition
Wet depositionIt is the combination of acidic rain, fog and snow. The acids in the air travel thousands of kilometers and can fall in lakes, rivers, trees, animals furthermore on the humans causing multiple diseases. The effects depends on several factors such as, the degree of acidity in water, the chemistry and the types of fish, trees, and other living things that depends on the water
Acid rain has been caused by an intensive
contamination on the atmosphere. It is for some
reasons like: First, contamination is due to
mixing of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides there are in air, this mixture
reacts with water, oxygen and more chemicals to
produce other
are cause of diseases and environment
risks when it rains.
acidifying pollutants or harmful
particles. This is usually called as acid rain.
Finally, these chemicals travels long distances
and are part of rain or the fog that we have on
certain days
also
ACID RAIN
14
Effects and example
Why is acid rain harmful?
First, acid rain can cause health problems in
people because the mixing of chemicals such as
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause
respiratory diseases, for example, asthma,
pneumonia or chronic bronchitis because this
pollution creates tiny particles that enter the
lungs and can even cause permanent lung
damage. Second, acid rain causes damages in
forest because living things absorb different
nutrients and stop the growth of trees and other
plants eliminating forest. Another consequence
produced by acid rain is the damage to the rivers
and the lakes because this increase in acidity an
aluminum levels can be lethal for aquatic life.
Finally, a long example of acid rain is in China,
because this country has the biggest industrial
pollution in the world. For this reason, news has
presented the causes and consequences of
nature disaster such as damage to buildings and
objects because chemical compounds containing
acid rain can cause paint to peel and stone
statues begin to deteriorate.
This is the biggest threat of pollution and loss
many lives as animals, plants and people by acid
rain.
15
If water becomes ice, it cause dangerous rains.
Above the surface. This thin layer of air then cools
the rain to a temperature under freezing (0 °C).
However, the drops themselves do not freeze, a
phenomenon called supercooling. When the
supercooled drops strike ground below 0 °C or
anything else below 0 °C (power lines, tree
branches, aircraft), they instantly freeze, forming a
thin film of ice, hence freezing rain.
40 degrees and 50 degrees latitude are most
susceptible due to the frequent mixing of warm
and cold air masses in these regions. In January
of 1998, the "Storm of the Century" in Canada was
a freezing rain event that lasted for days, leaving
four million people without electricity and costing
over $5 billion in structural damage and economic
loss combined. Over two dozen people died
during this event, and approximately 1000 people
were injured.
In the entire world (specially the countries that
are located in the north and south of the
Ecuador meridian), ice storms are very
common. In the northern United States, the
states of New York and Pennsylvania have
recorded the greatest number of ice storms,
followed by Ohio and North Carolina. Although
ice storms can also occur in the southern United
States, they are much less common due to the
greater number of days with above freezing
surface temperatures. In general, mid-latitude
regions between
An ice storm is when a layer of warm air is
between two layers of cold air. Frozen
precipitation melts while falling into the warm air
layer, and then proceeds to refreeze in the cold
layer above the ground. If the precipitation is
partially melted, it will land on the ground as
sleet. However, if the warm layer completely
melts the precipitation, becomes rain, the water
droplets will continue to fall, and pass through a
thin layer of cold air just
HAIL STORMS Rains under 0° Celsius.
16
Effects and example
Ice-covered roads become slippery and hazardous, as the ice causes vehicles to skid out of control, whichcan cause devastating car crashes aswell as pile-ups. Additionally, the lossof power during ice storms hasindirectly caused numerous illnessesand deaths due to unintentional carbonmonoxide (CO) poisoning at lower levels.CO poisoning causes symptoms suchas nausea, dizziness, fatigue, andheadache, but high levels can causeunconsciousness, heart failure, and death.
In December 25, 2010, freezing rain fell on Moscow and vicinity. The glaze ice accumulation caused a number of accidents and power outages, of which the most serious was damage caused to two power lines feeding Domodedovo Airport, causing a complete blackout of the airport and express railway that connected it to the city.
Here, the food from the farms and other sites were
destroyed and the people from this country had a
violent famine and caused a reduction on the
country´s economy.
17
Over flows of huge volume of waters causes floods, this can be damaging and devastating and are caused by
different situations depending on the location.
combination of sea tidal surges and storm-force winds. Coastal floods are caused by cyclones, hurricanes and tsunamis. These are one of the most common natural disasters.
Heavy rainfalls are one of the major causes of floods. The level of water in rivers or lakes rises due to heavy rainfalls. When the level of water rises above the rive banks or dams, the water starts overflowing, which causes floods. The overflow to areas adjacent to rivers, lakes or dams, causing flooding or floods. The flood water causes chaos and great destruction in the areas where it flows. Floods occur more in the regions that get heavy rainfalls. Floods are also caused due to heavy snow melting.
When the level of water rises above the sea level, it causes floods in coastal areas or coastal lowlands.
There are also several human causes of floods. Deforestation is one of the major causes of floods. Trees are being cleared fast from large areas. As result, soil is easily eroded, and the eroded soil gets settled at the bottom of rivers and seas, which raises the level of water in rivers and seas, which consequently causes floods.
Generally, floods occur more in the low-lying areas or the areas below the sea level. One of the main reasons is that rivers flow slowly in these areas. The volume of water increases in the low lying areas. When the level of water rises in these regions, it causes floods.
Floods also occur more in the coastal regions. Floods, in the coastal regions, are caused due to high tides, storms, cyclones, hurricanes, or tsunamis.
Flood is an overflow of a huge amount of water onto the normally dry land. Flooding occurs when the overflowing water submerges land and causes deluge. It is a cruel and violent expression of water. Floods are often deadly, damaging and devastating. They kill lots of people, damage houses and crops, and cause extensive destruction. In broader terms, floods are of two types: Natural floods and Catastrophic floods.
Natural floods are the floods that are caused
naturally by the overflow of the huge volume of
water, from rivers, lakes, oceans, or by heavy
rains or downpours, hurricanes, cyclones, or
tsunamis, etc. Natural floods could be riverine
floods. Estuarine floods are caused by a
FLOOD
18
Effects and example
Floods make an enormous impact on the
environment and society. Floods destroy
drainage systems in cities, causing raw sewage
to spill out into bodies of water. Also, in cases of
severe floods, buildings can be significantly
damaged and even destroyed. This can lead to
catastrophic effects on the environment as many
toxic materials such as paint, pesticide and
gasoline can be released into the rivers, lakes,
bays, and ocean, killing maritime life. Floods
may also cause millions of dollars worth of
damage to a city, both evicting people from their
homes and ruining businesses. Floods cause
significant amounts of erosion to coasts, leading
to more frequent flooding if not repaired.
The rains have flooded the country's main rivers, and mudslides have devastated the worst-affected regions in the south-east.
Millions of dollars in damage have been caused by the downpour in the central coffee-producing area of the country.
Officials in five provinces Cauca, Nariño, Valle, Cundinamarca and the capital Bogota have called for a maximum state of alert.
Colombia's Prevention of Disasters office has issued a red alert for communities near the San Jorge river, 410km north-east of the capital.
19
Earthquakes are caused by faulting,a sudden lateral or vertical movement of rock along a rupture surface.
P-Waves
Primary Waves (P-Waves) are identical in
character to sound waves. They are high
frequency, short-wavelength, longitudinal waves
which can pass through both solids and liquids.
The ground is forced to move forwards and
backwards as it is compressed and
decompressed. This produces relatively small
displacements of the ground. P Waves can be
reflected and refracted, and under certain
circumstances can change into S-Waves.
L-Waves
Surface Waves (L-Waves) are low frequency
transverse vibrations with a long wavelength. They
are created close to the epicenter and can only
travel through the outer part of the crust. They are
responsible for the majority of the building
damage caused by earthquakes. This is because
L Waves have a motion similar to that of waves in
the sea. The ground is made to move in a circular
motion, causing it to rise and fall as visible waves
move across the ground.
S-Waves
Secondary Waves (S-Waves) travel more slowly
than P-Waves and arrive at any given point after
the P-Waves. Like P-Waves they are high
frequency, short-wavelength waves, but instead
of being longitudinal they are transverse. They
move in all directions away from their source, at
speeds which depend upon the density of the
rocks through which they are moving. They
cannot move through liquids. On the surface of
the Earth, S-Waves are responsible for the
sideways displacement of walls and fences,
leaving them 'S' shaped.
The surface of the Earth is in continuous slow
motion. This is due to the tectonic plates -- the
motion of immense rigid plates at the surface of
the Earth in response to flow of rock within the
Earth. The plates cover the entire surface of the
globe. Since they are all moving they rub against
each other in some places, sink beneath each
other in others, or spread apart from each other.
At such places the motion is not smooth--the
plates are stuck together at the edges but the
rest of each plate is continuing to move, so the
rocks along the edges are distorted
EARTHQUAKES
20
Effects and example
Most earthquake-related deaths are caused by
the collapse of structures and the construction
practices play a tremendous role in the death toll
of an earthquake. In southern Italy in 1909 more
than 100,000 people perished in an earthquake
that struck the region. Almost half of the people
living in the region of Messina were killed due to
the easily collapsible structures that dominated
the villages of the region. A larger earthquake
that struck San Francisco three years earlier had
killed fewer people (about 700) because building
construction practices were different type
(predominantly wood).
-Devastating fires.
-Landslides
-Flash floods.
-Tsunamis
-Seiche
Survival rates in the San Francisco earthquake was about 98%, that in the Messina earthquake was between 33% and 45%) (Zebrowski, 1997). Building practices can make all the difference in earthquakes, even a moderate rupture beneath a city with structures unprepared for shaking can produce tens of thousands of casualties.
Although probably the most important, direct shaking effects are not the only hazard associated with earthquakes, other effects such as landslides, liquefaction, and tsunamis have also played important part in destruction produced by earthquakes.
-Deformed ground surface.
-Damage to manmade structures.
-Damage to towns and cities.
-Loss of human and animal life.
21
Volcano is a vent through which magma and dissolved gases are discharged.
A volcano is a rupture, in a planet's surface crust,
which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases
to escape from below the surface.
The most common perception of a volcano is of a
conical mountain, (because after it erupts
numerous times, a cone is created), spewing lava
and poisonous gases from a crater at its summit,
but the causes of volcanoes are much more
complicated.
The structure and behavior of volcanoes depends
on a number of factors
An eruption begins when pressure on a magma
chamber forces magma up through the conduit
and out the volcano's vents. When the magma
chamber has been completely filled, the type of
eruption partly depends on the amount of gases
and silica in the magma. The amount of silica
determines how sticky (level of viscosity) the
magma is and water provides the explosive
potential of steam.
Since the magma is always building up
pressure and the earth is always spinning, it
sometimes causes a crack in the earth. The two
sides of the crack may shift. (This is called plate
tectonics, known to be the cause of volcanic
eruptions).
The magma will burst through the crack. If this
crack is in the ocean, an island can be created.
When there is an eruption in a volcano, the
place where pressure builds up and where the
magma is called the magma chamber.
A volcano is a rupture, in a planet's surface
crust, which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and
gases to escape from below the surface.
The most common perception of a volcano is of
a conical mountain, (because after it erupts
numerous times, a cone is created), spewing
lava and poisonous gases from a crater at its
summit, but the causes of volcanoes are much
more complicated.
The structure and behavior of volcanoes
depends on a number of factors
VOLCANOS
22
Effects and example
These effects of volcanic eruptions are mostly
the result of certain hazards. Volcanoes provide
different hazards during an eruption. Each
hazard poses different risks affecting different
areas. The most threatening hazards include:
Volcanic ashes, Lahars, Debris avalanches,
landslides, Tsunamis, blast, lava, Gas etc.
Various notorious eruptions of volcanoes in the
past have taken place, such as Mount Pelée, and
the Nevado del Ruíz which demonstrated the
devastating impact of volcanic activity on nearby
landscapes and communities.
Many people were killed and injured. A large
number of people had to abandon their homes
and land forever. Even the whole world's climate
was changed for a while as a result of the
eruption!
23
A tsunami is a wave or a group of waves that occur in the water when they are pushed by a force that makes these
waves move vertically.
Section where two plates are in contact is called
border or edge of plates and the way in which one
plate moves relative to the other determines the
type of edge.
While it is true that a tectonic plate
movement can generate a tsunami, not all
earthquakes generate it. To form a tsunami the
fault where the earthquake occurs must be below
or near the ocean and must create a vertical
movement of the sea floor over a large
These movements between tectonic
plates can lead to strong earthquakes that cause
tsunamis.
In recent years we have seen many
catastrophes and disasters around the world
caused by tsunamis, but do we know what they
are? What are the main causes of such
devastating disaster? That impact it has on the
planet? Through this article we will understand
and expand our knowledge about this
phenomenon that has considerably harmed
many people around the world. The
phenomenon we call tsunami is a wave or
series of waves that occur in a body of water in
the ocean, generated primarily by earthquakes
occurring below or grows from the sea floor.
Volcanic eruptions, landslides, meteorites,
landslides and coastal groundwater also may be
responsible for this phenomenon.
TSUNAMIS
At sea, the length between wave crest and the
next can be about 100 km and a height of few
tens of centimeters. These waves can't be
appreciated in the air or on board ships.
. The waves that reach the shores
of a lake or ocean are often mistaken for waves
caused by the tsunamis. Such waves are
generated by offshore winds there, and waves are
quite small compared to the waves of a tsunami.
As the waves travel in Address to the shallower
waters of the coast, it slows down and increases
its height when it reaches the coast can grow to
several feet tall. Usually the first wave
approaching the coast is not the biggest and the
danger of a tsunami can last for many hours after
the first wave.
Deepwater these waves can reach speeds over
800 km per hour
As has been mentioned earlier, tsunamis are
mainly earthquakes quasar. Very rarely are
caused by volcanic eruptions, submarine
landslide and meteor impacts in the ocean.
Earthquakes can be caused by volcanic activity,
but in most cases are associated with the
movement of tectonic plates, these plates
lithospheric have 70 to 250 kilometers thick and
cover the entire surface of the planet, contain
the continents and the sea floor and are in
relative motion between them at speeds of
several centimeters per year. The
24
Area. The shallow focus earthquakes are
responsible for the most destructive tsunamis.
Within the generation mechanism of this
phenomenon is taken into account the amount
of vertical movement of the sea floor, the area
and the energy with which it is transferred from
Earth's crust to ocean water. Given the potential
threat of a tsunami, people and goods more
elements are constituted as vulnerable and
damaged. The effects vary depending on the
relationship that occurs between factors such as
poor organization, lack of knowledge on the
subject, topographic features, adjacent to the
coast, type of infrastructure, quality of
construction materials, building height, among
others. The effects of this phenomenon are
characterized by the loss in human and animal
life, destruction of infrastructure and a strong
impact on the environment.
The information found on tsunamis dominant
tales of suffering deaths and physical destruction
of infrastructure, but man is not the only one who
has suffered the effects. Also, ecosystems and
many species were affected. Experience from
previous tsunamis and other major floods
suggests that the environmental damage they
inflict is linked with the invasion of ground water by
salt water and the disappearance of the beaches
or its appearance elsewhere. Tsunamis can make
small, low islands inhabitable. Vegetation in large
stretches of lowland can be hurt substantially as
mangroves and grasses that resist salt water take
the place of other species. For rare animals with
specific reproduction sites, such as sea turtles, the
effects of tsunamis could spell extinction.
Effects and example
25
“Tornadoes are a rapidly moving spinning air that is very dangerous, because they have great strength, they can
destroy large areas.”
The winds of the tornadoes may top 400 kilometers
an hour, and can make pathway a 1.6 kilometers
wide and 80 kilometers long.
Tornadoes move at speeds of about 16 to 32
kilometers per hour.
Safety tips:
· In house
* Prepare for tornadoes by gathering emergency
supplies including food, water, medications,
batteries, flashlights, important documents, road
maps, and a full tank of gasoline.
* Everyone has to have a designated shelter of
protection from tornadoes.
* Those responsible for activating the plan should
monitor weather information.
* If the school´s alarm system relies on electricity,
have a compressed air horn or megaphone to
activate the alarm in case of power failure.
* make special provisions for disabled students.
* make sure someone turn off electricity and gas.
Ÿ When a tornado approaches, anyone in it is
path should take shelter indoors
—preferably in a basement or an interior
first-floor room or hallway.
Ÿ Avoid windows and seek additional
protection by getting underneath large, solid
pieces of furniture.
Ÿ Avoid automobiles and mobile homes, which
provide almost not protection form
tornadoes.
Ÿ In schools
Ÿ develop a severe weather action plan and
have frequent drills
Tornadoes are a vertical funnel of rapidly
spinning air.
How are tornadoes created? The twisters are
born at thunderstorms and are often
accompanied by hail, this needs warm, moist
air (Golf the Mexican Gulf), and cool, dry air
(Canada) –the location of these kinds air
generates the most tornadoes in The United
States. When these two kinds of air meet, they
create a change in
Wind direction and an increment in wind speed.
Giant, persistent thunderstorms called super-
cells spawn the most destructive tornadoes.
TORNADOES
26
Tornadoes have a great destructive power,
that is the danger, this affects the population,
because these drag all they encounter. The
tornado winds can go to a speed 400
kilometers/hour, moreover the incredible power
of suction and the change of pressure
atmospheric than can exploit buildings.
Effect of a tornado on buildings
1. The devastating effect because of the
speed of objects that become
projectiles.
2. The collapse of the parts of building.
3. The explosion occurs because of the
change of pressure.
Despite of devastating effects, in 1986, a tornado
occurred in China, where 13 children ended up in
the air and were transported 19 km away and
deposited unharmed in an area of dunes and
maturates. The children there were safe.
Effects and example
27
An Oil spill is a big oil spot on the sea, that it is very extensive layer with a very slim thickness. It pollutes the
soil and the water; it can kill animals and plants, but if these are not killed, they will be injured, sick or disabled.
The worrisome effect is that oil spills will cause carcigenous agents in the food chain.
The ecological disaster that the gulf of Mexico is living because the spill itself is a result of the collapse of the platform that was under construction in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 a fire broke out on the boat also resulted in human losses on Thursday November 22 finally beginning to sink oil spill of crude oil at a rate of 750 thousand liters per day (according to British Petroleum) and about 4 million gallons
An oil spill involves a series of gradual changes in physical-chemical properties which are attributed to the weathering process, which includes: evaporation, dissolution, dispersion, oxidation, emulsification, sedimentation and biodegradation.A spill or discharge of oil primarily affects two elements of the environment, these are; abiotic elements (soil, landforms, geomorphology, etc.).Biotic (flora and fauna).
Per day according to an environmental organization. The causes are still being researched, at this level only probable cause is talked about, then we can cite: The geographical conditions, as it was thought, drilling from the surface of the sea 1500 meters down on the seabed, the internal currents were unpredictable due to high pressures. Previous studies were deficient or inaccurate. Also, human error, and insufficient security measures.
Oil spills could produced by accident in the oil extraction process in the sea or on the surface of the earth through oil-bearing platforms; in its transportation through oil ships. Also it could be caused intentionally during a war for terrorist crime. 13% of strikes occur from accidents suffered by large container ships of oil, by the negligence of the authorities and inadequacy of fuel oil transportation companies.
OIL SPILLS
28
SOILContaminated soil by the presence of oil remains there. This depends on soil type which is a product of its composition and texture as the soil characteristics as the oil will adhere or penetrate with more or less force and, therefore, more or less time that it will remain in the environment, in sandy soils, the oil penetrates faster, in greater numbers and deeper, in clay soils or rock; oil does not penetrate easily in small quantities and shallow and therefore it can be removed by washing it quickly in clay beaches of the jungle; in soils with high organic matter content of the oil adheres strongly to particles and plant debris so that it remains in the environment longer, for example, in soils of mangroves and marshes.
FLORA AND FAUNA AFFECTIONDirect mortality due to suffocation, dirt and suffocation, poisoning through direct contact with oil, absorption of toxic fractions of the water column (e.g. algae). The toxicity of oil increases with the concentration of unsaturated aromatic compounds and low boil. The larval and juvenile life forms are usually more sensitive, indirect mortality due to death of food resources or habitat destruction, incorporation of sublethal quantities of petroleum fractions in the tissues of the body (e.g., ingestion), which potentially decreases tolerance to other stresses (e.g., predation and disease), reduction or destruction of food or commercial value of fisheries, due to the degeneration of taste by the absorption of hydrocarbons, incorporation of potentially carcinogenic or mutagenic in the food chain.
Effects and example
29
The fundamental menace of famine is expressed in the Biblical reference to the “four horsemen of the
apocalypse”: meaning famine, pestilence a disease's cause, war and death.
In extreme cases famine is a synonym of death.
All situations of disvantage, for people in
starvation are contributing in a very real sense to
"eliminating the poor" through "starvation death".
In the words of Henry Kissinger: "Control oil and
you control nations; control food and you control
the people." Another case, is how is it possible
that a person with an entry of money of less than
half of a minimum salary in Colombia in this time?
They do not consider people under poverty
conditions, and the national government does
nothing to help them and improve their quality of
life.
The history shows that the Famine's causes are
many. Within them we find: as first causes,
natural disasters, pests, over populated areas
that are unable to feed masses of people, poor
quality of health facilities, the governments that
have poor management of resources. In the
case of Third world countries, the over
population is a famine's cause too; in some
countries culture and religion say that If people
have more children, people will be blessed.
FAMINE
But actually the principal cause of the global
Famine is the process of "free market"
restructuring of the global economy that began in
the 1980s. Is poverty and chronic
undernourishment a condition we have seen for a
long of time? The recent hikes in food prices have
contributed to exacerbating and aggravating the
food crisis. The food price increases are hitting the
impoverished populations, which barely have the
means to survive.
Famine has had an important role in the
societies. It is responsible for wars and conflicts
in different world's places, such as: Haiti,
Bangladesh (in this place about 20,000 textile
workers marches and demonstrations, their
nonconformity with the soaring food prices and
demand higher wages.
Food price increases, but, the worker's salary
does not. This is a total inequality, that is caused
by governments and politicians and laws. They
have to change these aspects so that this world's
cancer is not a danger and mortal for the people
in disadvantage and with little money.
Development of a better economy and in
consequence generation of more jobs for people
are aspects that are necessary to be considered
by every citizen of the world.
30
This is a sad reality.
Thousands of children and also adults die to the
cause of starvation and there upon famine. The
world with the help of its generous people,
conscientious and willing to make the countries
in poverty situations a better place to live have
to stop this big cancer.
In the following paragraph we expose the main
consequences of famine. It has seen in the past
and the present. Also, to show an example of
famine, we can talk about the Somalian
population in East African that are living this
disaster presently, it has declared as by The
United Nations using scientific criteria of death
and malnutrition rates.
The principal famine's menaces are pestilence a
disease's cause, war and death. Also
consequences, physical, psychological, social,
and economic. Children fail to grow and cannot
learn in school and both adults and children
experience weight loss, lack of energy, and
decreased work ability. Similarly, psychological
impacts resulting from fear and uncertainty about
having enough to eat or to feed one's family; and
socially, migration is a common occurrence during
periods of famine.
For example Somalia, was struck in the summer
of 2011 by one of the worst droughts in 60 years.
In this place where a relentless war has depleted
the country's food supplies over decades, the
drought hit with a particularly devastating impact.
Tens of thousands of Somalis have died of
malnutrition-related causes; three million Somalis
are in urgent need of aid and more than 10 million
are at risk. But they did not wait. Tens of
thousands, possibly even hundreds of thousands,
fled to Kenya and Ethiopia for help.
Effects and example
31
“Drought is a dry period, caused by the absence of rainfall, the effects of this are of economic, environmental
and social types; Africa is affected by this type of environmental disaster.”
Is quickly evaporated. Droughts can last for years
in most extreme cases. These types of droughts
effect the outback properties and can devastate
crops and livestock. Also, many crops are
effected.
Droughts are terrible disasters caused by the
lack of water mainly, also caused by the human,
as an effect of the growth of industries. Due to
this reason, the environmental disasters grows
every day, and it is higher in less developed
countries such as some countries of the African
continent which have suffered much because of
droughts.
A dry spell is usually more than 14 days without
precipitation, whereas a severe drought may
last for years.
DROUGHT
There are many types of droughts like:
Meteorological, Hydrological, Agricultural and
Socioeconomic. In the meteorological drought
changes in the weather are the cause. The
agricultural drought caused by the lack rainfall,
the ground converts in a dry ground and that
affects to the crops. Hydrological drought also is
caused by the lack of rainfall, that hurts the
hydrologic storage systems and this converts in a
social problem. Socioeconomic drought is
caused when the rainfalls are insufficient and the
supply goes down.
Droughts are caused by lack of rain over a long
period of time. If rain does occur it usually is not
enough for the ground to absorb before it is
evaporated again. Plants and animals need
water to survive, so if there is not enough water
they will eventually die from thirst and
dehydration. Water is one of the main
ingredients in the food chain.
Most droughts tend to occur during summer, as
the weather is hot and water
32
Drought produces many effects of economical,
environmental and social kind. The economic
effects are reflected on the price of the food,
also in the water
supply, range fires and wildland fires, damages
on the ecosystem.
Unemployment from production declines, loss to
the recreational and the tourism industry, loss of
hydroelectric power and loss of navigability of
rivers and canals. The environmental effects are:
increased desertification, damage to animal
species, reduction and degradation of fish and
wildlife habitat, lack of feed and drinking water,
disease, increased predation, loss of wildlife in
some areas and too many in others , increased
stress to endangered species, damage to plant
species, increased number and severity of fires,
wind and water erosion of soils. The social effects
are: loss of human life from food shortages, heat,
suicides, violence, mental and physical stress,
water user conflicts, social unrest, and political
problem.
AfricaA few months ago the world found out that in Africa a
drought caused that for almost 11 months these
communities were without a drop of rain, the water
fonts dried, the supplying was made through trucks
to all community, is very common this situation
types. Because of the lack of grass many difficult
situations like illness and malnutrition have begun.
In 1972 part of Africa was in one of the worst
droughts ever to hit earth. To the South of the
Sahara Desert lies the marginal zone, better none
as the Sahel. This area has been the home to
nomads and settling agriculturalists for many
hundreds of years. From 1968 the rain
Effects and example
33
“War is a state of organized, armed and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other
parties.”
impact side, in temporal or permanent form.
Changes over the earth´s surface: Humans
have changed their environment along the time,
but, war accelerates the rate of change, to search
an advantage in war, because it is a force that
boost towards victory, but at the expense of
nature.Obviously, war has impact over environment, many impacts, but we can consider in contrast of the principal causes their principal effects,Being these:
War, as a state of organized, armed and often
prolonged conflict carried on by humans, it has
existed for thousands of years. From conflicts
between primitive tribes until the greatest wars
such as the World War I and II. War has had a
lesser impact on the environment, but, with the
pass of time, and considering that military
technology has developed even more, these
consequences have been growing considerably.
WAR
This occur because war needs many resources, it
changes the structure of both: the zone where
the conflict is performed as important resource
zones, and every weapon used in war (specially in th th 19 and 20 centuries), have a fatal effect over
environment.
We can talk of three general causes that affect the
environment by war. These are:
Over-exploitation of resources: war requires
of many kind of resources such as soldiers,
food, transport, military equipment, energy
sources… all to support the conflict and win
the war, but resources are obtained finally from
the environment and with the proportion and
long duration of wars is making a much more
negatively damaged environment.
Direct effects produced by weapons:
Developing of military technology has been a
disadvantage for environment, because it has
a great destruction power, due to the fact to
this type of weapons have decided destine of
war, therefore, of many people, but no only it
destroys humans, also it affects all around their
34
On the resources: Impact produced by
mining, forest and agricultural activities that
normally have affected environment, grows
these impacts. We can observe this
phenomenon in decreasing of jungle and wood
zones, moreover, contamination produced by
mining… although it is “normal” for humans.
On the territory: In this case, weapons and
humans produce effects over the environment,
modifying territory through military and civil
buildings, that finally they are not the principal
and direct cause of this deteriorative state.
“Weapons of mass destruction” are the
principal and direct cause. For example The
Atomic Bomb”
launched on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan,
killed and injured a great amount of people and
destroyed buildings, but it affected to a greater
degree the environment, because the water and
the ground were altered for thousands of years
due radiation.
Over nature members: We as members of the
environment, we can regard ourselves as victims
together with other species, because war reduces
human population considerably. And addition, the
types of weapons as radioactive and biological
arms have induced illnesses and mutations on
humans, animals, plants and other elements of
our surroundings… serious and permanent
damage.
Effects and example
35
The worst effect of war and Terrorism is not people dying; the worst effect will be felt by those that haven't been born
yet.
Of course I am talking about terrorism which is not
the same as ecoterrorism, there is a big
difference between these two terms. Ecoterrorism
consists in doing vandalism acts to protect the
earth, in a way it is a form to protest against big
corporations who destroy the environment around
their, whit acts such as fire, short kidnapping this
doctrine represent a dark side of
environmentalism. On the contrary of terrorism,
ecoterrorism have something good in some
cases like
Sea Shepherd who chase whale ships
In the 21th century humanity is the victim of all
sorts of evils, but, this article makes reference
to one of the most terrible because it is not
caused by nature, instead it is caused by man
himself. Terrorism by definition is the use of
force or violence against persons or property for
the purpose of intimidation, but, why to say all
humanity is affected by terrorism if we could
think that only a few nations have these kinds of
Issues
TERRORISIM
Otherwise, if we look beyond we can note that we as
the human race are the victims because behind of
this phenomenon is hiding one of the worse causes
of damage to the environment, nature and earth as
our ecosystem.
Certainly we are not the only species on the earth,
but, when we talk about terrorism we never think
about it, so it is time to change that.
Terrorism is caused by desire of power and
political interests and that is why terrorism is
extremely bound with massive production of
destruction arms. through history war and
terrorism only bring dead, desolation and forced
displacement, this words are familiar in the
context of our country likewise drugs traffic due
the fact that it is finance mutually. Terrorism
affects the environment through destruction of
big forestall zones which then are reduced to
unproductive deserts that don't serve for
reforestation even agriculture. Well,
Governments do not take actions because it is
more important being part of the war that trying
to stop it.
Desire of power and political interests
36
IRAK
In the world there exists many terrorist groups
who have spread their beliefs with horrible acts
as is the case of Al-Qaida with the 9/11
explosions and destruction of important sites in
the United States or ETA in Spain or not to go
so far, here in Colombia the FARC. These
groups have something in common: they
believe that war is the only way to be listened
and they do not think about the rest of people
that live in the different countries.
Consequences
· Destruction of fauna and flora
· Toxic contamination of the habitats
· Extinción of endemic species.
Physical destruction of wildlife and hábitats due
to increased human pressurecaused by mass
movements of people fleeing the
IthIn November 6 of 2002, the ONU Organization of
Nations United declared the International day to
prevent exploitation of the environment in war.
Birdlife International is an organization that studied
the effects of war and terrorism in the
environment, so In 2003 Birdlife send a report
about the situation in Iraq where the 80% of the
territory is desert, and it have 42 important areas
for wildlife specifically birds, but after war and
terrorism acts 16 species are endangered
because its habitats has been destroyed and the
animals have been killed for eat or just in the
attacks. About desert Mechanical crushing of
vehicles on it, can be damaging for decades.
Concluding people killing people, but they are
killing us, too.
Effects and example
37
The nuclear disaster not only affects the country in which it occurs, it affects everyone in the world, and we have not
changed that, no one is listening.
Including our beautiful country, Colombia, has a little
reactor, just for pedagogical experiments and
awareness about the energy that produce. For now
the eyes of the world are situated in the countries
that in opened voice proclaim they experiments to
'be protected of war ', like South Korea, China,
Taiwan and Pakistan.
Inside those, already exist the horrible histories
about the disaster that in few minutes destroyed
lives of many people, like is the case of Chernobyl
Disaster, Three Mile Island, Fukushima (more
recently), and others that to the moment leave
fatalities victims and posterior victims of induced
cancer.
All the environment disaster events that human
race causing, the nuclear disasters have the
horrible distinction of being listed as potential
harm. The radiation associated with nuclear
disasters is the principal team of health risk in
the immediate, short, medium and long term,
and not just in the generation affected, also, in
the next generations of descendants of the firs
contaminated.
NUCLEAR DISASTERS
All the environment disaster events that human race
causing, the nuclear disasters have the horrible
distinction of being listed as potential harm. The
radiation associated with nuclear disasters is the
principal team of health risk in the immediate, short,
medium and long term, and not just in the
generation affected, also, in the next generations of
descendants of the firs contaminated.
In generally, the nuclear disasters begin with the
implantation of factories, plants or power stations
to provide energy to a country, state, place, or in
the most dangerous case, for do war experiments
or armament. In total, around the world there exist
near thirty one countries that have at least, one
nuclear reactor, already it is to obtain energy or for
defending the territory (like they affirm). The most
named are: United States of America that
approximately have one hundred and four (104)
centrals in the country, then France and Japan
with at least fifty five (55) centrals, Russia, United
Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, and other
that have four (4) to twenty (20).
Caused primarily by human greed quest for energy...
38
The best known are Chernobyl Disaster, which
happened at 1:23 AM on April 25 of 1985, in the
Soviet Union (which is now Ukraine), about
thirty people were killed immediately, and near
of 4000 of cancer patients that lived the disaster
immediately.
The health impacts of Chernobyl will never be
fully know, it is estimated that about three
million people still living in high risk of
radioactive contamination areas, and others
thousand, pass sporadically at the less affected
area of Chernobyl. Recent studies reveal that
almost of children that suffering of cancer in
Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, are by the high
levels of radiation presents day by day in the
cities, schools, and parks. Most of the
deformations and genetic effects are still
investigate.
lNow the most recently disaster is Fukushima
Daiichi, really this did not begin by the human
hand, really, it is following of 2011 Tōhoku
earthquake and tsunami on 11 March of 2011,
since Chernobyl, similar accident did not
happened, and even more by the fact that Japan
do not brings to the world a sincerely status and
the cleaner of radiation in the area.
Many people still speculate about the true
magnitude of the tragedy and the consequences
for their lives, health and environment of the
country and the world at this time. The economical
consequences to the global economy did no wait,
and the anti-nuclear protest is growing day by day,
because like is know for everyone in this world,
the radiation do not kill all at the same time, in
many occasions is progressive.
Effects and example
39
Also known as germ warfare — is the deliberate use of disease-causing biological agents such as bacteria,
viruses, fungi, or biological toxins, to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war
Likewise, these agents can be easily procured from
the environment, universities, biological supply
houses, and clinical specimens.
Furthermore, biological warfare agents are typically
invisible in aerosol clouds and may not be detected
until humans become ill. Panic would result as
medical capabilities are quickly overwhelmed.
While the use of the biological weapons has
few disadvantages, in fact specifically, the
disadvantages are disadvantages to using
biological warfare agents as weapons include
hazards to the user, their dependence on
optimal weather conditions to result in effective
dispersal, and their possible inactivation by
solar irradiation and other climatic conditions.
Biological Warfare attacks would most likely
occur late at night or early in the morning when
agents would be less likely to undergo
inactivation by ultraviolet radiation. At these
times, atmospheric temperature inversions
would allow an agent cloud to travel at low
altitude to cover its target.
Weapons are easy and cheap to produce and
can be used to selectively target humans,
animals, or plants. The costs of conventional
weapons ($2000), nuclear armaments ($800),
and chemical agents ($600) would far outstrip
the bargain-basement price of biological
weapons ($1) to produce 50% casualties per
square kilometer (1969 dollars).
BIOLOGICAL WARFAREIts application has many advantages for those who want to
destroy, but, for the affected ones is hell.
40
Biological agents contain either living organisms
or their derivatives, such as toxins, which cause
disease or death. Living organisms can multiply
within the living targets to produce their effects,
while toxins cannot reproduce themselves.
Toxins are generally more lethal, and act
relatively quickly causing incapacitation or death
within minutes or hours. Living organisms
(microbial pathogens), require incubation
periods of 24 hours to 6 weeks between
infection and appearance of symptoms. This
incubation period places limits on their
battlefield utility, but means that biological
weapons can continue to have a significant
impact many weeks after the initial attack (eg by
causing a long-term pandemic). Likewise, this
Potential Viral agents include smallpox, yellow
fever, equine encephalitis and influenza, which
may be genetically modified to increase their
effectiveness. Bacterial agents such as anthrax,
meloidosis, pneumonic plague and glanders have
incubation periods of between one and five days
and are usually fatal without swift treatment.
Toxins include botulinum toxin, which produces an
acute muscular paralysis resulting in death of
animals or humans; ricin, derived from castor
bean plants whose lethality is that of nerve
gasses, and mycotoxins which produce nausea,
vomiting, diarrhoea, skin irritation and potential
fatalities.
To illustrate this, see what happened in the 1950's,
when army biological weapons research begins at
the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC).
Vials of anthrax are transferred from Ft. Detrick to
Plum Island. This information is contained in a
now declassified report, "Biological Warfare
Operations," Research and Development Annual
Technical Progress Report, Department of the
Army, 1951.
delayed incubation period may mean that a
biological attack can be completed before
those on the ground have realized that it has
occurred, or even take place entirely
covertly, the effects being confused with a
natural outbreak of disease.
Spray devices supplied by Ft. Detrick, sprayed
serratia marcescens across the San Francisco
Bay Area while the ship plied Bay waters.
Supposedly a non-pathogenic microorganism,
twelve mostly elderly victims die.
Effects and example
41
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases
, resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological
agents in an individual host organism.
comprise communities clinically
Inhalation, or through vector organisms. Infectious
diseases that are especially infective are
sometimes called contagious and can be easily
transmitted by contact with an sick person or their
secretions. Infectious diseases with more
specialized routes of infection, such as vector
transmission or sexual transmission, are usually
regarded as contagious but do not require medical
quarantine of victims.
by fungi. Other types of fungi can infect your lungs
or nervous system.
Parasites. Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite
that is transmitted by a mosquito bite. Other
parasites may be transmitted to humans from
animal feces.
Direct contact: An easy way to catch most
infectious diseases is by coming in contact with a
person or animal who has one. Three ways
infectious diseases can be spread through direct
contact are:
Causes: Infectious diseases can be caused by:
Bacteria. These one-cell organisms are
responsible for illnesses such as strep throat,
urinary tract infections and tuberculosis.
Viruses. Even smaller than bacteria, viruses
cause a multitude of diseases — ranging from
the common cold to AIDS.
Fungi. Many skin diseases, such as ringworm
or athlete's foot, are caused
The term infectivity describes the ability of an
organism to enter, survive and multiply in the
host, while the infectiousness of a disease
indicates the comparative ease with which the
disease is transmitted to other hosts. An
infection is not synonymous with an infectious
disease, as some infections do not cause illness
in a host. Transmission of pathogen can occur
in various ways including physical contact,
contaminated food, body fluids, objects,
airborne
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
42
Effects and example
(MALARIA)
Person to person.
Animal to person
Mother to unborn child. Infectious diseases kill
more people worldwide than any other single
cause. Among the most common diseases
transmitted by vectors are: Malaria, viral
Encephalitis, Chagas disease, Lyme disease
and African sleeping sickness.
Malaria, which predominantly occurs in tropical
areas, is a potentially life-threatening disease
caused by infection with Plasmodium protozoa
transmitted by an infective female Anopheles
mosquito vector. Individuals with malaria may
present with fever and a wide range of symptoms.
43
Solar flares are one of the few environmental problems is not the fault of humans.
Prevention:
In itself there is nothing we humans can do to
prevent solar flares occurrances, although, at
present the best efforts of researchers are focused
in order to predict when they will happen in order
to prevent the possible consequences.
Cause:
Specific causes of solar flares are not yet known
with certainty, there are hypotheses that say that
these eruptions are consequences the life cycle of
the sun.
Consequences:
The major consequences of solar flares are
causing interference with comunnications of the
earth as electromagnetic radiation explosions
that release interfere in the operation of power
grids and satellites of the earth.
Since solar flares are highly charged radiation
can affect spacecraft and astronauts.
Definition:
Solar flares are huge explosions that occur in
the photosphere of the sun, generating large
amounts of electromagnetic radiation. These
explosions are spontaneously, therefore, they
can not be predicted.
SOLAR FLARE
44
Theories:
Besides this, there are radical and fatalistic
theories that say that in 2012 there will be a
solar flare so powerful that will destroy all
communication systems of the world leaving us
in a kind of cave which will bring violence
among people and be the beginning of the end
of the world.
Of course, this does not cease to be only a myth
and belief and that historically a solar flare so
strong has not eliminated the communication
system of the planet.
Latest solar flare:
The last solar flare was detected by NASA on
August 9, 2011 in the morning. It is one of the
strongest solar flares in recent years that
scientists say that it will have consequences on
the planet, but, they warned that there are
possibilities of the occurrence of more solar flares.
Effects and example
45
“pollution is something that is affecting humanity, is when the external agents have some influence in the
ecosystem and they cause alterations in the same, but mankind will not believe that, and they
affect pollution too, please save your world”.unfortunately
The causes of pollution causes are easy to
identify: humanity produces pollutants in
everything they make, for example: construction,
combustion, mining, agriculture and as a matter of
fact warfare is increasingly significant to the
pollution. Actually, we have more facts that
influence the growth of pollution, these are:
vehicles, chemical plants, refineries,
petrochemical plants, nuclear waste disposal,
incinerators, metal productions awareness in the
caring and saving of the environment.
Pollution is when the external agents have
some influence in the ecosystem, and they
cause the alteration in the same. These agents
can be: energy like sound, heat and light;
chemical substances or genes. When I talk
about alteration, we refer to a negative
alteration produced by human activities.
Pollution is divided according to the source of
procedence: The point sources are easy to
identify and isolate; and nonpoint sources are
difficult to identify and scatter.
Factories, most industry, plastics and more things
that help. ollution is the biggest problem in the
planet, it had its first appearance in England, with
, due to the fact that it
causes
P
the coal-burning in London
atmospheric pollution in that moment, with
the Industrial Revolution, the pollution of the air
increase and it affected humanity, but thanks to
people that concerned about pollution and their
environmental movements help the world and at the
same time Humanity, and this is very important.
The causes of pollution causes are easy to
identify: humanity produces pollutants in
everything they make, for example:
construction, combustion, mining, agriculture
and as a matter of fact warfare is increasingly
significant to the pollution. Actually, we have
more facts that influence the growth of pollution,
these are: vehicles, chemical plants, refineries,
petrochemical plants, nuclear waste disposal,
incinerators, metal productions
POLLUTION
46
Pollution causes three effects. In the firts place,
we have the human health effects; the second, we
have the enviromentel effects,and last we have is
the ozone layer effects. The human health is
affected in breathing and the circulatory system,
moreover, it generates throat inflammation, chest
pain and congestion. The effects in the
environment are: Biomagnifications, emissions of
carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases, invasive
species, nitrogen oxides, smog and haze, soil can
be infertile and unsuitable for plants and finally
sulphur dioxide that cause acid rain and among
other. The Ozone layer is affected by the gases
produced by humanity and animals, destroyed the
layer and allowing the entry of UV rays.
Inside of the many examples of pollution, we
found the pollution in the air, water, ligth, among
others, that affect the environment. But we do not
consider other types as: Visual pollution and
Acustic pollution. Visual pollution is the motorway
billboards, scarred landforms for example Time
Square in New York. On the other hand, we have
Acustic pollution, which encompasses roadways
noise, and industrial noise as high-intensity
sonars; for example Carrera 10 in Bogotá. To
conclude, pollution can be seen in different ways
and it does not affect just the humanity, but, also
the enviorement and we have to pay attention to
this problem and fix it.
Effects and example
47
Pollution is caused by man's carelessness with the environment mainly. The main pollution sources are solid,
liquid or gaseous waste from factories and human communities.
Pollution can also be the consequence of a natural
disaster or by accidents with coastal oil rigs,
refineries or nuclear power plants, which means
huge environmental damage proportions.
There is also the case of noise pollution whose main
source is the motor vehicle, producing about ninety
percent of all unwanted noise worldwide.
Air pollution is mainly caused by the energy and
heat generation, burning of solid waste,
industrial processes and the gases emitted by
transportation. Agriculture also pollutes the air
through contemporary practices such as clear
felling and burning of natural vegetation as well
as spraying of pesticides and herbicides.
The six major types of
monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides,
particulates, sulfur dioxide, and photochemical
oxidants.
Water pollution is given by the introduction of waste
chemical, physical, or biological material in
freshwater or saltwater and affect the organisms
living in it.
pollutants are carbon
The Land pollution is the degradation of the
Earth's land surface through misuse of the soil by
poor agricultural practices, mineral exploitation,
industrial waste dumping, and indiscriminate
disposal of urban wastes. It includes visible waste
and litter as well as pollution of the soil itself.
POLLUTIONPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder,
harm or discomfort to the ecosystem like physical systems or living organisms. There are three main
types if pollution: The air pollution, the water pollution and the land pollution.
48
· The wreck of the Amoco Cadiz oil tanker
off the coast of Brittany in 1978.
· The Bhopal disaster occurred on the night
of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide
India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh, India.
· The most recent oil spill occurred on April
20, 2010 when there was an explosion and fire
at the oil rig Deepwater Horizon which sank on
April 22, 2010 causing an oil spill unchecked in
the Gulf of Mexico that is causing extensive
damage and slow repair complex.
The effects of pollution on the ecosystem are the
holes in the ozone layer, acid rain, global warming
and acidification of the oceans.
Another consequence is invasive species that
compete with native species and reducing
biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris
and biomolecules that can alter the soil and become
infertile and affect the chemical compositions of an
environment.
Air pollution causes respiratory and cardiovascular
diseases in humans, as well as sore throats, chest
pain and nasal congestion. Water pollution causes
approximately 14 000 deaths per day, mostly due to
contamination of drinking water by untreated
sewage in developing countries.
Effects and example
49
The causes and consequences of heat waves affecting the planet and how they affect the daily lives of people and, in
general, living things (plants and animals).
CAUSES
The winds tend to push the hot deserts and dry
warm air toward colder areas normally during a
heat wave. If a warm air mass traveling over a
large body of water is likely to collect the water
vapor with a temperature reduction, but the
humidity is much higher. Heat waves can also
come from air originating over tropical waters
penetrating deep into the middle latitudes most
the warming of the earth's surface, as often occurs
in the eastern United States and southeastern
Canada.
It is considered a heat wave as a significant
warming of the air or an invasion of very warm
air over a large area, which usually lasts several
days (if is more than three days). The
temperatures reached during a heat wave are
within the maximum extreme. However, it also
depends on what area of the planet you are
talking about, because it not is the same
comparing an area of Africa with an American.
HEAT WAVES
50
EFFECT
The consequences of the heat wave are
alterations in the health, mortality, power
outages, wildfires, psychological and
sociological problems and damage to
infrastructure and equipment. In addition, the
long-term effects are that they will be more
frequent with the increasing the temperature of
the planet reaching the melting of glaciers, of
glaciers and, consequently, flooding areas that
are closer to the sea, losing 50% of surface
land.
EXAMPLES
Ÿ Nearly 35,000 people died in the European
heat wave of 2003. Much of the heat was
concentrated in France, where nearly 15,000
people died. In Portugal, the temperatures
reached as high as 48 °C (118 °F) in the south.
Ÿ A record-breaking heat wave hit Southwestern
Asia in late July and early August 2011, with
temperatures in Iraq exceeding 120 °F (49
°C),[42] and an "asphalt-melting, earth-
parching, brain-scrambling heat of midsummer"
in Tbilisi, Georgia.[43] The Iraqis were further
challenged by pressure to fast during
Ramadan, despite heat of 124 °F (51 °C) in
Bagdad and 126 °F (52 °C) in Diwaniya on 4
August.
Effects and example
51
Change in the Earth's climate and its adverse effects is a common concern of humankind.
Each and every one of us must take a degree of
responsibility for the threat under which we now
live. We are the consumer and it is to satisfy our
insatiable appetites that many of these things
occur. Of course, some of us do try to live a
lifestyle that pays heed to the environment, but,
often thanks to the marketing men, too many take
the easy way and help exacerbate an already
critical situation.
Mass action and a new society based on co-operation rather than profit are ultimately the only real ways to stop the environmental crisis.
The environmental crisis was generated by capitalism and the State, and can only be dealt with by challenging the power of these forces. We believe that only mass organizing and mass grassroots action, as opposed to elections and lobbying, are effective methods of struggle.
The Earth is facing an environmental crisis on a unprecedented scale in human history. This environmental crisis is already responsible for high levels of human suffering. If the crisis continues to develop at its current rate, the ultimate result will be the extinction of human life on the planet.
Human activities have been substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, that these increases enhance the natural greenhouse effect, and that this will result on average in an additional warming of the Earth's surface and atmosphere and may adversely affect natural ecosystems and humankind.
The Earth systems are under threat. Global warming, freshwater depletion, biodiversity reduction, hole in the ozone layer, are all examples of such threats.
Even though much of what is happening in the world today does not show, we are totally dependent on the natural environment.
One has to ask oneself what can be done to stop this development? How serious is it really? And what is it actually possible to do to change the direction?
ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES
52
United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference)
This was an international conference convened under United Nations auspices held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5-16, 1972. It was the UN's first major conference on international environmental issues, and marked a turning point in the development of international environmental politics.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."
The treaty has protocols that would set mandatory emission limits. The principal update is the Kyoto Protocol.
WWF (World Wildlife Fund)
WWF came into existence on 29 April 1961, when a small group of passionate and committed individuals signed a declaration that came to be known as the Morges Manifesto.
This apparently simple act laid the foundations for one what has grown into the world's largest independent conservation organization.
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.
Effects and example
53
Sustainable development ensures the needs of the present without compromising the possibilities of the future; the
key is an environmental sustainability.
From this event is created a new term:
"sustainable development" a development that
protects human progress towards the future.
The Commission defined "sustainable
development" as one that ensures the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
The politics, economics and globalization are the
main components of sustainable development but
the entire weight rests on the care and
management of natural resources for the future.
This is known as environmental sustainability.
Exist hunting, logging, population increase, the
wear of nonrenewable resources and many other
factors that kill the environment without giving it time
to recover. In these conditions it is very difficult to
talk about environmental sustainability without
referring to the commitment that governments must
assume with the creation of policies for control the
business and standards to restrict the exploitation of
natural resources.
But sustainable development has great
enemies: the governments, poverty and
especially the indiscriminate exploitation of
environmental resources. On the one hand, the
proposal of recovery and environmental
conservation and natural resources is strong in
countries with ecological culture and, on the
other hand, industrialized countries are
opposed. This clearly shows the strong
disagreement between material interests and
conservation awareness..
Humanity is responsible for the deterioration of
the environment, their actions reflect their lack
of conscience and the damage is something
that has gotten out of our hands.
In 1984 the United Nations with the World
Commission on Environment and Development
proposed establishing a global agenda for
change with the stong conviction that it is
possible to build a better future.
In 1987, it published a report called "Our
Common Future." An urgent call in the sense
that it is time to make decisions in order to
secure the resources to support this generation
and those following.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
54
Effects and example
The global population growth requires the
intervention of the leaders in the creation and
enforcement of policies. This is essential to
properly distribute available resources among
the growing child population while is created a
conservationist culture for the future with the
objective of better management of resources
and a real reduction of the poverty indices.
The children are a considerable unprotected
population and a topic to which governments
pay little attention, primarily at the time of
decision making. Being the inheritors of the
planet the policy makers must consider their
needs as priority in the laws, policies, programs,
and especially in the allocation of resources.
Agriculture is a very influential factor in the
intention of preserving the environment, this
practice is one of the largest agents and soil
depletion is closely linked to population growth, it
is increasingly necessary to take new land to meet
food demand, in addition to the human population
includes livestock of different types and these in
turn are another factor exhaustion this is added to
the management of agricultural crops that release
toxic wastes into the environment and pollute the
air and water sources.
It takes much time to reach a sustainable
environment but this will not happen if not
generated a real commitment on the part of
humanity, will be impossible without adopting a
real sense of responsibility, especially if account is
taken that recover the environment is almost
impossible and the only alternative is to care and
manage it wisely so we still have.
55
Design for Environment (DfE) or Ecodesign uses life cycle thinking to develop and assess different design options.
Ecodesign, and equivalent expressions such as green design, sustainable design and responsible design, refers to the methodology applied to design a product and its manufacturing process geared toward the prevention or reduction of the environmental impact of products and processes. Eco-design practices are distinguished by specific criteria incorporate and integrate the remaining environmental variables used in studies assessing the performance of the product and process throughout its life cycle (production,distribution, use, recycling and final disposal) .
External motivatorsMeet current and future legislationResponding to market and customer demandImprove company imageGet a competitive advantage that ahead of the competitioninternal motivatorsIncrease product qualityImprove production processGet a cost reductionIncrease the power of innovation of the company
Ecodesign methodologiesEcodesign projects require organizational vision where all project stakeholders to collaborate and perform their work simultaneously.
To develop truly sustainable products, you must be able to assess which design solution is environmentally preferable. Often the environmental load is related to simple indicators such as material mass, energy use, and transport volume. Once you have identified your 'hotspots' you can subsequently develop product specific guidelines and evaluate different alternatives.
Objectives of the EcodesignThe goal of ecodesign is twofold. It's about reducing the environmental impact of product during its life cycle, ensuring turn a profit for stakeholders and end users.Why implement the Ecodesign?The factors for the implementation of ecodesign in the definition phase of product design and can be of different kinds:
Ecodesign, and equivalent expressions such as green design, sustainable design and responsible design, refers to the methodology applied to design a product and its manufacturing process geared toward the prevention or reduction of the environmental impact of products and processes. Eco-design practices are distinguished by specific criteria incorporate and integrate the remaining environmental variables used in studies assessing the performance of the product and process throughout its life cycle (production,distribution, use, recycling and final disposal) .
ECO DESING
56
Effects and example
THROUGH ecodesign of time to become aware
of a transformer of the environmental damage
they cause all the production processes of
different industries, is also a provider of
operational tools to achieve real change, a factor
conducive to the design of change awareness
because you are looking for mainly two things
one to extend the product life cycle so that there
are fewer resudios or the second is to address
the root of environmental problems generated in
the process of waste produccidos objects, this is
achieved by strategies of reuse and recycling of
materials and objects.
in the world there are many eco-design strategies
which have been organized in relation to product
life cycle:
Ÿ Developing new concepts
Ÿ Reduction of material consumption and
diversity
Ÿ Selection of materials with less environmental
impact
Ÿ Reducing the environmental impact of
production processes
Ÿ Optimization of the distribution
Ÿ Reducing the environmental impact associated
with the use
Ÿ Increased life
Ÿ Optimization of waste management
57