Pollution

Pollution: is the introduction of pollutants (whether chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light) into the environment to such a point that its effects become harmful to human health, other living organisms, or the environment. Types of pollution 1) Land pollution means undesirable physical, biological and chemical factors introduced by human activities. OR Land pollution is the addition of undesirable matter to the land that damages the terrestrial organisms, reduce the uses of the land by man for agricultural, residential, recreational or other purposes or increase the risk of health hazards to man Land pollution is often a consequence of increasing urbanization and industrialization. Mans increasing demands on the environment and the resources it holds are putting countries under pressure. Land pollution may include the disposal of: a) Garbage: decomposable wastes from food b) Rubbish: non-decomposable wastes, either combustible (such as paper, wood, and cloth) or noncombustible (such as metal, glass, and ceramics) c) Ashes: residues of the combustion of solid fuels d) Large wastes: demolition and construction debris and trees e) Dead animals f) Sewage-treatment solids: material retained on sewage-treatment screens, settled solids, and biomass sludge g) Industrial wastes: such materials as chemicals, paints, and sand h)Mining wastes: slag heaps and coal refuse piles k) Agricultural wastes: farm animal manure and crop residues.

2) Air pollution is the modification of the natural characteristics of the atmosphere by a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent. CAUSES: Worldwide air pollution is responsible for large numbers of deaths and cases of respiratory disease. While major stationary sources are often identified with air pollution, the greatest source of emissions is actually mobile sources, mainly automobiles. Gases such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to global warming, have recently gained recognition as pollutants by some scientists. 3) Water pollution: contamination of water due to mans activities. CAUSES:

Industrial discharge of chemical wastes and byproducts Discharge of poorly-treated or untreated sewage Surface runoff containing pesticides or fertilizers Slash and burn farming practice, which is often an element within shifting cultivation agricultural systems Surface runoff containing spilled petroleum products Surface runoff from construction sites, farms, or paved and other impervious surfaces e.g. silt Discharge of contaminated and/or heated water used for industrial processes Acid rain caused by industrial discharge of sulphur dioxide (by burning highsulphur fossil fuels) Excess nutrients are added by runoff containing detergents or fertilizers Underground storage tank leakage, leading to soil contamination, and hence aquifer contamination Inappropriate disposal of various solid wastes and, on a localized scale, littering Oil spills

Organic wastes such as sewage impose high oxygen demands on the receiving water leading to oxygen depletion with potentially severe impacts on the whole eco-system. Industries discharge a variety of pollutants in their wastewater including heavy metals, resin pellets, organic toxins, oils, nutrients, and solids. Discharges can also have thermal effects, especially those from power stations, and these too reduce the available oxygen. Silt-bearing runoff from many activities including construction sites, deforestation and agriculture can inhibit the penetration of sunlight through the water column, restricting photosynthesis and causing blanketing of the lake or river bed, in turn damaging ecological systems.

4) Noise pollution Home Work: Locate an area in Guyana where pollution is a major problem. Explain 3
measures taken by authorities in Guyana to reduce the pollution you have identified.

The role of the forest:

a) The roots of trees bind the soil together and protect it from erosion. The trees reduces runoff; This will prevent flooding. b) It gives off oxygen and takes in carbon dioxide: it also helps to purify the air. c) Through transpiration rain is formed. d) It adds beauty for the natural environment and provides a home for animals. e) Reduce noise pollution f) Reduce the strength of the wind g) It aid in economic development once it is manage in a sustainable way.e.g. lumbering, promote recreation (camping, hicking) h) Medical remedies

Deforestation
Deforestation: is the removal of the forest. Forest areas are converted to non-forest land for use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland. Causes of deforestation Squatting, Lumbering, Agriculture, Mining Consequences of deforestation a) b) c) d) e) f) g) Loss of flora and fauna Soil erosion Flooding Decline in underground water Drought and desertation Reduction in sustainable tourism. Loss of research potential: The diverse species within rainforests has long been a useful area for research and learning. Apes and other primates in their natural environment are a source of notable research. Numerous significant medications have been developed from genetic materials within forests, many of which pertain to endangered species. Deforestation can subject some of these genetic materials to irreversible loss. h) Landslides: Tree roots bind soil together, and if the soil is sufficiently shallow they act to keep the soil in place by also binding with underlying bedrock. Tree removal on steep slopes with shallow soil thus increases the risk of landslides, which can threaten people living nearby.

Impact on the environment

Generally, the removal or destruction of significant areas of forest cover has resulted in a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity. In many countries, massive deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography. Deforestation affects the amount of water in the soil and groundwater and the moisture in the atmosphere. Forests support considerable biodiversity, providing valuable habitat for wildlife; moreover, forests foster medicinal conservation and the recharge of aquifers. Shrinking forest cover lessens the landscape's capacity to intercept, retain and transport precipitation. Instead of trapping precipitation, which then percolates to groundwater systems, deforested areas become sources of surface water runoff, which moves much faster than subsurface flows. That quicker transport of surface water can translate into flash flooding and more localized floods than would occur with the forest cover. Deforestation also contributes to decreased evapotranspiration, which lessens atmospheric moisture which in some cases affects precipitation levels downwind from the deforested area, as water is not recycled to downwind forests, but is lost in runoff and returns directly to the oceans. Deforestation is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Trees and other plants remove carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis. Both the decay and burning of wood releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere.

Economic impact
Historically utilization of forest products, including timber and fuel wood, have played a key role in human societies, comparable to the roles of water and cultivable land. Today, developed countries continue to utilize timber for building houses, and wood pulp for paper. In developing countries almost 3 billion people rely on wood for heating and cooking.[11] The forest products industry is a large part of the economy in both developed and developing countries. Short-term economic gains made by conversion of forest to agriculture, or over-exploitation of wood products, often leads to loss of long-term income. Both West Africa and Southeast Asia have experienced lower revenue because of declining timber harvests. Illegal logging causes billions of dollars of losses to national economies annually.

Environmental effects
Atmospheric pollution Deforestation is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Trees and other plants remove carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis. Both the decay and burning of wood

releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere. A.J. Yeomans asserts in Priority One that overnight, as trees consume the sugars that they produced during the day, a stable forest releases exactly the same quantity of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Others state that mature forests are net sinks of CO2 (see Carbon dioxide sink and Carbon cycle). Deforestation caused by humans is estimated to contribute to one-third of all carbon dioxide. The water cycle is also affected by deforestation. Trees extract groundwater through their roots and release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, the region can not hold as much water and can result in a much drier climate. Biodiversity Some forests are rich in biological diversity. Deforestation can cause the destruction of the habitats that support this biological diversity, thus causing contributing to the ongoing Holocene extinction event. Numerous countries have developed Biodiversity Action Plans to limit clearcutting and slash and burn agricultural practices as deleterious to wildlife and vegetation, particularly when endangered species are present. Loss of research potential The diverse species within rainforests has long been a useful area for research and learning. Apes and other primates in their natural environment are a source of notable research. Numerous significant medications have been developed from genetic materials within forests, many of which pertain to endangered species. Deforestation can subject some of these genetic materials to irreversible loss.[citation needed] Hydrologic cycle and water resources Trees, and plants in general, affect the hydrological cycle in a number of significant ways:

their canopies intercept precipitation, some of which evaporates back to the atmosphere (canopy interception); their litter, stems and trunks slow down surface runoff; their roots create macropores - large conduits - in the soil that increase infiltration of water; they reduce soil moisture via transpiration; their litter and other organic residue change soil properties that affect the capacity of soil to store water.

As a result, the presence or absence of trees can change the quantity of water on the surface, in the soil or groundwater, or in the atmosphere. This in turn changes erosion rates and the availability of water for either ecosystem functions or human services. The forest may have little impact on flooding in the case of large rainfall events, which overwhelm the storage capacity of forest soil if the soils are at or close to saturation.

Soil erosion Undisturbed forest has very low rates of soil loss, approximately 0.02 metric tons per hectare. Deforestation generally increases rates of soil erosion, by increasing the amount of runoff and reducing the protection of the soil from tree litter. This can be an advantage in excessively leached tropical rain forest soils. Forestry operations themselves also increase erosion through the development of roads and the use of mechanized equipment. China's Loess Plateau was cleared of forest millennia ago. Since then it has been eroding, creating dramatic incised valleys, and providing the sediment that gives the Yellow River its yellow color and that causes the flooding of the river in the lower reaches (hence the river's nickname 'China's sorrow'). Removal of trees does not always increase erosion rates. In certain regions of southwest US, shrubs and trees have been encroaching on grassland. The trees themselves enhance the loss of grass between tree canopies. The bare intercanopy areas become highly erodible. The US Forest Service, in Bandelier National Monument for example, is studying how to restore the former ecosystem, and reduce erosion, by removing the trees. Landslides Tree roots bind soil together, and if the soil is sufficiently shallow they act to keep the soil in place by also binding with underlying bedrock. Tree removal on steep slopes with shallow soil thus increases the risk of landslides, which can threaten people living nearby.

Why conserve and preserve the forest? Long-term gains can be obtained by managing forest lands sustainable to maintain both forest cover and provide a biodegradable renewable resource. Forests are also important stores of organic carbon, and forests can extract carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air, thus contributing to biosphere stability and probably relevant to the greenhouse effect. Forests are also valued for their aesthetic beauty and as a cultural resource and tourist attraction. It is also important in the hydrological cycle. Through the transpiration process it is able to give off water vapour into the atmosphere that eventually results in precipitation. The tree roots will also prevent soil erosion by binding the soil together. Measures to reduce the impact of deforestation. 1) Reforestation/ Reafforestation: the planting of trees on the land previously forested.

2) Promote protected areas: allocation of land which is in its natural state, for preservation purposes. These areas are protected by legislations. These areas may also be used for scientific research. 3) Forest management 4) Protected areas in Guyana include: The Kaieteur Falls Iwokrama Forest (Read more visit:http://www.iwokrama.org) Shell Beach Home Wok: identify 2 other protected areas in Guyana.

Reafforestation programme in Guyana. This is done in Linden. Terms to know: Afforestation: planting of trees on land that was not covered by forest. Conservation: the wise use and management of resources for economic gain while maintaining the resources, so that the present and future generation can benefit from the resources. Preservation: the act of keeping in existence, preventing ruin and decay; maintaining something in its present form. This process is different from conservation. In this situation the resource is not utilized, but it is protected. Sustainable development: to manage the resource in such a way that the rate of exploitation does not exceed that of the renewal of those resources. Resource: anything that is useful to man. It is valuable and may become depleted if not conserved by man. Types of resources: 1) Human Resources: mans skill, knowledge, energy and talent. It also includes education, culture and creativity. 2) Natural resources: these occur naturally or by nature. They are also known as physical resources; eg. Fish, sun, trees. 3) Man-make resources: these are things produced by man; eg cars. Classification of resources:

1) Renewable resources: resources that can be replaced by nature or by man; eg. Forest, land, solar energy. To maintain these resources conservation techniques must be implemented. 2) Non-renewable resources: resources that can not be replaced by man or nature: eg. All minerals- oil, bauxite. Use of resources: