Environmental Damage (Leaving Cert Geography): Revision Notes

Environmental Damage

Urban areas face significant environmental challenges that affect the quality of life for billions of people worldwide. The rapid pace of urbanisation has created serious problems with air quality and water supply that require urgent attention and coordinated solutions.

Air pollution

Air pollution represents one of the most serious environmental threats facing urban populations globally. Current estimates suggest that over 1.1 billion people are exposed to hazardous levels of air pollution annually, contributing to approximately 7 million premature deaths each year according to the World Health Organisation.

The expanding urban population and increasing industrial activity have created a perfect storm for deteriorating air quality. Cities concentrate human activities, transport systems, and industrial processes in relatively small geographical areas, leading to dangerous accumulations of pollutants in the atmosphere.

Main sources of urban air pollution

Urban air pollution stems from two primary sources that work together to create dangerous atmospheric conditions:

Burning of fossil fuels

The combustion of fossil fuels, particularly coal, creates multiple environmental problems that affect both urban infrastructure and human health. When coal burns, it releases sulphur compounds that combine with water vapour to form acid rain. This acidic precipitation accelerates the chemical weathering process, causing significant damage to buildings, monuments, and statues whilst simultaneously contaminating local water supplies.

Many cities have successfully reduced smog levels by implementing strict regulations on fuel types. London and Dublin, for example, have banned the use of bituminous coal (also known as 'black coal') and require the use of smokeless fuels for heating. These measures have led to dramatically improved air quality in both cities over recent decades.

Car emissions

With the introduction of smokeless coal in many urban areas, vehicle emissions have become the predominant threat to air quality. Car exhausts release harmful chemicals including nitrogen oxide and benzene into the atmosphere. These pollutants not only damage the environment but significantly increase the risk of serious respiratory diseases for urban populations.

International responses to air pollution

The global nature of air pollution has prompted international cooperation through various protocols and agreements. The Kyoto Protocol established requirements for countries to monitor and reduce harmful pollutant emissions. Since 2010, the Irish government has given local authorities responsibility for reducing atmospheric toxin levels when they exceed acceptable thresholds.

The Kyoto Protocol concluded in 2020 and has been replaced by the Durban Agreement, which commits all participating countries to reducing their carbon emissions, regardless of whether they signed the original Kyoto Protocol.

Global warming connections

The burning of fossil fuels contributes significantly to global warming, which poses particular threats to cities located in low-lying coastal regions. Climate scientists project that sea levels could rise by as much as 59 centimetres by 2100, potentially displacing millions of urban residents worldwide.

Water quality

Water represents one of our most crucial natural resources, with all living organisms depending on access to clean, safe supplies. Urban water comes from various sources including rivers and lakes, but must undergo treatment before distribution to city populations.

Threats to urban water supplies

Several factors contribute to declining water quality in urban areas:

• Agricultural contamination occurs through slurry-spreading and agricultural run-off during heavy rainfall periods, introducing harmful chemicals and excess nutrients into water sources

• Untreated sewage entering water supplies creates algae blooms that consume oxygen and create toxic conditions for aquatic life

• Inadequate treatment processes that fail to remove all contaminants before water enters the distribution system

These water quality issues create serious public health risks and can lead to waterborne diseases, particularly in rapidly growing urban areas where infrastructure struggles to keep pace with population growth.

Case study: Air pollution in China

China's urban areas provide a stark example of the environmental challenges facing rapidly industrialising nations. The World Bank identifies 16 of the 20 cities with the worst air quality globally as being located in China, with an estimated 25% of the country's population breathing heavily polluted air daily.

Causes of China's air pollution crisis

China's environmental problems stem from several interconnected factors:

Industrial dependence on coal: Approximately 80% of China's electricity and 70% of the country's total energy comes from burning coal. Chinese power plants and industries burn roughly 6 million tonnes of coal daily, releasing massive quantities of carbon, gases, and particulate matter into the atmosphere.

Rapid increase in vehicle ownership: Improving living standards in China's eastern cities have led to explosive growth in car ownership. With millions of additional vehicles purchased annually, there has been a corresponding increase in sulphur dioxide and other harmful gas emissions.

The combination of heavy industry and increasing transport creates particularly severe pollution problems in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, where air quality often becomes so poor that airports are forced to close due to visibility concerns.

Health and environmental impacts

The consequences of China's air pollution crisis are severe and far-reaching:

Public health crisis: Air pollution has become the leading cause of death in China, overtaking other traditional causes. Cancer rates, particularly lung cancer, have increased dramatically due to the absorption of harmful chemicals from polluted air. Many children have suffered from lead poisoning caused by airborne contaminants.

Global impact: China is now the world's largest producer of carbon emissions, having overtaken the United States. This contributes not only to local air quality problems but also to global climate change through increased greenhouse gas concentrations.

Environmental degradation: Increased sulphur emissions have led to more frequent acid rain, which damages forests and agricultural land in rural areas, affecting food production and ecosystem health.

Solutions and improvements

Despite the severity of the challenges, China has implemented several ambitious measures to address air pollution:

Industrial regulation: The Chinese government has banned new coal-powered plants in Beijing and other areas where sulphur levels are already dangerously high. Additionally, over 15,000 factories have been ordered to publicly report their emissions figures annually.

Renewable energy investment: China has committed to producing 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 and has invested over $90 billion in carbon emission reduction technologies. In 2016, China became the world's largest producer of wind energy, having invested more than $100 billion in renewable energy technologies.

Government planning: A comprehensive five-year environmental plan outlines ambitious objectives for air quality improvement, with specific targets to be achieved by 2025.

These efforts represent significant progress, though China still faces enormous challenges in balancing economic development with environmental protection.