Environmental Problems Free Essay Example

The 21st century is characterised by one of the fastest evolutions of technology. But, despite the rise of new technology, there are many challenges that we are facing in today’s society. I think that the biggest ones that we are facing now are environmental problems. Our environment is constantly changing due to the pollution of air and water, global warming and carbon emissions, and this is leading to the changing weather conditions that we are experiencing right now. Another big issue that we are having in this period of time is the COVID-19 epidemic that has spread all over the world in the last 2 years. Personally, I think these are very serious problems we should all be aware of, so I will try to give a short explanation of every one of these issues in the next paragraphs. 

The first point to make is that pollution, and the consequent global warming, are slowly destroying our planet. This might seem an overreaction, but recent studies show preoccupant results: Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and some changes already set in motion—such as continued sea level rise—are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years. However, strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases would limit climate change. While benefits for air quality would come quickly, it could take 20-30 years to see global temperatures stabilise, according to the scientists.

Furthermore, As climate change transforms global ecosystems, it affects everything from the places we live to the water we drink to the air we breathe. As the earth’s atmosphere heats up, it collects, retains, and drops more water, changing weather patterns and making wet areas wetter and dry areas drier. Higher temperatures worsen and increase the frequency of many types of disasters, including storms, floods, heat waves, and droughts. These events can have devastating consequences, jeopardising access to clean drinking water, fueling out-of-control wildfires, damaging property, creating toxic-material spills, polluting the air, and leading to loss of life. For example, the first year of the new decade, 2020, is tied with 2016 for the hottest individual year ever recorded. With this increased heat, of course, have come more frequent and more intense weather-related disasters. The first half of 2021 was marked by record heat, drought, and wildfires in the western United States and Canada and by record rainfall and flooding in Europe. And without immediate climate action, these records won’t be records for long: They’ll be broken next year, or shortly thereafter. 

Last but not least, I think it’s important to say something also about the global pandemic that is going on right now: COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 can cause mild to severe respiratory illness, including death. At this point in the pandemic, I think everyone should already know the best preventive measures for this virus. These include getting vaccinated, wearing a mask during times of high transmission, staying one metre apart, washing hands often and avoiding sick people. 

In conclusion, I wanted to clarify that these three things I have talked about are just some examples of the many problems that are distinguishing our decade. The world’s situation is not looking good at the moment, but I’m sure we can still try to change it for the better.