Contrasting Environmental Issues (AQA A Level Geography)

Atmospheric Pollution

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) define atmospheric pollution as:

Contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere

• Common sources of air pollution include:

  • Domestic devices - heating and cooking

  • Vehicles - cars, lorries, trains etc

  • Industry - power generation, chemical plants etc.

  • Fires - wood and coal burning stoves, burning garden waste etc.  

• Data shows that 99% of the global population breathe high levels of pollutants, with LDEs and EMEs experiencing the highest levels

• Pollutants of concern are particulate and photochemical

• Particulate pollution is where particles are suspended in the air, sources include:

  • Volcanic dust

  • Dust storms

  • Sea spray

  • Burning wood and fossil fuels

  • Industrial processes

• Photochemical pollution is air that contains chemicals such as nitrogen oxide, which react with sunlight to produce chemical compounds such as:

  • Carbon monoxide (CO)

  • Ozone (O3)

  • Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

  • Sulphur dioxide (SO2)

  • Particulate matter

• Particulate pollution can cause health issues such as respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer

• It affects the environment, by reducing visibility, producing acid rain, and contributing to climate change 

• Photochemical pollution can also harm human health, by causing eye irritation, asthma attacks, and lung damage, and to the environment, by damaging crops, trees, and buildings

• Air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths every year

• 89% of those premature deaths occur in LDEs and EMEs, with south-east Asia and the western Pacific regions seeing the highest rates

• LDEs and EMEs rely heavily on fossil fuels to meet their energy needs, along with increased industrialisation and car ownership

• Many LDEs and EMEs have little to no atmospheric pollution policies and with high levels of unregulated urbanisation (informal settlements, poor municipal waste collection and a growing population etc.) means that their atmospheric pollution is severe

• Air quality is linked to the earth's climate and global ecosystems and biomes

• Drivers of air pollution are usually sources of greenhouse gas emissions

• Any policies that reduce air pollution will also impact climate and health, which in turn, reduces the pressure of poor health on health services and improves worker capacity and economic prosperity

Water Pollution

• Water is the world’s most essential resource and promotes human health and poverty reduction

• Water pollution occurs through the discharge of waste water from:

  • Industrial effluent - e.g. acid drainage, toxic salts from mines and thermal change (water used to cool industrial processes or energy generation from nuclear plants)

  • Domestic uses - e.g. washing machines, bathrooms, kitchens and toilets (sewage)

  • Runoff from roads, pavements and roofs

  • Agricultural discharge - e.g. pesticides, fertilisers, farm effluents 

  • Leachates - poorly managed landfill or illegal dumping

• However, for 80 countries, with 40% of the world’s population, the lack of water quality is a constant threat

• Nearly 1 million people die each year from polluted water

• Every 2 minutes a child dies from a water-related disease - 3rd leading cause of child death is diarrhoea 

• $260 billion is economically lost globally each year due to lack of basic water and sanitation

• 1.7 billion people lack access to improved sanitation – that is 1 in 4 people lack access to a toilet

• Women and children in LDEs are often responsible for collecting water for their families

• 122 million still collect drinking water directly from rivers, lakes, and other surface water sources

• Water scarcity and pollution is a major world environmental problem, threatening to put world food supplies in jeopardy, limit economic and social development, and create serious conflicts between neighbouring drainage basin countries

• Water quality varies locally, nationally and globally with LDEs and EMEs showing the largest inequity, especially in densely populated urban districts

• Many LDEs and EMEs have few regulations, the capacity to treat or inadequate treatment facilities, meaning untreated domestic and industrial waste enters watercourses unchecked

• HDEs tend to have strict regulations regarding monitoring and discharge of untreated water

• However, litter dropped in or around water along with polluted surface runoff is still an issue, as is illegal or accidental dumping of pollutants into waterways

Dereliction of Buildings

• Urban dereliction occurs when economic activity in urban areas declines and buildings are abandoned and run down

• Causes also include:

  • Deindustrialisation

  • Decentralisation

  • Natural decay and ageing of buildings over time

  • Social changes - areas become unpopular to live and work in or people move in search of other opportunities and jobs

  • Lack of inward investment

• Urban dereliction is seen more often in HDE inner cities, where widespread deindustrialisation has occurred

• This creates 'brownfield sites' where land is available for further development

• However, these sites may need decontamination processes and clearance before using 

• Other problems include:

  • Graffiti

  • Crime 

  • Vandalism

  • Spread of disease through vermin

  • Spread of invasive species - Japanese knotweed

  • Urban landscape eyesore