Environmental problem

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Environmental problems are changes in the natural environment or in the earth's ecosystem caused by humans, which are negatively assessed by humans. Environmental problems are those problems that result from the interaction between humans and their natural environment. Environmental changes only become environmental problems through the negative assessment and interpretation of environmental damage as a result of human activity. In addition, there are also natural environmental changes, such as volcanic eruptions and their consequences.

Garbage problem in Libreville , the capital of Gabon , where inadequate waste management is established (2013)

causes

Man-made environmental problems can arise from the use of natural resources , the settlement of new areas, and as a by-product of the use of technology . They are therefore to be understood as side effects of the modernization process. Due to a lack of understanding of the interactions between human activity and the environment or a prioritization of progress or prosperity over a permanently intact ecosystem, humans consciously or unconsciously cause a change in the ecological balance . In addition to technological progress , which has an increasingly stronger influence on the earth's natural balance both qualitatively and quantitatively , the significant population growth over the past centuries is also seen as a cause of increasing environmental problems.

history

Humans inevitably influence their environment through their existence. Before the Industrial Revolution , these environmental influences and their consequences were locally limited or their cumulative effects were negligible for natural systems and cycles. Only through the qualitatively higher depth of intervention in natural processes (e.g. introduction of new species), the increasing turnover of materials (e.g. raw material extraction) and the overexploitation of sources ( non-renewable raw materials ) and sinks (oceans as absorption medium) do industrialization pose environmental problems has been strengthened and can no longer be localized. In the 19th century (the time of industrialization and the development of rational agriculture) the use of resources increased in large parts of the world, the chemical industry experienced a tremendous boom, and the intensification of agriculture led to a transformation of entire landscapes. At the same time, industrialization and progress in science and society only led to an increased awareness of and attention to environmental problems. In the age of globalization , global environmental problems ( global warming , loss of biodiversity ) have moved into the center of attention and require coordinated processing. For most environmental changes, the fifty percent mark (50% of the damage that exists today) will not be reached until the second half of the 20th century. This indicates a tremendous and threatening acceleration in environmental change. The related problem of exponential growth is addressed by authors such as Dennis L. Meadows .

Complexity and uncertainty

Environmental problems are generally considered to be complex because they are determined by a large number of processes and interactions. Change processes take place over the long term and in small steps and there can be overlapping, so that the consequences of anthropogenic changes occur spatially and temporally shifted, only have a negative effect in combination or only show up in other systems or organisms ( land consumption and landscape fragmentation lead to long-term Disappearance of animal and plant species, soil erosion ). It is therefore difficult to estimate long-term effects on humans and the environment. Insecurity is a core phenomenon of environmental problems. The relevant knowledge is often disordered and incomplete. Purely scientific considerations are often insufficient to explain this. In addition to social science research, the knowledge of practitioners is also necessary in order to understand interdependencies and to find solutions. The problem of dealing with uncertainty is particularly evident in climate change and dealing with the consequences of global warming .

Research on environmental problems

The syndrome concept assumes that typical patterns can often be found in different regions of environmental problems and the underlying interactions between civilization and the environment. These functional patterns (syndromes) are undesirable characteristic development trends and interactions and can be described as clinical pictures of global change. The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) assumes that the complex global environmental and development problems can be traced back to a manageable number of environmental degradation patterns.

Examples of current environmental problems

Environmental problems as a result of waste and emissions:

Environmental problems as a result of resource consumption and procurement (fuel and raw material procurement, creation of building land or arable land, hunting, arable farming, etc.):

Complex environmental problems:

Web links

Wiktionary: environmental problem  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

literature

  • F. Alt , B. Bahro, M. Ferst: Ways to the ecological turning point. Reform alternatives and visions for a sustainable cultural system. Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-8311-3419-7 .
  • PM Frischknecht, B. Schmied: Dealing with environmental systems. Methodology for dealing with environmental problems taking into account the concept of sustainability. 2nd Edition. Ökom-Verlag, Munich 2003.
  • Eike Roth: Global environmental problems . Friedmann, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-933431-31-X .
  • WBGU: a challenge for German science . Scientific Advisory Council of the Federal Government on Global Change. Annual report 1996. Springer, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-540-61661-6 . Annual report 1996. ( Memento from June 16, 2010 in the web archive archive.today ) on: wbgu.de
  • Gottfried Zirnstein: Ecology and the Environment in History . Metropolis, Marburg 1996, ISBN 3-89518-080-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ G. Hirsch: Relationships between environmental research and disciplinary research. In: GAIA. 5-6, 1995, p. 303.
  2. ↑ R. Kaufmann-Hayoz: Man and the environmental problems. In: R. Kaufmann-Hayoz, A. Di Giulio (Hrsg.): Umweltproblem Mensch. Human science approaches to environmentally responsible action. Haupt, Bern / Stuttgart / Vienna 1996, pp. 7-19.
  3. ↑ M. Mogalle: Management of transdisciplinary research processes. (= Special issue SPP). Birkhäuser, Basel 2001, p. 5.
  4. ^ WBGU: Challenge for German Science . Scientific Advisory Council of the Federal Government on Global Change. Annual report 1996. Springer, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-540-61661-6 , p. 109 Annual report 1996. ( Memento from June 16, 2010 in the web archive archive.today ) on: wbgu.de
  5. ↑ Gottfried Zirnstein: Ecology and the environment in history. Metropolis, Marburg 1996, p. 113 ff., 273.
  6. ↑ PM Frischknecht, B. Schmied: Dealing with environmental systems. Methodology for dealing with environmental problems taking into account the concept of sustainability. 2nd Edition. Ökom-Verlag, Munich 2003, p. 10.
  7. ↑ K. Siegel: Environmental Problems and Insecurity. A conceptual and empirical analysis using the example of the EU Water Framework Directive. Metropolis, Marburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-89518-646-2 , p. 14.
  8. ↑ K. Siegel: Environmental Problems and Insecurity. A conceptual and empirical analysis using the example of the EU Water Framework Directive. Metropolis, Marburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-89518-646-2 , p. 15.
  9. ^ WBGU: Challenge for German Science. Scientific Advisory Council of the Federal Government on Global Change. Annual report 1996. Springer, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-540-61661-6 , p. 116.