Highest Impacting Global

Environmental Challenge Today

Name: BALLA ASHWINI

Student Id:S171127900083

Example of Environmental issues

Deforestation
Environmental Impacts of Mining
Global Warming
Tragedy of the commonsoverfishing
and other

Deforestation

Jungle burned for agriculture in southern Mexico

Logging in
Malaysia.

Environmental impacts caused by

deforestation

Burning forests and decay of wood after

logging contribute to the release of
greenhouse gases
Loss of biodiversity
Forests are important parts of hydrologic
cycle in nature

Mining

Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine in the world, Chile

Iron hydroxide precipitate

stains a stream receiving
acid drainage from surface
coal mining.

Environmental impacts of mining

Land/soil erosion
Formation of sinkholes,
Loss of biodiversity in the area
Contamination of groundwaters by
chemicals from the mining process and
products.
Abandoned mines can still pose safety
hazards such as deadly gases

Chemicals used for mining

Sodium cyanide for extraction of gold

Sulphuric acid for extraction of copper
from copper oxides
If these chemicals are not handled properly,
serious environmental impacts may occur
to the neighbouring environment

Environmental Effects of
Global Warming

Melting of permafrost and polar ice

Rising sea level
Spread of pests and disease
Ecological impacts (e.g. disturbed life
cycle of flora-fauna)

This image is of the Easton Glacier on Mount

Baker in the North Cascades of Washington
taken in 2003. It shows the terminus position of
the glacier in 1985 as well.

Tragedy of the Commons

Free access and unrestricted demand for a finite resource

ultimately dooms the resource through over-exploitation.
Release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is one
example. As everyone can release carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere with little personal consequence, people
tends to care very little about limiting its emission.
Overfishing in the open sea is another example. If
everyone with a fishing boat can fish as much as they
like, they will eventually drive the fish stock to
commercially extinct.

State of Global Fisheries

The FAO State of World Fisheries and

Aquaculture 2004 report estimates that in 2003,
of the main fish stocks or groups of resources for
which assessment information is available,
"approximately one-quarter were overexploited,
depleted or recovering from depletion and
needed rebuilding.
edible fish are endangered in 14 of the world's 16
major fishing areas

This is another example

If anyone can throw charms onto the

wishing tree (a shared resource) without
caring the consequence, the tree will
eventually collapse.

Any solution?

Some suggested that overexploitation of a

resource can be solved by proper
management of the property right to use
the resource.
Licensing and tradeable quota are some
possible financial instruments.