Environmental Degradation — Meaning, Types and Causes

Environmental degradation means the deterioration of the natural environment through the depletion of resources (such as forests, groundwater or soil fertility) and/or the accumulation of pollutants beyond the environment's natural capacity to absorb them.

Main types of pollution:

• Air pollution — the release of smoke, particulate matter and harmful gases from industry, vehicles and burning of fuel/waste into the atmosphere.
• Water pollution — the discharge of industrial effluent, untreated sewage, and agricultural runoff (fertilisers, pesticides) into rivers, lakes and groundwater.
• Land pollution — degradation of soil quality through the dumping of solid waste, excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and improper disposal of industrial waste.
• Noise pollution — excessive or disturbing sound from traffic, industry and construction, particularly in urban areas.

Genuine underlying causes (a student should be able to explain why each contributes, not just list it):

• Rapid industrialisation — a growing number of factories consume more raw materials and energy and discharge more waste, often faster than pollution-control measures are installed.
• Urbanisation — the concentration of population in cities increases demand for water, energy and waste-disposal capacity within a limited area, straining local environmental systems.
• Deforestation — clearing forests for agriculture, timber or urban expansion removes a natural carbon sink and habitat, and increases soil erosion and disruption of local rainfall patterns. …