An essay on the topic “Our common home is the Earth. Essay on the topic: “The earth is our common home” Essay on the topic: “The earth is our common home”

1. Earth is our common home

I believe that life is one and the world is one. All environmental problems are closely intertwined. Population explosion, poverty, ignorance, war, planetary pollution, the accumulation of nuclear weapons, biological and chemical methods of mass destruction - all this makes up a single strong circle. Each of these problems is important and requires an urgent solution, but solving them one by one is a waste of time.

Indira Gandhi.

1.1. Spaceship Earth

In the last decade of the 20th century, humanity is intensively looking for ways to preserve and develop its unique home - planet Earth with its living nature.

In the 60s, a figurative expression was born among specialists in the field of rocket and space technology - “spaceship Earth”. 4.5 billion years, first “in automatic mode,” and then with a crew that today exceeds 5 billion people, the “spaceship Earth” makes orbits around the Sun. “The ship is well equipped and well-functioning by nature. Life itself has turned the oxygen-free atmosphere of the primordial Earth into oxygen , suitable for breathing by today's highly developed creatures. In the “cargo compartments” of the planet’s bowels, there are significant reserves of essential substances - minerals, which have not yet dried up, but are not renewed.

So, the Earth is a comfortable, intelligently organized and adapted planet for life, where the best examples of nature and the best examples of technology are combined, where the energy of the Sun, wind, water, and subsoil is carefully collected - this is the ideal of the Earth that seems to us. But man, unlike the natural world, builds everything according to the laws and ideals of beauty, often encroaching on nature or even simply impoverishing it.

For decades now, not only scientists, but also the world public have not ceased to be disturbed by the symptoms of trouble in the relationship between humanity and nature.

1.2. Time to be wise

Human economic activity on the planet is acquiring the characteristics of a natural disaster. If in the 70s there was simply a growing concern for the state of the natural environment, then in the 80s it became obvious that man lacks deep ecological knowledge to act intelligently in the system of nature in new dimensions that arose due to the enormous growth of industry and cities, the multiplication of means of communication and communications. Indeed, the signs of a global environmental crisis are extensive. This includes pollution of the World Ocean and atmosphere, the onset of deserts, deforestation, and the disappearance of entire living species from the face of the Earth. People have gained the technological ability to see from space a typhoon, the birth of a hurricane, the lights and smoke of forest fires all over the planet, and plumes of dust from industrial centers stretching like comet tails. Truly living nature is both huge and easily vulnerable!

But environmental urgency does not dissolve in the distance of time. The time to be wise is today. Tomorrow will be too late, because an ecologically uneducated person can unknowingly put into action such natural mechanisms that themselves, without the mediation of man and in spite of him, will complete the processes of degradation of the natural world.

Today ecology has ceased to be a part of biology alone. Moreover, it has grown beyond the scope of a scientific concept and has become a symbol of the anxieties and concerns of each state.

Ecology at the present time is the focus of many problems and the crossroads of many paths from the past to the future. Humanity is reflecting.

So, what is ecology?

2.Ecology as a science of human interaction

with the surrounding nature of the Earth

Ecology (from the Greek oikos - house, dwelling, place of residence and ... ology - science, knowledge, teaching) is the science of the relationships of organisms with each other and the environment. Modern ecology also studies the problems of interaction between man and the biosphere.

2.1. The origin and development of ecology

The term “ecology” was proposed in 1866 by the German zoologist E. Haeckel, defining ecology as “the general science of the relationships of organisms in the environment...”

The prehistory of ecology dates back to the works of philosophers of Ancient Greece and Rome. Valuable environmental observations are contained in the works of naturalists of the 18th century (especially C. Linnaeus, J. Buffon and I.I. Lepyokhin). The formation of science was primarily influenced by works that studied the lifestyle of organisms, as well as the dependence of their distribution and development on various environmental factors.

For the development of ecology in Russia, the works of K.F. Roulier were of great importance, which emphasized the need to study animals in interaction with other organisms and the abiotic environment; The role of technical conditions created by man (anthropogenic factor) was also particularly different.

The decisive influence on the formation of ecology as an independent science was exerted by Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species..” (1859), which emphasized the importance of studying the mechanisms of the struggle for existence, intraspecific and interspecific relationships. Under the direct influence of Darwin, Haeckel came to the conclusion about the need to separate ecology into a special discipline.

In the last decade, ecology has developed under the influence and with the participation of many scientists from Germany, Denmark, the USA, Switzerland, Russia, etc.

In our country, the doctrine of the biosphere, which was created in the 20-30s of the 20th century by the scientist V.I., had a huge influence on environmental thinking. Vernadsky. In the middle of the 20th century, his ideas became especially relevant in connection with the increasing impact of man on nature.

In the 60-70s there was a rapid growth of environmental research all over the world. The reason for this, firstly, was the maturity of the science itself, a clear definition of objects and methods of research; secondly, ecology has acquired special significance as the scientific basis for rational environmental management and protection of living organisms, and the term “ecology” itself has a broader meaning.

2.2. Main objectives and practical significance

A characteristic feature of modern ecology is the study of processes covering the entire biosphere. The interaction between man and the biosphere is studied especially closely. Since 1964, work began within the framework of the International Biological Program (IBP): its main goal is to study ecological systems in different areas of the globe. Research was continued by the international program “Man and the Biosphere” (CHB), in which the main attention was paid to the analysis of the impact of human activity on the biosphere. The unification of ecologists from different countries was facilitated by the emergence of the International Society of Ecologists (INTECOL), the 1st congress of which was held in The Hague (Netherlands) in 1974 year. Thus, since the 70s of the 20th century, human ecology, or social ecology, has been taking shape, studying the patterns of interaction between society and the environment, as well as practical problems of its conservation.

So, we can highlight the main task of ecology - a detailed study, using quantitative methods, of the fundamentals of the structure and functioning of natural and man-made systems. The study of the biosphere in general is especially important. These problems can only be solved by the combined efforts of scientists from different countries.

The variety of phenomena studied by modern ecology explains the wide connections with many natural and human sciences, such as genetics, physiology, soil science, hydrology, etc. Much attention has been paid to ecology by the achievements of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and philosophy.

In turn, ecology poses new challenges for mathematics (especially in the field of statistics) and other sciences.

At the present stage of development of human society, when as a result of the scientific and technological revolution its impact on the biosphere has increased, the practical importance of ecology has increased enormously. Ecology should serve as the scientific basis for any measures to use and protect natural resources, to preserve the environment in a state favorable for human habitation.

One of the most important practical tasks is to study the state of inland water bodies, resulting from a violation of their biological and hydrochemical regime, leading to unfavorable consequences for humans: the massive development of planktonic blue-green algae (“water blooms”), the disappearance of valuable fish species, and deterioration of water quality.

Ecology also studies the interaction of agricultural and natural ecological systems, combinations of cultivated and natural landscapes.

Ecology serves as a theoretical basis for the development of measures for the transition from hunting wild species of plants and animals to their cultivation and other forms of more rational use. The creation of a network of nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, and landscape planning are also based on recommendations developed by ecologists.

A clearly expressed practical orientation is characteristic of human ecology. The scientific and technological revolution is associated with the continuous intensification and expansion of the scale of human economic activity. This sharpens attention to environmental problems, in particular to the direct and collateral impact of industrial activities on the composition and properties of the atmosphere, the thermal regime of the planet, background radioactivity, pollution of the World Ocean, land bodies of water and the reduction of fresh water reserves, the reduction of reserves of non-renewable raw materials and energy resources, the release of non-recyclable materials into the biosphere biochemical and toxic waste, the environmental impact of anthropogenic, especially urbanized, landscapes, the influence of environmental factors on human physical and mental health, etc.

3.Environmental problems at the present stage

I did not set myself the task of considering each of the environmental problems that have come to the fore at the present time, since it is impossible not to ignore many issues due to the enormous scale of their distribution, but I tried to use several of the most striking examples of environmental disasters in our country to show the severity of this or that problem, its influence on people's lives.

3.1. Water resources are the main wealth of man

By the middle of the 20th century, human impact on nature sharply increased. One of the global problems is the problem of water pollution. We live in a fabulous time when you can set the sea on fire, because it is often covered with an oil film due to supertanker accidents. Oil pollution today threatens to kill life in the oceans and seas. But the World Ocean not only occupies 71% of the planet’s surface, but also contains half of the Earth’s biomass, and oceanic phytoplankton supplies the bulk of free oxygen to the atmosphere. The famous Norwegian scientist and traveler T. Heyerdahl said: “Before destroying the oceans, our activities will destroy the inland seas.” Indeed, pollution of both lakes and rivers has reached alarming proportions.

3.1.1. The fight for the purity of Baikal

The largest freshwater lake in the world is Baikal. This lake is the main spring of Russia. Over 1,300 species of plants and animals live here, not found anywhere else. The famous Baikal omul and lake whitefish are of commercial importance. The copepod epimura is the most interesting and widespread inhabitant of the lake. He purifies the water by filtering it through his sink. And the most unique local attraction is the Baikal seal. About 7 thousand seals are caught annually. Moreover, even the method of shooting is important for the environment. Poaching occurs.

The most stable and widespread form of the Baikal shores is Lukomorye. This is a natural system for protecting the coast from sea waves. Thoughtless mining of sand and gravel is destroying the shores.

Enormous damage to the lake, not to mention deforestation in the Baikal basin, was caused by the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (pulp and paper mill), which produced cordwood pulp, which cannot be produced without clean water. But chemical wastewater treatment was not provided for at all. The wastewater was diluted with the most valuable Baikal water. A mixture of poisons went into the lake. Settling ponds have disfigured the Baikal Lukomorye. If an earthquake occurred - the seismicity of the territory of the east - then these giant bowls of waste would tip over into the environment.

More than 700 million m3 of wastewater is discharged into Baikal annually. Only in the last 20 years of operation of the Baikal Central Clinical Hospital, it has discharged 1.5 billion m 3 of industrial wastewater into Baikal. The impact of the Central Clinical Hospital wastewater has spread into the lake over an area of ​​35 km2. The MPC (maximum permissible concentration) of industrial wastewater changed six times. The concentration of harmful substances has become dangerous for the inhabitants of Lake Baikal. In 1986-1987 alone, there were three releases of lye, sediment during the cleaning of settling ponds was twice poured into the lake, and concentrated lye was released twice (foam the size of a man clogged the shore). The discharges resulted in the death of fish.

Gas emissions led to the death of the taiga. The fir stands that were most sensitive to pollution were drying out. Dust and gas emissions damaged 250 thousand hectares of forest, 40 thousand hectares of which were lost irretrievably. In the pulp and paper mill area there are weakened and drying forests, the area of ​​which has reached 500 thousand hectares

In 1966, the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill produced its first products, but only in the early 1980s its activities began to be gradually curtailed. Calculations showed that the environmental damage from the plant’s activities was many times greater than the cost of its products. The Baikal cord turned out to be unsuitable for aviation, and cellulose can serve as a raw material for the production of conventional tires. For such purposes, other non-Baikal water would be suitable, and in general, is it moral to give up such resources as Baikal water for even the best industrial products?

Who are the main air pollutants in the Baikal basin today? These are tungsten-molybdenum, metallurgical plants, several large state district power plants and thermal power plants; Not only boiler houses smoke, but also landfills, including those on the lake shore.

Under pressure from environmentalists, the transportation of petroleum products across Lake Baikal was stopped in 1988. In 1989, rafting of timber along the rivers and the lake itself was stopped, but the banks of many rivers in the Baikal basin still remain littered with driftwood. Despite all the measures, there are 150 sources of pollution in Lake Baikal!

With the completion of the construction of the BAM, Baikal found itself, as it were, in a vice between two transcontinental highways: the old Siberian and the new Baikal-Amur. The Baikal region is industrializing. The environmental situation in Transbaikalia is unfavorable. These areas directly affect the nature of Baikal. The change of water in the lake is very slow, and, according to estimates, it is renewed in 400 years - this means that the runoff that enters it pollutes it for centuries. And the path to saving Baikal was not easy, but an ecological approach to the problem took over. The voice of the public also played a significant role here.

3.1.2. Hydropower problems

Unfortunately, the Aral Sea remains a zone of environmental disaster. It has almost dried up. Names have already been prepared for the two large salt lakes that are being formed - the Big Sea and the Small Sea.

It is impossible not to mention the damming of the Kari-Bogou-Gal Bay. The bay itself quickly became shallow, polluting the surrounding agricultural land and the entire environment. And the Caspian Sea, whose level began to rise, lost the ability to store its salts - the most valuable mineral raw materials of Kari-Bogou-Gala.

An alarming situation has developed on Lake Ladoga, the largest reservoir of fresh water in Europe.

It was only thanks to environmental insight that the project, which arose in the late 40s, was not implemented to turn the great Siberian rivers - the Irtysh, Ob, Yenisei, into the arid regions of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, which were believed to “flow uselessly into the Arctic Ocean, swamping the entire Western Siberia".

Considering the environmental problems of water resources, it is necessary to touch upon hydropower.

The production of electricity at hydroelectric power plants is based on the inexhaustible flow of water. Hydroelectric power stations do not require fuel, and nuclear power plants and thermal power plants use non-renewable natural resources, in addition, when burning fossil fuels at thermal power plants, a large amount of carbon dioxide and other harmful compounds are released into the atmosphere, which contribute to the occurrence of such phenomena as "Greenhouse effect".

Currently, there are about 200 hydroelectric power stations in our country and neighboring countries; during their construction, 12 million agricultural lands were flooded. But this is only one side of the hydropower problem. Only recently have they begun to seriously study environmental phenomena characteristic only of reservoirs. Changes in water levels in reservoirs occur not according to natural laws, but according to dispatcher commands. Fluctuations in various parameters that determine the living conditions of living organisms occur periodically in the form of jumps and regardless of the life cycles of the organisms inhabiting the reservoir. The mass of blue-green algae in some places begins to exceed 50 kg/m2; when they die and decompose, the oxygen content in the water sharply decreases and toxic substances are released. Fish die, water becomes unfit for drinking, it is almost impossible to use it for technical purposes, and recreational conditions on the coast are disrupted. The self-purifying ability of water bodies decreases. Yes, waterworks have eliminated the danger of spring floods in many areas. Regulation of rivers made it possible to direct water to irrigated fields, factories, and power plants. At the same time, reservoirs led to constant flooding of forests and meadows, many populated areas, cultural monuments, mineral deposits and other valuable objects. The area of ​​the Kuibyshev reservoir is 6450 km2, Bratsk - 5470, Rybinsk - 4550, Volgograd - 3120, Tsimlyansk - 2900. Seeping into the ground, water floods and swamps vast coastal areas, changing their landscape and microclimate.

What's going on with the sites of large reservoirs? Large areas of the forest are flooded. For example, during the construction of the Bratsk hydroelectric power station, 40 million m2 of wood was flooded. They could cover all construction needs. There are bays on the Bratsk Sea that cannot be entered by boat - the tops of trees stick out all around. At the Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power station, 20 million m 3 of forest were under water. On the Yenisei, everything happened again. And the forest rots, reservoirs become unsuitable for all living things. The situation is no better in those areas where logging is carried out. The trunks are lying along the banks of the rivers, pushing in the rivers until they reach the mouth. During the delivery of wood to the lower warehouses, most of it sinks and is thrown out by the current of the bank. Many rivers of Siberia are spoiled. The small Mana River, a tributary of the Yenisei, has today turned into a “log storage facility”; its bed from the upper reaches to the lower reaches is clogged with tree trunks.

Here's another example. After the damming of the Ob River by the Novosibirsk Hydroelectric Power Station and the formation of the Novosibirsk Reservoir, the natural conditions of the Ob River changed. Pollution of the water and bottom here intensified, and the species composition of fish decreased.

After the launch of the first hydroelectric power station, the Yenisei stopped freezing tens of kilometers below the dam, therefore, the living conditions also changed.

During the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station, power engineers did not build fish receivers and fish passages in the dam, which led to the cessation of spawning of valuable species of fish in the Yenisei.

Let's limit ourselves to this. There are many environmental disasters associated with hydropower. The situation remains alarming.

3.2. Nuclear energy from an environmental perspective.

Having touched upon the problems of hydropower, we cannot ignore the equally important problems of nuclear energy. It is based on nuclear power plants. By the beginning of the 90s. In 27 countries, over 430 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of about 340 GW operated, of which more than 40 were in our country. Nuclear power plants provide 12% of our energy needs. Of course, the use of controlled nuclear energy is profitable and promising. Nuclear power plants practically do not pollute the environment during operation. Delivery of compact uranium fuel to nuclear power plants does not require high transportation costs. This is why nuclear power plants are effective in areas of energy-intensive production and industrial agglomerations, where there are no fuel resources.

From this alone it is clear that nuclear energy must be technologically accident-free and flawless. The accident in Chernobyl is far from the first in the global nuclear energy industry, but it is the largest. V. Vernadsky said: “... the time to master atomic energy is already close...”, and was the first to raise the question of “whether humanity will use this colossal source of energy for well-being or for self-destruction.”

Nuclear specialists have identified three major accidents during the operation of power plants (since 1954, when the world's first Obninsk nuclear power plant, with a capacity of 5 MW, was launched in our country on June 27): in England - at the Windscale nuclear power plant, in the USA - at the "Windscale" nuclear power plant. Three Mile Island" and in Ukraine - in Chernobyl.

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred on April 26, 1986. As a result of the destruction of the reactor, tens of millions of curiradioactive substances were released into the environment. In the first 2-3 days, the most powerful radiation of radioactive products was observed. The height of the jet of radioactive release on April 27, sent from an airplane, exceeded 1200 m. There were two salvo releases in total. The flow of a highly radioactive gas aerosol jet from the exposed radioactive zone due to the fire of the graphite masonry of the reactor continued for 10 days. The substances released at the time of the accident spread to the territories of the Gomel, Mogilev regions, Belarus, the Kyiv, Zhitomir regions of Ukraine, and part of the Bryansk region. In total, eleven regions with a population of 17 million people were contaminated. Radioactive particles reached certain regions of the Caucasus, Siberia and Central Asia via air currents. A slight increase in radiation levels was noted even over the territory of Sweden, Finland, Poland and other 23 IAEA member states. Small amounts of radioactive material were transported outside Europe, including China, Japan and the USA. 23 main radionuclides were identified as part of the emissions from the emergency reactor, most of which decayed within a few months. Subsequently, the main radioactive contamination by radionuclides is associated with the spread of iodine-131, plutonium, isotopes of strontium and cesium (especially cesium-137).

In places where rain fell, entire “spots” of radioactive contamination formed. Radioactive products entered water basins as a result of deposition on the water surface, runoff from contaminated areas, and migration with groundwater. For example, in the Kremenchug reservoir in May 1986, the concentration of strontium-90 had a radioactivity of 5 * 1012 C/l, which is almost 100 times the above-established norm. These soils in the area of ​​the Kyiv Reservoir, adjacent to the mouth of the Pripyat River, turned out to be heavily polluted. The city of power engineers, Pripyat, has been mothballed and has become lifeless. The total area of ​​pollution in the first days was about 200 thousand km2. There are 640 settlements located in this zone. Tens of thousands of people, even hundreds, were evacuated from the resettlement zone. But how many people are now receiving low doses of radiation! Today, genetic disorders that arise from irradiation of living organisms have become widely known. An eight-legged foal was born in the Zhytomyr region. The size of ordinary plants and animals found in the contaminated area is amazing. These are the consequences of releasing 50 million curies of radioactivity into the environment.

It is impossible not to mention the problem of radioactive waste disposal. Each of several types has its own burial technology. Special burial grounds may be created. Radioactive waste is hermetically sealed in concrete containers or iron tanks and placed in concrete sarcophagi. Containers can collapse, and then the waste penetrates into the soil and groundwater. Even if, even after a thousand years, a well is drilled in a place where, for example, plutonium is buried, there will be a danger to life.

The only sure way is to recycle radioactive waste. In France, where 75% of electricity comes from nuclear power plants, this method is most common.

Unfortunately, even a peaceful atom turns out to be a formidable and sometimes unpredictable force. The Chernobyl tragedy once again warned against the deliberate inhumane use of nuclear energy.

4. Ecological situation in Rostov and the Rostov region

The problem of environmental protection is acute both in our city and in the region. Rostov-on-Don is a city with a population of more than 1 million people. This is a large industrial center and environmental problems have not bypassed it, like any large city.

In order to compile a general picture of the state of the environment in the territory of Rostov, the most important work was to create an “Ecological and geochemical atlas of the city of Rostov-on-Don.” During the research, samples of atmospheric air, melt and external waters, soils, hydrochemical tests on rivers and streams (Temernik, Aleksandrovka, Leventsovka), as well as samples of vegetables and fruits, measurements of noise levels on the streets were carried out. The following conclusions were made.

The dust load in the city ranges from 200 to 400 kg/km2 per day. In the dirtiest areas of the city (Central Market, Selmash, Tekuchev Street, etc.) at a load of 3000-4000 kg/km2 per day, the dust concentration in the air is 4-5 times higher than the standard daily average maximum permissible concentration (MPC). In microdistricts where there is a lot of greenery in the area of ​​private households, and in large parks, the intensity of atmospheric pollution is much lower.

Abnormally high contents of zinc, lead, chromium, vanadium, nickel, copper, cobalt, etc. were recorded in the dust. The maximum load of zinc falling out of the atmosphere is observed in the Empils area, in the city center; lead - in Selmash, Voenved, in the area of ​​the GPP- 10; chromium - in the zone of influence of the Agat plant, GPZ-10, Empilsa. Abnormally high levels of sulfides, nitrates, and ammonia were noted in the Kirov region (Meat Processing Plant, Rubin, Empils); in Voroshilovsky (in the area affected by the landfill and CHPP-2); in the old city center.

The recorded excess of maximum permissible concentrations for soils for lead, zinc, chromium, copper and other heavy metals indicates the levels of environmental pollution in Rostov. Contaminated soils themselves are dangerous secondary sources of air pollution when the wind lifts or transports soil into the air, or when vegetables and fruits are grown on these soils.

For the first time in Rostov, the intensity of pollution of rainwater and melt water was determined, and the scale of pollutants in the Don was assessed. From the territory of the Leninsky district alone, 12 thousand tons of suspended matter, 457 tons of chlorides, 740 tons of sulfates, 5.4 tons of iron, 1.2 tons of lead, 16.3 tons of oil products, 10 tons of aluminum,...

Another part of atmospheric precipitation is filtered into groundwater. As a result, groundwater throughout almost the entire city is contaminated with manganese, aluminum, nitrates, and petroleum products. Thanks to leaks from the water supply and sewer networks, groundwater is constantly recharged with industrial water. As a result, flooding, waterlogging, and building subsidence appear in the city. Due to the leakage of hot water from heating mains, the temperature of groundwater rises to (45o!).

It has already been mentioned how many (and counting in tons) of various elements are carried by surface waters into the Don. This river still held, until recently, the epithet “the purest of the large rivers of the European part of our country.” This applies mainly to the upper reaches. Let me give you an example. The water consumption near Rostov is 5-6 times less than the total amount of untreated discharges in the basin of the Don and Northern Donets rivers. In other words, by reaching Rostov, the water had already been processed 5-6 times at various enterprises. Knowing the number and low capacity of treatment facilities, one can imagine what a “clean river” contains. In the region it is no longer possible to drink untreated water from the Don, a long time ago.

But if air pollution is visible even from space, then water pollution is visible only from the shore. A huge cloud stretches from Novocherkassk to Vienna. This is what the hundred-kilometer smoke plume of the Novocherkassk State District Power Plant looks like from orbit. This pollutant alone annually “dumps” 100 kg of substances onto each resident of the region. All industrial enterprises in the region, without exception, make a “feasible” contribution, and there are about 500 of them.

It should also be noted that the Rostov region is a coal region. Dusty and spontaneously combusting waste heaps, black crumbs that have eaten into everything living and inanimate - this is the landscape of mining towns.

The Tsimlyanskoye Reservoir is a very vulnerable place from an ecological point of view. This is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in Russia, 250 km long. In its southernmost part, where the Don again turns into a river, there are two cities: Volgodonsk and Tsimlyansk, with a population of 250 thousand. Human. Another 2 million people live downstream. There are water intakes for people and irrigation, fish farms, and recreation areas. And the main thing is that the ecological balance of the entire region of the lower Don largely depends on the condition of the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. It is enough to place a dangerous industrial facility on it, and the balance (already very unstable) will be disrupted, and in the event of an accident it will result in a catastrophe.

5. The problem of preserving life on Earth is global problem of humanity

Our planet is fragile. This epithet was born when people managed to look from space at the Earth - so far the only known habitation of not only living, but also intelligent, with a thin layer of the biosphere in the blackness of endless and lifeless spaces. A. Schweitzer, philosopher, musician, doctor and great humanist of the 20th century, wrote on the eve of the space age and global problems of mankind that the Earth could die from any cosmic accident or initially imperceptible disturbance in the planet’s biosphere.

The encroachment on the Earth's magnetic field by an electrically saturated civilization is a clear example of such a danger. Here's another example, perhaps even more sinister. Fluoride compounds, which are included in many household chemical products, entering the upper layers of the atmosphere in a gaseous state, destroy the ozone layer, which protects all life on Earth from excessive solar ultraviolet irradiation. This is how numerous freons behave, inert on the surface of the Earth and used in the refrigeration industry and for the manufacture of aerosol packaging; in the stratosphere, freons undergo photochemical decomposition and produce a chlorine ion, which bombards and destroys ozone. The thinning of the ozone layer risks the extinction of the living species most sensitive to ultrasonic rays - primarily humans.

And, finally, all problems pale in comparison to the most terrible thing - a general nuclear war, the threat of which has been hanging over the community of the Earth's inhabitants for the last decades. This war brings with it not a crisis, but a catastrophe. Fifteen or even twentyfold destruction of all life on Earth - such is the power of modern nuclear potential, which will actually work only once. The remaining fourteen or nineteen times are more than sufficient for the “guaranteed” eradication of seeds, bacteria and other “vital remains”, without the subsequent emergence of life on our planet, where the conditions for this are a thing of the astronomical past.

As you know, nuclear explosions were not only experiments. Combat explosions of American atomic bombs hit the cities of Hirosmima and Nagasaki in 1945. No less well known is the real environmental war. It was also carried out by the Americans in Indochina, where many people and the surrounding nature were poisoned with pesticides. And although the wounds are gradually healing, excess strontium and cesium from post-war tests continue to “illuminate the Earth in the cosmic darkness.

Currently, the image of war is becoming greener, and the struggle for peace is becoming greener. An example of the struggle for peace is the activities of the international non-governmental organization Greenpeace (“Green World”). It unites environmentalists and opposes any actions that harm nature. It has fought especially persistently recently against the ongoing nuclear tests in Mururoa Atoll. belonging to France, so that the multicolored world will never be replaced by a “white nuclear winter” - the freezing of the planet after a nuclear massacre and the fires of cities and forests caused by it, when the smoky atmosphere will sharply and for many months reduce access to the Earth of sunlight and heat.

Cooperation with nature, its restoration and reasonable development require enormous new efforts and sacrifices. For the coordinated work of a multi-billion-dollar crew, social compatibility (ie interaction and cooperation between states, cultures, ethnic groups) is required so that our “spaceship Earth” does not stop.

By talking about our planet as a “spaceship,” we looked at the Earth from a cosmic point of view. We cannot forget about the connections between the Earth and space. Space, primarily the Sun, can help solve environmental problems on Earth.

There are projects for the active use of solar energy. Solar resources can also be used in space itself, where some types of earthly production can be transferred, using not only energy, but also raw materials of extraterrestrial origin (matter of the Moon, asteroids), and the Earth can be turned into an environmentally comfortable place for human habitation. These are the universal horizons that open up on ways to solve environmental problems on Earth.

But the Earth came, and the Earth will leave, like any specific body in the cosmos. Billions of years ago the Solar System was formed. And also billions of years ago, life formed on Earth - on the only planet out of nine.

Today the entire globe has been cultivated, and there is not a single piece of land that does not directly or indirectly indicate the presence of man. But today the overgrown tree of culture threatens to choke and destroy the tree of life. Man can prevent the Earth from leaving. And in order to survive, he needs to reconsider his views on the combination of artificial and natural in his environment and rebuild environmental practices. And so, the first step towards this: we need a new vision of the Earth, today's Earth, as a unique planet with its main attraction - life.

P L A N:

1. The earth is our common home.

1.1.Spaceship Earth.

1.2. Time to be wise.

2. Ecology as the science of human interaction with the surrounding nature of the Earth.

2.1. Origin and development of ecology.

2.2. Main objectives and practical significance.

3. Problems of ecology at the present stage.

3.1. Water resources are the main wealth of man.

3.1.1. Fight for the cleanliness of Lake Baikal.

3.1.2. Problems of hydropower.

3.2.Nuclear energy from an environmental perspective.

4. Ecological situation in Rostov and the Rostov region.

5. The problem of preserving life on Earth is a global problem for humanity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Yu.A. Shkolenko “This fragile planet.”

2. A.L. Anshin, A.I. Melua "Lessons of environmental miscalculations."

3. Edited by professors Zozulin, Nomokonov, Chupakin “Man and the boisphere.”

4. Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

5. Gevozov, Lobanov, Malyarov “Economics of Environmental Management”.

6. Articles from the magazine “Yunost”, newspapers “Morning” and “Hammer”.

Are you concerned about the health of our planet? What are you willing to do to save her? With daily bad news about global warming, shallowing oceans and endangered animals, it's hard to know where to start. You might think there's only so much one person can do, but there are actually so many ways to help our planet. Start by changing your personal habits, educate those around you, and you can make a significant contribution to saving Mother Earth.

Steps

Careful attitude towards water

Be careful with water in your home. By using too much water, we have a significant impact on the health of the planet. You can start taking steps now to reduce your water consumption. If you live in a water-stressed region, this is even more important to the health and prosperity of your region. Here's what to do:

• Check if you have any water leaks. If there is, fix it. A leaky valve can waste a lot of water.
• Install water saving devices on valves and in bathrooms. Installing a shower head with reduced water flow is a good place to start.
• Do not wash dishes with the water constantly on. Use a method that will use less water to wash dishes.
• Shut off the water supply to the dishwasher to prevent leaks. It doesn't have to be on all the time.
• Replace old toilets with new ones that reduce water consumption.
• Dishwashers and washing machines should only be used with a full load. Otherwise, excess water will be wasted.
• Don't use too much water to water your lawn.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.

1. Reduce the amount of chemicals used. The chemicals we use to bathe ourselves, clean our homes, wash our cars, and anywhere else, wash off and soak into the soil or grass, eventually ending up in the plumbing system. Because many people use strong chemicals, they cause significant harm to waterways and aquatic life. Chemicals are even more dangerous for people, so do everything in your power to reduce their use. Here are some ways:

   • Find out about alternatives to home cleaning products that don't contain dangerous chemicals. For example, a solution consisting of white vinegar and water (1:1) is suitable for almost all types of cleaning as well as store-bought products. Baking soda and salt are also cheap, non-toxic cleaning products.
   • If a chemical alternative cannot be found, try to use the minimum amount necessary to achieve the required cleanliness and disinfection.
   • Instead of using chemical-filled shampoos and soaps, try making your own.
   • Instead of using pesticides and herbicides, try getting rid of weeds and pests naturally.

2. Dispose of toxic waste correctly. Paint, motor oil, ammonia, and many other substances cannot simply be washed off onto the ground or grass. They penetrate deep into the ground and end up in groundwater. Contact your local wastewater treatment plant to find out the location of your nearest toxic waste dump.

3. Help find water pollutants. Even one person can do a lot to keep water clean. Very often, enterprises and industries are the culprits of water pollution. Citizens interested in protecting the environment should discuss the problem with the managers of such enterprises and find ways to protect themselves from pollution.

   • Join a local conservation organization to help clean up the water in your area, be it a river, lake, sea or ocean.
   • Contact your local government to discuss your views on keeping your water clean.
   • Volunteer and help clean up beaches and riverbanks.
   • Get others involved in cleaning up the waters in your area.

Help to protect animals

1. Make your home a haven for flora and fauna. Due to human progress, many species of animals, from birds to deer and insects, have lost their homes. You may have seen birds swimming in oily ponds and deer wandering on the outskirts of settlements simply because they have nowhere else to go. If you have some free space, be hospitable to those animals that need help. You can make your home more pet-friendly by:

   • Plant shrubs, flowers and trees that can attract forest creatures.
   • Hang a bird feeder and waterer and always replenish them with clean water and food.
   • Do not kill snakes, spiders, bees, bats or other creatures. If they live near you, your ecosystem is healthy.
   • If there is free space, place a hive.
   • Use cedar chips instead of mothballs.
   • Don't use pesticides.
   • Use more humane traps rather than mouse poisons and insecticides.
   • Use an electric or manual lawn mower rather than a gas-powered one.
   • If you hunt, be it deer or squirrels, be respectful of the animals whose meat provides your food. Don't throw it away.

Branch of MBOU "Pervomaiskaya Secondary School"

In the village of Staroklenskoye, Pervomaisky district, Tambov region

Essay on the topic of:

“The earth is our common home.”

Completed by 3rd grade student Ozhereleva Lyubov

Teacher: Frolova T.N.

2013 – 2014

For friendship, for smiles and for meetings

We inherited the planet.

We are bequeathed to protect this world

And this amazing land.

/ Words from the song: “We are commanded to protect this world!”/

We live on planet earth. There are many of us, but she is one, one for all. The earth is our common home. This means that everyone who lives on Earth is one family. This is both man and nature. And let’s not forget that nature also created man, which is why we call her mother. She loves us and gives us everything we need for life: food, clothing, air, warmth, medicine, water. In return, she expects from us that we will always help her and save her from danger. But we, the children of our planet, very often forget about her, do not notice that she needs help and care. People, look around! Look at its forests, rivers, seas, meadows, and you will see that they need help.

Forests need help.

The forest is a natural oxygen factory on the planet, a natural filter that purifies the green atmosphere. One hectare of green space can absorb 2 kilograms of carbon dioxide in an hour. Do we care enough about him? Every year more and more fires occur due to human fault. This leads to the death of not only trees, but also animals. So let's follow the rules of behavior in the forest!

Animals need help.

Many different animals and birds were destroyed by people. Some were hunted too hard, others were not left a piece of forest or steppe where they could live. And if you don’t help them, more and more animals will die. Scientists have compiled a special Red Book. The red color of the book is a prohibitive color. This is an alarm. The Red Book consists of colored pages. On the black pages are lists of those animals that we will never see again. Particularly rare animals are recorded on the red pages. The yellow ones show animals whose numbers have always been small. On the gray pages are those animals that are still little studied. On the green pages are animals whose numbers have been restored.

I think we need to make sure that not a single living creature is included in the black pages lists anymore.

Plants need help.

There will be no trace left of the beauty of the meadows if everyone picks one flower. Each flower is connected with other inhabitants of the meadow. Insects fly to it and feed on its nectar. Wild flowers should remain in nature. For bouquets, you need to grow flowers in flower beds, gardens, and greenhouses.

We must take care of the cleanliness of our home. On the streets of cities and villages, on the banks of rivers you can see a lot of garbage. Sometimes this waste results in large landfills that pollute water, soil and air. Can't it be removed? Of course you can. But people are always in a hurry to get somewhere and don’t think that nature will one day get angry and punish us.

Every person should feel responsible for the health of mother nature, love her and pass this love on to their children.

Nature gives all its treasures to man, and only asks us to take care of it. Let us respond to her with warmth for warmth, love for love. Let us remember that by caring for nature, we also take care of the Earth. After all, planet Earth is our common home!

Awareness of the homeland comes to each person in his own way. But the time comes - and everyone understands the inextricable unity with their native land. After all, our grandfathers and parents grew up on this land, we learned to walk on it, and our descendants will take their first steps. From time immemorial, our ancestors defended this land and cherished it as the most valuable treasure. She was always their wealth, which they were proud of and protected. And accepting nature’s gifts, people understood that these bounties would be much greater if they respected nature.

Nowadays, people are faced with an acute environmental problem. This is due to the fact that people decided to become masters of nature and began to subjugate it to themselves. Rivers are polluted as a result of industrial activities. The increase in arable land led to the destruction of forests.

The smelly Kakhovka Reservoir was once a picturesque Ukrainian land. Little white huts, cherry orchards and curly willow trees went under the water. And when the beautiful and rich Aral Sea dried up, because water was pumped out of it to irrigate dry areas. Descendants inherited only Shevchenko’s beautiful drawings of the Aral Sea.

People recklessly exploit nature, and sometimes simply do not think about the consequences of their actions. Irresponsibility led to the Chernobyl disaster, which affected vast regions of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Hundreds of people died as a result of the accident. And how many disabled people, villages and cities are contaminated with radionuclides. The radiation background still, 18 years after the accident, exceeds permissible standards.

Crippled earth, crippled people... It seems to me that nuclear power plants should be banned altogether, because as long as they exist, the country is in danger. The draining of swamps in Polesie left people without drinking water. And in Kharkov, as a result of changes in the river bed, residential areas appeared flooded. The river disappeared, leaving behind only its name. We have Ne-Techenska embankment along a non-existent river. And many such facts can be cited. And the most harmless thing, in my opinion, is that next to the unfortunate owners stood indifferent people who simply watched the destruction of nature. It's a shame, but there are many of us like that. Is it really necessary to destroy in order to later revive? Do people really only learn from mistakes? We must finally understand that man is a piece of the great mother nature, which should not be conquered, but should be lived in harmony with her. To love and take care of one’s native land, to take care of its well-being - this is what patriotism is all about.

I. The attitude towards nature is an awareness of the native land.

II Our common home is the Earth.

1 With respect for nature.

Essay “Earth is our common home”

Trusov Arthur. Grade 10.

What could be better than watching the sunset on the river bank? Complex issue. Everyone, looking there, into the distance, sees something different. Something that is so dear and dear.

Observing nature makes people much more peaceful. It is not for nothing that a well-known expression about fire and water goes from mouth to mouth: fire and water are the same equal parts of nature as the same river and sunset. Contemplating the pristine beauty, a person involuntarily begins to think about something distant and lofty. If people had not looked at the stars, neither astronomy nor spaceships would have appeared. Marvelous! Nature is a real storehouse of thoughts and ideas. What is most important is that this source is virtually inexhaustible. However, nature is not only enthusiastic and good-natured. Man, especially these days, is often forgotten. Many of us have long ago separated from this “nature” with characteristic grumpiness: it is dirty and disgusting. However, people are not gods, but just like everyone else, children of nature. And, like a good mother, nature can be strict. In comparison with the history of the entire Earth, the history of mankind is a mere zilch, a second. What is this man? Bug! We can all disappear literally in an instant, but we consider ourselves kings of the world. It's funny, isn't it? However, we are still alive and still think we are great. Perhaps someone needs this? Perhaps this is all for a reason? Who knows! However, for now, we humans are given a chance to live. This is our right and our responsibility. Isn't this wonderful? After all, we are obliged to do what we are privileged to do! Isn't the whole point of life just to live? After all, life, as a part of nature, is beautiful.

However, we are not only children of nature in the context of our entire planet. We are part of our small, local nature. Our country. Our city. Our home. Our family. Awareness of the big comes through the small. Nature is everything that surrounds us. We ourselves are nature. From the realization of this thought you come into true delight: we are all something united, whole and so good.

At the same time, we should not forget about our responsibility to the universe. Our world is our home. And, unfortunately, or fortunately, it is we who are destined to decide what it will be like: sweet and cozy or empty and lifeless. It’s terrible, but man even has the ability to destroy his own planet. A couple of nuclear missiles will do everything for us: after that there will be nothing at all. No house, no river, no sunset, no us. A gloomy picture. And I love my home, my Motherland, my world. I love my country. I love my hometown. I spend every summer at my dacha in the suburbs. It was there, sitting on the banks of the Volga, that I first realized what it means to love your home. To protect your home you need to be a good citizen. To be a good citizen, you must be human. In order to be human, you need to understand that you are only part of something larger. Unfortunately, many people do not understand the value and fragility of the world that surrounds them. Perhaps their time has not yet come. We can only hope that they will come to realize this fact on their own and in time. IthisVeryI am waiting.

What can be better then sitting in front of the river and watching a nice picture of sunset? It's difficult to answer this question. Everybody can find something personal in the nature. We love it, but each of us do it special.

Nature makes us calm and patient. It gives us so many themes to think them over. Nature is an essential source of thoughts and ideas. Mother-nature is unique and ideal. But nature can be hard and even violent with us in cases we forget the fact that we are just a part of it. Wild, strong, it can destroy the whole humanity in a second. When we compare our history with the history of Earth we will see that the time of humanity is the only one second for our planet. We are not the kings, the lords of nature. We are just their bad children. It seems fun, isn't it? But we are still alive. It can mean the only one thing: our world still needs us. So we can and have to live. It is our right and our duty. As for me it" s wonderful. The main aim of our life is just to live, because the life is beauty. The life is beauty because of it"s a part of nature.

And we are not only the parts of nature in such a global meaning. We are the part of our local nature, of our small home. My country, my town, my house is my home. My family is my home. And wild nature outdoors is my home too. And the only one thing I can do is to feel rapture being a part of such a huge life machine. I want it will be ideal.

Our world is our home. And we are responsible for him because we have a power to destroy it. It might be a cozy, nice house. Or it might be a lifeless desert. I"m scared of thought that we have so much power. It"s terrible. A few small missile nuclears can exterminate our planet. These rockets have an opportunity to destroy our home, our nice river, our sunset and ourselves. I do love my home. I do love Yaroslavl. I spend every my summer in the village near the city. There I have felt for the first time that I"m a part of this village, of Yaroslavl, of Russia and of the whole world. When I want to protect these things I have to be a nice citizen, nice child of nature, nice human . It "s a pitty that there live some people who can"t understand what is written there. I hope they will do it in time. I wish.