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Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.
Biodilution is also a process that occurs to all trophic levels in an aquatic environment; it is the opposite of biomagnification, thus when a pollutant gets smaller in concentration as it progresses up a food web. [3] Many chemicals that bioaccumulate are highly soluble in fats and insoluble in water (hydrophobic). [4]
Environment destruction caused by humans is a global, ongoing problem. [4] Water pollution also cause problems to marine life. [5] Some scholars believe that the projected peak global population of roughly 9-10 billion people could live sustainably within the earth's ecosystems if humans worked to live sustainably within planetary boundaries.
Ex situ management can occur within or outside a species' natural geographic range. Individuals maintained ex situ exist outside an ecological niche. This means that they are not under the same selection pressures as wild populations, and they may undergo artificial selection if maintained ex situ for multiple generations. [3]
Environmental chemists draw on a range of concepts from chemistry and various environmental sciences to assist in their study of what is happening to a chemical species in the environment. Important general concepts from chemistry include understanding chemical reactions and equations , solutions , units , sampling , and analytical techniques .
These scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential long-term effects of global warming on our natural environment and on the planet. Of particular concern is how climate change and global warming caused by anthropogenic , or human-made releases of greenhouse gases , most notably carbon dioxide , can act interactively and have ...
Modifying the environment to fit the needs of society (as in the built environment) is causing severe effects [3] [4] including global warming, [1] [5] [6] environmental degradation [1] (such as ocean acidification [1] [7]), mass extinction and biodiversity loss, [8] [9] [10] ecological crisis, and ecological collapse.
The environmental impacts of anthropogenic actions are becoming more apparent. Problems for all ecosystems include: environmental pollution , climate change and biodiversity loss . For terrestrial ecosystems further threats include air pollution , soil degradation , and deforestation .