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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.
An example in Tennessee of how soil from fertilized fields can quickly turn into runoff creating a flux of nutrients that flows into a local water body. The principal source(s) of nutrient pollution in an individual watershed depend on the prevailing land uses. The sources may be point sources, nonpoint sources, or both:
In his piece “The environmental impact of industrialization and foreign direct investment: empirical evidence from Asia-Pacific region” Ahmed writes “In addition to the many benefits of foreign direct investment and industrialization that have affected economic growth, both have significant potential for environmental degradation because ...
Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. [84] Point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm drain, a wastewater treatment plant, or an oil spill. Non-point sources are more diffuse. An example is agricultural runoff. [85] Pollution is the result of the cumulative effect over time. Pollution may take ...
Natural resource economics deals with the supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth's natural resources. One main objective of natural resource economics is to better understand the role of natural resources in the economy in order to develop more sustainable methods of managing those resources to ensure their availability for future generations.
For example, a 45 cm increase in sea level would result in 75% of the mangrove forest area being flooded. [28] Furthermore, increased sedimentation in the watersheds may lead to more flooding. [32] Flooding has been cited as one of the "main obstacle[s] to the economic improvement of the nation".
As per the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of 2005, land degradation is in defined as "the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of drylands". [6] A similar definition states that land degradation is the "degradation, impoverishment and long-term loss of ecosystem services".
However, in many cases, the source of the water is at a significant distance from the return point and may be in a different catchment. The separation between extraction point and return point can represent significant environmental degradation in the watercourse and riparian strip. What is "wasted" is the community's supply of water that was ...