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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.
For example, blending a polymer with another polymer that is very reactive to water will speed up the degradation process and cause surface erosion. On the other hand, decreasing the dimensions of a material will allow water to travel to the center of the material more quickly, which speeds up the diffusion process and causes bulk erosion.
Dobbingstone Burn, Scotland—This photo illustrates two different types of erosion affecting the same place. Valley erosion is occurring due to the flow of the stream, and the boulders and stones (and much of the soil) that are lying on the edges are glacial till that was left behind as ice age glaciers flowed over the terrain.
The degradation rate of many organic compounds is limited by their bioavailability, which is the rate at which a substance is absorbed into a system or made available at the site of physiological activity, [11] as compounds must be released into solution before organisms can degrade them. The rate of biodegradation can be measured in a number ...
Overgrazing by livestock can lead to land degradation. Land degradation is a process where land becomes less healthy and productive due to a combination of human activities or natural conditions. The causes for land degradation are numerous and complex. [1] Human activities are often the main cause, such as unsustainable land management practices.
In northern Peru, the World Bank's business-lending arm is part owner of the Yanacocha gold mine, accused by impoverished farming communities of despoiling their land in pursuit of the precious ore. The bank and IFC have stepped up investments in projects deemed to have a high risk of serious and environment damage, including oil pipelines, mines and even coal-fired power plants, an ...
Another non-renewable resource humans exploit is subsoil minerals, such as precious metals, mainly used to produce industrial commodities. Intensive agriculture is an example of a mode of production that hinders many aspects of the natural environment , for example the degradation of forests in a terrestrial ecosystem and water pollution in an ...
‘A shocking degradation’ The Florissant Police Department said in a Facebook post they learned about the allegations against Alcala in June, when the FBI in St. Louis informed them of the ...