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Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. [ 1] Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring ...
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances called pollutants in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. [ 1] It is also the contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment either by chemical, physical, or biological ...
Major current environmental issues may include climate change, pollution, environmental degradation, and resource depletion. The conservation movement lobbies for protection of endangered species and protection of any ecologically valuable natural areas, genetically modified foods and global warming. The UN system has adopted international ...
The global print and paper industry accounts for about 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions. [178] Greenhouse gas emissions from the pulp and paper industry are generated from the combustion of fossil fuels required for raw material production and transportation, wastewater treatment facilities, purchased power, paper transportation, printed ...
Radioactive contamination, also called radiological pollution, is the deposition of, or presence of radioactive substances on surfaces or within solids, liquids, or gases (including the human body), where their presence is unintended or undesirable (from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) definition). [ 3]
The term applies to natural resources such as water aquifers, grazing pastures and forests, wild medicinal plants, fish stocks and other wildlife . In ecology, overexploitation describes one of the five main activities threatening global biodiversity. [ 3] Ecologists use the term to describe populations that are harvested at an unsustainable ...
e. A pollutant or novel entity[ 1] is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oil) or anthropogenic in origin (i.e. manufactured materials or byproducts ).
Climate crisis is a term that is used to describe global warming and climate change, and their effects. This term and the term climate emergency have been used to describe the threat of global warming to humanity and Earth, and to urge aggressive climate change mitigation and transformational adaptation. [ 2][ 3][ 4][ 5]