Air Ozone, Climate and Outer Space, Flora Fauna and Biological Diversity Wastes and Hazardous Substances.

Air Ozone, Climate and Outer Space, Flora Fauna and Biological Diversity Wastes and Hazardous Substances.

1.0       

1.0       Air Ozone, Climate and Outer Space

Introduction

Nowadays, there are many activities that had been carried out by the humans that give a negative impacts to the environment. The reason why it was called has a negative impact to the environment is because it give a long-terms effects and is unlikely to be recoverable if it is not prevent. Examples of the activities that affect the environment are smoke emissions from manufacturing industries, open burning and smoke emissions from machinery. Therefore, air ozone, climate and outer space are the areas that will be greatly affected by the activities. As a result of the affected areas, it gives effect to the human health. This is because, there are various diseases caused by the damaged area such as eye cataracts and skin cancer. It is also gives a negative impact to the Earth such global warming.

What is Ozone?

      Ozone is a natural, colourless gas made up of oxygen. It is occurs in high in stratosphere, as well as much nearer to and at the surface in the troposphere (WS Beckett, 1991). The reactions between sunlight and certain precursor gases, especially methane, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, can produce ozone (NASA, 2011). It is significant component of smog. Ozone is very harmful to humans, plants and animals.

      Today, most of the activities that had been carried out by humans give bad effect to the ozone. Therefore, the effect is the depletion of the ozone layer. This effect is giving the bad effect to the humans and environment. This is because, when the ozone layer is thinner, its makes it more easy for ultra violet light to penetrate the ozone layer and directly into the Earth. The ultra violet light are particularly dangerous to humans. It is because the ultra violet light has a wave between 290 to 320 nanometres that can cause skin disorders such as skin cancer.

      Besides, the ultra violet light also will cause eye disease. This is because, when someone who is be exposed to the ultra violet light for too long, he or she will suffer the eye cataracts that can cause blindness. It is due to the growth of white membranes covering the eyes.

      In addition, the depletion of ozone layer also can cause the extinction of marine life. This is because, the outrageous of ultra violet light will cause the microorganisms in sea water such as plankton died. Therefore, the marine life that depends of plankton as their food also may suffer extinction because they are lack of food sources.

What is climate?

     

      The climate of the region or city is it typical or average weather. Earth’s climate is the average of all the world’s regional climates (NASA, 2011). As an example, the climate of Hawaii is sunny and warm while the climate of Antarctic is freezing cold. Here we can see that, different region has the different climate. The climate of the city, region or the entire planet changes very slowly (NASA, 2011). Statistical opportunity of various atmospheric conditions, such as temperature, pressure, humidity winds, which occur in an area over a long period of time (Gibbs, 1987). This is because, the changes take place on the scale of tens, hundreds and thousands of years.

      The definition of climate change is the change in the physical condition of the Earth's atmosphere, including the temperature and distribution of rainfall that has a wide impact on various sectors of human life. Climate change may be due to internal processes or external forces or human activities that constantly change the composition of the atmosphere and land use.

      The term climate change is often used explicitly by the term “global warming”, whereas the phenomenon of global warming is only part of climate change, because climate parameters are not just temperatures but there are other related parameters such as precipitation, cloud conditions, winds and solar radiation. Global warming is an increase in average atmospheric temperatures that are close to the surface of the earth and in the troposphere, which may contribute to global climate change. Global warming occurs as a result of the increasing number of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere. The increase in the intensity of the greenhouse effect caused by gas in the atmosphere that absorbs heat rays is the infrared light emitted by the Earth to make global climate change.

      Although global warming is only one part of the phenomenon of climate change, global warming is an important thing to look at. That is because temperature changes will have a significant impact on human activity. Changes in the temperature of the earth can change the environment condition at a later stage will have an impact on the place where we can live, what plants we eat can grow, how and where we can plant food, and what threatens the organism. This means that global warming will threaten human life as a whole.

What is outer space?

     

      From the perspective of an Earthling, outer space is a zone that occurs about 100 kilometres (60 miles) above the planet, where there is no appreciable air to breath or to scatter light. In that area, blue gives way to black because oxygen molecules are not in enough abundance to make the sky blue (Elizabeth, 2017). Further, space is a vacuum, meaning that sound cannot carry because molecules are not close enough together to transmit sound between them. That’s not to say that space is empty because gas, dust and other bits of matter float around “emptier” areas of the universe, while more crowded regions can host planets, stars and galaxies. To conclude, it’s actually no one knows the exact size of the space is. Space could be a lot bigger than it appears to us.

      Space may seem empty in the human eye, but research has shown that there is a form of radiation emanating through the universe. In solar system, there is solar wind that made up of plasma and other particles from the Sun. It is permeating the planets and sometimes causing Aurora near the polar Earth. Cosmic rays fly through the neighbourhood, originating from Supernova outside the solar system. But in fact, the universe has been absorbed by the cosmic microscopic background, which can be understood as the great blast residue that forms our cosmos, usually called Big Bang. The cosmic microscopic background, best viewed in microwaves, shows the earliest radiation that our instruments can detect (Karl, 2013).

      The important thing about space is that it is less visible or understood because of the presence of dark matter and dark energy, which is essentially a form of material and energy that can only be detected through its effect on other objects. As the universe grows and expedites the development, it is seen as an important evidence for dark matter. This means no dark matter is needed to explain the high speed of the galaxy in the group (Maeder, 2017). Next, the gravity lens that occurs when the light “bends” around the star from a distant background object.

Protocol on air ozone, climate and outer space and case study; Ozone Protection in Australia

      Protocol on air ozone, climate and outer space is the Montreal Protocol. This protocol is a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. Has been finalized in 1987, was agreed on 26^th August 1987 and entered into force on 26^th August 1989, followed by a first meeting in Helsinki in May 1989. This protocol is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substance (ODS) (Bureau of Public Affairs, n.d). It is also an international treaty that designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. Australia is one of the early countries to ratify the Montreal Protocol. To take an active role in ongoing this protocol, Australia has introducing ways to ensure the ozone layer protection. Included here is an example of case study of air ozone, climate and outer space. Title of the case study is Ozone protection in Australia. Some of the objectives of the case study is to provide for the institution of specific controls on the manufacture, import, export, distribution and use of products that contain such substances or use such substances in their operations. Next, to use the best endeavours to encourage Australian industry to replace ozone depleting substances. Lastly, to promote the responsible management of scheduled substances so as to minimise their impact on the atmosphere. For example, Australia will largely phase out consumption of HCFC by 2016, four years ahead of the schedule required under the Protocol. In doing so, Australia will consume 61 per cent less HCFC in the period to 2020 than permitted under the Montreal Protocol. Overall of the case study is because every year as the hole fills in, the ozone-depleted air drifts over populated places in Australia. To ensure that the ozone layer depleting could be overcome, so they introduce in Ozone Protection in Australia.

2.0       Flora, Fauna and Biological Diversity

Introduction

Flora and fauna represent the trees, the plants and the animals’ specific to a geographical region of the planet.

Flora refers to the collection of trees, plants and other forms of life such as fungi and algae that are common in a geographical area of the planet or have grown in an area during a certain time period.

Fauna refers to the collection of animals that are located in a geographical area of the planet or can be found during a certain period of the year or have lived in a certain area of the planet at some point in the past.

For biological diversity, according to the Convention on Biological Diversity gives a formal definition of biodiversity in its article 2: "biological diversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems". (Belgian Clearing House Mechanism, 2007)

Convention and Treaties related

a.      Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

-          A multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.

-          Aim: To ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival (CITES, 2018)

b.      Convention on Biological Diversity, Rio de Janeiro, 1992 (CBD)

-          Previously known as Biodiversity Convention

-          What is it? An international legally binding United Nations treaty to deliver national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (CBD, 2018)

-          Objectives:

·         The conservation of biological diversity

·         The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity

·         The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources (CBD, 2018)

Case study

a.      Flora and Fauna (Kasnoff, 2018)

Case Study on Black Rhinoceros

Case Study on Coral Reefs

Case Study on Elephant

Case study on Humboldt Penguin

Case Study on Hyacinth Macaw

Case Study on Komodo dragon

Case Study on Leatherback Sea Turtle

Case Study on Queen Alexandra Birdwing Butterfly

Case Study on Tigers

b.      Biological Diversity

Community-based management of a protected area in Sabah, Malaysia.

Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation (AIPP) network build the dialogue between local indigenous groups and protected area authorities (in Asia) on the issue of community management. In Sabah, the objective was to create a win-win situation for conservation agencies and indigenous communities in and near protected areas in order to conserve SEA’s rich biodiversity while safeguarding the rights and concerns of indigenous people. The approaches are implemented in Crocker Range Park, Sabah. (Biodiversity Case Study, 2009)

3.0       Waste and Hazardous substances

Introduction

Waste and Hazardous Substances means that any substance defined as dangerous or toxic is governed by environmental, regulatory or federal, state, or local laws relating to environmental protection or human health and "hazardous substances". Hazardous wastes can be solids, gases, liquids, or semi-liquids like mining sludge and drilling mud. Most of the wastes listed by the EPA are liquids or semi-liquids. Thousands of waste materials are considered hazardous. These include familiar items like used motor oil and mercury, agricultural pesticides, and industrial materials such as asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Hazardous waste is a special type of waste because it cannot be disposed of in a general way like other by-products of our daily lives. Depending on the physical condition of the waste, the treatment and compaction process may be needed. Waste and hazardous substances, are conditions or events that have the potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment / or affect public health, including pollution and natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes. Every single or combination of toxic, biological, or physical chemicals in the environment, resulting from human activities or natural processes, which can have an impact on the health of exposed subjects, including pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, biological contaminants, toxic waste, industry and materials home chemistry.

Man-made hazards while not immediately threatening health can adversely affect human well-being in the end, because environmental damage can produce undesirable secondary negative effects on the human ecosphere. The effects of water pollution may not be immediately apparent due to a sewage system that helps drain toxic substances. If these substances become persistent, however, they will actually be fed back to their producers through the food chain: plankton -> edible fish -> humans. In that case, a large number of environmental hazards listed below are man-made hazards. United States industries, farms, mines, military facilities, cities, and small businesses generate roughly 200 million tons of hazardous wastes each year. Furthermore, the EPA estimates that there are presently 6,500 facilities in the United States that require hazardous waste clean-up under the directives of the 1976 Resource Conservation and Reclamation Act (RCRA) and its 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA).

Hazardous waste management is also an international issue. Each year, industrialized nations with strict environmental regulations export more than two million tons of hazardous waste for disposal in poorer developing nations with less stringent waste disposal oversight. Developed nations also locate large corporate, industrial, and military facilities in countries that have lax environmental restrictions. Hazardous wastes often cause problems for years after their disposal. Many industrial waste disposal sites were established, filled, and buried long before establishment of present-day standards for management and disposal of hazardous chemicals. Toxic, flammable, corrosive, and reactive chemicals are often long-lived, and sometimes the dangers they posed to the environment and to human health were unknown at the time of their disposal. The industries responsible for many pre-1970 hazardous waste sites are no longer in business, and sometimes the sites themselves are difficult to locate. Even modern legislation gives industries fairly broad leeway to produce chemicals, police their own waste disposal practices, and to contest cases of possible environmental or human health damage. It is often extremely difficult to prove a scientific link between an incident of drinking water poisoning, or a human disease cluster, and a facility that improperly handles industrial chemicals.

Types of Waste and Hazardous substances

When it comes to properly managing and disposing of hazardous waste, understanding the exact types of waste your business creates is vital. Due to strict regulations, hazardous waste cannot be simply thrown out with the rest of your trash. Instead, it must be disposed of in a manner that complies with strict government policies. Further complicating matters is the fact that not all hazardous waste is treated the same. There are a number of specific types, and each must be disposed of accordingly. According to the EPA, there are five distinct types of hazardous waste: listed, characteristic, universal, mixed, and e-waste.

1.         Listed Wastes

Listed waste is broken down into four lists: F-list, K-list, P-List, and U-list. The F-list includes non-specific source wastes from common industrial and manufacturing processes, such as solvents used in degreasing and cleaning operations. They are categorized as wastes from non-specific sources because they can be generated in various sectors of industry. The K-list includes specific wastes from certain industries, such as pesticide manufacturing or petroleum manufacturing. These treatment and production processes generate certain types of wastewater and sludge that are classified as source-specific hazardous wastes. The P-list and the U-list both include discarded commercial chemical products in an unused form. Certain pharmaceutical products and pesticides, for example, are classified as hazardous waste when discarded.

2.         Characteristic Waste

Characteristic wastes do not fit into any of the categories listed above but are still classified as hazardous waste because they exhibit one of five characteristics: Ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxic.

a)      Ignitable wastes are those that can create fires, have a flash point of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit or are spontaneously combustible.

b)      Corrosive wastes are bases or acids that are capable of melting metal containers, such as drums, storage tanks and barrels.

c)      Reactive wastes, such as lithium-sulfur batteries, are unstable under normal conditions.

d)     Toxic materials can be harmful or lethal if ingested or absorbed. When disposed of in landfills, toxicity can be absorbed into the ground and contaminate ground water

e)      Proper hazardous material labelling requires that wastes with any of these characteristics be identified with the correct hazardous material or labels.

3.         Universal waste

Universal wastes include pesticides, batteries, mercury-containing equipment, and bulbs. The EPA streamlines the management of these commonly-generated types of waste to ensure proper treatment or recycling and keep them out of landfills.

4.         Mixed Wastes

Mixed waste contains both radioactive and hazardous components. Most commercially generated waste is low-level mixed waste, and contains low-level radioactive waste. It can be generated throughout many industries including the medical, pharmaceutical, nuclear, and other energy industries.

5.         E-Waste

A growing hazardous waste category is e-waste, or electrical or electronic waste. This includes old computers, printers, TVs, fridges, even an old coffee maker or toaster. Many of their components are hazardous due to changes during the manufacturing process.

Convention on Hazardous substances

The management of hazardous substances world over is regulated by various conventions such as the Basel, Bamako, Minamata, Rotterdam Stockholm conventions.

i.          Basel Convention

It was adopted on 22 March 1989 in Basel, Switzerland. It controls the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal. The objective of the convention is to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes.

ii.         Rotterdam Convention

This convention was adopted on 10 September 1998 in Rotterdam, Netherlands and entered into force on 24 February 2004. It is on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. It encourages shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals.

iii.        The Stockholm Convention

This treaty was signed in 2001, became effective in 2004 and Zimbabwe ratified it in 2011. It calls on parties to eliminate the production of POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants), minimize unintentional sources, clean up and safely manage remaining stockpiles and waste.

iv.        Minamata Convention

It was agreed in Geneva, Switzerland, 19 January 2013 and adopted later that year on 10 October 2013 in Kumamoto, Japan. The convention is meant to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury and its compounds. The convention was a result of international action aimed at managing mercury in an efficient, effective and coherent manner, while member states work towards its total elimination.

v.         Bamako Convention

This is a Convention of African nations which bans the importation into Africa and the control of transboundary movement and management of hazardous waste within Africa. It was negotiated by the then Organization of African Union (OAU) in Bamako, Mali, in January, 1991 but came into force in 1998. The objective was to prohibit the importation of hazardous and radioactive waste.

Case study on hazardous substance

“Quarter of South African Medical Waste is dumped”

South Africa has large mining and industrial sectors but cannot be regarded as an industrialized or developed country. The gross national product per capita is only US$ 1800, and the level of unemployment is about 40% of the economically active sector of the population. Non-payment for services provided by local municipal councils became a form of protest during the "apartheid years," and levels of payment have since remained low despite efforts by the new government to persuade the population that non-payment is no longer patriotic. At the same time, the population growth rate in developing communities (which comprise 80% of the population) continues at an extremely high rate of 2.4% per year. Spending of scarce resources, even on services as vital to community health as hazardous waste management, must therefore be carefully prioritized. The development of rational and affordable standards for the management and disposal of hazardous waste is one way in which expenditure on health-related service provision can be optimized.

In terms of South Africa's Environment Conservation Act (Act 73 of 1989), legislative power for the control of pollution caused by waste disposal sites is vested in the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry. To date, control has been achieved by means of a landfill site permitting system. As a further measure, a committee was formed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in 1990 to formulate a system of minimum requirements for the management and disposal of hazardous waste. This document was released as a first draft in 1994 and a new version, revised on the basis of experience, was published in late 1998. According to a survey done by a company called Enviroserv Holdings Limited, up to one quarter of the 2000 tons of medical waste produced in South Africa every month is dumped illegally in the environment. The illegal disposal of this waste, which includes human body parts, Hepatitis B and HIV-contaminated syringes and needles, blood, swabs and other potentially infections materials, is seen as a real threat to public health, and Provincial Health Minister Peter Marais said that he is considering new legislation that would regulate the disposal of medical waste in the Western Cape to prevent people from unwittingly contracting diseases like HIV. In addition, a team headed by the chief director of health has been appointed to report cases of medical waste dumping since several significant incidents have raised alarm.

Conclusion

Hazardous wastes can damage the environment by contaminating air, water and soil. Once in the environment, hazardous wastes can affect all life forms. Whether through direct exposure or environmental damage, hazardous wastes present a risk to human health. Toxic effluents such as those from improperly managed mining operations can have very serious effects on wildlife and pose serious threats to human health. Marine ecosystems and wildlife have also suffered major damage as a result of oil spills resulting from accidents to large ocean-going tankers. Safety related properties of hazardous wastes include their tendency to corrode, explode, burn or cause chemical reactions. Safety effects resulting from hazardous wastes include injury and even death from an explosion, fire outbreak, chemical reaction or other hazardous situation created by such wastes. Hazardous wastes from some household waste sources are prone to easily cause health hazards due to their proximity to potential receptors. Wastes from other sources are further from given receptors so their exposure routes are longer. This may result in masking or delayed manifestation of exposure effects.

Effects to property and the physical environment mainly pertain to property damage, which can also result from fires and explosions. These incidents, which result from improper hazardous waste management, may emit hazardous substances to the atmosphere as well, causing deleterious health effects, through inhalation. Health related properties of hazardous wastes include their tendency to cause cancer, infections, irritations (mainly due to allergic response), mutations or other toxic or radioactive effects. Health effects from hazardous waste exposure occur after hazardous components enter the body through inhalation, skin absorption, ingestion, or puncture wound. The health effects of the hazardous wastes are dependent on the amount (doses), and routes and duration of exposure. Temporary health effects of hazardous waste exposure can include dizziness, headaches and nausea, while prolonged exposure can also result in cancers, disabilities or death.

Therefore, we have to take action in this matter. So that we can save the Earth from being destroyed. Thus ensuring the environment in this Earth. It is because there are living creatures that need a clean environment so they are not affected by the disease and can continue living safely. Next, it is also to prevent the extinction of the living being extinct. By preventing it, it will not be wasted because no matter involving the environment will be the cause for it to be extinct.

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