Environmental Issues

Environmental disasters are not natural disasters. There is a clear difference between natural disasters and environmental disasters. Natural disasters are those disasters that occur on earth which cause loss of live and property and they occur without human activities having a hand on them. Such disasters are such as earthquake, floods, tornado, and volcanic eruption and other related disasters that occur because of geographical reasons. In many parts of the world, these disasters have left untold destruction to people and property. The death toll, injuries, lasting damage and media exposure of the environmental disasters are some of the untold effects that humans have to bare with.

Environmental Disasters
Disasters which occur due to human effects on the environment are referred to as environmental disasters. These are disasters associated with human activities directly or indirectly on the environment and have far reaching impacts on the environment and with time cause environmental changes which in turn result in disastrous actions leading to loss of live and property.

Environmental disasters can be categorized into the following classes-
Agricultural disasters
Biodiversity disasters
Coal related disasters
Human health disasters
Industrial disasters
Mining related disasters
Oil industry disasters
Nuclear related disasters
Air, Land and Water disasters
Agricultural Disasters

Agricultural environmental disasters are disasters which are ignited due to human activities on the environment altering the ecosystem. The disasters affect agriculture in terms of death of people and animals, death of plants due to severe weather changes, disruption of human life requiring even permanent migration options.

Human activities on forest destruction come along with many consequences ranging from soil erosion to upcoming of deserts. Disasters such as windstorms, floods, drought, landslides, forest fires and extreme temperatures among others are all associated with the destruction of ecosystem. When such disasters strike, then activities related to international trade e.g. agricultural export, tourism, crafts and industrial activities are affected and this affects people who are involved directly or indirectly.

Biodiversity Disasters
This is a situation that is making extinction of some live because of selfishness of human activities. Most people are aware by now that many animal species are close to becoming extinct, but few seem to realize how severe this has become and what consequences will come with such extinction. Research at the University of Florida indicates that during the last Ice Age, giant creatures were wiped out not by the change in climate but by human activities namely hunting.

The American Institute of Biological Sciences has compiled a comprehensive analysis of the circumstances surrounding the present biodiversity crisis, together with an extensive list of information resources. The biologist Edward O. Wilson, who is probably best known for his bookSocio-biology The New Synthesis, (1975), wrote an article titled is humanity suicidal giving a critical analysis how humans are killing all live within themselves at the cost of their prosperity.

Coal Disasters
Coal is believed to be more radioactive than nuclear waste. The by-products of coal e.g. fly ash contain very high levels of lead, mercury and other heavy metals which are hazardous to life.  In Tennessee, the Kingston Fossil Plant broke in December 22, 2008 unleashing more than 4million cubic meters of ash slurry into the community.

This was described as the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States  which covered over one square kilometre of nearby land and flowed into the neighbouring Emory and Clinch rivers, where it has devastated the local aquatic environment and put residents at risk with poisonous substances associated with it on life health. Following this, many families where evacuated but what about the environmental partners around the spill

Mining Disasters
Mining also has had its share on environmental pollution. The spill from large mining confinement have due to some mess-ups spilled and found their way into environments and the result of that is devastating effects on the lives around the spills. Uranium known to cause cancers, organ damage, miscarriages and other birth defects is one of the minerals that are mined daily in developed countries such as United States, Canada, Russia and other countries in Europe. Drilling this radioactive material has been found to contaminate underground water such as rivers and springs which is a dangerous activity to people and any life around the mining areas.

Oil Industry Disasters
Oil industry too has had its share in environmental damage. Massive oil spill has been recorded in various seas. The oil spill is considered as one of todays greatest environmental disasters in the history of the Mediterranean Sea. This environmental disaster began with the leaking of oil into the sea after Israeli aircrafts targeted oil tanks in the Jiyyeh south of Beir. This is reportedly going to coast governments huge sums of money to a tune of 70million dollars for a clean up exercise. Even after this is done the after math of the spill has left rueful effects which will have Impacts on the Environment, on Human health, on Tourism, Biodiversity, and Fishing Industry.

Some of the biological impacts after an oil spill can include physical and chemical alteration of natural habitats such as when oil is incorporated into sediments, physical smothering effect on the marine life, lethal or sub-lethal toxic effects on the marine life, changes in the marine ecosystem resulting from oil effects on key organisms e.g. increased abundance of inter-tidal algae following the death of limpets which normally eat the algae.

Nuclear Disasters
In all environmental disaster events humans have caused, nuclear disasters have the possible greatest damage potential. The radiation release from nuclear leakage poses the significant acute and chronic risks in the immediate environs and that of a wide geographical range area. Radioactive contamination, which typically becomes airborne, is long-lived, withhalf-livesguaranteeing contamination for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Concerns have been voiced over potential nuclear disasters centre on nuclear reactors, typically those used to generate electric power. Other concerns involve the transport of nuclear waste and the temporary storage ofspent radioactive fuelat nuclear power plants. The fear that terrorists would target a radiation source or create a bomb capable of dispersing radiation over a populated area was added to these concerns following the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. All this points the disasters risks that have been heightened by human hand on environment.

Industrial Disasters
Most industrialized countries like United States, Canada, Britain and now China have experienced incomparable economic growth in recent years. The growth needs space for expansion in urban centres and this has increased use of resources in turn exposed local populations to environmental risks.

National laws regulate land use and emergency planning, but there is still a lack of proper monitoring and implementation of guidelines, and the corporate sector, the regulating authorities and civil society in general need to implement some serious changes in behaviour. Huge manufacturing industries such as oil refineries, or chemical plants keep on expanding on their workplace in terms of manpower and space and this has refuse that are associated with it which have impacted the environment.

CONCLUSION
Are all these environmental disasters administered fairly and practically
The question on whether the environmental disasters are being administered and fairly practically managed remains a bone of contention. All round the world we are every now and again receiving tragedies arising from various disasters that have occurred due to environment. Disasters ranging from landslide and mudslides to earthquakes to floods and many more keep increasing. All these disasters when studied they are all linked directly or indirectly to environment degradation and as such, disasters of such kind have gone on the rise.

Having said what environmental disasters are and what are their causative agents, governments such as United States, China, and other countries in Europe do not seem to care right from the disaster causing agents and so find ways to sustain these disasters.

Agriculture
With ever growing populations in most countries, various governments have found it difficult to provide sufficient food to their population. The squeeze has left most of these governments on the verge of exploiting the available land irrespective of the farming practices and methods some of which are a disaster in waiting to the environment and also to humans.

Natural vegetation cover which provided as wind breaker, soil cover from erosion, a home for most living nature has been destroyed. The governments have gone silent in land resource management thus creating a weak environmental foundation. Always a weak environmental foundation results to various disasters in waiting.

Poor or no Soil Conservation has been addressed
People are often engaging in poor farming methods thus exploiting the land
Use of pesticides and other crop chemicals some of which have had adverse effects on the environment.

There is lack of training to the farmers practicing agriculture on the possible safe techniques and skills of farming while at the same time conserving the environment.

The above ill practices are intertwined with various social and ecological institutions and factors which have left environment vulnerable. The above human artefacts brought about by the pressure from the large societies to produce more, and the support from government institutions in the form of loans and credit have all contributed to the creation of the environmental dust bowl. Underlying the environmental disaster is now widespread taking human toll. Communities founded in agriculture but now the places of education, trade, communications, medical care, legal services, culture, and identity, were deeply shaken or destroyed causing a fragile environmental foundation which the governments are not addressing, instead a waiting for disasters to happen for the action to be decided and not on the factors that have caused the disasters but to compensate the victims and again wait

Industrialization and Urbanization
The growth of urban centres and industrial towns and industries in general has been witnessed in the present decade. With the expansion of industries and growth of urban centres means most lands on which this growth and expansion is taking place now is land that some of which has been fatal for our environment. But, with less regulatory framework and proper environmental policies from various governments and their agencies, this land has disappeared to pave way for industries and urban centres with no regard to the environment exposing all environmental disasters such as flooding, mud and landslides and huge temperatures and untamed air pollution.

Mining and Oil transportation
Looking at the risks that are involved in oil drilling and transportation process, most analysts consistently acknowledge that there are a dozen disasters in waiting either arising from the drilling and the wastes disposal challenges. The recent oil spill off the coast of Louisiana is one such example of an environmental tragedy that endangers the prosperity of coastal businesses that thrive on the natural environment, such as fishing and tourism.  The disaster unwrapped how the US government has been doing the talking and not the acting to protect and avoid such disasters. The spill exposed no policies to protect and manage disasters of such magnitude which will cause dire consequences for years to come not only for the living nature but also to the changes that will come with that are associated with the environment.

The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation
The international finance bodies namely world bank and International Finance corporation whom are at fore front in releasing funds for development projects in developing countries in assisting building infrastructure have failed to fund and monitor environmental projects. With the worlds population heading a 9 billion population of people and most of them in poor countries the international money lending instructions have failed to note how lending is going to help grow economies in such countries without erasing the planets natural assets.

The banks seem to be doing their share in reconstruction and helping the victims of environmental disasters but there is little to be desired on preventive and management of disasters if they recur. The most practical and fair way to proclaim and manage disasters arising from the environment is addressing the environmental challenges and conservation which does not seem to be the case with such international monetary institutions for development.

As long as the environment is neglected and uncared for, its degradation will only mean gradual accumulation of catastrophes due to disasters in waiting. There is need to make more investment in both structural and non-structural policies and training on environmental conservation if the disasters arising from environment are to be mitigated.