Basic Environmental Issues

Factors that affect the environment and may cause environmental instability in the long run can be regarded as environmental issue. Environmental issues are about what has happened, the changes that have been brought about, and future predictions or prophecy about any changes in the environment that may occur as a consequence of human activities. Environmental science encompasses issues that are due to human activities such as overpopulation, climate change, conservation, biodiversity, water quality, groundwater contamination , soil contamination, natural resources depletion, waste management, sustainable development, nuclear issues, energy, disaster reduction, air pollution, noise pollution, poverty.

All these issues are interconnected and growing exponentially.                                                                     

An urban world

We are increasingly becoming an urban species and our effects on the environment are more and more of the effects of urban life.

As urban areas expand, wetlands are filled in, forests cut, and soils covered over and removed from productive use.

Values and Knowledge

Values and knowledge are central to our understanding of environmental science. Knowledge, which includes knowing the scientific data as well as understanding the issues, tells us what solutions are possible. What we ultimately decide to do—which of the possible solutions we choose—depends on our values i.e., how we value the environment. 

Placing a value on aspects of the environment requires knowledge and understanding of the science involved but also depends on how we judge the uses and aesthetics of the environment and on our moral commitments to other living things and to future generations.