ENGLISH 20 Literature and Composition : Environmental Issues

Introduction

Myriad issues continue to face the environment as a result of increased industrialization and technological innovations. This essay explores the concept of environmental issue and innovation strategies meant to deal with environmental issues.

Pollution. Pollution is the introduction to the environment of harmful or poisonous substances. Pollution is a major menace that continues to eat into the modern society due to the adverse impact that it has on the environment. Pollution is classified as land, air, water and noise pollution, all of which have hurt life and property. Water pollution which is caused by the discharge of effluents into water bodies has been the main reason for the spread of waterborne diseases in developing countries. Air pollution is the cause of global warming effect being experienced across the world. Land pollution, on the other hand, has adversely affected the agricultural productivity of many countries while noise pollution has been the cause of numerous health problems. Among these, Air pollution is the most prevalent due to the increased number of industries and vehicles and therefore will be my main issue. Use of giant sprinklers in major cities can be a useful innovation to address air pollution (Hall & Rosenberg, 2010).

Recycling technology. Recycling is the process of converting materials into waste materials into useful new materials and objects. Recycling of wastes materials helps in the reduction of greenhouse emissions, landfills and hence reducing the negative impact on the environment. Among the significant benefits of recycling is that it helps in the decrease in raw material consumption, air and water pollution and usage of energy. However, despite the numerous advantages associated with recycling, the concept has remained largely underutilized and misunderstood in some quarters. In the united states of America which is among the most developed countries, for example, the rate of recycling of waste materials has remained low with the amount of recycled materials being estimated at below 34%.Apart from plastics, recycling of clothes has primarily remained underutilized with an estimated 11.1 tons of textiles, clothing, and shoes that would have been recycled to generate billions of income ending up in landfills (Geyer, et al, 2016)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Environmental pollution is an issue of primary concern globally. The issue can, however, be addressed through innovations such as the use of giant sprinklers. Recycling has remained underutilized and misunderstood despite its advantages.

References

Geyer, R., Kuczenski, B., Zink, T., & Henderson, A. (2016). Common misconceptions about recycling. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 20(5), 1010-1017.

Hall, B. H., & Rosenberg, N. (2010). Handbook of the economics of innovation: Volume 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier/North-Holland.