List of 30 Top Environmental Concerns

By Sandra Ketcham
The media, public, and scientific communities are focusing more and more on the top 30
environmental concerns the Earth is currently facing.
Top 30 Environmental Concerns
From water pollution to global warming, environmental issues affect every person, animal, community,
and nation on the planet. As increasing evidence supports the devastating effect humans have on the
environment, more people are taking steps to protect the environment and educate others about
environmental problems by looking at the top 30 environmental concerns.
Top 5 Public Concerns
According to a series of Gallup polls conducted between 1997 and 2008, Americans are most
concerned about the following five environmental issues:
1. Contamination of Drinking Water: Contamination of fresh water used for household needs,
including pollution of oceans, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, ranks top on the list of environmental
concerns for many Americans. More than half of respondents stated they worry about the safety of
their drinking water a great deal.
2. Water Pollution: General worry over water pollution and associated environmental issues greatly
concerns half of all Americans who participated in the 2008 poll. Related issues include acid rain,
ocean dumping, urban runoff, oil spills, ocean acidification, and wastewater.
3. Soil Contamination: Soil erosion, soil conservation, soil salination, and soil contamination by
waste, pesticides, and lead worries 50 percent of Americans.
4. Wildlife Conservation: More than 40 percent of Americans expressed concern about wildlife
conservation and associated environmental issues, such as endangered species, animal and plant
extinction, coral bleaching, introduction of invasive species, poaching, and loss of natural animal
habitats resulting in relocation and a break in the food chain.
5. Air pollution: Concerns over air pollution have remained steady over the last decade, with more
than 40 percent of Americans worried about indoor and outdoor air quality, carbon emissions,
tropospheric ozone, particulate matter, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, radon, refrigerants,
and methane emissions.
Other Top Concerns (in Alphabetical Order)
6. Biological pollutants, including bacteria, viruses, molds, mildew, dander, dust, mites, pollen,
ventilation and infection.
7. Carbon footprint and the responsibility of individuals to reduce their effect on the environment,
including the use of renewable energy sources (solar power, geothermal heat pumps), recycling, and
sustainable living.
8. Climate change and issues related to global warming, such as the greenhouse effect, global
dimming, and the gradual rise in sea level.
9. Consumerism and over-consumption and their effect on the planet.
10. Dams and the impact of dams on the environment.
11. Ecosystem destruction and associated environmental concerns, such as aquaculture, estuaries,
shellfish protection, landscaping, wetlands, and ecological restoration.

12. Energy conservation issues, including renewable energy for home and business, energy
efficiency, and fossil fuel depletion.
13. Fishing and its effect on marine ecosystems, blast fishing, cyanide fishing, bottom trawling,
whaling, and over-fishing.
14. Food safety concerns and the effects of hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, toxic
contamination, and lack of quality control on health.
15. Genetic engineering, including concerns about genetically modified foods and genetic pollution.
16. Intensive farming, irrigation, overgrazing, monoculture, methane emissions, and the damaging
environmental effects of deforestation for farming and cattle.
17. Land degradation and related problems, such as desertification and soil and land pollution.
18. Land use, urban sprawl, lack of free space, and habitat destruction and fragmentation.
19. Logging, deforestation, clear-cutting, destruction of wildlife habitats, and greenhouse gas
emissions that contribute to global warming.
20. Mining and its role in global warming, acid mine drainage, and soil and air pollution resulting from
toxic emissions and heavy metals.
21. Nanotechnology and the future effects of nanopollution and nanotoxicology.
22. Natural disasters and their impact on all aspects of the environment.
23. Nuclear issues, including the effects of nuclear fallout, nuclear meltdown, radioactive waste, and
the population's reliance on nuclear power.
24. Other pollution issues, such as light pollution and noise pollution, and their effects on human
health and behavior.
25. Overpopulation concerns, such as continued building and burial.
26. Ozone depletion and damage to the Earth's ozone layer caused by CFC.
27. Resource depletion, the need for newer, cleaner energy sources, and exploitation of natural
resources.
28. Sustainable communities and issues such as reducing reliance on fossil fuels, supporting local
farmers and merchants, encouraging green practices and building, consideration of native wildlife, and
adoption of mass transportation and cleaner methods of commuting.
29. Toxins, including chlorofluorocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, toxic waste, PCB, DDT,
bioaccumulation, endocrine disruptors, asbestos, and poorly implemented hazardous waste
management.
30. Waste and associated environmental issues, such as litter, landfills, recycling, incineration, marine
debris, E-waste, and contamination of water and soil caused by improper disposal and leaching toxins.

List of environmental issues

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an alphabetical list of environmental issues, harmful aspects of human activity on the
biophysical environment. As such, they relate to the anthropogenic effects on the natural environment,
which are loosely divided into causes, effects and mitigation, noting that effects are interconnected
and can cause new effects.
Contents
[hide]

1Issues

2Effects

3Mitigation

4See also

5External links
Issues[edit]

Human overpopulation Biocapacity Carrying

capacity Exploitation Industrialisation I = PAT Land degradation Land
reclamation Optimum population Overshoot (population) Population density Population
dynamics Population growth Projections of population growth Total fertility
rate Urbanization Waste Water conflict Water scarcity Overdrafting

Hydrology Environmental impacts of reservoirs Tile drainage Hydrology

(agriculture) Flooding Landslide

Intensive farming Agricultural subsidy Environmental effects of meat

production Intensive animal farming Intensive crop
farming Irrigation Monoculture Nutrient pollution Overgrazing Pesticide
drift Plasticulture Slash and burn Tile drainage

Land use Built environment Desertification Habitat fragmentation Habitat

destruction Land degradation Land pollution Lawn-environmental concerns Urban heat
island Urban sprawl

Nanotechnology Impact of nanotechnology

Natural disasters

Nuclear issues Nuclear fallout Nuclear meltdown Nuclear power Nuclear

weapons Nuclear and radiation accidents Nuclear safety High-level radioactive waste
management
Ocean trash

Effects[edit]

Climate change Global warming Global dimming Fossil fuels Sea level
rise Greenhouse gas Ocean acidification Shutdown of thermohaline
circulation Environmental impact of the coal industry Urban Heat Islands Flooding

Environmental degradation Habitat destruction Invasive species

Environmental health Air quality Asthma Birth defect Developmental

disability endocrine disruptors Environmental impact of the coal industry Environmental
impact of nanotechnology Electromagnetic field Electromagnetic radiation and health Indoor
air quality Lead poisoning Leukemia Nanotoxicology Nature deficit disorder One
Health Sick Building Syndrome Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Environmental issues with energy Environmental impact of the coal

industry Environmental impact of the energy industry Environmental impact of hydraulic
fracturing

Environmental issues with war - Agent Orange Depleted Uranium Military Superfund
site (Category only)Scorched earth War and environmental law Unexploded ordnance

Overpopulation Burial Overpopulation in companion animals Tragedy of the

commons Gender Imbalance in Developing Countries Sub-replacement fertility levels in
developed countries

Genetic engineering Genetic pollution Genetically modified food controversies

Pollution Nonpoint source pollution Point source pollution

Air pollution Environmental impact of the coal industry Environmental impact of
hydraulic fracturing Indoor air quality Smog Tropospheric ozone Volatile organic
compound Atmospheric particulate matter CFC Biological effects of UV exposure
Light pollution Visual pollution
Noise pollution
Soil pollution Alkali soil Brownfield Residual Sodium Carbonate Index Soil
conservation Soil erosion Soil contamination Soil salination Superfund Superfund sites
Space debris Interplanetary contamination * Ozone depletion
Water pollution Acid rain Agricultural runoff Algal bloom Environmental impact of the
coal industry Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing Eutrophication Fish
kill Groundwater pollution Groundwater recharge Marine debris Marine
pollution Mercury in fish Microplastics Nutrient pollution Ocean acidification Ocean
dumping Oil spills Soda lake Ship pollution Thermal pollution Urban
runoff Wastewater

Resource depletion Exploitation of natural

resources Overdrafting (groundwater) Overexploitation
Consumerism Consumer capitalism Planned obsolescence Over-consumption
Fishing Blast fishing Bottom trawling Cyanide fishing Ghost nets Illegal, unreported
and unregulated fishing Overfishing Shark finning Whaling
Logging Clearcutting Deforestation Illegal logging
Mining Acid mine drainage Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing Mountaintop
removal mining Slurry impoundments
Water (depletion) Anoxic waters Aral Sea California Water Wars Dead Sea Lake
Chad Water scarcity

Toxicants Agent
Orange Asbestos Beryllium Bioaccumulation Biomagnification C
hlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Cyanide DDT Endocrine
disruptors Explosives Environmental impact of the coal
industry Herbicides Hydrocarbons Perchlorate Pesticides PBDE
Persistent organic pollutant PBBs PBDEs Toxic heavy
metals PCB Dioxin Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Radioactive
contamination Volatile organic compounds

Waste Electronic waste Great Pacific Garbage Patch Illegal

dumping Incineration Litter Waste disposal incidents Marine
debris Medical waste Landfill Leachate Toxic
waste Environmental impact of the coal industry Exporting of
hazardous waste

Mitigation[edit]

Conservation

Ecosystems Anoxic waters Biodiversity Biosecurity Coral

bleaching Edge effect Habitat destruction Habitat
fragmentation In-situ leach

Fishing Blast fishing Bottom trawling By-catch Cetacean

bycatch Gillnetting Illegal, unreported and unregulated
fishing Environmental effects of fishing Marine
pollution Overfishing Whaling

Forests Clearcutting Deforestation Illegal logging

Natural resources Resource depletion Exploitation of natural

resources

Species Endangered species Genetic diversity Habitat

destruction Holocene extinction Invasive
species Poaching Pollinator decline Species
extinction Threshold host density Wildlife trade Wildlife disease

Energy conservation Efficient energy use

Renewable energy Renewable energy commercialization

Recreation Protected areas

Water conservation

Disaster mitigation

Environmental law - Environmental crime Environmental

justice Polluter pays principle Precautionary Principle regulatory
capture

Environmental issues[edit]
Water pollution[edit]
Further information: Water supply and sanitation in the Philippines

The Pasig River in Manila, one of the world's most polluted rivers.[1]
Although water resources become scarce in some regions and seasons, the Philippines as a whole has
more than enough surface and groundwater. However, the neglect of a coherent environmental policy
led to the actual situation, in which 58% of the groundwater is contaminated. [2] The main source of
pollution is untreated domestic and industrial wastewater. [1] Only one third of Philippine river systems
are considered suitable for public water supply.[2]
It is estimated that in 2025, water availability will be marginal in most major cities and in 8 of the 19
major river basins.[3]Besides severe health concerns, water pollution also leads to problems in
the fishing and tourism industries.[4] The national government recognized the problem and since 2004
has sought to introduce sustainable water resources development management (see below). [5]

Only 5% of the total population is connected to a sewer network. The vast majority uses flush toilets
connected to septic tanks. Since sludge treatment and disposal facilities are rare, most effluents are
discharged without treatment.[6] According to the Asian Development Bank, the Pasig River is one of
the world's most polluted rivers.[1] In March 2008, Manila Waterannounced that a wastewater treatment
plant will be constructed in Taguig.[7] The first Philippine constructed wetland serving about 700
households was completed in 2006 in a peri-urban area of Bayawan City which has been used to
resettle families that lived along the coast in informal settlements and had no access to safe water
supply and sanitation facilities.[8]
Deforestation[edit]
Main article: Deforestation in the Philippines
Over the course of the 20th century the forest cover of the Philippines dropped from 70 percent down
to 20 percent.[9] In total, 46 species are endangered, and 4 were already eradicated completely. 3.2
percent of total rainforest has been left. Based on an analysis of land use pattern maps and a road
map an estimated 9.8 million ha of forests were lost in the Philippines from 1934 to 1988. [10] Illegal
logging occurs in the Philippines [11] and intensify flood damage in some areas.[12]
According to scholar Jessica Mathews, short-sighted policies by the Filipino government have
contributed to the high rate of deforestation:
The government regularly granted logging concessions of less than ten years. Since it takes 3035
years for a second-growth forest to mature, loggers had no incentive to replant. Compounding the
error, flat royalties encouraged the loggers to remove only the most valuable species. A horrendous 40
percent of the harvestable lumber never left the forests but, having been damaged in the logging,
rotted or was burned in place. The unsurprising result of these and related policies is that out of 17
million hectares of closed forests that flourished early in the century only 1.2 million remain today. [13]
In Manila[edit]
Due to industrial waste and automobiles, Manila suffers from air pollution,[14][15] affecting 98% of the
population.[16] Annually, the air pollution causes more than 4,000 deaths. [17]Ermita is Manila's most air
polluted district due to open dump sites and industrial waste.[18] According to a report in 2003,
The Pasig River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world with 150 tons of domestic waste and 75
tons of industrial waste dumped daily.[19]
Government policy[edit]
Sustainable Development[edit]
Recognizing the need to tackle the environment issues as well as the need to sustain development and
growth, the Philippines came up with the Sustainable Development Strategy. [20] The nation for the
Sustainable Development Strategy includes assimilating environmental considerations in
administration, apposite pricing of natural resources, conservation of biodiversity, rehabilitation of
ecosystems, control of population growth and human resources development, inducing growth in rural
areas, promotion of environmental education, strengthening citizens participation, and promoting
small to medium-sized enterprises and sustainable agricultural and forestry practices. [21] One of the
initiatives signed in part of the strategy was the 1992 Earth Summit.
Upon signing the 1992 Earth Summit,[22] the government of Philippines has been constantly looking
into many different initiatives to improve the environmental aspects of the country.
Environmental protection[edit]
Currently, the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been busy tracking
down illegal loggers and been spearheading projects to preserve the quality of many remaining rivers
that are not yet polluted.