UNIT OPENER
Unit IV- HEALTH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ON PEOPLE’S HEALTH Philippines is said to be one of the richest countries all over the world. With all its natural resources, endemic species, and wide biodiversity, it is indeed one of the major attractions and destinations among tourists. However, despite of its beauty, Philippines is facing a human-caused major problem – and that is the continued degradation of our environment. Here are some of the environmental issues that press our country right now along with its causes and effects on people.
Environmental Issues Definition Cause/s Effects Facts
Deforestation
(Note: picture for each environmental issue) destruction of forests by means of clearing and cutting of trees -Illegal logging
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Illegal Mining -unlawful acquisition or extraction of important minerals like ore, coal, nickel, gold, iron, and other materials from the earth -economic interest of the miner without any legal document (e.g. land rights, mining license, mining exploration license) that can validate the operation
- Deforestation
- Soil erosion and contamination
-Loss of biodiversity
-Contamination of water resources
-Possible formation of sinkholes
-Possible risk of death in some miners
• Black sand mining (extraction of magnetite), in the beaches of the Northern provinces, caused coastal erosion and floods to seaside communities.
• The Philippines is ranked fifth mineral-richest country in the world in terms of gold, copper, and chromite.
• The Mining Act of 1995 allows companies (Contractors) to acquire exploration permits for a specific area for up to 4 years and ownership of mining assets
Overpopulation -there is an excessive number of living individuals compared to the capacity of their environment
-Increased birth rate
-Reduced
Deaths
-Technological
advancement in fertility rate
-Better medical Facilities
-Immigration
-Lack of birth Control/family
The tar creek mining site originally was owned by a Native American tribe, the Quapaw. The Quapaw wanted to keep these lands, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs deemed members opposing a transaction to mining companies “incompetent” (1). In such a case the business could continue and the Bureau of Indian Affairs sold the lands to mining companies. In essence these lands were stolen from the Quapaw because they were ripe for mining. These mines were then used from approximately 1891 to 1970. In the 79 years the mines were open 1.7 million metric tons (~3.75 billion pounds) of lead and 8.8 million metric tons (~19.4 billion pounds) of zinc were withdrawn from the mine (2). The entire area around Tar Creek is known as the tri-state mining area. This tri-state area was a massive source of metals. This area accounted for 35% of the all worldwide metal for a decade. It also provided the majority of metals the United States used in World wars I and II (3).
1) To inflict economic damage on those profiting from the destruction and exploitation of the natural environment;
Is this additional expense necessary? Why or why not? Yes, this additional expense is necessary and mining affects the plant and animal population, hydrological cycle. And it’s necessary to maintain this for sustainable development. Q5.
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, "Black Mesa Project Final Environmental Impact Statement," U.S. Deparment of the Interior, Washington DC, 2008.
Overpopulation does not only affect humans and put a greater risk of getting in a vehicular wreck caused by a deer running out in the highways and interstates, but it has tremendous effect on environmental
Colorado also has a rich mining history which began in about 1859 with the discovery of gold and development of new reserves, Colorado’s present day industry is a modern, innovative, safe and environmentally responsible citizen that extracts a wide variety of minerals such as; gold, Marble, and gypsum from the earth, valued at more than $2 billion each year. (Colorado Mining Association, 2007)
and is existing surely because of humans themselves- overpopulation. “Overpopulation is the problem” and causes other externalities such as pollution, deforestation, and a greater handful of biodiversity losses. In addition, overpopulation causes economic and political factors such as more consumption per person and the reduction of resources that can be provided per person. This contributes to the strain on ecological systems and the economic and population growth. With overpopulation, many resources become finite and an umpteen amount of ecosystems are being destroyed. Overpopulation relates to the impact of humans on pollution. Obviously with more human life, there is more necessity for jobs such as factories that give off fumes, automobiles, and the use for burning fossil fuels. In greater extent, this leads to an environmental factor in that it accumulates chemicals in food chains such as mercury, arsenic, and copper. It can lead to political problems as well, when trying to interact with other countries and stop the problem of global pollution and eventually endin...
Hardin argues how the world only has so many resources and opportunities for agriculture to be expended. Therefore, with enough increase in population, these resources will become extinct. Thus, humans will run out of food and eventually starve to death. As Hardin declares, “a finite world can only support a finite population” (Hardin 98).
The Philippines is a country that has been destroyed by widespread poverty. The economic concerns in this country have multiplied in the past decade. There are many causes to the many problems and not enough effective reforms to rectify them. They currently have a population of 88 million people, and it is expanding rapidly. An increasing population with out enough jobs to sustain them increases the poverty level. In this country's case, the population growth was the major contributor to their high poverty level. We need to also take into account the location of this country and the natural disasters that they encounter. There are 22 active volcanoes in the Philippines and 88 inactive ones. Just this year, there have been seven earthquakes or predicted earthquakes. They constantly have landslide and tsunamis, and on the average, they are affected by 15 major storms a year. They are normally hit with al least 5 or 6 of them. With all these problems affecting their agriculture, their struggle to decrease their poverty levels and improve their way of life is a constant challenge. 77.4% of the country's GDP is public debt. The 2000 Philippine Human Development Report says that even though their economy is inactive, they are doing very well. Even though nearly half...
Over the years, the Philippines has gone from being one of the richest countries in Asia to being one of the poorest. It has experienced growth and development since World War II. The current administration under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is aiming for a more rapid growth in the coming years. In 2004, the Philippine economy grew by 6.1% surprising everyone. In 2005, the Philippine peso appreciated by 6%, the fastest in the Asian region for that year. At present, the administration is meeting its expected target growth and is continually looking positive for the future.
The underlying theme in each of the sentences above is population control. In each case the rationale is that the earth's six billion people exceed the planet's "carrying capacity." The planet is on the brink of a demographic catastrophe. The consumption of precious resources (land, food, water, clean air) threatens the earth's environment and the diversity of species. Short of exterminating half the world's people, what is to be done?
Countries strengths are measure by it politics, economic and social but beside this, environment change is needed in Malaysia for the better of the future development, educate and lead Malaysian to more value with the environment. While government should protecting and preserving the environment.
Philippines: Country Profile 2004 1 Dec. 2004 The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2004 15 Dec. 2004 www.eiu.com
In our days, mining for resources is inevitable. The resources we need are valuable in everyday life. Such resources mined up are coal, copper, gold, silver, and sand. However, mining poses environmental risks that can degrade the quality of soil and water, which can end up effecting us humans if not taken care of and many of the damages are irreversible once they have occurred.
The reduction of the Earth's resources has been closely linked to the rise in human population. For many thousands of years people lived in relative harmony with their surroundings. Population sizes were small, and life-supporting tools were simple. Most of the energy needed for work was provided by the worker and animals. Since about 1650, however, the human population has increased dramatically. The problems of overcrowding multiply as an ever-increasing number of people are added to the world's population each year.