ACHIEVEMENT 4
In this achievement task, I am to use the basic markdown on steemit to edit my post. So let us start!!
In this achievement task, I would like to talk about one of the major problems that the world faces today as a result of civilization and industrialization. One would never talk about the problems of the world and would leave the problem that I would like to discuss.
In fact, it is something all economies are battling with as they advance. As humans, apart from procreation, one of our greatest responsibility is to take good care of God's creations. But as a result of irresponsibility, human beings have neglected their responsibility of taking good care of their surroundings. But, in the end, this problem accounts for most of the problems that human beings are facing right now.
At this point I hope it is quite obvious that, am not talking about any things other than the Almighty:
This is not a new thing to all of us but decided to talk about it since most people still engage in this shameful act. As I said this might not be the first time that you are hearing this but I wrote this masterpiece as a reminder and as a wake-up call to all of us; including those involving themselves in it and those who do not.
In this achievement, I would talk about the meaning of environmental degradation, its causes, and how it affects our daily lives.
Environmental degradation can be termed as " A process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment." Source
As this definition implies, it means, any act of causing harm to the natural environment. Sometimes this is done intentionally or unintentionally and at the end leaving the environment at the mercy of the harsh conditions which later leads to ill health and extinction in several species.
Environmental degradation can be caused naturally and it can also be caused by humans. Notwithstanding what the course will be, the environment stills suffers for our irresponsibility and in the long run, we also suffer.
Some of the major causes of environmental degradation include:
1. Pollution
Pollution, in whatever form, whether it is air, water, land, or noise is harmful to the environment. Air pollution pollutes the air that we breathe, which causes health issues.
Water pollution degrades the quality of water that we use for drinking purposes. Land pollution results in the degradation of the earth’s surface as a result of human activities.
2. Landfills
Landfills pollute the environment and destroy the beauty of the city. Landfills come within the city due to the large amount of waste that gets generated by households, industries, factories, and hospitals.
Landfills pose a great risk to the health of the environment and the people who live there. Landfills produce a foul smell when burned and cause substantial environmental degradation.
3. Deforestation
Deforestation is the cutting down of trees to make way for more homes and industries. Rapid growth in population and urban sprawl are two of the major causes of deforestation.
Apart from that, the use of forest land for agriculture, animal grazing, harvest for fuelwood, and logging are some of the other causes of deforestation. Deforestation contributes to global warming as decreased forest size puts carbon back into the environment.
Despite this, it’s not all the time that environmental degradation is attributed to human beings. Some natural causes such as earthquakes, volcanos, floods, etc. also form part of the major causes of environmental degradation. Hence, human beings, are not the only cause of environmental degradation; it can also be caused by nature or naturally.
To this point, it is quite clear that environmental degradation poses a big threat to the environment and its inhabitants. Environmental degradation is like karma so you never go unpunished for any harm that you caused it. Research has shown that most countries are already battling with the effects of environmental degradation and so actions must be taken to curb it.
Some of the effects of environmental degradation include:
1. Ozone Layer Depletion
The ozone layer is responsible for protecting the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. The presence of harmful compounds and fumes in the atmosphere causes the ozone layer to deplete. Further depletion of the ozone layer exposes human beings, to the ultraviolet rays from the sun which pose a risk to human health.
2. Effect on Human Health
Human beings as said earlier can never run from the effects of environmental degradation hence, we should do as much as we can to prevent it. Human beings are surely the end receiver of the effects of environmental degradation. Places that are exposed to polluted air pollutants can cause respiratory problems like pneumonia and asthma. A lot of people have died as a result of air pollution so, we must try our possible best to avoid it.
3. Loss for the Tourism Industry
Most researchers are of the view that the revenue from tourism in most countries can increase when they are able to deal with their environmental problems. Environmental degradation is a major setback for most countries and it's agreeable that these countries can generate huge sums of revenue if they are able to deal with their environmental problems. Countries with fewer environmental problems are likely to attract tourists.
I am using the differences between renewable energy and non-renewable energy to illustrate how to add tables to your post.
| Renewable energy | Non-renewable energy |
|---|---|
| renewable energy is infinite | nonrenewable energy is finite |
| renewable energy is reliable | nonrenewable energy is not reliable |