Development and environment - Research Paper Example

?Insert Insert Grade Insert Insert Development and Environment Development and environment are related. The world is developing rapidly. More buildings and industries are coming up. Modern technologies are also being developed each passing day. All these have an effect on the environment. Lack of proper planning during development ventures can lead to environmental degradation. Disasters have been a major setback to development. Disasters are natural and cannot be prevented but their effects can be reduced through disaster risk reduction approach in coming up with development policies. If this is done, more vulnerable people will be empowered to develop and more resources will be availed for development projects rather than providing relief during disasters. This paper deals with two issues, first is the impact of development on environment and second is the importance of disaster risk reduction in developmental policies. Impact of development on environment Deforestation Development has greatly resulted in reduction of forest cover. As more residential and industrial buildings are developed forests are cut so as to give room for these buildings. Technological development has also led to invention of tools that can bring down forests very fast. One such example is the power saw that can easily be used to cut trees. Warfare has also been the cause of deforestation. There have been developments of weapons of mass destruction such as bombs. Chemicals also used during war time can greatly reduce the forest cover. These chemicals can impair the physiological functioning of trees leading to their drying. When these technologies are harnessed in warfare they can lead to massive reduction of forest cover. It is approximated that in Vietnam, bombing caused a destruction of about 22,000 square kilometres of forests (Mai and Nguyen 2). The investment in shrimp aquaculture has also led to destruction of mangrove forests in several countries. Over the years, forest cover has inversely been related to development. As more buildings and more advanced technologies are invented, the forest cover has come under great threat. Water Pollution Development has led to many industries that discharge their effluents into rivers, canals, rice fields and lakes. These untreated effluents from industrial and municipal discharges have caused degradation of water sources. The discharge of organic and nutrient wastes into the rivers has led to an increase of (biological oxygen demand) BOD in rivers. This is because these wastes are decomposable and require oxygen during disintegration. Lack of sufficient oxygen would lead to anaerobic decomposition accompanied by foul smells. Waste water also contains chemicals such as PCBs and Organochlorine pesticides. Agriculture and flood control activities have also led to water pollution. With technological development, almost all farming is done using fertilizers. These fertilizers are washed away into rivers, lakes, and ocean. The fertilizers contain chemicals that if they accumulate into water bodies, they are harmful to human, animal, and aquatic life. The advance in flood mitigation methods has also led to accumulation of arsenic in ground water in India and Bangladesh. Chemical pollution Failure to properly use pesticides, chemicals for agricultural, industrial, and fighting diseases has led to chemical pollution across the globe. These chemicals may contain organic compounds that are persistent such as PCBs, DDT, furans, hexachlorobenzene and dioxins. Polychlorinated biphenyls are used in some capacitors and transformers, paint additives, hydraulic and heat transfer fluids and lubrication oil. A portion of the contaminated oil may be released into the environment resulting into pollution. DDT was extensively used to combat malaria before its ban in 1992. This chemical was sprayed in homesteads in order to eradicate mosquitoes. The technology was very efficient in eradicating mosquitoes but it had long term side effect. DDT is a persistent chemical and when ingested it is harmful to both humans and animals. DDT can lead to cancer which is a terminal disease and also birth defects. Pesticides used in agriculture have also environmental effects. Some of these chemicals might stay so long on the plants and if these plants are ingested by man or animals the chemicals might cause them harm. It is necessary that all precautions should be taken when using pesticides because even lack of proper protection can lead to ingestion of these chemicals. Air Pollution Development has led to an increase in air pollution. The pollution is caused by gases and dust. Dust pollution is very common around industrial and residential places. Cement industries produce dust that can be harmful to human health. The gases produced in industries such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide nitrogen dioxide when inhaled are harmful. Lead is also an air pollutant. Vehicles and motorcycles using leaded gasoline contribute to an increase in lead concentration in the environment. The pollution of air especially by industries has led to acid rains, reduction in crop production and respiratory diseases among humans. Solid Wastes As towns and industries grow so is the level of municipal wastes. Municipal waste has a substantial amount of hazardous wastes including medical wastes. These wastes may be inadequately treated or not treated at all. Most of the solid wastes are non-biodegradable but no proper mechanisms have been put place in most countries to dispose or recycle these wastes. Disposal has sometimes been done in landfills which pollute the lands. Recycling has in most cases been done by scavengers who search through the wastes for plastics, metals and glasses. Lack of proper collection and disposal has led to illegal damping of solid wastes. Sometimes, these wastes have been damped in rich agricultural lands leading to reduction of the agricultural potential of these lands. The wastes have also been damped in rivers or in sewer lines. This causes blockage of sewer lines and water ways. Noise Pollution Development has resulted in many industries and technological machines. These industries and machines do produce noise. Too much noise is harmful to human health. Why Disaster Risk Reduction is Important in Development Policies Disaster risk reduction is an approach geared towards reduction of risks associated with disasters. In making development policies, it is important that the government make them such that they reduce the risk of disasters. Disasters are a threat to achieving the goal of reduction of poverty. It is estimated that 85 percent of those affected by floods, cyclones, droughts and earthquakes live in third world countries. Disaster risk reduction will go along way into reducing the effects of this disasters and therefore helping spur development in these societies. Disasters have led to both human life and economic loss. A lot of money has been spent in times of disasters. This calls for consideration of disaster risk reduction when coming up with policies for development because lack of such an approach can be a setback when a disaster erodes all the economic gains. Disasters are a threat to food security of the world’s poor people. Adopting disaster risk reduction will ensure this people do get their food. Disaster risk reduction will ensure the reduction of effects of climate change and environmental degradation. If this approach is not taken in our developmental policies, more lives will be lost due to disasters. These lives would have been vital in promoting economic growth. Disaster risk reduction does cushion development investments and aids societies to keep on accumulating wealth in spite of disasters. Disaster preparedness and early warning systems have been used in Madagascar, Cuba and Vietnam to mitigate the impact of floods and tropical storms. China spent 3.15 billion US dollars to mitigate the effect of floods. This approach saved China 12 billion US dollars (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction 9). Disaster risk reduction increases community development stability, it aids people vulnerable to disaster become richer, healthier and more independent; it frees the resources that could be used in times of disaster to be invested in other developmental opportunities. Conclusion From the above discussion it can be seen that development affects the environment more negatively. Measures need to be put in place to mitigate the negative effects of development on the environment. Disasters are one of the major setbacks to development and adopting disaster risk reduction approach in coming up with development policies can greatly aid in achieving sustainable development. Works Cited Mai, Truyet and Nguyen, Quang. Development and Environment in Vietnam. USA: Vietnamese American Science & Technology Association, 2013. Print United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. “Disaster Risk Reduction- An Instrument for Achieving Millennium Development Goals.” ISDR, 2010. Web. 17th April 2013. Read More