Environmental Issues in Canada - Essay Example

Environmental Issues in Canada The world is making rapid progress in more fields than one but the human beings have failed to understand the price at which the progress has been made. There are several factors like Global warming, depletion of the ozone layer etc that are quite serious and need immediate attention. In order to deal with these problems, we must understand what is causing these problems. There are several countries that are letting out a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and other poisonous gases. The ozone layer is depleting everyday because of the poisonous gases released in the atmosphere. Sooner or later the ozone layer is going to split wide open and the human beings and the animals will affected largely because of this. Skin cancer will become very common in human beings and this will also have other serious repercussions on human beings. This paper will largely focus on the environmental problems that exist in Canada. A comprehensive analysis of some of the most predominant problems in Canada will also be provided in this paper. Acid Rain in Canada The levels of acid rain are unprecedentedly high in Canada and this is because of the pollution. “On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a warming trend is "unequivocal," and that human activity has "very likely" been the driving force in that change over the last 50 years. The last report by the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2001, had found that humanity had "likely" played a role.” (Science, 25 March 2008). Global Warming, Acid Rain and the depletion of the ozone layer will heavily affect the life of human beings; the depletion of the ozone layer will make human beings more vulnerable to skin cancer. The flora and fauna will inevitably get affected because of all the above concerns. Acid rain is acidic in nature and any rain which consists of unusual amounts of acid can be called as acidic rain. The main cause of acidic rain is the emission of nitrogen and sulfur; this is because of the human activities. There have been many laws introduced by the government to keep a check on human activities which trigger off acidic rain. Acidic rain is believed to have devastating impact on aquatic life, animals, and most importantly on the health of human beings. “Acid rain is a problem in eastern Canada because many of the water and soil systems in this region lack natural alkalinity - such as a lime base - and therefore cannot neutralize acid naturally.” (Where is Acid Rain A problem? 25 March 2009). Areas like Nova Scotia are severely affected because of acid rain and the damage done in these areas are beyond repair. Canada has to join hands with the US in order to stop the devastation caused by acid rain; Canada alone cannot fight against acid rain. Only if Canada joins hands with the US this potential problem can be solved. The US is largely responsible for more than 50% of the acid rain caused in Canada and this is exactly why the country must join hands with the US in order to deal with this big problem. “In 1995, the estimated transboundary flow of sulphur dioxide from the United States to Canada was between 3.5 and 4.2 millions of tons per year.” (Where do sulphur dioxide emissions come from? 25 March 2009). The following diagram will bring to light the environmental condition of Canada These figures were recorded for the year 2000 and now the level of SO2 is exceeding high. These factors contribute largely toward issues like global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer. The Green House Effect There are many green house gases present on Earth, for instance Carbon dioxide which is exhaled by human beings is abundantly present in the Earth’s atmosphere. Other gases include Methane, Ozone, And Nitrous oxide etc. There are some very important gases without the presence of which the green house effect can never take place, those gases include Water vapor, and water vapors are clouds which affect climate change in more ways than one. Carbon dioxide is another important gas which helps in the process of the green house effect. Methane and ozone are the other important gases which are responsible for carrying out the process of the green house effect. “The greenhouse effect causes an accumulation of heat (or energy) in the Earth's atmosphere. The global climate must then adjust to deal with that extra accumulation of energy, and these adjustments result in global warming and climate changes. Global warming results from an increase in the temperature of the Earth's lower atmosphere. Climate changes result from alterations to regional climatic events such as rainfall patterns, evaporation and cloud formation.” (The Green House Effect FAQ, 25 March 2009). Global Warming has been a long standing problem that is becoming more and more serious with each passing day, if nothing is done about it then nothing on Earth will remain the same and the Human Beings will undoubtedly become extinct. If this is to be avoided then it is extremely important to take preventive measures which will increase our chances of survival on the Earth. Green House Effect and Global Warming The Green house effect is caused by the greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. These gases absorb and remit radiation. Green gases play a very important role in maintaining the temperature of Earth, had the green house gases been absent from the Earth, the Earth would not have been a suitable planet for living. The absence of the green house gases would have resulted in an imbalance of temperature, the temperature would have been unimaginably cold. But thanks to the green house gases for bringing a good balance in the environment. There is no doubt that human beings are responsible for Global Warming, activities like burning the fossil fuels contribute the maximum towards Global warming but there is another side of the coin. When people talk about Global Warming the first thing which comes to their minds is the activities of the Human Beings, there is no denying that this is very right and understandable but the thing which takes a back seat when this whole issue is discussed is the occurrence of Global Warming due to the natural processes. One big factor which has contributed naturally towards Global Warming is the energy emitted by the Sun. This is very natural and no one can control this. It’s inevitable and very natural; Scientists believe that this has been one of the natural processes which have caused Global Warming. It is believed that its contribution has been very little. The heating and cooling of earth is a very natural process, the only problem is that the human activities are speeding up Global Warming; the activities are not causing it. There is a huge difference between speeding up an activity and causing the activity. Methane is one of the most harmful gases present in the atmosphere, research goes to prove that over the past 10 years the level of Methane has constantly been on the rise and this is purely natural. No human activity is responsible for it. This is another factor which is contributing towards Global Warming. The presence of Carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere is undeniable and it is very natural, this is one of the biggest reasons for Global Warming. The infrared energy is emitted into the space naturally and this also contributes towards Global Warming. The concentrations of green house gases trap more infrared energy, the heat released results in warming the surface of the earth and this again is very natural and no human activity is responsible for it. The past generations did not have the luxury of automobiles which releases toxic gases and ultimately causes global warming but they still experienced Global warming. The melting of the Glaciers, increase in the sea level, ocean chemistry changes are just some of the instances which prove that Global warming was experienced by our earlier generations too. So this goes to prove that at that time human activities contributed very little to Global Warming but it still occurred, this is a good enough indication that it is a natural process which has to occur, the only problem is that the human activities have lately started contributing extensively towards this natural process. This should be slowed down by taking the suitable measures, it is high time that we realize how important it is to keep a balance and take preventive measures to have the right balance of the Earth’s temperature. The excess levels of the Green house gases can spell danger for a planet. A classic example of the same is the planet Venus, which is unsuitable for living and can never become a habitat for human beings. “Under the Canada-Wide Acid Rain Strategy for Post-2000, signed in 1998, governments in Canada have adopted the primary long-term goal of meeting critical loads for acid deposition across the country. Recently, maps that combine critical load values for aquatic and forest ecosystems have been developed. These maps indicate the amount of acidity (reported as acid equivalents per hectare per year (eq/ha/yr)) that the most sensitive part of the ecosystem in a particular region can receive without being damaged.” (A target load and a critical load, 25 March 2009). Hence it is very fair to conclude that Canada’s position has to be improved by leaps and bounds and this can only be done with the help and cooperation of the US. References A target load and a critical load. In Environment Canada. Retrieved on 25 March 2009 from: http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidfact.html Science. In The New York Times. Retrieved on 25 March 2009 from: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html# The Green House Effect FAQ. In Retrieved on 25 March 2009 from: http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/greenhou.htm#q13 Where is Acid Rain A problem? In Environment Canada. Retrieved on 25 March 2009 from: http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidfact.html Where does Sulphur dioxide emissions come from? 25 March 2009. In Environment Canada. Retrieved on 25 March 2009 from: http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidfact.html Read More