- 2081 Bhadra · 4 marks
Global environmental issues: causes and consequences
Short answer
Major global issues are climate change (fossil fuels and deforestation cause warming and glacier melt), ozone depletion (CFCs increase UV), air pollution, acid rain, water pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, desertification, and plastic waste. They arise from industrial and agricultural activities and demand global solutions like the Montreal Protocol and Paris Agreement.
List out the major global environmental issues. And, discuss about its causes and consequences with examples.
Global environmental issues are environmental problems that affect the whole Earth and cannot be solved by one country alone.
| Issue | Main causes | Consequences / examples |
|---|---|---|
| Climate change | CO₂ from fossil fuels, deforestation, methane from livestock and rice | Warming (~1.1–1.2 °C), glacier melt in Himalaya, sea-level rise, floods (Pakistan 2022) |
| Ozone depletion | CFCs, halons from refrigerators, sprays | More UV radiation, skin cancer, cataract; Antarctic ozone hole |
| Air pollution | Vehicles, industry, coal power, biomass burning | Respiratory disease; smog in Delhi, Kathmandu |
| Acid rain | SO₂, NOₓ from coal and vehicles | Damage to forests, lakes, buildings (Taj Mahal) |
| Water pollution and scarcity | Sewage, industrial waste, fertilisers, over-pumping | Cholera, typhoid; dead zones in seas |
| Deforestation | Agriculture, logging, mining | Loss of habitat, more CO₂, floods (Amazon) |
| Biodiversity loss | Habitat loss, poaching, pollution | Extinction of species, weak ecosystems |
| Desertification | Overgrazing, poor farming, drought | Loss of farmland (Sahel region) |
| Plastic and e-waste | Throw-away culture | Ocean plastics, toxic metals |
Solving them needs global cooperation: Montreal Protocol (1987) for ozone, UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement (2015) for climate, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992).
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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