Pollution Control & Sustainable Environment

Human Impact on the Environment

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Human applications on various fields may affect the environment which leads to pollution. An increase in population makes excessive demands on natural resources, and increases the demand on agriculture. Using chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides to increase production pollutes the environment with harmful chemicals. Deforestation causes habitat loss and threatens the survival of species of animals and plants.

Environmental impacts caused by the application of technology are often perceived as unavoidable for several reasons. Nanotechnology's environmental impact can be split into two aspects: the potential for Nano technological innovations to help improve the environment, and the possibly novel type of pollution that Nano technological materials might cause if released into the environment. As nanotechnology is an emerging field, there is great debate regarding to what extent industrial and commercial use of nanomaterial will affect organisms and ecosystems.

The environmental impact of mining includes erosion, formation of sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water by chemicals from mining processes. In some cases, additional forest logging is done in the vicinity of mines to increase the available room for the storage of the created debris and soil. Besides creating environmental damage, the contamination resulting from leakage of chemicals also affects the health of the local population. Mining companies in some countries are required to follow environmental and rehabilitation codes, ensuring the area mined is returned to close to its original state. Some mining methods may have significant environmental and public health effects.