Critical discussion, reflection, application: the anthropogenic nature of environmental problems and with examples from the SA context.

There are a lot of environmental problems, however, the four leading environmental problems are Ozone depletion leading to climate change, destruction of natural habitats, adverse effect on marine life, and the decline in freshwater. All of these four leading environmental problems can be traced back to the influence of humans.

Ozone depletion leading to climate change:

Since the 1970s there has been a decrease in ozone which caused a hole in the ozone and lead to global warming. The main reason behind the decrease in ozone is because of the harmful products used in everyday life, i.e. Styrofoam, chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration, air-conditioning units, and the propellant in aerosol cans, and carbon dioxide emissions of cars as well as the burning of wood and fossil fuels.

Destruction of natural habitats:

Natural habitats such as the forests, wetlands, coral reefs, the ocean bottom, are being destroyed placing many species under threat/extinct globally

The reasons for destruction/extinction/threat can be traced back to population growth, use of harmful products as well as pollution, and overuse/over-extraction of natural resources.

Adverse effect on marine life:

The reasons for destruction/extinction/threat can be traced back to overfishing, the use of technology and large nets to catch larger volumes of fish, and water pollution in the ocean leads to the death of fish.

The decline in freshwater:

The reasons for water decline and crisis can be traced back to the overuse of water by communities and industrial operations; Pollution dumping of industrial effluents, agricultural chemicals into dams and rivers; destruction of natural estuaries and flood planes leading to floods; global warming leads to high temperatures and severe storms; ceasing or slowing in the flow of water; dams are low or empty due to severe droughts resulting from global warming; wastage due to irrigation, leaky pipes, run-off of rains where vegetation is destroyed; population growth leading to the ever-increasing pressure on food production & exports, thus on water sources meant to serve local communities