Top 5 Environmental Issues Affecting Us Today

There are so many factors currently hurting the environment and not everyone sees how long the list is. If you want to make a difference in the environment’s quality today, you’ll need to know which problems persist right now. Learn more with the help of this thorough guide to the top five environmental issues affecting us today.

Air Pollution

One of the most widespread environmental issues across the globe is air pollution. The level of pollution differs depending on your location. After all, this environmental hazard is commonly caused by sources such as factories, trucks, and even local wildfires. Indoor air pollution can happen, too, thanks to factors like dust, cleaning products, mold, and smoking. Luckily, indoor air pollution is easier to manage individually by practicing good habits, such as not smoking and opening windows when using cleaning products.

Deforestation

Deforestation is an unfortunate result of urbanization. As new roads, farms, and other structures are built, they replace the natural land that was there before. This process, called deforestation, hurts the environment because it leads to decreased biodiversity in the area. Deforestation also adds to climate change because of the carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere as each tree is cut down.

Soil Degradation

Another one of the top environmental issues affecting us today is soil degradation. This happens when the quality of soil in an area becomes too poor to support life. It’s not a natural process but instead comes as the result of mismanaging the soil during urbanization and other processes. Soil degrades in many ways. For instance, degradation can happen when the soil loses its structure or nutrients.

Global Warming

Global warming remains one of the most prominent problems with our environment today. Extreme weather, such as abnormal tornadoes and flooding, have become more common thanks to the rise of temperatures around the world.

The primary culprit behind global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases. These gases heat the earth to unsafe levels as a result of generating electricity, mining, and performing other processes. Mining is a more industrial application, but power generation is something that impacts almost everyone.

Energy Consumption

As mentioned above, generating electricity contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. This happens because producing electricity requires the burning of fossil fuels. Since electricity usage is so widespread across the United States, it remains a major contributor to environmental issues. Thankfully, energy consumption is easier to adjust per person or business with various changes.

For example, at Creative Energies, we provide residential solar installations that provide homeowners with an easy way to independently generate power. In addition, businesses can also use solar power to make their company greener. Now that you know more about environmental problems that hurt our world today, you can make changes to leave a positive impact.