CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The state of the environment is an issue that involves each and every member of the society. It is a concern that every learned man must be familiar with. According to Weiss (1992), it is possible that in this generation no country can effectively solve these environmental issues on its own. To name a few, the problems include pollution of the atmosphere, of marine life, of coastal and inland waters, and of all areas reached by acid rain. According to the World Resources Institute [WRI, 1997], half of the forests that originally covered 46% of the Earth's land surface are gone. Only one-fifth of the Earth's original forests remain pristine and undisturbed. 60% of the world's coral reefs, which contain up to one-fourth of all marine species, could be lost in the next 20-40 years (Burke, 1998). Between 10 and 20 percent of all species will be driven to extinction in the next 20 to 50 years (1994). Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles and marine mammals are entangled and drowned by irresponsible fishing practices every year. More than 20 percent of the world's known 10,000 freshwater fish species have become extinct, been threatened, or endangered in recent decades (Harrison and Stiassny, 1999). Sixty percent of the world's important fish stocks are threatened from overfishing (Burke, 2004). Global warming is expected to increase the Earth's temperature by 3°C (5.4°F) in the next 100 years, resulting in multiple adverse effects on the environment and human society, including widespread species loss, ecosystem damage, flooding of populated human settlements, and increased natural disasters. An estimated 40-80 million people have been forcibly evicted and displaced from their lands to make way for the construction of large dams, resulting in economic and social devastation for these people (Harrison and Stiassny, 1999).
In the Philippines, natural disasters such as flashfloods, landslides, typhoons, volcanic eruptions,... [continues]
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The state of the environment is an issue that involves each and every member of the society. It is a concern that every learned man must be familiar with. According to Weiss (1992), it is possible that in this generation no country can effectively solve these environmental issues on its own. To name a few, the problems include pollution of the atmosphere, of marine life, of coastal and inland waters, and of all areas reached by acid rain. According to the World Resources Institute [WRI, 1997], half of the forests that originally covered 46% of the Earth's land surface are gone. Only one-fifth of the Earth's original forests remain pristine and undisturbed. 60% of the world's coral reefs, which contain up to one-fourth of all marine species, could be lost in the next 20-40 years (Burke, 1998). Between 10 and 20 percent of all species will be driven to extinction in the next 20 to 50 years (1994). Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles and marine mammals are entangled and drowned by irresponsible fishing practices every year. More than 20 percent of the world's known 10,000 freshwater fish species have become extinct, been threatened, or endangered in recent decades (Harrison and Stiassny, 1999). Sixty percent of the world's important fish stocks are threatened from overfishing (Burke, 2004). Global warming is expected to increase the Earth's temperature by 3°C (5.4°F) in the next 100 years, resulting in multiple adverse effects on the environment and human society, including widespread species loss, ecosystem damage, flooding of populated human settlements, and increased natural disasters. An estimated 40-80 million people have been forcibly evicted and displaced from their lands to make way for the construction of large dams, resulting in economic and social devastation for these people (Harrison and Stiassny, 1999).
In the Philippines, natural disasters such as flashfloods, landslides, typhoons, volcanic eruptions,... [continues]
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"Environmental Issues, Its Effects and Ways of Alleviating the Crises." StudyMode.com. 01, 2011. Accessed 01, 2011. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Environmental-Issues-Its-Effects-And-Ways-542651.html.
