Ecological situation on Lake Baikal

Ecology of Lake Baikal is characterized by a unique ecosystem. If you look at the reservoir from the top down, then at a depth of 50 meters the bottom will be clearly visible. The water is so transparent that even in winter through the ice there are stones lying on the bottom of the lake. In the midst of winter, the thickness of ice can exceed one meter, but due to its transparency it is terrible to walk on it, since the ice seems very thin. With warming, the ice begins to melt and break noisily. Large and small pieces of ice are pushed out to the coastal zone.

An interesting fact: during the Russian-Japanese War (early 1900s), the Russian army paved a temporary railway track along the ice of Lake Baikal, along which 65 trains passed successfully.

The water of Lake Baikal has gained wide popularity not only because of its purity, but also as a result of oxygen saturation over the whole area of the water mirror. The high oxygen content makes possible the existence of diverse forms of underwater life.

Ecological problems of Lake Baikal

In order to understand what is involved in the pollution of Lake Baikal, it is necessary to trace the increase in human impact on the Baikal area, which has had negative consequences for the local ecosystem. The ecological situation on Lake Baikal is influenced by various sources of pollution, among which the industrial enterprise of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill is considered to be the most significant.

At the end of 2013, the plant officially ceased its work at the request of the government. However, until that time the company managed to drop into the water of Baikal and 40 million tons of hazardous chemical waste. As a result of the general inspection of Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage at the end of 2007, it was found that the concentration of runoff contaminated substances exceeded by 12 times.

Although this largest source of pollution of the lake has already been eliminated, destructive consequences for the ecology of Lake Baikal, unfortunately, are unavoidable.

Another leader on the pollution of the lake is at first sight a harmless Selenga River – the largest source of replenishment of Baikal’s water resources. There is a large number of tourist and industrial vessels on the river, which pollute the running water that enters the lake. Stocks of Russian and Mongolian industrial enterprises in large volumes fall into the riverbed, which in turn carries all the garbage into the lake. A lot of oil products will fall into the Selenga River, whose harm to the Baikal environment is undeniable.

Criminal attacks on the environmental safety of the environment were recorded in the illegal cutting of trees and shrubs; illegal hunting and fishing; clogging of water and violation of the basic rules for combating plant diseases, etc.

The Baikal is in an earthquake-prone zone. This situation is exacerbated by deforestation.

One cannot ignore such a problem as poaching in Lake Baikal. More than half of all species of Baikal fish are subject to illegal hunting. Endangered was the Baikal endemic omul, which poachers, despite the ban of the federal authorities, are caught by tens of tons. Fortunately, law enforcement officers are successfully fighting violent offenders.

Since the mid-1950s, Baikal has been used in hydropower as one of the components of the reservoir. As a consequence, the level of water in the lake has increased and flooding of coastal forests, rock destruction and the retreat of the coastal zone hundreds of meters from its natural location occurred.

Irreversible changes ecology of Lake Baikal is also experiencing due to global warming.

The above environmental problems are only a part of the factors with which the deterioration of the Baikal ecology is associated. Recently, many parts of the lake have been carefully guarded by the relevant organizations. For example, on the part where the infamous pulp and paper mill used to be located, now is the exhibition center “Reserves of Russia”.

The present state of Lake Baikal

An invaluable contribution to the development of the economy was undoubtedly made by the tourism industry. But unfortunately, the reverse side of the coin is the pollution by visiting tourists of the coastal zones of the lake. Many recreation centers operate illegally and, accordingly, do not have a license to carry out certain works, for example, on groundwater abstraction or discharge of sewage. All of the above actions cause great damage to water and land resources.

Only a small fraction of industrial and domestic waste is to be disposed of. Due to the use of poor-quality cleaning filters, many chemical elements of an increased level of danger (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds) enter the Baikal water.

In the early 2000s, the construction of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline started, a significant part of which was to pass through the territory of Lake Baikal. If the project were implemented according to the original plan, this would imply an imminent ecological disaster on Lake Baikal, since the pipeline had to pass very close to the coastal zone. After the rallies and protests, a decision was taken on re-planning the location of the pipeline. As a result, the oil pipeline runs at a distance of 350-400 km from the shores of the lake.

The result of anthropogenic activities was the eutrophication of the lake. In practice, this means that the ecology of Lake Baikal has become vulnerable to the invasion of microalgae, which unnaturally increased the productivity of biomass in the lake. Unambiguously, this has negative consequences for the flora and fauna of Lake Baikal, as the major endemic species of the animal and plant world are depressed. The consequence of eutrophication is also the growth of plant species uncharacteristic to the lake and a strong decrease in the quality of water and its basic natural properties.

Ecology of Baikal: the hope of salvation

Today, the old social organizations are creating new and continuing activities of the citizens of our country who are not indifferent to the citizens of our country, whose main goal is to protect the ecology of Lake Baikal. Some of the best known conservation communities are:

• Fund for the Conservation of Lake Baikal;
• Irkutsk public organization “Baikal Ecological Wave”;
• the largest international organization “World Wildlife Fund”;
• nongovernmental society Greenpeace Russia;
• association “Let’s protect Lake Baikal together”.

An essential problem for these organizations is insufficient funding and, as a result, the availability of minimum funds for restoring damage to the ecology of Lake Baikal.

The life and death of all water bodies depends on natural cycles and on human activity, which is not only creative, but unfortunately, especially in recent years, the character is destructive. Despite the rather sad statistics, certain successes in the struggle for pure nature are undeniable, which gives us hope for a meaningful and bright future for the priceless heritage of Lake Baikal.

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In other words, having increased our “ecological footprint” with the prohibitive consumption of fresh water, and having started producing fresh water ourselves (without expecting rain, and desalinating sea water) we will spend so much energy that we will not reduce, but increase our “ecological footprint”. With the planting of the forest – the same story. The forest on the planet is planted by millions of people, in this work – an element of manual labor is great. Providing these people with wages and other resources for their existence covers all the benefits to nature from planting forests. That is, those who plant the forest, by their existence, harm the nature more than they help.

Think about it. Even those who are engaged in work on the restoration of nature, bring to nature more harm by their existence, rather than benefit – by their activities! This is a private consequence of the so-called “Ahriman’s arrow law”, which we will talk about in the final part of our work. Using the chess term, we live in a zugzwang world, where any of our moves worsen our positions. Why is this happening? This you will read in the next chapters of the book.

There is such a rule based on the second law of thermodynamics – waste is always greater than the final product. In 1997, the computer weighed on average 25 kg, and when it was manufactured, more than 60 kg. materials went into waste (not counting wastes from energy production and mining). Now computers weigh less, but the ratio of the product – waste has not changed, except that waste has become toxic. In theory, we can recycle all waste into a useful product, but in practice, not every country can have money for this. Either the product received from the waste will be so expensive that no one will buy it.

The limit on air emissions of harmful substances is also reached. According to the World Health Organization, 90% of the world’s population breathe air that does not comply with WHO guidelines. Note that we are not talking about greenhouse gases such as CO2, namely harmful, dangerous to human health, impurities in the air.

And finally, the main limit is the time allowed for us to make changes. In the chapter devoted to the state of water resources, we will discuss this in more detail, but now let’s talk about yields. For example, let’s take Georgia, importing food in the amount of about 80% of its demand, where corn is grown in climatic conditions comparable to American ones. Only in the US, its productivity is 120 centners per ha, and in Georgia – 20. About the same low yields and for beans – about 7 centners. They are grown separately, mainly in the fields of small landowners. Low yields do not allow the use of corn and beans for livestock feed, and they are not enough for people.

It would seem that Georgia is vitally interested in catching up with the States on yield. And in fact there is an easy way to increase it. If the winding beans are planted with corn, dropping two different seeds in one hole, we will get no need for nitrogen fertilizers, because of the lack of which, in fact, the yield of corn is so low – the bacteria developing on the roots of the bean supply nitrogen with the roots of corn. And corn will serve as a natural support for beans, which now will not need supporting poles, which will greatly facilitate its cleaning. Thus, we can increase the intensity of using a hectare of land twice. And the resulting mixture of two plants will be the ideal feed for livestock, that is, what this country really needs.

This, of course, is not new, the method of joint planting has been known for a long time, but it is not used massively in Georgia. Why? Yes, because, why do not progressive methods of biodynamic farming apply worldwide. Why are the ideas of Rudolf Steiner supported only by a handful of enthusiasts? The reader is probably already ready to answer this question. The cause of all the misfortunes of mankind is human stupidity? Absolutely correct inference, but too superficial. Can humanity become smarter? Is there no limit here? We will try to give a reasoned answer to this question in the course of further reasoning.

We are used to meditating and putting the cart behind the horse, because we believe that the movement of the cart is a consequence of the horse’s pulling. But if the road goes downhill, the cart will cause the horse to run, cause and effect will be reversed.

The reason for everything is nature, or, according to the treatment of creationists, the Lord, the Creator, the Supreme Architect of everything. All the rest – only the consequences, the consequences of the consequences, the consequences of the consequences of the consequences and so on. The reason for all that is happening is one, and realizing this, we begin to realize the consequences of what they are – someone’s wrong choice…

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In the spring in one of the towns of Western Georgia fell under the earthen rain. From the sky, black jets fell, spreading muddy streams on the pavement, settling in an earthy raid on cars, leaving nasty stains on clothes …

Somewhere far away, perhaps in Iran, the storm lifted several centimeters of soil into the air, and with them – the hopes of farmers for the harvest, full of winter, next installments for land mortgage and education of children… This would not happen if the fields were left would have a tree windbreaks area of 20% of the land to be plowed. But in the pursuit of new harvests, the land owners decided to take risks… Almost similarly, “virgin” Kazakh virgin land flew into the air with black storms.

With what began the present…

“The Limits to Growth” – the so-called book based on the same report to the Club of Rome, which revolutionized futurology. Then, approximately the same team of authors wrote the book “Beyond Growth” and “The Limits to Growth: 30 Years Later” (the figures in this chapter are mostly taken from the last book). If in the first book its authors assigned 50 years to the course of development of human civilization (until 2022), then the conclusion was found in the latter: the limits of growth have already been overcome and the catastrophe of modern civilization in the next two to three decades is inevitable. Is it so? Let’s think together.

The first one about the resource disaster was Malthus. And he was absolutely right – indeed, if the resources are limited, then sooner or later they will end. In the opinion of his critics, he did not take into account only one thing – other resources come to replace one resource. For example, instead of fossil fuels, renewable energy sources – biofuels, sun, wind, tidal energy, geothermal energy and so on – can be used. Some still lead such an argument to refute the theory of Malthus. And they are wrong. Because the limits of development in a complex system of our planet is virtually an infinite number and one new one is replaced by a new one. We can find a way to produce as much energy as possible on the planet; but we cannot implement it.

All the energy produced eventually becomes heat and causes the atmosphere to warm up. How to estimate the limit of energy allocation that mankind can afford to not spoil the habitat? Suppose we can allow a constant increase in the average temperature of the planet per year by 0.1 ° C. Although many scientists will say that this is also very much. But even then, mankind can allocate in the form of heat only 0.175 × 10 ^ 15 J / sec. This is about 15 times greater than it stands out at present. Do we have enough energy? Now the United States consumes about 25% of the world’s energy, with 4.5% of the world’s population. To make the entire population of the planet equal to the US energy supply, we need to produce about 20 times more energy than now, that is, to go beyond the overheating of the atmosphere. But in fact, energy will be needed even more, because as long as we increase energy production, the population will also grow. So Malthus was absolutely right. Simply after one redistribution there is a new one and it is impossible to overcome them to infinity by technological methods. We found ourselves in the first impasse we are considering – the dead end of the heating limit of the atmosphere. This is the first impasse of the evolution of mankind, but far from being the only one.

Why there will never be enough for everyone

Economist Herman Daly suggested once three simple rules that allow us to determine the limits of sustainability for the flows of raw materials and energy.

For renewable resources – a sustainable rate of use cannot exceed the rate of self-recovery of these resources. For non-renewable – steady consumption rate cannot exceed the speed of introduction of technological innovations, that is, the speed at which a renewable resource comes to replace a non-renewable resource. For contaminants – the safe rate of their entry into the environment cannot exceed the rate at which the pollutant will be neutralized by the environment. Three rules, Daly tried many times to refute, but so far – unsuccessfully. It would seem that it is enough to put in the “rules of the Daily” the “human factor”, to shift the functions of nature to machines created by man – and the infinity of resources will be achieved. But in place of one limit there will be another. Below we will consider such an option.

Trying to express the limits of the development of mankind in figures, scientists introduced the concept of ecological capacitance of the planet Earth and the “ecological trace” of mankind.

Ecological capacity is the quantitatively expressed ability of the habitat (the number of individuals per unit of territory, the limits of the possibilities of the environment during economic development of the territory, etc.), which allows the ecosystem to exist without detriment to its constituent components. Overcoming these limits leads to disruption of stability and destruction of the ecosystem.

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Biodiversity is one of the fundamental phenomena that characterizes the manifestation of life on Earth. Reducing the level of biodiversity occupies a special place among the main environmental problems of our time.

The consequence of the extinction of species will be the destruction of existing ecological links and the degradation of natural groups, their inability to self-sustain, leading to their disappearance. Further reduction of biodiversity can lead to destabilization of biota, loss of integrity of the biosphere and its ability to maintain the most important characteristics of the environment. Due to the irreversible transition of the biosphere to a new state, it can become unsuitable for human life. Man is completely dependent on bioresources.

There are many reasons for biodiversity conservation. This is the need to use biological resources to meet the needs of mankind (food, technical materials, medicines, etc.), ethical and aesthetic aspects, and the like.

However, the main reason for biodiversity conservation is that biodiversity plays a leading role in ensuring the stability of ecosystems and the biosphere as a whole (pollution absorption, climate stabilization, provision of livable conditions).

The importance of biodiversity

To live and survive in nature, man has learned to use the useful properties of biodiversity components for obtaining food, raw materials for making clothes, tools, construction of housing, obtaining energy. The modern economy is based on the use of bioresources.

The economic importance of biodiversity is the use of biological resources – this is the foundation on which civilization is built. These resources are the basis of most human activities, such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, gardening and gardening, the production of cosmetics, construction and recycling.

Biodiversity is also a recreational resource. Recreational value of biodiversity is also of great importance for recreation. The main direction of recreational activities is getting pleasure without destroying nature. It is about walking tourism, photographing, bird watching, swimming with whales and wild dolphins, and the like. Rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs create opportunities for water sports, water walks, bathing, amateur fishing. Worldwide, the ecotourism industry is growing rapidly and includes up to 200 million people annually.

Value for health

Biodiversity hides from us many more undiscovered medicines. For example, more recently, ecologists with the help of drones have discovered a rare healing plant Laukahi on one of the Hawaiian rocks.

For many centuries, plant and animal extracts have been used by man for the treatment of various diseases. Modern medicine shows interest in biological resources, hoping to find new types of medicines. There is an opinion that the wider the diversity of living things, the more opportunities there are for discovering new medicines.

The ecological value of species diversity is a prerequisite for the survival and sustainable functioning of ecosystems. Biological species provide the processes of soil formation. Thanks to the accumulation and transfer of basic nutrients, soil fertility is ensured. Ecosystems assimilate waste, absorb and destroy pollutants. They purify water and stabilize the hydrological regime, restraining groundwater. Ecosystems contribute to the preservation of the quality of the atmosphere, maintaining the necessary level of oxygen through photosynthesis.

The study and protection of biological diversity is critical for the sustainable development of civilization.

Reducing the diversity of animal and plant life will inevitably affect human life, since biodiversity is the foundation of the spiritual and physical health of any nation. The importance of biodiversity is enormous and in itself, regardless of the degree of its use by people. If we want to preserve our mentality and national identity, we must preserve our nature. The state of nature is a mirror of the state of a nation. Conservation of biodiversity is a necessary condition for the survival of mankind.

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Having understood the essence of the problem, in order to find out the possible ways to solve it, integral ecology proposes to orient simultaneously to many value systems, worldviews, priorities, preferences, habits, needs, emotions, as well as various cultural norms, external structural and social constraints.

Given the characteristics of individuals, groups of people, countries, or even entire bioregions, finding, finding and implementing a joint plan of action may seem extraordinary, or even quite hopeless. Nevertheless, integral ecology within its holistic position suggests that environmental solutions can be introduced and real positive effects achieved only if we consider everything that there is a person as an individual and everything that we are as a collective.

An integral approach to the problems of human ecology offers ways to overcome any difficulties by combining different values and different points of view. To complete the picture, when searching for a solution to a problem, more than one separate worldview knowledge base is required. Each proposition contains something important and can make a significant contribution to its solution of the problem.

In other words, each point of view on the essence of the problem has the same value. And, of course, for this it is necessary to recognize the complexity of each individual and society as a whole, as well as the complexity of any environmental situation.

Combining a multitude of opinions represents a certain complexity, but it also opens up new opportunities for us.

Perception area

Our direct perception of ourselves, other people and nature plays an important role in how we treat the environment. Integral ecology tells us that mental faculties, mental state, moral beliefs shape our individual attitude to issues such as toxic emissions. We need to understand these various psychological aspects and their role in shaping our opinions about toxins entering the environment.

Integral ecology assumes that transformational practices such as therapy, contemplation, meditation and social activities will help people to discover the roots of their views, beliefs and emotions, which in turn generate concern or disregard for the environment.

Transformational practices can support the individual development of the individual, and therefore, can affect the collective relations and actions that lead to the emergence of new institutions. These new institutions will have to provoke universal development. After all, while people cannot create a clear expression of their divergent worldviews and while there are leaders who embody different ethics in relation to the same things on our planet, we will continue our abuse of nature.

Integral ecology as a concept of environmental studies

There are many approaches to the environment: philosophical, spiritual, religious, social, political, cultural, behavioral, scientific and psychological. Each of them emphasizes the importance of some of its components, but too often remains naked and deaf in relation to other dimensions.

To overcome such fragmentation, integral ecology studies methods of combining all approaches into a single ecological “tapestry”. This “ecology of ecology” focuses not only on physical and behavioral systems, but also includes cultural and deliberate aspects at all levels of the organization. Thus, integral ecology is the study of all aspects of the natural world at different levels of complexity.

This new emerging theory in ecology emphasizes that the environment and its various aspects are revealed in different ways depending on the way the issue is resolved or the methodology used to find the answer. Integral ecology takes into account multiple worldviews within individuals, communities and cultures and their accompanying environmental perspectives – each with its own specific forms of mutual understanding.

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The construction of reservoirs and their impact on the quality of the original river water has been the subject of many years of discussions. Organoleptic (color, smell, taste), chemical and bacteriological quality of water, its properties and levels of pollution depend mainly on the natural and economic conditions of the formation of runoff at the water intake, the amount and composition of sewage, and the processes that take place in the water bodies themselves. The first two factors affect both regulated and unregulated watercourses. The main condition for maintaining the required quality of water in reservoirs is the cessation of the discharge of industrial and municipal waste water into these reservoirs without proper purification.

The content of suspended solids in the water (coarsely dispersed impurities) is one of the most important indicators of its quality. In the backwater, the flow of water slows down, the suspended matter settles to the bottom and their concentration in the water decreases. Lighting of water in such artificial reservoirs greatly simplifies and reduces the costs of its purification. In many reservoirs, the quality of the water near the dam is similar to the quality of water purified at the wastewater treatment plants, and at times, such water does not need special cleaning at all.

There are a number of factors in the reservoir that affect the color of the water. They depend on the climatic zone Location of the reservoir.

In a number of cases, various smells are felt above the surface of reservoirs, caused by the process of synthesis and decomposition of organic substances. Sludge water helps to reduce such unpleasant odors. Within a few weeks, it leads to a sharp decrease in the concentration in the water of saprophyte bacteria and Escherichia coli. In some reservoirs, sanitary and bacteriological indicators of water quality in winter are approaching the normative ones, which are imposed on drinking water.

The negative impact of reservoirs on water quality

Among the negative factors associated with overregulation of river flow include excessive flowering of water and overgrowing of the reservoir by aquatic vegetation. In the fields of flowering, the phenomenon of biological contamination of water is widespread as a result of the release of the decomposition products of algae – ammonia, phenol, indole, skatole, cyanide. Mass development of blue-green algae violates the regime of water supply to cities, lead to the contamination of recreation areas and the freezing of fish.

Combating the excessive “flowering” of reservoirs is carried out by comprehensively revealing and limiting the factors that cause this “flowering”.

The growth of reservoirs, as a rule, is insignificant, which is explained by the influence of winter wear and disturbance in the coastal zone on it.

A very great influence on the quality of water and the conditions of use of reservoirs for water supply is provided by the preparation of the reservoir bed. Of all the preparations for the bed, only its complete cleaning from woody vegetation is a controversial activity, since this process is quite expensive, and its hygienic efficiency is not entirely clear.

Natural research has made it possible to establish that flooding of the forest has only a local and temporary impact on the sanitary regime of the watercourse.

The negative impact of flooding of soils, sod cover of meadows, tree and shrub vegetation on water quality is most significant only in the first 2 years of the existence of the reservoir.

Natural improvement of water quality indicates the expediency of developing methods of stimulating these processes. The regulation of the flow significantly changes the conditions for the self-purification of water bodies: the removal of sewage from the place of their release slows down due to a decrease in the flow velocity. The latter circumstance leads to the need to transfer water intakes, which in natural conditions, located upstream from the place of production of sewage, were in relative danger.

Of considerable practical interest are studies of the effect of river flow regulation on water quality in the downstream. It is noticed that after the regulation of the runoff in the lower pool, the transparency of the water increases, the flowering decreases, the content of harmful substance and the dry residue is reduced.

From the foregoing it follows that the reservoirs, other things being equal, improve the quality of river water and level it in the seasonal section. The creation of reservoirs requires the reorganization of water intakes, wastewater discharges and the implementation of a set of sanitary measures.

One of the most important tasks in the field of reservoir preparation for operation is the search for means of combating blue-green algae.

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That’s why specialists place an emphasis on the protection of biodiversity.

On the basis of modern knowledge, the Earth as a deposit of man and other living beings is the only planet on which life exists, and biological diversity is considered the most important source on Earth, the main product of millions of years of the planet’s evolution. Therefore, at the beginning of the third millennium, scientists unanimously agreed with the naturalists that they should protect the land. Ecologists consider biodiversity as the basis of all life on Earth. Unfortunately, in the past, consciously or unconsciously ignored the role and importance of biodiversity, while the source of biodiversity is evolution. When one species of fauna and flora disappears, in fact, the results of millions of years of evolution of that species will be lost.

The environment is known for biodiversity, which keeps the balance of the environment. Loss of biodiversity ultimately leads to an ecological catastrophe. So, its preservation should become one of the main tasks of mankind. Therefore, today the special importance of biodiversity is recognized for agriculture, health, trade, industry and culture. For example, scientists learned that reducing biodiversity threatens food security. Therefore, they recommend integrated management of pest control, organic agriculture, organic fertilizers, crop rotation, the use of animal waste and the utilization of food, the development of agriculture without plowing or with minimal plowing, and the biocultural diversity of the economy in order to protect biocultural diversity and improve food safety. In their opinion, biocultural diversity in agriculture can contribute to the sustainable production of food, industrial and pharmaceutical products. Also from the environmental point of view, the presence of pollinators, soil organisms and predators is important for the maintenance of crops. According to experts, improving agricultural ecosystems can improve the appearance of the earth and soil health, water cycle and improve air quality. Further diversity of wild plants can also contribute to the production of better, more reliable and economical crops.

Many books and articles have been written about the role of biodiversity in the provision of human health. A greater variety of medicinal plants can create the potential for the treatment of many diseases, also ensures greater diversity and sustainable production of sanitary and cosmetic products. A greater variety of food products, for example, different kinds of vegetables and fruits, provides the necessary vitamins for the body, as a result they increase resistance and strengthen the immune system of the human body. Biodiversity plays an important role in many fisheries, because they acquire raw materials from nature. For example, the oil and gas industry, considered one of the most profitable industries in the world, is the result of the decomposition of thousands of species of bacteria and plankton existing in the sea.

So, in view of the enormous importance of biodiversity both on land and at sea, scientists are looking for ways to save it. The popularization of a vegetarian diet at the global level is proposed as one of the ways to protect ecosystems, plants and animals, which can also stop the global process of climate change. According to experts, excessive consumption of livestock and industrial products threatens both biodiversity and global warming. According to the important “Report on the Long Shadow of Livestock,” published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are associated with pastoralism. In this report, researchers explain the consequences of meat consumption for biodiversity in this way:

“Meat and dairy breeds of livestock today make up about 20 percent of the total biomass of land animals. Today, 30 percent of the world’s land surface is used for animal husbandry, which are places that once were a habitat for wildlife. In fact, livestock can be considered the main factor and other leading factors are deforestation, soil erosion, pollution, climate change, excessive catch (fish), deposition in coastal areas, and alleviation of foreign invasion The livestock industry is the main cause of the loss of the threatening rates of natural species.”

Another study by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), entitled “Assessing the environmental consequences of consumption and production: Priority products and materials”, showed irreversible losses to ecosystems caused by habitat changes, pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, climate change, the spread of invasive species of animals and plants and overexploitation of natural resources (fishing and forestry).

Joachim Steiner, Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNEP, affirming this fact, said that the UN team had studied all the circumstances and concluded that the two areas currently have an adverse effect on people and systems of life support on the planet: energy consumption in the form of a fossil fuel, and livestock and farming, in particular breeding livestock for meat and dairy products.

Damage to the environment resulting from the consumption of livestock products is so huge that the United Nations Environment Program has decided that with a change in the dietary diet, there can be significant changes in the sphere of biodiversity reduction. So, in view of the unprecedented threat faced by all life on Earth, the observance of a vegetarian diet can simultaneously stop the process of reducing natural species and climate change.

Experts suggest, in addition to reducing meat consumption, other ways to protect biodiversity, including an attempt to reduce pollution to a minimum. A threatening level of warming of the biosphere and a change in the climatic conditions of the planet can make life of some species difficult in their natural habitats and put them on the verge of extinction. So, one should refrain from any activity leading to indirect or direct increase of temperature on the globe and global warming. Otherwise, it can cause irreparable damage to plants and animals living in water and on land.

Another way to protect biodiversity is to prevent the deliberate or unintentional introduction (dispersal) of organisms outside their natural habitat. There are people who want their garden to be unique and original, enter into their garden, i.e. in the local ecosystem, exotic species of trees and plants, while foreign and favorite plant species can become a “predator” or weed and prevent the growth of native species. Therefore, for the conservation of biodiversity, the growth of native species should be supported. Also, some species of animals imported into new ecosystems may prove predatory and, by destroying native species, sharply limit their population.

The most important factor that can contribute to biodiversity enhancement can be a decrease in consumption. Because of the greed of nature, great damage has been done to nature. Unfortunately, many kinds of plants and animals have become victims of human greed, whose population has sharply decreased. There are many products that are made from plants and animals. Before you buy such products, ask yourself, do you really need this product?

Undoubtedly, the decline in demand for such plant and animal products, ultimately, leads to the cessation of production of this product and the rescue of many species of plants and animals. If all people knew that the disappearance of species is fraught with irreversible damage, they certainly would not have done so.

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How to write an essay on literature: draw up a plan

Before you write the final essay, you need to think clearly about what plan you will be doing.

The plan is drawn up so that the stream of thoughts (even if you have it) is built into coherent, logically coherent proposals.

Immediately after receiving the topic of the essay, ideas and images will begin to appear in your head (of course, if you have read the work). On a draft sheet, sketch out the phrases or words that first come to mind. Then they can be developed to the whole work.

So, carefully think over what you want to say on the topic. Then write it down on paper in a column of thought. And only then decide in what order you want to display these thoughts on paper. This is necessary for a clear and clear structure of work.

How to write an introduction to the composition of literature

In the introductory part, the information should be written as if it were read by a person completely ignorant of the problem. Here you must disclose the topic, issues and relevance of your work.

In this you will be helped by questions that you can set for yourself:

• By what work are you writing essays / essays?
• What do you know about the author of the work?
• What is the genre of the work (comedy, drama, novel, etc.)? what aspects would you like to disclose in your work?

How to write an essay-reasoning: proceed to the main part

The beginning is half done! Well, if you have finished with the introductory part, let’s deal with the main part of the work.

Here you need to highlight all your thoughts that you have caused the product, the emotions that you are experiencing towards the chosen character or circumstances in which he found himself.

Each of his thoughts will have to be supported by examples from the original text of the work. If you say that the problem of war worries the hero, then you need to give examples in which this excitement is transmitted to the reader.

Do not hesitate to give your own assessment of the character or the circumstances in which he turned out. This makes any composition brighter, stronger, and its author gives authority and expertise.

The main part is for the most part your own reasoning about what you care about throughout history. Show here the evolution of your thought, from when the important idea originated in the work, how it evolved, and what conclusion you eventually came to.

How to write a conclusion in the essay on literature

Templates and examples of correct structure as one state that the conclusion should be summarized.

Many begin the composition not with the introductory or main part, namely with the conclusion. It is said that after composing short abstracts it is much easier to consistently describe your reasoning.

So, in the final part you need to answer yourself to the question that you put in the introductory part. This is a kind of brief theorem, deduced from all the long evidence given in the previous parts of the work.

After you are done with this part, be sure to review all the work for compliance with the originally compiled plan. If the composition is arranged in a well-thought-out sequence, you have succeeded! Congratulations! If not, do not be discouraged – essay writers will help to check and correct the work, and help to write essays from scratch!

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1. Discard the batteries.

If possible, choose the preference of a technique without batteries (wired mouse, keyboard) or devices on the battery. One discarded battery carries a huge damage to the soil.

2. Turn off the oven a few minutes before cooking.

This will allow you not to spend extra kilowatt-hours. If you regularly use the oven, then in a month you can significantly save electricity.

3. Use both sides of the paper to be printed.

You do not always need one-sided printing. For personal needs, you can print information from both sides of the sheet that will reduce the waste of paper by half!

4. Discard the plastic bags.

Go to the store with a bag or backpack. If you still purchased the package, it can be used several times, it takes up little space and it is convenient to carry it with you.

5. Brew leaf tea instead of packaged tea.

Packaged tea is convenient, but harmful to health – it significantly increases the level of fluoride compounds in the body. In addition, heat-resistant polypropylene, which is sometimes sealed, also harms the environment, since it does not decompose in the soil.

6. Collect rainwater for irrigation at the cottage.

Even if the suburban area has a water pipe, water the plants with rainwater. First, it has a neutral acid reaction and a high degree of dissolved oxygen in it, that is, it is ideal for watering. Secondly, its use will help to reduce water consumption, and in those conditions when water is supplied to the site using an electric pump – also power consumption.

7. Use the LED bulb.

They cost more for incandescent lamps, but they allow you to save on bills for light twice.

8. Use toilet paper from recycled fiber.

Toilet paper from primary cellulose is not environmentally friendly. In addition to deforestation, the production of bleached pulp is considered harmful to the environment.

9. Buy eggs in paper packages.

Firstly, the paper packaging allows the egg to “breathe” while maintaining its taste qualities. Secondly, after use and sorting, the cardboard egg package can again be recycled.

10. Collect the eggshell for the summer house.

Egg shell – an excellent fertilizer for the garden. The shell consists of calcium, sodium carbonate, phosphate and organic substances. This composition allows it to be a neutralizer for soils with high acidity. So, when applying mineral fertilizers, add to the ground and grinded in a coffee grinder shell.

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Therefore, I decided to write a few tips for beginners!

• Most importantly – do not panic! The more panic, the less useful! Try to get acquainted with colleagues, find out how the work in the office is arranged, observe people, do not snatch at all and at once, all the same you will not have time!
• Normative documents in the field of ecology! This is something without which a specialist ecologist cannot do anything at all! The basis for your activity in the field of ecology is legislation relating to environmental issues. In this regard, it is necessary to have access to and study the current laws, regulations, etc. The simplest way is to create a regulatory framework for yourself, on which you can leverage and track changes.
• The Internet! There are several excellent sites where you can get information in an accessible form, simply and understandably.
• Sites with supervisory bodies. For a beginner ecologist incredibly useful.

It should also be taken into account that according to the specifics of any enterprise, there are main directions of its impact on the environment.

These are:

• pollution of atmospheric air, water resources, soils;
• use of natural resources;
• physical factors (noise, heat radiation, etc.).

In order to determine what impact the environment has on the enterprise, and, accordingly, what legislative acts govern its activities, it is necessary to study the enterprise: its structure, production processes, available documentation on environmental issues.

With what to begin?

Armed with the scheme of the organization’s territory with the location of buildings and structures, I recommend making a detour around the territory of the enterprise. The main purposes of this workaround are:

• familiarization with the activities of the enterprise;
• familiarity with responsible persons at work;
• detection of existing violations (of course, it is difficult to judge about them, but you try).

It is advisable to invite with someone from the production, for example, the chief engineer. This person, as a rule, is always up to date on current events.

On an excursion, we pay attention to waste: what waste is generated, how it is stored, whether there is a temporary storage area, how many containers are installed, etc.

We are looking for sources of emissions. Under the pipes may be blacksmiths, boiler rooms, treatment equipment – all these are stationary sources of emissions.

It is important to find a reset point. Maybe in a water body, or maybe just in a well, coordinated with a water canal.

In passing, we study technology in conversations. What, in fact, does your enterprise do, what is the technology, what equipment and raw materials are used.

After orientation on the ground, you need to look at the documents that are left in the office.

The list of internal documentation, which should be in one form or another is given below:

• Instructions and regulations. Are they approved, with whom are agreed.
• Orders, whom and for what was appointed responsible.
• Trained – whom, what and when they were trained.
• Correspondence with supervisory authorities.
• Analysis protocols (production control – it happens on water, soil and air, there are still various sanitary controls).
• Agreements for the transfer of waste (landfill, mercury lamps, oils, batteries, etc., depending on the list of wastes).

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