ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Environmental Issues

Environmental Issues

Most countries face serious problems in the urban environment: overcrowding? unemployment? growing crime? lack of potable water? inadequate sewage disposal? increasing air pollution? and the inappropriate disposal of toxic wastes. In search for more rural areas? forests are cleared to provide farmland. This way the deterioration of natural resources not only destroys the environment? but also damages the foundation on which economic growth and long term prosperity depend? since agriculture and its chain employs nearly 60 percent of the population in most cases. None of the other natural resource problems is more threatening? none more in need of immediate action? than the destruction of forests.

The tragedy lies in the fact that most lands that have been deforested in recent decades are not suited for long-term farming or ranching and they quickly degrade once the forest has been cut and burnt. Unlike the fertile soils of temperate latitudes? most tropical forest soils cannot sustain annual cropping. In fact? there are very few forested soils in developing countries today that are available for future agricultural expansion? underscoring the urgent need to increase agricultural production on existing farmlands rather than converting more forests to farms. By giving people free access to forested lands? the pressure is taken off politicians to resolve the more politically sensitive problems that face developing countries? such as land reform? rural development? power-sharing? and so on. Nonetheless? the problems do not go away. They persist as do the injustices associated with them.

North Carolina? about 80% of the State s surveyed freshwater rivers and streams have good water quality that fully supports aquatic life uses? 17% have fair water quality that partially supports aquatic life uses? and 3% have poor water quality that does not support aquatic life uses. Ten percent of the surveyed rivers do not fully support swimming. The major sources of impairment are agriculture (responsible for 53% of the impaired river miles)? urban runoff (responsible for 16%)? and construction (responsible for 13%).

These sources generate siltation? bacteria? and organic wastes that deplete dissolved oxygen. Only 17% of the surveyed lakes in North Carolina are impaired for swimming and 6% are impaired for aquatic life uses. A few lakes are impacted by dioxin? metals? and excessive nutrient enrichment. The Champion Paper mill on the Pigeon River is the source of dioxin contamination in Waterville Lake. The State and the mill implemented a dioxin minimization program in the mid-1980s and completed a modernization program in 1993 that will reduce water usage and discharges.

About 94% of the estuaries and sounds in North Carolina fully support designated uses. Agriculture? urban runoff? septic tanks? and point source discharges are the leading sources of nutrients? bacteria? and low dissolved oxygen that degrade estuaries.

Human activities have inflicted some irrecoverable damages to marine environment. Oil spills? disposal of waste into marine water? and over fishing are to name a few. There are a number of dark events in the history of marine ...