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Environmental Factors
From WikiVerde
You've never seen the environment like this. It's uplifting. It's tragic. The time to act is now.
In the past, environmental factors generally had to do with the surroundings and how the individual or culture related and interacted with the surroundings. For example, the environment of a farmer in the 1800's would mostly depend upon such factors as the water available, the quality of the soil, and the weather or climate in the location. Today, the environmental factors still include all of the above, but it also includes the level of atmospheric pollution, and the strains of crops or produce that are available.
Air
Air quality is important to all residents of the planet, whether they live in cities or in rural areas. As smog levels increase, cities become warmer and it changes the climate not only in the city centers, but in surrounding areas. Different weather patterns may result from just a small change in average temperature. Air quality affects the health of the population. Increased particulate levels in the atmosphere are directly tied to incidents of asthma, lung cancer, emphysema and allergies. Improving the quality of the air makes it possible to improve the quality of breathing for everyone.
Water
Both fresh water and salt water are in a delicate balance with the environment. If there are prolonged drought conditions, crops dry up and hunger of the population increases. This creates health problems as well as financial problems related to the loss of the income crop. In the ocean, water temperature has a critical effect on the ocean currents and further--upon the weather patterns throughout the earth. Water is a critical part of the hydrologic process which cools the earth as well as provides hydration for the inhabitants of the planet.
Natural Resources
Natural resources of the earth are things like water, air, trees, and mineral deposits, but they are more commonly considered to be the mineral, oil and precious metals deposits that create wealth for those who own the rights to the resources. The environment is affected by the natural resources that are located in a particular area. An example is the presence of underground coal reserves in the hills of Appalachia. Lifestyle, air quality, water quality and topography of the environment are all affected by the coal deposits.
Energy
The environment is affected by energy resources in many ways. As an example, consider the environmental factors around drilling an oil well. There is the direct effect on the appearance of the landscape. The oil may be found in pools at the surface. There is generally water and oil mixed to cool the drill teeth and this sludge can be found at the surface as well. If there is an oil well fire, the environment is affected even more negatively, with smoke spreading into the atmosphere, intense heat from the flames and destruction of the foliage and water in the nearby area.
Food and Nutrition
The environment is greatly affected by food crops that are grown in a particular area. The local environment of a village close to the ocean, including the work, culture and activities of indigenous peoples will be different than those living in a high desert region. If a crop requires extensive water, it will probably not do well in the desert regions of Nevada and Arizona. If a crop requires cold nights and temperate days, a seashore venue will probably not be an appropriate type of environment for the plant to flourish. The quality of the soil has a great deal to do with the nutritional levels of the inhabitants, and the soil is a part of the environmental factors that are a part of successful crops in an area. Soil can be improved through chemical means, but utilizing appropriate natural factors to improve food crops is critical in maintaining sustainable yields.
Global Warming
There are numerous discussions going on about the issue of global warming. Whether you view the temperature variations as part of an upward trend or whether you prefer to look at them as a simple temperature variation within a cyclical pattern doesn't change the fact that the temperature of the earth and of the oceans which make up three quarters of the surface of the earth are important environmental factors. Melting of snow pack and global ice packs are both important factors in today's environment and may have much wider effects than simple water temperature fluctuations.
Climate
The climate of the planet is hard to judge on the long term scale, since we have only been recording temperatures with any degree of accuracy for the last 150 years. This means that there are some facts about climate that can be considered relatively accurate, while others may only be part of a cycle. Scientists are just now beginning to understand cause and effect factors that impact the environment due to climate changes occurring in the earth.
Environmental factors play a great role in the health of the individual or larger community. It is known that clear cutting of forests in parts of Asia has resulted in movements of harmful insects into areas where they were not often found in the past. Outbreaks of diseases created because mosquitoes are moving into a fresh area have become dangerously obvious and hard to ignore. To think that environmental factors have no impact on the health of animals and persons is to ignore the proof that is readily apparent.
