The problems of ecology are very important now. Which problem is the most urgent, in your opinion? What can you and the people around you do to protect the planet?
Environmental problems have become exceptionally acute in the modern
world, and environmental protection has become a vital necessity for
all people.
Our planet is in serious danger. One of the most important
environmental problems in the world today is the shortage of clean
water. Industrial pollution has made many sources of water
undrinkable. Rivers, lakes and even seas have become poisonous.
Thousands of fish die every year as a result of the illegal dumping
of waste in rivers by factories all over the world.
Lake Baikal is one of the worlds’ largest and most beautiful lakes.
It contains a rich variety of fish and plants, including 1,300 rare
species that do not exist anywhere else in the world. However, they
are being killed by massive industrial waste, which some factories
still pour into the lake every day. A few years ago people thought
that the supply of clean water was unlimited. Now clean water is
scarce, and we are beginning to respect this precious resource. We
must protect the clean water that remains for the sake of our
children and grandchildren.
Air pollution is another important problem. In hundreds of cities
and towns the concentration of harmful substances in the air is over
ten times the admissible level. Every day a huge number of plants
and factories emit lots of harmful substances into the atmosphere of
big cities. The great increase in the use of motor cars in the last
quarter of the twentieth century has caused an increase in a new
kind of air pollution. Pollution from factories and cars poison the
air we breathe, and is the main reason for the greenhouse effect and
acid rain.
Acid rain can damage life in lakes and rivers and destroy forests.
The greenhouse effect may also have disastrous consequences for our
planet. It is already affecting several areas of the world with
unusual weather causing droughts or heavy storms. The world’s
temperature is going up and the climate is changing. Cutting down on
emissions from large combustion plants and exhaust fumes from
vehicles would help solve the problem. I think we should try and use
alternative energy, such as solar energy and wind energy, and design
plants and cars that run on electricity, a much cleaner fuel than
petrol.
One of the most alarming environmental problems is depletion of the
ozone layer, which protects the Earth from the dangerous ultraviolet
rays of the sun. Because of the ozone holes, the dangerous rays get
through the atmosphere, causing skin cancer and other serious
diseases. Many scientists think that these ozone holes are the
result of air pollution.
In my opinion, the most urgent ecological problem today is the