Nowadays, scientists and politicians are talking not only about the threat of nuclear war. Nuclear weapons undoubtedly pose a danger to all mankind. Are we bringing the apocalypse closer with our own hands? However, there is another risk factor that can turn out to be no less terrible than nuclear weapons.
With the discovery of atomic energy, the threat of a large-scale catastrophe arose, as weapons of incredible destructive power were invented. On the one hand, it is a unique deterrent, and on the other hand, it can one day fire like a loaded gun hanging on the wall. No one has yet forgotten about the Cuban missile crisis and other incidents that could have ended in disaster.
Over time, peaceful uses of atomic energy were found. This is how nuclear power plants were created that generate cheap electricity. But this "medal" has its downside. If an accident occurs at a nuclear power plant, then radioactive emissions pollute a huge area. Natural resources also become unusable. For example, after the Chernobyl accident, deer meat and lichen in the Arctic had an increased content of cesium-137.
The planet cannot be changed
After Vanga's death, humanity heard about her heiress, a little girl, who announced that in 6 years the water would disappear. Naturally, it was about drinking water, and not about the seas and oceans. Currently, we are seeing a shortage of drinking water in a number of countries, and this in the near future may lead to military incidents.
However, humanity can destroy itself without a nuclear conflict. Our planet is exposed to radioactive substances, oil rivers spill, ground and surface waters are contaminated with various pesticides and toxic substances. At the same time, mineral resources are depleted, land fertility decreases, forests are destroyed. If this trend continues, a real apocalypse is coming.
Disposal of solid waste has long become a problem. The shortage of fresh water is growing every year. With the proliferation of GMOs and the decline in healthy food, many citizens are faced with the problem of being overweight and obese.
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We should also not forget about the electromagnetic pollution of the environment, the emergence of new diseases and epidemics on a global scale, mixed with man-made disasters. All of the above in the very near future can push civilization to complete degradation and a tragic denouement.
There is an opinion that at the moment we are at the peak of our development, and if some global changes do not occur in the near future, then we will face a recession and a universal catastrophe. Then humanity will repeat the fate of the legendary Atlantis. Or can the apocalypse be avoided?
The poisoning of the planet has reached incredible proportions
Poisoning of the environment has become one of the negative results of human activity. We grow fruits and vegetables on poisoned soil, and toxic pollutants constantly enter our bodies with water and air. How long will it last and how can it end?
More than three million hectares of local land are completely unsuitable for agricultural work, according to the Chinese Minister of Natural Resources. The reason for this is their high degree of contamination. The situation is believed to have been triggered by chemical, mining and other industrial enterprises. Most Chinese people are absolutely sure that the area of contaminated land is much larger than official statistics say.
The lead smelter in Nordenham, Germany, filled the soil within a radius of about a kilometer with an incredible amount of lead. It exceeded the permissible norm by 250 times.
When this mine goes off
Not only industrial enterprises are sources of environmental poisoning. If you examine the soil in the area of busy roads, you can identify an increased content of various heavy metals in it, formed by car exhaust. Animal waste, accidental releases of radioactive substances, pesticides, fertilizers and other by-products of our life also contaminate the soil.
Soil and biosphere pollution is a time bomb. The thing is that toxic elements are very slowly removed from the soil and constantly accumulate. And if the land can be poisoned without much difficulty, then cleaning it is difficult, expensive and without any guarantee of success.
France is a pretty picturesque country, but there are places where it is unpleasant and dangerous to appear. Most Russians have probably never heard of them. For example, "Zone Rouge" or "Red Zone". Its original area was over 1200 sq. km, and currently - less than 100 sq. km. This area is closed to visitors, and farming is also prohibited here. In these places there is an incredible amount of human remains, unexploded shells and all kinds of toxins. This developed country still has not got rid of the heavy legacy of the world wars.
Burning landfills everywhere
The first large-scale landfills appeared in the Middle Ages. At least, it was then that the first decrees were issued prohibiting throwing garbage on the street and pouring slop from the windows of houses. In those days, people did not particularly bother with etiquette, and any city dweller could easily throw out the contents of his chamber pot on the head of some passer-by.
The wide-brimmed hat of the musketeer was a very good defense against such surprises. Despite the fact that no one took out the waste or disposed of it, there was no problem from its presence. Most of the garbage was food and after a while it rotted. However, a large amount of unused food waste led to an increase in the rat population, which became one of the causes of the plague epidemic in medieval Europe.
The industrial revolution of the 19th century created a garbage problem that reached its climax a century later. The fact is that it takes 200 years or more to decompose plastic and other synthetic materials. The amount of solid waste is growing catastrophically every year. A foreign city dweller produces an average of 500 kg of garbage per year, while a Muscovite is still lagging behind and "gives out" only 320 kg.
Typically, solid waste is incinerated. When burned, synthetics emit poisonous smoke, which is dangerous for all living things around. If the wind is blowing from the side of the landfill, residents of the surrounding areas will hardly want to ventilate the premises.
Some Western countries have decided that it is not appropriate to burn garbage on their clean territory, but it is better to do it … well, for example, in Africa. For a small fee, barges with solid waste are sent to poor Africa, where waste is often incinerated near settlements.
Garbage islands
In 1988, a yachtsman named Charles Moore decided to try out a new yacht. In the Pacific Ocean, he fell into a giant garbage patch, which took a whole week to cross. Since then, this spot has been constantly growing and is rightfully called an island. And why not, because its area is several million square meters. km.
In the North Pacific Ocean currents form a huge whirlpool. He draws in trash from all the surrounding waters. Waste cannot leave the whirlpool, and every year their number increases significantly. The main component of this mass is plastic.
The trash island contains disposable dishes, plastic bottles, plastic chairs, bags and other products. For the entire animal kingdom, this is a real threat. According to the UN, plastic trash has killed about one million birds. Plastic waste also kills marine mammals - seals, dolphins, whales.
However, the best minds of the planet are already working on the problem of the "garbage apocalypse". New environmental standards are being developed (for example, Euro-6), methods of solid waste processing are being optimized. What do you think, is our planet threatened by an ecological disaster?