2) Mention the causes of degradation of the environmental factor along with necessary programs needed to be conducted to maintain in the balanced ecosystem.

Environmental degradation:-

Environmental degradation is defined as any alteration in the composition or state of the environment which directly or indirectly causes harm to us.

The industrial chemicals, solid wastes and sewages are thrown carelessly. The industries are also located haphazardly. There are many places without proper toilet and drainage. The urine and garbage are observed everywhere. The water around the tanks, lakes, streams, ponds, rivers, etc. are polluted due to it. It has massively polluted the watersheds.

Because of the huge increase in population, environmental resources are being over exploited. The important natural and cultural heritages of the country are deteriorating.

 The major causes of environmental degradations are as follows:

v  Land degradation

The best case of environmental degradation can be seen in land degradation. There are climatic conditions responsible along with the human activities, which have brought about the degradation. The effects can be seen in the arid, semi-arid and dry sub humid lands. One of the causes is over grazing of land. Along with that the green cover has depleted severely in almost all parts of the world. The forest cover has made way for human settlement. This has resulted in the temperatures increasing with each passing day.

v  Pollution

Pollution is eating away into the environment. Here we are talking about air pollution, where toxic substances have made their way into the air, which has caused the air to become unhealthy. Air pollution is caused by a number of reasons. One of the most prominent causes is vehicle emissions. With each passing day, the numbers of vehicles are on the rise, which means increase in air pollution. The next cause is release of chemical waste from various factories. The waste often forms a layer in the atmosphere of the earth, which further affects the environment.

v  Population Growth

The underlying causes of environment going down way are overpopulation. The land reserve that is available on earth is finite. However, the demands are ever-increasing due to increasing population. There is only so much that one can actually extract from the earth. This has led to widespread use of chemicals and other toxins to produce more food to feed the ever-increasing number of people. This has further caused depletion of the earth. With the use of chemicals the biological balance of earth has also been destroyed as the microorganisms have been killed.

v  Industrial waste

Industrial waste is known to be hazardous to the environment. The waste can be in the form of liquid waste, which pollute the rivers and cause harm to the ecosystem present in the rivers. It can also be solid waste, which is not biodegradable and pollutes the environment and leads to its degradation. We have already spoken about the industrial waste emitted into the air.

v  Global warming

Different vehicles and factories emit harmful gases like sulpherdioxide, carbon monoxide and chlorofluro carbon that make a layer which permits the ultraviolet ray from the sun penetrate into the earth but they (rays) don’t escape from the earth. Due to this, the temperature of the earth increases and animals and plants are severely affected. This is called global warming.

How to control environmental degradation to maintain balanced Ecosystems

• Passing and implementing strict laws for industries and colonies. Those who are responsible for polluting air and water should be severely punished.
• Creating protected wildlife reserves. Certain species that are on the verge of extinction should be declared as 'protected species' by respective governments.
• Breeding certain species, and releasing them afterwards so that they can live in their own habitat. Preserving and creating proper habitats.
• Planting as many trees as possible. Reforestation or re-greening the damaged areas can help avoid desertification of land.
• Creating awareness by celebrating 'Earth Day', 'Green Day', 'Tree Day', etc.
• Eliminating foreign species can help native species of plants to grow.
• Cleaning the rivers, ponds and lakes.
• Avoiding use of plastic bags.
• Separating dry and wet garbage, composting, using wet garbage as manure.
• Avoiding use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
• Using innovative and different energy forms like solar energy, wind energy, etc.
• Limiting the use of vehicles by following the rule of carpool, taking stairs, walking or taking a bike ride whenever possible.
• Eating local products can help avoid wastage of gas and air pollution; as food products are transported by trucks, trains, ships or airplanes. They are processed with machines which require electricity to run.

We have overworked the planet. Still, we can stop environmental degradation by following certain rules. Creating awareness about the duties and responsibilities of the citizens of EARTH is equally important. Now that we know how humans affect the environment, let us not sit back leaving all the responsibility of conserving our planet on a handful of people. Each one of us can make a valuable contribution towards preserving our environment. Let us do our own bit, for, in the well-being of the environment lies the key to our survival.