Waste management

• Biodiversity is a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem
• Human activities like changing land use, deforestation, and peat bog destruction reduce biodiversity
• As the human population increases, the volume of waste and pollution produced also increases
• Pollution harms or kills the organisms living in ecosystems
• Modern society's consumption is not sustainable, leading to the depletion of natural resources
• Water pollution:

  • Open sewers in some parts of the world can contaminate water sources, causing serious illness
  • Overuse of fertilisers by farmers can lead to eutrophication
  • Toxic chemicals released illegally by factories can also pollute water
• Air pollution:

  • Combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide contributing to the greenhouse effect and global warming
  • Releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides causing acid rain
  • Tiny particulates from smoke can cause smog
  • Major cities like Delhi and Karachi have dangerously high levels of air pollution
• Land pollution:

  • Non-recycled rubbish goes into landfills
  • Batteries cannot be put into landfills due to toxic chemicals and must be recycled
  • Fly tipping, dumping rubbish illegally, is a form of land pollution
• Land use:

  • Human population growth leads to increased land use for housing, resources, food production, and waste disposal
  • Biodiversity is reduced when land is cleared for human activities like building, quarrying, farming, and waste disposal