EU - Environmental Issues in Europe (Lesson)

Environmental Issues in Europe

Introduction 

Now it is time to learn about the environmental concerns that face Europe’s nations today. You will learn about different types of pollution problems as well as the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster in this unit.

 

Environmental Concerns

Environmental concerns are a growing problem within many European countries. Europe has an abundant amount of natural resources which has allowed Europe to grow economically over the past centuries. The impact of removing natural resources from the environment and using them in everyday living has been very harmful to Europe's environment. For example, industrial development and growth throughout Europe has played a key factor in contributing to a problem known as air pollution. Air pollution is produced from the burning of oil and coal from factories and car exhausts. Air pollution is found throughout most of Europe's industrialized countries including Bulgaria, Poland, Estonia, and the Czech Republic. Air pollution can cause severe implications in people who are exposed to it daily. These implications include eye irritation, breathing problems, lung disease, and other types of cancers.

When air pollution mixes with precipitation, it falls back to Earth as acid rain. The damaging effects of acid rain can be seen throughout Europe. Acid rain is responsible for damaging forests in Eastern Europe, building structures such as Germany's Cologne Cathedral, and the ancient Roman and Greek statues made from limestone. Acid rain that falls into lakes, streams, and rivers directly affects the habitats of fish and other wildlife. Most animals die as a result of acid buildup.

Europe is faced with another challenge called water pollution. Europe's waterways are some of the most heavily polluted in the world. Raw sewage, garbage, and industrial wastes are dumped into lakes, seas, and rivers causing biological damage to animals that live in these habitats and to humans who consume the water out of these sources. As Europe's population continues to grow, the problem is becoming worse.

Using the digital flash cards, read more about water pollution problems in Europe.

Another problem facing Europe's waters is the runoff from farms. Runoff happens when rainwater flows across the land and picks up chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers along the way. These pollutants flow directly into the water supply. Certain fertilizers trigger the growth of algae. The algae uses up all the oxygen in the water ultimately killing the fish and other types of aquatic life.

In recent years, many European leaders have been trying to correct the problems associated with air pollution and acid rain by limiting the amount of pollutants that factories and cars emit into the atmosphere. Countries such as Norway and Sweden are adding large amounts of lime to their water sources in an attempt to stop the damage caused by acid rain. The added lime to the water counteracts the acidity of the water source which increases the vitality of the native fish species allowing them to spawn once again.

 Illustration showing how small pollution runoffs combine together to create large water pollution issues.
This illustration is from the University of Wisconsin-Extension and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

There has been a large effort by Europeans to clean up lakes and rivers by treating sewage and waste before it is dumped into water sources. In addition, some countries are encouraging farmers to use less fertilizer in an effort to reduce runoff. Europeans are making every effort to recycle paper, plastics, and glass in order to cut down on wastes.

 

Take a closer look...

Learn about the Chernobyl Disaster. Watch the presentation below to learn about the nuclear power plant explosion in Chernoybl, Russia and its effects.

 

 

 

 

You have learned about the environmental issues that face the nations of Europe such as acid rain, runoff, and air pollution. You also learned about the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster.

Use the digital flash cards as well as your other assignments to review.

 

 

 

 IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS