Aman, A., & El-Khoury, J. (2015, May 22). Egypt Nile water pollution on the rise – Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. Retrieved August 24, 2015, from http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/05/egypt-nile-water-pollution-phosphate-ammonia-fish-drinking.html#

The pollution of the Nile River is a large problem in Egypt. Hazardous waste is dumped into the river and is causing water poisoning among people in the region. The Ministry of Environment has recorded a few instances of pollution in the Nile: wastewater has been released, dead animals have been dumped, and industrial solid waste has been released. Untreated water is used in agriculture that affects the quality of the food that is created. Many people in the region consume polluted water regularly. This is a large problem that needs to be fixed.

Water pollution is very common in third world countries. People are not concerned with the long-term affects associated with poor treatment of a region’s water resource. This leads to problems with agriculture and the health of the population. This is related to environmental science for those reasons. It is surprising to read about many different types of water pollution and how they can have different impacts on a region.

Flint, H. (2014, January 8). Latin American rivers among most polluted in the world, says new study. Retrieved August 24, 2015, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/argentina/10559685/Latin-American-rivers-among-most-polluted-in-the-world-says-new-study.html

Over 70 percent of used water in Latin America goes back into rivers without receiving any treatment. Sewage and industrial waste return to bodies of water. This is a large health hazard to people in the area. This causes problems with the regions supply of drinking water. Developing countries often lack water treatment plants, which leads to a lack of clean water.

A large percentage of Latin America’s water is contaminated. I experienced this at first hand when I was in Guatemala this summer. I got sick from drinking the water out of the faucet. We were told to only drink water from the water jugs that were at the house because the water is not potable. This problem is related to environmental science because it shows that when a nation lacks a water treatment program, it leads to unclean water being recycled over and over again.

Allen, K. (2015, May 4). Plastic Pollution = Cancer of Our Oceans: What Is the Cure? Retrieved August 24, 2015, from http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/04/plastic-pollution-cancer-oceans/

The ocean has a large quantity of plastic debris. During an average year, around 8 million metric tons of plastic is washed into the ocean. In the ocean, there is around 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 269,000 tons. The only way to fix the problem with ocean pollution is to completely eliminate disposable plastic. Ocean clean up is difficult due to the vastness of the ocean.

Plastic Pollution in the ocean affects environmental science. Plastic has a large impact on marine life. Many animals die due to entanglement and ingestion from plastic pollution. The other day I saw a picture of a turtle that had a straw lodged way up into its nostril and was saddened to see the affect pollution had on that particular turtle. Plastic is something that should not be used often because a lot of it ends up in bodies of water when not disposed of properly.

Krause, R. (2015, March 20). Oil spills keep devastating Niger Delta | Environment | DW.COM | 20.03.2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015, from http://www.dw.com/en/oil-spills-keep-devastating-niger-delta/a-18327732

Oil spills are a very big problem in the Niger Delta. Royal Dutch Shell and ENI have been extracting oil in the Niger Delta for a long time. In one year, these two companies were guilty of around 550 oil spills. The oil spills are degrading the very diverse ecosystem in the Niger Delta. Mangrove forests and fish are dying as a result of the high levels of pollution. This also affects people who live in the area. They have lost good source of fresh water due to pollution. People that are dependent on a thriving ecosystem, such as fisherman, are struggling to make money.

The oil spills in the Niger Delta have a large impact on Environmental Science. The entire ecosystem is being obliterated due to the selfishness of very powerful companies. These companies know that oil spills are bound to happen, however they continue to drill for oil. This shocks me to think that people are willing to affect the lives of millions of people and degrade an entire ecosystem for money.

Adopt a Topic: Water Pollution   Phase: World

Hsu, S. (2014, May 28). China’s Water Pollution Mire. Retrieved August 24, 2015, from http://thediplomat.com/2014/05/chinas-water-pollution-mire/

China’s well-known problem regarding air pollution overshadows its dilemma involving water pollution. It is a large problem that is a big health hazard. Pollution in water has been known to cause gastrointestinal cancer as well as other types. In many of these cases, factories dumping chemicals and waste in the water are to blame. There are other problematic areas as well. “Dumping of industrial chemicals, agricultural waste, and urban wastewater has contaminated China’s water resources such that over half of all rivers in the country are unsafe for human contact” (Hsu). A large percentage of the nation’s water pollution comes from agricultural pollution. Fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste are dumped into bodies of water with little thought. Potable water is scarce in China due to its large population and lack of consideration regarding water pollution. China’s water situation is dire.

This shows what can happen when a large population treats the environment poorly. There is a lack of healthy drinking water in the most populated nation in the world, which affects environmental science. Farmers provide a large portion of the food for the Chinese people. They are rewarded for this. However, they have a very negative impact on China’s water. Poor farming techniques contribute to over 70% of the pollution in the water. The article shocked me because I was not aware of how much pollution can come from agricultural waste.

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