The environmental impact is the alteration in the environment by some action or activity from the human beings. It is caused by the imbalance caused by the shock of the relationship from the men with the environment. Nowadays there is a conscientization from humanity, and it is determining new behaviors and demanding new measures in the environmental sources’ management.
Example of impacts that cause damage and have a very difficult reversal:
Mining
The mining activity is one of the causes of many environmental impacts in Brazil. The small irregular mining can cause contamination, mainly by mercury, in the water of rivers, lakes and also in the soil.
Examples of areas that suffer with these problems in Brazil: Pará (extraction of bauxite, copper, manganese, gold and nickel), Minas Gerais (extraction of gold and manganese) and Goiás (extraction of nickel and copper).
Agriculture
The agriculture has been causing significant environmental impacts in the Brazilian cerrado, in Pantanal and in Amazônica Forest. Large green areas have been deforested for cattle breeding and soy planting.
These problems have been prejudicing the ecosystems of these regions, besides diminishing the green areas that must be preserved. Some climatologists affirm that the deforestation in the Amazônica Forest can be related to the decreased rainfalls in the southeast of Brazil.
Examples of areas that suffer with these problems in Brazil: South of Amazônia, north of Pantanal Mato-grossense and the north of cerrado.
Oil extraction
This activity is intense in the southeastern coast of Brazil. Accidents in oil platforms or oil tankers can cause serious damages to the environment, like, for example, a large mortality scale of fish, seabirds and other species of sea animals.
When we discard irregularly, some kind of waste that come from commercial and industrial establishments infiltrate through the soil and can contaminate the earth and the water tables that supply the hydrographic basins, polluting the environment and the water that we consume daily. The nature is one of the main victims of the irregular waste discard. Rivers, streams, channels and lagoons and all their ecosystems suffer with the pollution caused by the accumulation and the irregular waste discard.
Because of society’s conscientization, there are some ways to go against the environmental damage. It is necessary to join forces to avoid them, having some well-intentioned attitudes, like:
- Save water
- Avoid the exaggerated energy consumption
- Separate the organic and recyclable trash
- Reduce the use of vehicles
- Consume only the necessary and avoid buying compulsively
- Use ecological and biodegradable products
- Do not throw trash on the street
The conscious use of the natural resources, the consciousness of the future generations about the environmental preservation and the creation of laws that guarantee the environmental preservation are the main measures to diminish the environmental impact. As all the challenges we face, the conscientization has to start from the individual and one by one pass to society. The world we live is full of good things, we have to know how to enjoy everything that is offered to us worthily so that we can have an equilibrium between nature and human beings.
