Irrational use of natural resources examples. Rational environmental management: fundamentals and principles

The Federal Law “On Environmental Protection” states that “...reproduction and rational use of natural resources... are necessary conditions for ensuring a favorable environment and environmental safety...”

Environmental management (use of natural resources) is the totality of all forms of human impact on nature and its resources. The main forms of influence are: exploration and extraction (development) of natural resources, their involvement in economic circulation (transportation, sale, processing, etc.), as well as the protection of natural resources. In possible cases - resumption (reproduction).

Based on environmental consequences, environmental management is divided into rational and irrational. Rational environmental management is a consciously regulated, purposeful activity carried out taking into account the laws of nature and ensuring:

Society's need for natural resources while maintaining a balance between economic development and sustainability of the natural environment;

An environmentally friendly natural environment for human health and life;

Preservation of natural resources in the interests of present and future generations of people.

Rational use of natural resources ensures a regime of economical and efficient exploitation of natural resources with maximum extraction of useful products from them. Rational environmental management does not lead to drastic changes in natural resource potential and does not cause profound changes in the natural environment. At the same time, the norms of permissible impact on nature are observed, based on the requirements of its protection and causing the least harm to it.

A prerequisite is legislative support for environmental management at the state level, regulation, implementation of measures aimed at solving environmental problems and monitoring the state of the natural environment.

Irrational environmental management is an activity associated with a high intensity of use of natural resources, which does not ensure the conservation of the natural resource complex, and violates the laws of nature. As a result of such activities, the quality of the natural environment deteriorates, its degradation occurs, natural resources are depleted, the natural basis of people’s livelihoods is undermined, and their health is harmed. Such use of natural resources violates environmental safety and can lead to environmental crises and even disasters.

An ecological crisis is a critical state of the environment that threatens human existence.

Ecological disaster - changes in the natural environment, often caused by the impact of human economic activity, a man-made accident or natural disaster, leading to unfavorable changes in the natural environment and accompanied by massive loss of life or damage to the health of the population of the region, death of living organisms, vegetation, large losses of material values and natural resources.

The reasons for irrational environmental management include:

An unbalanced and unsafe system of environmental management that developed spontaneously in the last century;

The population has the idea that many natural resources are given to people for nothing (cutting down a tree to build a house, getting water from a well, picking berries in the forest); the entrenched concept of a “free” resource, which does not stimulate frugality and encourages wastefulness;

Social conditions that have caused a sharp increase in population, an increase in the productive forces on the planet and, accordingly, the impact of human society on nature and its resources (life expectancy has increased, mortality has decreased, production of food, consumer goods, housing, and other goods has increased).

Changing social conditions have caused a high rate of depletion of natural resources. In industrialized countries, the capacity of modern industry now doubles approximately every 15 years, constantly causing deterioration of the natural environment.

After humanity realized what was happening and began to compare economic benefits with the opportunities and environmental losses of nature, environmental quality began to be considered as an economic category (good). The consumer of this product is, first of all, the population living in a certain territory, and then industry, construction, transport and other sectors of the economy.

Many advanced countries, starting with Japan, in the middle of the 20th century embarked on the path of resource conservation, while the economy of our country continued extensive (cost-consuming) development, in which the growth of production volumes increased mainly due to the involvement of new natural resources in economic circulation. And at present, an unreasonably large volume of natural resource use remains.

The extraction of natural resources is constantly growing. For example, water consumption in Russia (for the needs of the population, industry, agriculture) has increased 7 times over 100 years. The consumption of energy resources has increased manifold.

Another problem is the fact that only about 2% of extracted minerals are converted into finished products. The remaining amount is stored in dumps, dissipated during transportation and overloading, lost during ineffective technological processes, and replenishes waste. In this case, pollutants enter the natural environment (soil and vegetation, water sources, atmosphere). Large losses of raw materials are also due to the lack of economic interest in the rational and complete extraction of all useful components from them.

Economic activity has destroyed entire populations of animals and plants, many species of insects, led to a progressive decrease in water resources, to the filling of underground workings with fresh water, due to which the aquifers of groundwater that feed rivers and are sources of drinking water supply are dehydrated.

The result of irrational environmental management was an intensive decrease in soil fertility. Acid rain, the culprit of soil acidification, is formed when industrial emissions, flue gases and vehicle exhausts dissolve in atmospheric moisture. As a result, the reserves of nutrients in the soil are reduced, which leads to damage to soil organisms and a decrease in soil fertility. The main sources and causes of soil pollution with heavy metals (soil pollution with lead and cadmium is especially dangerous) are car exhaust gases and emissions from large enterprises.

From the combustion of coal, fuel oil, and oil shale, soils are contaminated with benzo(a)pyrene, dioxins, and heavy metals. Sources of soil pollution are urban wastewater, industrial and household waste dumps, from which rain and melt water carry unpredictable sets of components, including hazardous ones, into the soil and groundwater. Harmful substances entering the soil, plants, and living organisms can accumulate there to high, life-threatening concentrations. Radioactive contamination of soils is caused by nuclear power plants, uranium and enrichment mines, and radioactive waste storage facilities.

When agricultural cultivation of the land is carried out in violation of the scientific principles of agriculture, soil erosion inevitably occurs - the process of destruction of the upper, most fertile soil layers under the influence of wind or water. Water erosion is the washing away of soil by melt or storm water.

Atmospheric pollution as a result of irrational environmental management is a change in its composition due to the arrival of impurities of technogenic (from industrial sources) or natural (from forest fires, volcanic eruptions, etc.) origin. Emissions from enterprises (chemicals, dusts, gases) travel through the air over considerable distances.

As a result of their deposition, vegetation is damaged, the productivity of agricultural land, livestock and fisheries decreases, and the chemical composition of surface and groundwater changes. All this affects not only natural systems, but also the social environment.

Motor transport is the largest air polluter of all other vehicles. Road transport accounts for more than half of all harmful emissions into the atmosphere. It has been established that road transport also leads in the range of harmful components in exhaust gases, which contain about 200 different hydrocarbons, as well as other harmful substances, many of which are carcinogens, i.e. substances that promote the development of cancer cells in living organisms.

A pronounced impact on humans from vehicle emissions is recorded in large cities. In houses located near highways (closer than 10 m from them), residents suffer from cancer 3...4 times more often than in houses located at a distance of 50 m or more from the road.

Water pollution as a result of irrational environmental management occurs mainly due to oil spills during tanker accidents, nuclear waste disposal, and discharges of domestic and industrial sewage systems. This is a big threat to the natural processes of water circulation in nature in its most critical link - evaporation from the surface of the ocean.

When petroleum products enter water bodies with wastewater, they cause profound changes in the composition of aquatic vegetation and wildlife, as their habitat conditions are disrupted. The surface oil film prevents the penetration of sunlight necessary for the life of vegetation and animal organisms.

Fresh water pollution poses a serious problem for humanity. The water quality of most water bodies does not meet regulatory requirements. About half of the Russian population is already forced to use water for drinking purposes that does not meet hygienic regulatory requirements.

One of the main properties of fresh water as a component of the environment is its irreplaceability. The environmental load on rivers has increased especially sharply due to insufficient quality of wastewater treatment. Petroleum products remain the most common pollutants for surface waters. The number of rivers with high levels of pollution is constantly growing. The current level of wastewater treatment is such that even in waters that have undergone biological treatment, the content of nitrates and phosphates is sufficient for intensive blooming of water bodies.

The condition of groundwater is assessed as pre-critical and tends to further deteriorate. Pollution enters them with runoff from industrial and urban areas, landfills, and fields treated with chemicals. Of the substances polluting surface and groundwater, in addition to petroleum products, the most common are phenols, heavy metals (copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel, mercury), sulfates, chlorides, nitrogen compounds, with lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury being highly toxic metals.

An example of an irrational attitude towards the most valuable natural resource - clean drinking water - is the depletion of the natural resources of Lake Baikal. Depletion is associated with the intensity of development of the lake’s riches, the use of environmentally dirty technologies and outdated equipment at enterprises that discharge their sewage (with insufficient treatment) into the waters of Lake Baikal and the rivers flowing into it.

Further deterioration of the environment poses a serious threat to the population and future generations of Russia. It is possible to restore almost any kind of destruction, but it is impossible to revive damaged nature in the foreseeable future, even for a lot of money. It will take centuries to stop its further destruction and delay the approach of an environmental catastrophe in the world.

Residents of industrialized cities experience an increased level of morbidity, since they are forced to constantly be in a polluted environment (the concentration of harmful substances in which can exceed the maximum permissible concentration by 10 or more times). To the greatest extent, air pollution manifests itself in an increase in respiratory diseases and a decrease in immunity, especially in children, and in the growth of cancer among the population. Control samples of agricultural food products unacceptably often show non-compliance with state standards.

The deterioration of environmental quality in Russia may cause disruption of the human gene pool. This is manifested in an increase in the number of diseases, including congenital ones, and a decrease in average life expectancy. The negative genetic consequences of environmental pollution on the state of nature can be expressed in the appearance of mutants, previously unknown diseases of animals and plants, a reduction in population sizes, as well as the depletion of traditional biological resources.

From early childhood, my parents took me on vacation to a small spring lake. I loved this lake, its clean and cool water. But, suddenly for us, it began to disappear and almost disappeared. It turned out that a local farmer began to irrigate his land with water from this lake, and his irrational activities drained the reservoir in just three years, leaving the entire area without water, and us without a lake.

Nature management

The use of natural resources has certain consequences, and I would like these actions to be aimed at creation, not destruction. With the development of technology, people are increasingly using natural resources, using them for their personal needs and enrichment. Moreover, such activity can be both rational and irrational. The first does not harm nature, does not change its appearance and properties, while the second leads to the depletion of deposits and air pollution.

Examples of rational environmental management

Rational use of resources implies their maximum possible reasonable consumption. For industry, this could be the use of a closed water cycle, the use of alternative types of energy, or recycling of recyclable materials.

Another example is the creation of parks and reserves, the use of new technologies that do not pollute the air, soil and water.

Examples of unsustainable environmental management

Unwise and negligent examples of environmental management can be observed at every step, and we are all already paying for such careless attitude towards nature. Here are some of these examples:

In my life, I quite rarely observe the rational use of resources, ranging from individual people to the scale of corporations and countries. I would like people to appreciate our planet more and use its gifts wisely.

Being a part of nature, man has used its gifts for many centuries to develop technology and for the benefit of human civilization, while causing colossal and irreparable harm to the surrounding space. Modern scientific facts indicate that it is time to think about the wise use of nature, because thoughtless waste of the earth's resources can lead to an irreversible environmental disaster.

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Environmental management system

The modern system of environmental management is an integral structure that covers all areas of human activity at the present stage, including public consumption of natural resources.

Science views environmental management as a set of measures for the rational use of natural resources, aimed not only at processing, but also at restoration, using improved methods and technologies. In addition, this is a discipline that provides theoretical knowledge and practical skills to preserve and enhance the natural diversity and wealth of the entire world space.

Classification of natural resources

By origin, natural resources are divided into:

According to industrial use, they are distinguished:

World Land Trust.
Forest fund is part of the land resources on which trees, shrubs, and grasses grow.
Hydro resources are the energy and fossils of lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans.

By degree of depletion:

Rational and irrational environmental management

Rational environmental management is the continuous impact of man on the surrounding space, where he knows how to manage relationships with nature on the basis of its conservation and protection from undesirable consequences in the process of his activities.

Signs of rational environmental management:

Restoration and reproduction of natural resources.
Conservation of land, water, animals and flora.
Gentle extraction of minerals and harmless processing.
Preservation of the natural environment for human, animal and plant life.
Maintaining the ecological balance of the natural system.
Regulation of fertility and population.

Rational environmental management implies the interaction of the entire natural system based on maintaining the laws of ecology, rationalization in the use, conservation and enhancement of available resources. The essence of environmental management is based on the primary laws of mutual synthesis of various natural systems. Thus, rational environmental management means the analysis of a biological system, its careful operation, protection and reproduction, taking into account not only current, but also future interests of the development of economic sectors and the preservation of human health.

Examples of rational environmental management are:

The current state of environmental management shows an irrational approach, which leads to the destruction of the ecological balance and a very difficult recovery from human impact. In addition, extensive exploitation based on old technologies has created a situation in which the environment is polluted and degraded.

Signs of irrational environmental management:

There are quite a large number of examples of irrational environmental management, which, unfortunately, prevails in economic activity and is characteristic of intensive production.

Examples of unsustainable environmental management:

Slash-and-burn farming, plowing of slopes on highlands, which leads to the formation of ravines, soil erosion and the destruction of the fertile layer of soil (humus).
Changes in hydrological regime.
Deforestation, destruction of protected areas, overgrazing.
Discharge of waste and sewage into rivers, lakes, seas.
Atmospheric pollution by chemicals.
Extermination of valuable species of plants, animals and fish.
Open method of mining.

Principles of rational environmental management

Human activity, as part of the search for ways to rationally use natural resources and improve environmental safety methods, is based on the following principles:

Ways to implement the principles

At the present stage, many countries are implementing political programs and projects in the field of applying rational methods of using natural resources, which relate to:

In addition, within the framework of a separate state, work is underway aimed at developing and implementing regional environmental plans and measures, and management and control of activities in this area should be carried out by state and public organizations. These measures will allow:

provide the population with environmentally friendly work in production;
create a healthy environment for residents of cities and villages;
reduce the hazardous impact of natural disasters and disasters;
preserve the ecosystem in disadvantaged regions;
introduce modern technologies to ensure environmental standards;
regulate acts of environmental legislation.

The problem of rational use of natural resources is much broader and more complex than it might seem at first glance. It must be remembered that in nature everything is closely interconnected and not a single component can exist in isolation from each other.

The damage caused during centuries of economic activity can be corrected only if society consciously approaches solving problems regarding the global environmental situation. And this is everyday work for the individual, the state and the world community.

In addition, before preserving any biological entity, it is necessary to thoroughly study the entire agrobiological system, acquire knowledge and understand the essence of its existence. And only by understanding nature and its laws, a person will be able to rationally use all its benefits and resources, as well as increase and save for the future generation of people.

Environmental management is a set of measures taken by society to study, develop, transform and protect the environment.

Rational environmental management is a system of environmental management in which:

The extracted natural resources are used quite fully and the amount of consumed resources is correspondingly reduced;

The restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured;

Production waste is fully and repeatedly used.

The system of rational environmental management can significantly reduce environmental pollution. Rational use of natural resources is characteristic of intensive farming.

Examples: the creation of cultural landscapes, nature reserves and national parks (the most such areas are in the USA, Australia, Russia), the use of technologies for the integrated use of raw materials, processing and use of waste (most developed in European countries and Japan), as well as the construction of wastewater treatment plants, application of closed water supply technologies for industrial enterprises, development of new, economically clean types of fuel.

Irrational environmental management is a system of environmental management in which:

The most easily accessible natural resources are used in large quantities and usually not fully, leading to their rapid depletion;

Large amounts of waste are produced;

The environment is heavily polluted.

Irrational use of natural resources is typical for extensive farming.

Examples: the use of slash-and-burn agriculture and overgrazing of livestock (in the most backward countries of Africa), deforestation of equatorial forests, the so-called “lungs of the planet” (in Latin American countries), uncontrolled waste discharge into rivers and lakes (in countries of Foreign Europe, Russia) , as well as thermal pollution of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, extermination of certain species of animals and plants, and much more.

Rational environmental management is a type of relationship between human society and the environment in which society manages its relationship with nature and prevents the undesirable consequences of its activities. An example is the creation of cultural landscapes; the use of technologies that allow for more complete processing of raw materials; reuse of industrial waste, protection of animal and plant species, creation of nature reserves, etc.

Irrational environmental management is a type of relationship with nature that does not take into account the requirements of environmental protection and its improvement (consumer attitude towards nature). Examples of such an attitude are excessive grazing of livestock, slash-and-burn agriculture, extermination of certain species of plants and animals, radioactive and thermal pollution of the environment. Also harming the environment is caused by rafting of timber along rivers with individual logs (moth rafting), draining swamps in the upper reaches of rivers, open-pit mining, etc. Natural gas as a raw material for thermal power plants is a more environmentally friendly fuel than coal or brown coal.

Currently, most countries are pursuing a policy of rational environmental management, special environmental protection bodies have been created, and environmental programs and laws are being developed. It is important for countries to work together to protect nature and to create international projects that would address the following issues:

1) assessing the productivity of stocks in waters under national jurisdiction, both inland and marine, bringing fishing capacity in these waters to a level comparable to the long-term productivity of the stocks, and taking timely appropriate measures to restore overfished stocks to a sustainable state, as well as cooperation in in accordance with international law to take similar measures with respect to stocks found on the high seas;

2) the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and its components in the aquatic environment and, in particular, the prevention of practices leading to irreversible changes, such as the destruction of species by genetic erosion or large-scale destruction of habitats;

3) promoting the development of mariculture and aquaculture in coastal marine and inland waters by establishing appropriate legal mechanisms, coordinating the use of land and water with other activities, using the best and most suitable genetic material in accordance with the requirements for the conservation and sustainable use of the external environment and the conservation of biological diversity, application of social and environmental impact assessments.

Environmental pollution and environmental problems of humanity. Environmental pollution is an undesirable change in its properties, which leads or may lead to harmful effects on humans or natural systems. The most well-known type of pollution is chemical (the release of harmful substances and compounds into the environment), but such types of pollution as radioactive, thermal (uncontrolled release of heat into the environment can lead to global changes in the natural climate), and noise pose no less potential threat. Environmental pollution is mainly associated with human economic activity (anthropogenic environmental pollution), but pollution is possible as a result of natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteorite falls, etc. All shells of the Earth are subject to pollution.

The lithosphere (as well as the soil cover) becomes polluted as a result of the influx of heavy metal compounds, fertilizers, and pesticides into it. Up to 12 billion tons of waste from large cities alone are removed annually. Mining developments lead to the destruction of natural soil cover over vast areas. The hydrosphere is polluted by wastewater from industrial enterprises (especially chemical and metallurgical enterprises), runoff from fields and livestock farms, and domestic wastewater from cities. Oil pollution is especially dangerous - up to 15 million tons of oil and petroleum products enter the waters of the World Ocean every year.

The atmosphere is polluted mainly as a result of the annual burning of huge amounts of mineral fuel and emissions from the metallurgical and chemical industries. The main pollutants are carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, and radioactive compounds.

As a result of growing environmental pollution, many environmental problems arise both at the local and regional levels (in large industrial areas and urban agglomerations) and at the global level (global warming, reduction of the ozone layer of the atmosphere, depletion of natural resources).

The main ways to solve environmental problems can be not only the construction of various treatment plants and devices, but also the introduction of new low-waste technologies, repurposing production, moving them to a new location in order to reduce the “concentration” of pressure on nature.

Specially protected natural areas (SPNA) are objects of national heritage and are areas of land, water surface and air space above them where natural complexes and objects are located that have special environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, recreational and health value, which withdrawn by decisions of state authorities in whole or in part from economic use and for which a special protection regime has been established.

According to estimates from leading international organizations, there are about 10 thousand large protected natural areas of all types in the world. The total number of national parks was close to 2000, and biosphere reserves - to 350.

Taking into account the peculiarities of the regime and status of the environmental institutions located on them, the following categories of these territories are usually distinguished: state natural reserves, including biosphere reserves; National parks; natural parks; state nature reserves; natural monuments; dendrological parks and botanical gardens; medical and recreational areas and resorts.

Nature management— ϶ᴛᴏ activity of human society aimed at satisfying ϲʙᴏ their needs through the use of natural resources.

There are rational and irrational use of natural resources.

Irrational environmental management

Irrational use of natural resources -϶ᴛᴏ system of environmental management, in which readily available natural resources can be used in large quantities and incompletely, which leads to rapid depletion of resources. In this case, a large amount of waste is produced and the environment is heavily polluted.

Irrational use of natural resources is typical for an economy developing through new construction, acquiring new lands, using natural resources, and increasing the number of workers. Such an economy initially brings good results at a relatively low scientific and technical level of production, but quickly leads to a decrease in natural and labor resources.

Rational environmental management

Rational environmental management— ϶ᴛᴏ system of environmental management, in which extracted natural resources can be used quite fully, the restoration of renewable natural resources is ensured, production waste can be fully and repeatedly used (i.e. waste-free production is organized), which can significantly reduce environmental pollution.

Rational use of natural resources is characteristic of intensive farming, which develops on the basis of scientific and technological progress and good organization of labor with high labor productivity. An example of rational environmental management can be waste-free production, in which waste can be completely used, resulting in reduced consumption of raw materials and minimized environmental pollution.

It is important to note that one of the types of waste-free production will be the repeated use in the technological process of water taken from rivers, lakes, boreholes, etc. The used water is purified and re-entered into the production process.

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