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Essays on Environmental Issues

Environmental issues are a crucial topic for essays, as they address some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet today. When choosing an environmental issues essay topic, it's important to consider the significance of the subject matter and the potential for impactful discussions. This article will offer advice on selecting a compelling topic and provide a diverse list of recommended essay topics, divided by category.

The Importance of Environmental Issues Essay Topics

Environmental issues encompass a wide range of challenges, including climate change, pollution, deforestation, and endangered species. These topics are critical because they directly impact the health of our planet and all its inhabitants. By addressing environmental issues in essays, students can raise awareness, promote solutions, and contribute to the global conversation about sustainability and conservation.

When choosing a topic for an environmental issues essay, it's essential to consider your interests, the current relevance of the issue, and the potential for generating thought-provoking discussions. You should also take into account the availability of credible sources and data to support your arguments. Additionally, choosing a specific aspect of a broader environmental issue can help narrow the focus of your essay and make your arguments more compelling.

Recommended Environmental Issues Essay Topics

  • Climate Change
  • The impact of climate change on global food security
  • Policy responses to climate change in developing countries
  • The role of renewable energy in mitigating climate change
  • Climate change adaptation strategies for vulnerable communities
  • Carbon pricing and its effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • The impact of climate change on wildlife
  • Strategies to mitigate climate change
  • The role of renewable energy in combating climate change
  • Climate change and its effect on agriculture
  • The importance of international cooperation in addressing climate change
  • Plastic pollution in the world's oceans
  • The health effects of air pollution in urban areas
  • Regulatory approaches to controlling industrial pollution
  • The impact of electronic waste on the environment
  • Strategies for reducing water pollution in agricultural areas
  • The effects of air pollution on human health
  • Ways to reduce water pollution
  • The role of government regulations in controlling pollution
  • The impact of industrial pollution on the environment
  • Deforestation
  • The effects of deforestation on biodiversity in tropical rainforests
  • Community-based forest management as a solution to deforestation
  • The role of corporate responsibility in combating deforestation
  • The impact of deforestation on indigenous communities
  • Reforestation efforts and their impact on climate change mitigation

Endangered Species

  • The ethical implications of captive breeding for endangered species conservation
  • The impact of illegal wildlife trade on endangered species populations
  • Conservation strategies for protecting endangered marine species
  • The role of ecotourism in supporting endangered species conservation
  • The potential for de-extinction in preserving endangered species

Sustainable Development

  • Challenges and opportunities for sustainable urban development
  • The role of sustainable agriculture in addressing food insecurity
  • The impact of consumer behavior on sustainable development goals
  • Corporate sustainability initiatives and their impact on the environment
  • The role of education in promoting sustainable development practices

Environmental Policy

  • The effectiveness of international agreements in addressing environmental issues
  • The role of government regulation in promoting environmental conservation
  • The impact of environmental lobbying on policy-making decisions
  • The potential for market-based solutions in environmental policy
  • The influence of public opinion on environmental policy development

Water Scarcity

  • The causes of water scarcity in developing countries
  • Technological solutions to address water scarcity
  • The impact of water scarcity on agriculture
  • Strategies for sustainable water management
  • The role of government policies in addressing water scarcity

Biodiversity Loss

  • The importance of preserving biodiversity
  • The impact of habitat destruction on biodiversity
  • Strategies for conserving endangered species
  • The role of ecotourism in promoting biodiversity conservation
  • The ethical implications of biodiversity loss

Waste Management

  • The challenges of e-waste disposal
  • Strategies for promoting recycling and composting
  • The impact of waste management on public health
  • The role of circular economy in reducing waste
  • The economic benefits of effective waste management

These environmental issues essay topics provide a wide range of options for students to explore and analyze. By choosing a compelling environmental issues essay topic, students can engage in meaningful discussions and contribute to the ongoing efforts to address the challenges facing our planet. It's climate change, pollution, deforestation, endangered species, sustainable development, or environmental policy - there are countless opportunities to explore and raise awareness about important environmental issues through essays.

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Environmental Problems: Challenges and Solutions

Air pollution: causes, effects, and solutions, environmental issues: the problem of climate change, the main factors of adapting to a new environment, the power of change: how you can change the world, different types and sources of pollution, the ecological footprint caused by human activities, geography's role in addressing global environmental risks, water pollution, its factors, and ways to reduce, human – the significant wellspring of global warming, climate change as the one of the biggest threats to humanity now, the long term effects of littering and pollution on the environment, a research on the relationship between the global economy and the environmental protection issues, the environment hazard of plastics, deforestation and the ways to overcome it, global warming and what people can do to save earth, we are causing environmental problems and we are suffering from them, the impact of china's progress on the environment, air pollution its causes and damaging effects, the top three individual contributors to climate change, relevant topics.

  • Global Warming
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environmental issue essay introduction

Environmental Issues - List of Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

Global warming: fact or fiction.

Introduction: Global Warming is the theory that the atmosphere of the earth is gradually increasing as a result of the increase in levels of greenhouse gases and pollutants being released. Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth's global average temperature has increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (The World Counts, 2014). There are generally two opinions regarding the argument of global warming: those who believe it is occurring and those who do not. People who believe in the issue back their opinions up […]

Carbon Footprint: Global Warming

Global warming (a gradual increase in the earth's and the oceans' average temperature) and carbon footprint (the amount of greenhouse gases primarily carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by human activities) coincide because without carbon footprint there would not be any global warming. When I was a child and growing up in Virginia, this state seemed experienced all four seasons. Today, this Old Dominion state seems to experience only two seasons summer and winter. I personally think this apparent change […]

Is Global Warming a Hoax?

Introduction As people, we can be privileged to all sorts of opinions. This creates the possibility of many controversies. Much like the argument Is Global warming a hoax? This is one of the most famous controversies happening around the world today. This dispute isn't just between the average person, scientist themselves disagreeing among one another. Which, is something I didn't expect before doing my own research. So the question is, what is global warming and why do some believe while […]

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How Can Climate Change Affect Natural Disasters?

Global warming is considered a consensus problem which affected the lives of many people and nature catastrophically. This terrible phenomenon can be described as the rise of the regular temperature of earth which occurs when pollutants in the atmosphere absorb the heat that has bounced off the surface and should be taken to space. (Venkataramanan, 2011). Many people disagree on its existence, however the usual temperature of earth has risen about 1 degree Fahrenheit as said by NASA (Hardy, 2003). […]

Overpopulation in the World

Introduction The current world population stands 7.6 billion as per the United Nations Statistics, while the human population is projected to clock 10.5 billion in the year 2040 and 12 billion by the year 2050. The current human population growth rate per year 70 million. China has got the highest number of people per unit area, with the total population being 1.2 billion. The African continent has reached the highest population growth rate, which is 6 percent while the lowest […]

How does Global Warming Affect the Arctic Animal?

Over the past years, global warming had slowly gotten worse and is now affecting the animals leaving them without a home to go to. Not only does climate change increases the chances of natural disaster but also destructing our natural habitat and creating an unfit environment to survive in. What's worse is the rise in temperature leading a meltdown of ice among the arctic creating an extreme difficult condition and the struggle for species to make a living. Essentially, global […]

Greenhouse Effect & Types of Pollution

Transportation, industrial, phonic, water and air are all types of pollution coming from personal cars, cruise ships and smokestacks, decreasing the clean air to breathe, homes for animals, food production, and great changes to the poles. Global warming is severely affecting our planet, and it continues to grow out of control. Global warming is the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere. This causes the greenhouse gases to increase, increasing the levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and […]

Global Warming – Rising Temperature of the Atmosphere and Ocean

Throughout earth's history, climate has fluctuated (for example ice age). However, if you take into account how many organisms have evolved, and how each one depends on their habitats to survive, fluctuations will be more harmful now, especially to humanity. The main cause of global warming is thought to be the result of human actions, for example; Carbon dioxide emissions (from cars and other transport) interfering with the Ozone layer, deforestation (from workers creating space for cattle grazing), and farming […]

Global Warming: its Causes and its Real Impact on the Earth

The steadily increasing temperature of our planet's atmosphere is known as global warming. Global warming has been a subject of much political and social controversy in recent years due to arguments questioning its legitimacy. When the facts of these arguments are seen in context, their relevance becomes apparent. The data clearly indicate that global warming is happening and that it is human-induced. The anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases negatively impacts our environment, causing an increase in global temperature. This results […]

Global Warming Affects the Natural Balance of Environment

The world climate is changing significantly day by day. What is Global Warming? Global Warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide. Climate change causes an increase in average temperature. However a worldwide temperature adjustment are caused by characteristic occasions and humans that are accepted to be an add to accretion in normal temperatures. An Earth-wide temperature boost is a difficult issue […]

Climatic Changes in Greenland

Greenland is mostly covered in ice making it susceptible to melting from warm temperatures. The reason this country is named Greenland is because when Erik the Red was banned from Iceland he discovered this icy country and gave it the name in hopes of people settling (Pandita). In July and August of this year, the number of surface melt days on the Southwestern coast of Greenland was significantly above average, which is clearly an indication that global warming has begun […]

Global Warming – a Fix for the Future

Everyone has heard the infamous words global warming, but not many understand the disaster that's happening. Terms are thrown out such as carbon emissions and greenhouse gases the list goes on, and those not scientifically savvy tend to brush off what may become the downfall of humanity. According to Nasa's official website, The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and […]

The Art of Global Warming

Mankind has felt the need to leave its mark on history since the dawn of human civilization. There is evidence of this close to home in the tallest skyscrapers of New York and as far-reaching as Neil Armstrong's footprints on the moon. But how far is too far? As we have grown, so too has our knowledge of the world and the advancements in science and technology that come with it. So much so, that we are now faced with […]

The Greenhouse Effect

Human activities have contributed to what we now know as 'Global Warming' since the 19th century. Global Warming also known as the Greenhouse Effect is the warming that happens when Earth's atmosphere traps heat, almost like the walls of a greenhouse. Sunlight shines on the Earth where it is then absorbed and radiated back into the atmosphere as heat and is then trapped by what we call greenhouse gasses. Experts warn that we only have until 2030 to stem catastrophic […]

Climate Change: Vulnerability and Responsibility

When it comes to the environment people talk about how it is important to care for the earth we live in. While it is important to discuss such issues it is more beneficial to take action rather than to just talk about it. The earth is in desperate need of aid and though to many, it may not matter that the earth has increased a few degrees it can and has had devastating impacts. Taking responsibility for our home is […]

Climate Change – Scientists and Environmentalists are Deeply Concerned

Anthropogenic climate change and global warming cannot be denied. By reducing pollution, preventing deforestation and curtailing oil drilling, we can preserve the environment and mitigate the effects of global warming. Global warming is detrimental to Earth's environment. Most people are not aware of this and do not consider it as a major threat to earth's biosphere. The purpose of the images shown here is to highlight the causes, impact and mitigation of global warming. There are ways we can mitigate […]

Global Warming and the Future of the World’s Climate

Although hard to imagine, in less than a hundred years the US East Coast and other stretches of coastline around the world could be submerged underwater. Cites such as New York, New Orleans, and Houston could be swamped off the map as the waters of the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico overtook the previously dry land. The skyscrapers of the old downtown areas would become islands poking out of a vast sea of blue covering the roads and old infrastructure. […]

Climate Change – Critical Issue

I believe that among the numerous critical issues facing most Americans in this world today, climate change stands as one of, if not the most urgent. However, understanding and assimilating the different causes of the ever-growing environmental problems critically facing our lives today are crucial for reducing our pollution footprint. Climate change effects include major changes in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, as well as other frequent disastrous weather phenomenon. That said, climate change policy in the US has transformed timidly […]

Global Warming – Several Major Agrarian Concerns

For many years, researchers have focused on maintaining the availability of food sources for the ever-growing human population. There are many factors that may impact the abundance of food; this research will focus on overall increase in temperature across the world and its impact on the agricultural environment. Global warming is a major research topic that presents several major agrarian concerns. In order to combat these concerns, scientists have been trying to find the root causes of problems presented through […]

The World should Turn to Vegetarian Diet to Stop Global Warming

A vegetarian according to vegetarian society is somebody who is on a diet of fruits, seeds, grains, vegetables, legumes, nut, yeast, fungi, algae, and/or some other non-animal grounded food (e.g. salt) with or minus dairy foods, eggs and/or honey. Global warming according to live science is the continuing temperature of the ground's surface, seas and thermosphere are any of the utmost frustrating environmental matters. Normal side heats high an entire of 1.71 units Fahrenheit (0.95 unit Celsius) between 1880 and […]

Causes and Effects of Global Warming

People are arguing if global warming is caused by man or if its a natural occurrence. Well, volcanoes have contributed to global warming such as El Chichon in 1982 and Pinatubo in 1991 they have cooled the earth's temperature but this was temporary. however, the amount of carbon dioxide they reliance is small compared to humans there are other things that can cause natural temperature changes tiny wiggles in the earth's orbit can change when and where sunlight hits even […]

Is a Tax on Carbon Emission a Way to Combat Global Warming?

In today's modern world, and especially during our current political environment, there is a big question of how important environmental issues are going to be now in our changing American government. Now that things are evolving and a new generation is casting their votes, most Americans are curious to see how the votes turn out and what are politicians will do regarding getting more awareness for climate change. After the elections, the next big concern is if the people within […]

Impact of Society on Earth’s Atmosphere

Everyday society is impacting the earth's atmosphere weather it is in a good or bad way. Mostly society effects the earth's atmosphere in a negative way, although people are aware of the current situation, they still continue to do the things that effect the earth atmosphere in a negative way. These things being burning fossil fuels, deforestation, or as easy as using fertilizers. According to climate change sheet 22 last modified on 07/18/2012 nitrogen contained in many fertilizers enhances the […]

Solutions on Pollution Issue

Funding is the most important factor in order to improve the current conditions of Vietnam. Seven principles which pollution control funds should aim to follow can be drawn from the decade of experience with environment funds of various kinds in Vietnam. To be effective, EPFs should: 1.Have a clear and overriding objective of pollution reduction and prevention. 2.Work according to a comprehensive pollution control plan of government which is based on credible and systematic priority setting procedures. 3.Integrate with the […]

How Global Warming Works

There's bright blue in the past, now there is horrible gray in the future and more heat in the summers, and the winters are getting warmer than usual. The seas and oceans rising, the ice caps falling, and animals decreasing. It is time to come to a conflict that could make our planet Earth fall. Welcome to a tremendous problem EVERYONE is trying to solve global warming. Industrializing is a benefit for us and the economy. All of this falls […]

The Global Warming Taboo

It is still hard to understand that the topic of Global Warming is still being thrown under the rug as it is perceived by some that it is not a leading issue that needs to be tackled. It makes me wonder why so much of America can't see the problems that are being created just by our everyday actions. Due to the fact that the issue is still under mass controversy leads the topic of global warming to be a […]

Natural Disasters and Climate Change

Global warming is the gradual increase of temperature in the world's atmosphere. It is often caused by high levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. It may also be increased by fossil fuels and agriculture causing many severe consequences, such as: species extinction, reduced forest and coral reefs, drought increases in Africa, severe flooding in Asia, threats to small islands because of ocean levels rising, and severe weather in hurricane zones. Our society today is destroying the climate. Every time […]

Climate Change: Environmental Protection Agency

Global warming, often referred to as climate change is used to describe the rise in average surface temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently changing the Earth's climate. There is a great debate amongst many as to whether global warming is real( some call it a hoax). There is a broad-based agreement within the scientific community that climate change is real. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space […]

Global Warming and its Effects

Global warming has been a top discussion for a while now. Some people believe it is true based on the change in weather, more fires/floods, and severe droughts in some areas while others deny the fact that it is occurring. Recently, the topic of global warming has become more of a political topic. This is probably because a lot of the industries that are causing some of the issues would be affected financially if they were forced to take responsibility […]

The Story of Stuff

Four main issues have been discussed in the fourth chapter, "Consumption" of The Story of Stuff. The four themes are discussed below: Unhappy People, Nation, and PlanetAnnie emphasizes that many stuff doesn't make us happy but the work done out of hard work makes one satisfied thus one is happy. She goes further to say that "we can only compromise so much until no solution is reached." If one is rich, it is assumed he is happy, and those who […]

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Essay on Environment: Examples & Tips

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  • Updated on  
  • May 30, 2022

Essay on Environment

In the 21st century, the Environmental crisis is one of the biggest issues. The world has been potentially impacted by the resulting hindrance in the environmental balance, due to the rising in industrialization and urbanization. This led to several natural calamities which creates an everlasting severe impact on the environment for years. To familiarize students with the importance environment, the subject ‘Environmental Studies’ is part of the curriculum in primary, secondary as well as higher school education. To test the knowledge of the students related to Environment, a question related to the topic in the form of essay or article writing is included in the exam. This blog aims to focus on providing details to students on the way, they can draft a well-written essay on Environment.

This Blog Includes:

Overview on environment, tips on writing an effective essay, format (150 words), sample essay on environment, environment essay (100 words), essay on environment (200-250 words), environment essay (300 words), world environment day.

To begin the essay on Environment, students must know what it is all about. Biotic (plants, animals, and microorganisms) and abiotic (non-living physical factors) components in our surroundings fall under the terminology of the environment. Everything that surrounds us is a part of the environment and facilitates our existence on the planet.

Before writing an effective essay on Environment, another thing students need to ensure is to get familiarised with the structure of essay writing. The major tips which students need to keep in mind, while drafting the essay are:

  • Research on the given topic thoroughly : The students must research the topic given in the essay, for example: while drafting an essay on the environment, students must mention the recent events, so to provide the reader with a view into their understanding of this concept.
  • Jot down the important points: When the students research the topic, students must note down the points which need to be included in the essay.
  • Quote down the important examples: Students must quote the important examples in the introductory paragraphs and the subsequent paragraphs as well.
  • Revise the Essay: The student after finishing writing students must revise the content to locate any grammatical errors as well as other mistakes.

Essay on Environment: Format & Samples

Now that you are aware of the key elements of drafting an essay on Environment, take a look at the format of essay writing first:

Introduction

The student must begin the essay by, detailing an overview of the topic in a very simple way in around 30-40 words. In the introduction of the essay on Environment, the student can make it interesting by recent instances or adding questions.

Body of Content

The content after the introduction can be explained in around 80 words, on a given topic in detail. This part must contain maximum detail in this part of the Essay. For the Environment essay, students can describe ways the environment is hampered and different ways to prevent and protect it.

In the essay on Environment, students can focus on summing the essay in 30-40 words, by writing its aim, types, and purposes briefly. This section must swaddle up all the details which are explained in the body of the content.

Below is a sample of an Essay on Environment to give you an idea of the way to write one:

The natural surroundings that enable life to thrive, nurture, and destroy on our planet called earth are referred to as an environment. The natural environment is vital to the survival of life on Earth, allowing humans, animals, and other living things to thrive and evolve naturally. However, our ecosystem is being harmed as a result of certain wicked and selfish human actions. It is the most essential issue, and everyone should understand how to safeguard our environment and maintain the natural balance on this planet for life to continue to exist.

Nature provides an environment that nourishes life on the planet. The environment encompasses everything humans need to live, including water, air, sunshine, land, plants, animals, forests, and other natural resources. Our surroundings play a critical role in enabling the existence of healthy life on the planet. However, due to man-made technical advancements in the current period, our environment is deteriorating day by day. As a result, environmental contamination has risen to the top of our priority list.

Environmental pollution has a detrimental impact on our everyday lives in a variety of ways, including socially, physically, economically, emotionally, and cognitively. Contamination of the environment causes a variety of ailments that can last a person’s entire life. It is not a problem of a neighborhood or a city; it is a global issue that cannot be handled by a single person’s efforts. It has the potential to end life in a day if it is not appropriately handled. Every ordinary citizen should participate in the government’s environmental protection effort.

Between June 5 and June 16, World Environment Day is commemorated to raise awareness about the environment and to educate people about its importance. On this day, awareness initiatives are held in a variety of locations.

The environment is made up of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, water bodies, fish, humans, trees, microbes, and many other things. Furthermore, they all contribute to the ecosystem.

The physical, social, and cultural environments are the three categories of environments. Besides, various scientists have defined different types and numbers of environments.

1. Do not leave rubbish in public areas. 2. Minimize the use of plastic 3. Items should be reduced, reused, and recycled. 4. Prevent water and soil contamination

Hope the blog has given you an idea of how to write an essay on the Environment. If you are planning to study abroad and want help in writing your essays, then let Leverage Edu be your helping hand. Our experts will assist you in writing an excellent SOP for your study abroad consultant application. 

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Environmental Issues Essay

Climate change is happening because of human activity. We're releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the Earth to warm up. This is called global warming, and it's a huge problem. Here are some sample essays on environmental issues.

  • 100 Words Essay On Environmental Issues

Our environment is changing due to disruption. These are small steps you can take on an individual level that together can have a huge impact on the environment. And if enough individuals start taking such steps, we could make huge strides towards preserving the environment for future generations. As an individual, you can:

200 Words Essay On Environmental Issues

500 words essay on environmental issues.

Environmental Issues Essay

Reduce your energy consumption by changing to LED or CFL light bulbs and unplugging electronic devices when not in use;

Use public transport or carpool instead of driving;

Buy locally produced food and products as much as possible;

Separate your waste for composting and recycling instead of sending it all to landfills; and

Plant trees in your yard.

In the past several centuries, humans have altered land use in order to accommodate growing populations and economic development needs. This has led to a range of environmental issues such as habitat destruction, soil erosion, pollution, species extinction and water scarcity.

How Changes in Land Use Can Lead to Environmental Issues

As a result of the disruption due to growing population, the global climate has been thrown off balance, leading to more frequent and intense natural disasters like floods, hurricanes and droughts.

One of the most pressing environmental issues caused by changes in land use is deforestation. Trees are vital for storing carbon dioxide, as well as providing habitats for wildlife. Unsustainable logging practices have led to extreme cases of deforestation that result in global warming and habitat loss. Additionally, when trees are removed from ecosystems it can lead to soil erosion which contributes to water pollution and scarce resources for the surrounding wildlife.

In addition to deforestation there are many other activities that can disrupt land use such as oil drilling, urbanization or different types of agriculture. It’s important for us to be aware of how our behaviors can cause harm to our environment so that we can take steps towards improving land management practices in order to ensure our planet remains healthy for future generations.

You sit down to dinner, and suddenly you're confronted with a difficult decision. You can either have a steak that's been raised on a factory farm, where the animal has been exposed to antibiotics and growth hormones, or you can choose something that's organic and humanely raised.

The same dilemma confronts us when we shop for groceries, clothes, or anything else. Do we want to buy something that's bad for the environment, or do we want to make a conscious choice to purchase something that will help sustain it?

It's not always easy to make the right decision, but it's important that we try. Why has the climate been changing, and why do people think it's a problem?

Examining the Effects of Pollution

Pollution is having a devastating effect on the environment. Pollution is causing irreversible damage to our planet, and it's happening on a scale that is unprecedented in human history.

The effects of pollution are far-reaching and complex. They can be felt in every corner of the globe, from the air we breathe to the water we drink. Pollution is making our planet uninhabitable, and if we don't take action now, we will be facing a very uncertain future.

Impact of Deforestation on the Environment

Deforestation is a major issue that is contributing to climate change and has a serious impact on the environment.

When trees are cut down, it not only reduces the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, but it also leads to the release of carbon dioxide. This, in turn, accelerates climate change and contributes to the greenhouse effect. Deforestation also affects water systems, contributing to floods and droughts.

Exploring Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Environmental Impact

One of the biggest things you can do to reduce your environmental impact is to make lifestyle changes. This can mean anything from reducing your consumption to changing the way you travel and even altering your diet.

Reducing consumption means buying less, reusing and repurposing items, and recycling more. It also means being mindful of what you throw away.

When it comes to transportation, try switching to public transport or carpooling when possible. Or, if you’re looking for something a bit more sustainable, why not try walking or cycling?

Lastly, food is another area where you can make changes. Eating locally sourced food that’s in season reduces your carbon footprint and helps local farmers.

So, what do we need to do?

To start, it’s important to realize that individuals can make a difference. There is no single answer to this question; it will require action from all of us. But if we each take small steps in our own lives, we can make a big difference. Here are a few ideas to get started:

Reduce your consumption, and choose products that are environmentally friendly

Reuse and recycle whenever possible

Educate yourself and others about environmental issues

Support organizations that are working to protect the environment

Together, we can make a difference. Let's work together to create a more sustainable future for our planet.

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Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences Essay

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  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
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Environmental pollution is the unwarranted discharge of mass or energy into the planet’s natural resource pools, such as land, air, or water, which detriments the environment’s ecological stability and the health of the living things that inhabit it. There is an intensified health risk and pollution in middle and low-income countries due to the increased use of pesticides, industrialization, the introduction of nitrogen-based fertilizers, forest fires, urbanization, and inadequate waste management (Appannagari, 2017). Air pollution, lead and chemicals exposure, hazardous waste exposure, and inappropriate e-waste disposal all result in unfavorable living conditions, fatal illnesses, and ecosystem destruction. The essay will provide an overview of pollution and proffer solutions to combating pollution for a sustainable environment and health.

In addition to hindering economic development and considerably accelerating climate change, pollution exacerbates poverty and inequality in urban and rural areas. The most pain is always experienced by the poor, who cannot afford to protect themselves against pollution’s harmful effects. The main environmental factor contributing to sickness and early mortality is pollution due to premature deaths resulting from pollution (Appannagari, 2017). Due to the unacceptably high cost to human capital and health, as well as the resulting GDP losses, pollution must be addressed. Through initiatives like reducing black carbon and methane emissions, which are responsible for air pollution and climate change, pollution management can also significantly contribute to climate change mitigation (Appannagari, 2017). Additionally, pollution control can promote competitiveness through, for instance, job growth, increased energy efficiency, better transportation, and sustainable urban and rural development. Below are the various approaches for solutions to health and pollution problems.

First, governments should evaluate pollution as a national and international priority and integrate it into the city and country planning process. Pollution affects the health and well-being of societies and, as such, cannot be solely viewed as an environmental issue (The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, 2017). All levels of government should give pollution prevention a high priority, incorporate it into development planning, and tie it to commitments regarding climate change, SDGs, and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Some options are both affordable and offer good returns on investment.

Secondly, governments should increase funding for pollution control and prioritize it by health impacts. There should be a significant increase in the financing for pollution management in low- and middle-income nations, both from national budgets and international development organizations (The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, 2017). The most effective international support for pollution reduction is when it mobilizes additional actions and funding from others. Examples include helping towns and nations that are quickly industrializing concerning technical capacity building, regulatory and enforcement support, and support for direct actions to save lives. Monitoring financing initiatives are necessary to determine their cost-effectiveness and to raise accountability.

Thirdly, organizations should work to build multicultural partnerships for pollution control. Public-private partnerships and interagency cooperation can be powerful tools in creating clean technology and energy sources that will ultimately prevent pollution at its source (The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, 2017). Collaborations between ministries that include the ministries of finance, energy, development, agriculture, and transport, as well as the ministries of health and the environment, are crucial in pollution control. Governments should promote monitoring systems that could identify and apportion pollution sources, measure pollution levels, guide enforcement, and assess progress toward goals. The use of new technology in pollution monitoring, such as data mining and satellite images, can boost effectiveness, broaden the monitoring area, and cut costs.

One of the main issues facing the world in the current period is pollution. Natural resources are depleting daily due to car emissions, new technologies, factories, and chemicals added to food. All of these factors seriously harm the world. However, the problems caused by pollution can be prevented by building multicultural partnerships, increasing funding for pollution control, integrating it into the country’s planning process, and adopting new technology for monitoring pollution. Preventing pollution lowers the cost to the environment and the economy.

Appannagari, R. R. (2017). Environmental pollution causes and consequences: A study . North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science and Humanities , 3 (8), 151-161. Web.

Excell High School. (2018). Environmental Science . Excel Education Systems, Inc. Web.

The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. (2017). Pollution and health: Six problems and six solutions. Knowledge, Evidence, and Learning for Development.

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IvyPanda. (2023, December 18). Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences. https://ivypanda.com/essays/environmental-pollution-causes-and-consequences/

"Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences." IvyPanda , 18 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/environmental-pollution-causes-and-consequences/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences'. 18 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences." December 18, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/environmental-pollution-causes-and-consequences/.

1. IvyPanda . "Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences." December 18, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/environmental-pollution-causes-and-consequences/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences." December 18, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/environmental-pollution-causes-and-consequences/.

Writing a Paper about an Environmental Issue

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environmental issue essay introduction

  • Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology, University of Maine
  • M.A., Natural Resources, Humboldt State University
  • B.S., Biology, Université du Québec à Rimouski

Are you a student tasked with writing a research paper on an environmental issue? These few tips, along with some hard and focused work, should get you most of the way there.

Find a Topic

Look for a topic that speaks to you, that grabs your attention. Alternatively, choose a topic about which you are genuinely interested in learning more. It will be a lot easier to spend time working on something of interest to you.

Here are some places you can find ideas for a paper:

  • Global warming
  • Biodiversity
  • Deforestation
  • Fossil fuels
  • Water Pollution
  • The science or environment sections of major newspapers and news organizations will feature articles about current environmental news and events.
  • Environmental news websites like Grist or Environmental News Network .

Conduct Research

Are you using internet resources? Make sure you can assess the quality of the information you find. This article from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab is useful to help with assessing the quality of your sources.

Print resources are not to be neglected. Visit your school or city library, learn how to use their search engine, and talk to your librarian about accessing the resources available.

Are you expected to constrain your sources to primary literature? That body of knowledge consists of peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals. Consult your librarian for help with accessing the proper databases to reach those articles.

Follow Instructions

Carefully read the handout or prompt given to you and which contains instructions about the assignment. Early in the process, make sure you choose a topic that will satisfy the assigned requirements. Once half-way through the paper, and once when it’s done, check it against the instructions to make sure you didn’t drift away from what was required.

Start With a Solid Structure

First craft a paper outline with your main ideas organized, and a thesis statement . A logical outline will make it easy to gradually flesh out ideas and eventually produce complete paragraphs with good transitions between them. Make sure all the sections serve the purpose of the paper outlined in the thesis statement.

After you have a good draft produced, put the paper down, and don’t pick it up until the next day. It’s due tomorrow? Next time, start working on it earlier. This break will help you with the editing stage: you need fresh eyes to read, and re-read your draft for flow, typos, and a myriad other little problems.

Pay Attention to Formatting

Along the way, check that you are following your teacher’s formatting instructions: font size, line spacing, margins, length, page numbers, title page, etc. A poorly formatted paper will suggest to your teacher that not only the form, but the content is of low quality as well.

Avoid Plagiarism

First, make sure you know what plagiarism is , you can then more easily avoid it. Pay especially close attention to properly attributing the work you cite.

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Essay on Global Environmental Issues

Students are often asked to write an essay on Global Environmental Issues in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Global Environmental Issues

Introduction.

Global environmental issues are challenges affecting our planet. They include climate change, deforestation, air and water pollution, and biodiversity loss.

Climate Change

Climate change is a significant problem. It’s caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.

Deforestation

Deforestation involves cutting down trees, leading to habitat loss for many species. It also contributes to climate change, as trees absorb carbon dioxide.

Air and water pollution harm both humans and wildlife. They are caused by waste and harmful substances released into the environment.

Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity loss means the extinction of different species. This imbalance affects ecosystems and can lead to the loss of essential services nature provides.

250 Words Essay on Global Environmental Issues

Global environmental issues are a pressing concern in today’s world. These challenges, ranging from climate change to biodiversity loss, are interconnected, affecting every corner of the globe and every aspect of human life.

Climate change, largely driven by human activities, is causing a rise in global temperatures, sea-levels, and extreme weather events. The consequences include droughts, floods, and storms, which threaten human settlements, agriculture, and economies.

Biodiversity loss is another grave issue. Human actions, such as deforestation and pollution, are leading to the extinction of species at an unprecedented rate. This loss of biodiversity disrupts ecosystems and the services they provide, including food security and disease control.

Pollution, in its various forms, is another global environmental issue. Air pollution contributes to respiratory diseases and climate change, while water pollution affects aquatic life and human health. Plastic pollution, particularly in the oceans, is a growing concern, harming marine life and entering the human food chain.

In conclusion, to address these global environmental issues, we need international cooperation, sustainable practices, and innovative solutions. The collective action of governments, businesses, and individuals is crucial for the health of our planet and future generations.

500 Words Essay on Global Environmental Issues

Introduction to global environmental issues.

The 21st century is marked by an array of global environmental issues that pose significant threats to the planet and its inhabitants. These issues, primarily caused by human activities, range from climate change and deforestation to pollution and biodiversity loss. The urgency to address these challenges is amplified by their potential to disrupt ecosystems, economies, and societies.

Climate Change: An Escalating Crisis

Climate change, primarily driven by the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is arguably the most pressing environmental issue. It leads to higher global temperatures, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and more frequent and severe weather events. These changes pose serious risks to human health, food security, and water supply. Moreover, climate change exacerbates social and economic inequalities, with the most significant impacts often felt by the most vulnerable populations.

Deforestation: The Silent Destroyer

Deforestation, largely driven by agriculture, logging, and urbanization, is another critical environmental issue. It not only contributes to climate change by releasing stored carbon dioxide but also leads to biodiversity loss. Forests are home to over 80% of terrestrial biodiversity, and their destruction pushes many species towards extinction. Additionally, deforestation disrupts water cycles and degrades land, impacting agricultural productivity and food security.

Pollution: The Invisible Killer

Pollution, in its various forms – air, water, soil, and noise – is a pervasive environmental issue. Industrial activities, waste disposal, vehicle emissions, and the use of harmful chemicals contribute to pollution. It poses severe health risks, including respiratory diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular problems. Furthermore, pollution harms wildlife, contaminates water sources, and degrades soil quality, affecting ecosystems and human livelihoods.

Biodiversity Loss: The Unseen Consequence

Biodiversity loss, driven by habitat destruction, overexploitation, climate change, and pollution, is a less visible but equally grave environmental issue. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem health and resilience, provides food and medicine, and supports cultural and recreational activities. Its loss disrupts ecosystem services, threatens food security, and increases vulnerability to natural disasters and disease outbreaks.

Conclusion: The Need for Collective Action

In conclusion, the global environmental issues of climate change, deforestation, pollution, and biodiversity loss pose severe threats to the planet and its inhabitants. Addressing these challenges requires collective action at all levels – individual, community, national, and global. It calls for a shift towards sustainable practices, stricter environmental regulations, and increased investment in green technologies. Furthermore, it necessitates the integration of environmental considerations into all aspects of decision-making, from policy development to business strategies. Only through such comprehensive and concerted efforts can we hope to mitigate these issues and safeguard our planet for future generations.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

  • Essay on How to Reduce Global Warming
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  • Essay on Causes of Global Warming

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

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environmental issue essay introduction

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Environmental Issues Essay Examples & Topics

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Transcendentalism and The Value of Nature

1. Introduction In this essay, we provide this much-needed dialogue by bringing together an over century-old intellectual tradition involving American transcendentalism and important contemporary work surrounding the value of nature. This dialogue has important practical implications, providing insights into real-world environmental problems. In particular, transcendentalism captures a subjective experience with nature, focusing on issues of justice, beauty, and awe. By doing so, it is uniquely ...

Essay on Pros and Cons of Public Transport

1. Introduction Public transportation systems bring many benefits to individuals, communities, and the local economy, but all those benefits are at risk if we don't pay attention to change. Public transportation systems, particularly bus routes, are always going to face challenges as the characteristics of the communities they serve change over time. A public transportation system that was originally designed to move workers from their homes to the classic 9-5 workday has to evolve when the wor ...

Essay about Hybrid Car

1. Introduction The present era of globalization and modernization is indeed a great mix of both advancement and technology. Technology is the cornerstone of modern development. In this lightning-fast life, technology is playing an overly important role. When it comes to the automobile industry, the thing that comes to mind is a vehicle that produces smoke that causes climatic changes, consequently having negative effects on the environment. This is leading people to think that the atmosphere i ...

Light Pollution Essay

1. Introduction There is a growing interest in the relative impacts of human activities on the environment. One anthropogenic source of stress is the artificial light that accompanies the dynamic spark of urbanization and economic growth for both the developed and the developing world. Light pollution, broadly called "urban sky glow," occurs anywhere substantial urban lighting is directed skyward, or where street and security lighting erodes the night. Since the beginning of the millennium, we ...

The Main Risks of Deforestation

1. Introduction to Deforestation What are the risks of deforestation for the planet? To better understand the current issues and those that we risk encountering in the near future, it is essential to define these risks and understand what they involve. One of the greatest risks of deforestation is the destruction of global water resources. Today we are faced with a problem of water management and distribution. As of 2018, within 8 years it is estimated that 50% of the world's population will be ...

Benefits of Public Parks to City Dwellers

1. Introduction Parks in cities play an essential role in offering social, recreational, and aesthetic benefits to urban residents. The enjoyable sights, sounds, and smells draw people to parks for relaxation, play, and contact with nature. As more and more people move to live in urban environments, the natural landscape is diminishing and opportunities to connect with the outdoors are declining in cities. Public parks are especially critical in providing a variety of recreation and leisure pro ...

Fast Fashion Essay: Reasons Why It is a Problem

1. Introduction The term fast fashion is used to describe a cheaply produced, almost disposable fashion trend that borrows large chunks of individual pieces directly from the designer runways, and then produces short-lived items that are written with people's metabolic set in symptoms of fashion once new pieces of kibble to maintain a fashion buzz. With this kind of quick and cheap production come other impacts. This paper presents a business case analysis that addresses environmental problems ...

My Scuba Diving Experience

1. Introduction Who has not dreamed of exploring the enchanted sea world at some point? Scuba diving is renowned as an extraordinary and remarkable journey, but this awe-inspiring underwater activity is accompanied by a series of physical and mental demands and conditions that one must be fully aware of. Scuba diving appertains to the sporting category that involves the highest risk if followed negligently and consequently, a particular level of fitness is required. Nowadays, a lot of research ...

Informative Essay on the Beauty of Nature

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Introductory essay

Written by the educators who created Climate Change, a brief look at the key facts, tough questions and big ideas in their field. Begin this TED Study with a fascinating read that gives context and clarity to the material.

The greenhouse effect has been detected, and it is changing our climate now. James Hansen, June 24, 1988

The drought that crippled much of the U.S. and Canada in 1988-89 was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history prior to Hurricane Katrina. It spawned dust storms in the Midwest and forest fires in Yellowstone National Park. That summer, thousands died during an intense heat wave.

It was against this backdrop, on a 101-degree day in the nation's capital, that NASA scientist James Hansen delivered his landmark testimony to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The next day, The New York Times ran a headline that read "Global Warming Has Begun, Expert Warns." Coverage of Hansen's testimony by the Times and other national and global media organizations transformed climate change from a relatively obscure scientific topic to one that people began to discuss over dinner, in the pub, at school and at work.

It remained newsworthy over the rest of that pivotal year. Days after Hansen's testimony, the World Meteorological Association (WMO) hosted a conference called "Our Changing Atmosphere," one of the earliest international climate change gatherings. 300 scientists and policy makers representing 46 countries attended. Participants called upon countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent or more by 2005, and by the end of the year the WMO and the United Nations Environment Program had established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously became one of the first world leaders to talk about climate change in a speech delivered that September to the Royal Society. "For generations, we have assumed that the efforts of mankind would leave the fundamental equilibrium of the world's systems and atmosphere stable," remarked Thatcher. "But it is possible that… we have unwittingly begun a massive experiment with the system of this planet itself." In this speech and others she gave during the remainder of her tenure, Thatcher advocated for expanded climate research and for policies that would safeguard the environment and promote sustainable development.

As global public awareness of the issue grew in the 1980s and beyond, the science and its significance were vigorously debated. Is there credible evidence that climate change is real? If it's real, when and how will we feel its effects? If it's real, what should be done, and who should do it? (Thatcher herself reversed position many years later, calling climate change "the doomsters' favorite subject" predicated on science that is "extremely obscure" and leading to "worldwide, supra-national socialism.")

Climate change is still hotly contested and the debate is often shrill, with skeptics branded as "climate deniers" and activists derisively labeled "warmists." Tensions are palpable, as when nearly 800 NGO representatives walked out of the 2013 international climate negotiations in Poland.

How has climate change become so politicized? It requires us to tackle thorny ethical and economic dilemmas, like how the least developed nations will cope with the effects of climate change and who should help them. It highlights serious structural issues like how to reckon with entrenched carbon-based industry interests and the connected yet complex resistances to decarbonization efforts. It calls for global governmental collaboration on an unprecedented scale. Atmospheric chemist Rachel Pike comments, "It goes, of course, to the top of our sky, but it goes to the bottom of the ocean, to every corner of the globe. It's every nation, every people. It's political, it's economic, it requires debate; it's scientific, it's engineering. It's the biggest problem you could ever imagine." It's no surprise, then, that climate change prompts a range of individual psychological and collective societal responses—avoidance, fatalism, denial, paralysis and wishful thinking, to name a few.

It's also not surprising that the scientific evidence is contested, given that the indicators of climate change -- like changing precipitation patterns over decadal time scales -- may be difficult for ordinary citizens to detect, and given what's at stake once we acknowledge that those indicators are correct. Initially -- and even today, despite the fact that we've reached the gold standard for scientific certainty -- some have questioned the quantity and quality of the evidence, feeding the public's perception that the science is half-baked. In reality, by the time Hansen delivered his congressional testimony in 1988, he'd been researching the relationship between atmospheric components and temperature since the 1960s, building upon a line of scientific inquiry stretching back at least a century.

A crash course on climate science

During the previous century, French physicist Joseph Fourier (1821) and Irish physicist John Tyndall (1861) described the Earth's natural "greenhouse effect" whereby water vapor and other gases in the atmosphere regulate the planet's surface temperatures. By the end of the 1800s, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius had made the prediction that industrialized coal-burning would intensify the natural greenhouse effect. Remarkably, when Arrhenius calculated the quantitative effects on temperature his results were relatively close to what's predicted by modern climate change models.

In the 1930s, British engineer and citizen scientist Guy Callendar demonstrated that global temperatures were rising, using data from more than 140 weather stations around the world. Callendar argued that rising CO2 levels were to blame, but his hypothesis failed to gain widespread acceptance in the scientific community. Two decades later, American researcher Gilbert Plass analyzed the infrared absorption of various gases and created the early computational models suggesting that a 3- to 4-degree rise in temperature would result from doubling the concentration of atmospheric CO2. For the scientists aware of Plass's work, Dave Keeling's findings a few years later were undoubtedly unsettling: the American geochemist provided the first unequivocal proof that atmospheric CO2 levels were increasing, based on analysis of atmospheric samples he collected at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

Many scientists assumed that the world's oceans would absorb the extra atmospheric CO2 that human industry was producing, until American oceanographer Roger Revelle and chemist Hans Suess demonstrated otherwise. The authors of a 1957 National Academy of Sciences climatology report quoted Revelle: "In consuming our fossil fuels at a prodigious rate, our civilization is conducting a grandiose scientific experiment."

Revelle's subsequent testimony before a Congressional committee helped put climate change on the radar of elected officials. In 1965, a presidential advisory panel warned that the greenhouse effect was a "real concern," and the U.S. government's engagement deepened when Nixon established the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1970. Political and scientific interest in climate change grew during the ‘70s, culminating in the First World Climate Conference sponsored by the WMO in 1979. The Second World Climate Conference a decade later paved the way for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, where the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was launched and the groundwork laid for subsequent international climate change negotiations.

The challenge of communicating climate change

The task of translating climate research for policymakers and the general public has been hampered by multiple definitions of climate change within and outside of the scientific community. As Roger Pielke Jr. argued in his 2005 article " Misdefining climate change: Consequences for science and action ," definitions used by the UNFCCC, IPCC and others profoundly influence public opinion and the range of probable policy choices. Additionally, the conflation of "climate change," "global warming" and "the greenhouse effect" in news coverage has fueled public confusion about how to diagnose and treat the problem. For our purposes here, "climate change" is any change in climate over time due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. This is consistent with the IPCC's use of the term.

Rachel Pike's comment that it's the "biggest problem you could ever imagine" reminds us that climate change is a dense and multifaceted issue. There are facets of climate science and policy where convergent agreement dominates, while in other areas, contentious disagreement has generated worthwhile debate and discussion. The media's conflation of these diverse dimensions into one sweeping issue has contributed to confusion and created a breeding ground for manipulation from outlier viewpoints to inadvertently or deliberately skew public opinion.

It's important that we critically assess who ‘speaks for climate change' and understand their agendas. To the extent that their claims are flatly reported, or that in the name of fairness and balance speakers are frequently placed on equal footing irrespective of their expertise, individuals and organizations have become empowered to speak with authority through mass media. This skews how citizens and policy makers understand climate change issues, the stakes involved and the spectrum of possible actions to take. Cognizant of this, in 2013 the L.A. Times announced it would no longer print letters from climate change detractors. L.A. Times letters editor Paul Thornton wrote, "Simply put, I do my best to keep errors of fact off the letters page; when one does run, a correction is published. Saying "there's no sign humans have caused climate change" is not stating an opinion, it's asserting a factual inaccuracy."

About this TED Studies collection

While poorly communicated information can hamper the ability to make important decisions related to climate change causes and consequences, accurate and engaging information accessed through these TED Talks gives you power: power to understand, power to share your understanding with others, and power to take action.

Here we'll consider the environment as our planet's renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and a support system for the quantity, quality and sustainability of human activities. We'll see science as a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge, sorting through the unceasing flow of human experience. We'll explore policy as guides for decision making about human management of environment, articulating the principles, intentions, and mandates about who gets what, when and how. And we'll contemplate values as systems of conduct and broad preferences (individual to societal) concerning the morality of outcomes.

We begin with three modules that center our considerations on the climate science. First, through science journalist Lee Hotz's TED Talk, we explore the evidence that the climate is changing. Next, photographer James Balog contributes additional compelling, visible, measurable documentation of certain climate change effects. Balog's talk also highlights critical elements of the certainty/uncertainty debate that has dogged the issue. Third, through the TED Talk by climate scientist James Hansen, we explore the convergent agreement in the scientific community that humans contribute to contemporary climate change.

We continue with three modules exploring the politics of taking action through mitigation, adaptation and cross-cutting market-based, risk-reduction regulatory measures. We start with a TED Talk from former United States Vice President Al Gore, who calls for various ways to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (mitigation). Next, we turn to the TED Talk by environmental lawyer Vicki Arroyo, who suggests ways in which human communities can reduce their vulnerability to climate change and increase resilience (adaptation). Then we consider cross-cutting, often market-based risk reduction efforts by way of a TED Talk from journalist Naomi Klein. Her talk opens a space where we can critically evaluate climate risk reduction endeavors such as the market-based cap and trade proposals that are considered an essential tool by some, and merely a shell game by others.

We finish with two modules that focus our attention on important values and ethics questions. First, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown challenges us to build a stronger global society by cutting carbon emissions in a way that is beneficial and equitable to all nations. Finally we turn to sustainabily strategist Johan Rockström's TED Talk about how nine ‘planetary boundaries' (which include climate change) can usefully guide ecosystem and environmental protection for future generations.

Let's begin with a look at the scientific evidence that's being unearthed at" the South Pole; science journalist Lee Hotz takes us there via his TED Talk "Inside an Antarctic time machine."

environmental issue essay introduction

Inside an Antarctic time machine

Relevant talks.

environmental issue essay introduction

James Balog

Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss.

environmental issue essay introduction

James Hansen

Why i must speak out about climate change.

environmental issue essay introduction

New thinking on the climate crisis

environmental issue essay introduction

Vicki Arroyo

Let's prepare for our new climate.

environmental issue essay introduction

Naomi Klein

Addicted to risk.

environmental issue essay introduction

Gordon Brown

Global ethic vs. national interest.

environmental issue essay introduction

Johan Rockström

Let the environment guide our development.

Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues

Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues

  • Resources & Preparation
  • Instructional Plan
  • Related Resources

Critical stance and development of a strong argument are key strategies when writing to convince someone to agree with your position. In this lesson, students explore environmental issues that are relevant to their own lives, self-select topics, and gather information to write persuasive essays. Students participate in peer conferences to aid in the revision process and evaluate their essays through self-assessment. Although this lesson focuses on the environment as a broad topic, many other topics can be easily substituted for reinforcement of persuasive writing.

Featured Resources

  • Persuasion Map : Your students can use this online interactive tool to map out an argument for their persuasive essay.
  • Persuasive Writing : This site offers information on the format of a persuasive essay, the writing and peer conferencing process, and a rubric for evaluating students' work.
  • Role Play Activity sheet : Give your students the opportunity to see persuasion in action and to discuss the elements of a successful argument.

From Theory to Practice

  • The main purpose of persuasive texts is to present an argument or an opinion in an attempt to convince the reader to accept the writer's point of view.
  • Reading and reacting to the opinions of others helps shape readers' beliefs about important issues, events, people, places, and things.
  • This chapter highlights various techniques of persuasion through the use of minilessons. The language and format of several subgenres of persuasive writing are included as well.
The inquiry approach gives students the opportunity to identify topics in which they are interested, research those topics, and present their findings. This approach is designed to be learner-centered as it encourages students to select their own research topics, rather than being told what to study.
  • The Saving Black Mountain project highlighted in this article exemplifies critical literacy in action. Students learn that, in a democratic society, their voices can make a difference.
  • Critical literacy goes beyond providing authentic purposes and audiences for reading and writing, and considers the role of literacy in societal transformation. Students should be learning a great deal more than how to read and write. They should be learning about the power of literacy to make a difference.
  • Endangered species and the environment are compelling topics for students of all ages and excellent raw materials for literacy learning.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

  • 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
  • 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
  • 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  • 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
  • 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Materials and Technology

  • Chart paper and writing materials
  • Computers with Internet access

Role Play Activity sheet

Preparation

Student objectives.

Students will

  • Develop a critical stance in regard to environmental issues
  • Research information to support their stance
  • Write persuasive essays
  • Participate in peer conferencing
  • Evaluate their writing through self-assessment

Independent Work

Students should complete their revisions and prepare a final draft of their persuasive essays to be submitted on the established due date. In addition, students should self-assess their essays using the “Persuasive Essay Rubric.” Finished essays should be submitted, along with the ”Conferencing with a Peer” handouts, the self-assessment rubrics, the persuasion map printouts, and any notes or information printed off the Internet that was used to support the writing.

  • Have students share their essays with the class and discuss or debate the topics. Students can also examine the essays to see which ones do the best job of persuading the audience and why.
  • Encourage students to write their essays in the form of a letter and send them to a particular person or organization that has an interest in the specified topic. For example, it may be appropriate to send letters to politicians, corporations, the President, etc. Students can use the interactive Letter Generator to compose their letters.

Student Assessment / Reflections

  • The “ Conferencing with a Peer ” handouts should clearly show that the writer followed the persuasive essay format. If any elements were missing from the conference sheet, the final draft should reflect that revisions were made to incorporate comments and suggestions from the peer conferencing session.
  • The “ Persuasive Essay Rubric ” can be used as a guide to determine whether the student understands all the elements of writing a persuasive essay. Weak areas should be discussed with each individual student for future writing pieces. Strong areas should be reinforced and commended. Individual conferences between the teacher and student would allow for discussion of particular strengths and weaknesses, as well as future goals for the student as a writer.
  • Evaluate the completed persuasive essay to assess each student’s ability to compose a thesis statement and to use appropriate language and voice in the essay. Does the essay include an introduction, body, and conclusion? Does it include supporting information to support the student’s stance in the essay?
  • Engage students in thinking about how they envision they will be able to use this style of writing in the future. Do they feel this skill will benefit them and in what ways? (This reflection can be completed during individual conferencing, through journal writing, or added to the self-assessment rubric.)
  • Calendar Activities
  • Lesson Plans
  • Student Interactives

Students analyze rhetorical strategies in online editorials, building knowledge of strategies and awareness of local and national issues. This lesson teaches students connections between subject, writer, and audience and how rhetorical strategies are used in everyday writing.

The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

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Climate Change Essay for Students and Children

500+ words climate change essay.

Climate change refers to the change in the environmental conditions of the earth. This happens due to many internal and external factors. The climatic change has become a global concern over the last few decades. Besides, these climatic changes affect life on the earth in various ways. These climatic changes are having various impacts on the ecosystem and ecology. Due to these changes, a number of species of plants and animals have gone extinct.

environmental issue essay introduction

When Did it Start?

The climate started changing a long time ago due to human activities but we came to know about it in the last century. During the last century, we started noticing the climatic change and its effect on human life. We started researching on climate change and came to know that the earth temperature is rising due to a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect. The warming up of earth surface causes many ozone depletion, affect our agriculture , water supply, transportation, and several other problems.

Reason Of Climate Change

Although there are hundreds of reason for the climatic change we are only going to discuss the natural and manmade (human) reasons.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Natural Reasons

These include volcanic eruption , solar radiation, tectonic plate movement, orbital variations. Due to these activities, the geographical condition of an area become quite harmful for life to survive. Also, these activities raise the temperature of the earth to a great extent causing an imbalance in nature.

Human Reasons

Man due to his need and greed has done many activities that not only harm the environment but himself too. Many plant and animal species go extinct due to human activity. Human activities that harm the climate include deforestation, using fossil fuel , industrial waste , a different type of pollution and many more. All these things damage the climate and ecosystem very badly. And many species of animals and birds got extinct or on a verge of extinction due to hunting.

Effects Of Climatic Change

These climatic changes have a negative impact on the environment. The ocean level is rising, glaciers are melting, CO2 in the air is increasing, forest and wildlife are declining, and water life is also getting disturbed due to climatic changes. Apart from that, it is calculated that if this change keeps on going then many species of plants and animals will get extinct. And there will be a heavy loss to the environment.

What will be Future?

If we do not do anything and things continue to go on like right now then a day in future will come when humans will become extinct from the surface of the earth. But instead of neglecting these problems we start acting on then we can save the earth and our future.

environmental issue essay introduction

Although humans mistake has caused great damage to the climate and ecosystem. But, it is not late to start again and try to undo what we have done until now to damage the environment. And if every human start contributing to the environment then we can be sure of our existence in the future.

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [ { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “What is climate change and how it affects humans?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “Climate change is a phenomenon that happens because of human and natural reasons. And it is one of the most serious problems that not only affect the environment but also human beings. It affects human in several ways but in simple language, we can say that it causes many diseases and disasters that destroy life on earth.” } }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “Can we stop these climatic changes?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “Yes, we can stop these climatic changes but for that, every one of us has to come forward and has to adapt ways that can reduce and control our bad habits that affect the environment. We have to the initiative and make everyone aware of the climatic changes.” } } ] }

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184 Environment Essay Topics + Examples & Writing Prompts

Environment issues essay focuses on pollution problems, climate change, etc.

Environment issues essay aims at spreading awareness of pollution problems, climate change, global warming, and many other issues. It is a common type of essay for writing parts of a lot of exams. Environment protection essay is also assigned to high school and college students.

In this article, you will find out:

  • Current TOP-7 environment issues
  • 184 environment essay topics
  • How to outline your essay
  • Different essay writing tips
  • 4 essay examples
  • 🌎 Environment Issues Essay
  • 💡 184 Essay Ideas
  • 📑 Outlining Your Essay
  • 🛡️ Environment Protection: Essay Example
  • ☘️ Eco-friendly Environment: Essay Example
  • ♻️ Human Impact on the Environment: Essay Example
  • 🗑️ Effect of Plastic on Environment: Essay Example

🌎 Environment Issues Essay – What Is It About?

Ecology has always played a significant role in all people’s lives. We all depend on it, but unfortunately, more and more environmental problems occur each year. They affect nature and our way of life. To stop the spread of these issues, we need to get to know them first.

Top 7 Environmental Issues of 2024

Here’s the list of some relevant environmental issues that take place in the modern world. Before writing your paper, you might want to learn as much information on the topic as you can. Let’s take a closer look at each of the issues, their causes and effects.

The picture contains a list of some relevant environmental issues of the modern world.

  • Deforestation

Each year there are fewer trees and forests. Why is it happening?

According to World Population Balance , the U.S. population grows by over a million people each year . An increasing number of people leads to the growing demand for land for living, agriculture, highways, etc. We have no other option but to cut the amount of open land, which leads to deforestation.

Plastic Pollution

Plastic may seem a suitable material: it is flexible, cheap, and strong. However, plastic is also hazardous and toxic to the environment. According to National Geographic , 91% of all the plastic ever produced hasn’t been recycled . It takes around 400 years for it to decompose, so it continues to pollute nature.

Each year, around one-third of food produced worldwide gets wasted . This amount is enough to feed about 3 billion people.

Food waste also leads to the waste of resources, global warming, and climate change.

Why do people waste food? It might be happening unintentionally. For example, when you leave last bites on your plate or throw away the leftovers that you couldn’t manage.

Air Pollution

According to Worldwide Health Organization , around 7 million people die due to air pollution annually . It causes lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.

What causes air pollution?

There are numerous reasons: outdoor pollution such as vehicles, industries, and agriculture. Household air pollution like exposure to smoke from cooking or heating might also be one of the reasons.

Global Warming

The rise of temperature causes a lot of different adverse effects on the world. It causes:

  • climate change
  • glaciers melting
  • crop-destroying
  • insect swarming
  • deforestation
  • ice shelves collapsing
  • tropical storms, and many other issues

Recent events such as wildfires in Australia and California result from global warming too.

Biodiversity Loss

As humankind continues its development, it overuses resources from nature. Since agriculture needs more systems each year, people turn forests, fields, and other natural habitats into them. It leads to biodiversity loss. Some species’ population has decreased dramatically by 68% from 1970 to 2016 .

Melting Ice Caps

Melting ice caps is also a serious issue because it’s the main reason for the sea-level rise. It mainly concerns the Arctic since this is where climate change has the most significant negative impact. The sea level rise might affect coastal regions by flooding them. Moreover, it might force around 340 million to 480 million people to migrate and cause overpopulation.

💡 184 Environmental Essay Topics

If you’re struggling with choosing your environmental issues essay topics, here’s the list of 184 essay topics ideas. It is better to choose something you’re genuinely interested in.

  • How does melting ice caps affect the rising sea level?
  • Renewable sources of energy: Controversies.
  • The correlation between population growth and deforestation.
  • The environment pollution in the US.
  • How does plastic affect nature?
  • American Indian environmental movement in Arizona.
  • The danger of food waste and the ways to prevent it.
  • Environment: Sustainable development in Abu Dhabi.
  • Dangerous effects of air pollution.
  • Environment: Greenhouse gases and hydrological cycles.
  • Harmful effects of global warming.
  • The science of global warming and its effects.
  • Biodiversity loss: Causes and effects.
  • Water pollution and associated health risks.
  • The correlation between climate change and melting ice caps.
  • Environmental ethics: The case for animal rights.
  • How can we improve agriculture?
  • Environmental issues and plastic industries.
  • Human impact on nature.
  • Environmental security: Global warming and pollution.
  • Environmentalist movements and their impact on politics.
  • Environmental damage because of oil spills.
  • Ecotourism and its benefits.
  • Water pollution in China.
  • The pros and cons of nuclear energy.
  • Farming, animal consumption, and environment.
  • The correlation between globalization and ecological issues.
  • The global climate change as a manmade disaster.
  • How to save the world from air pollution?
  • The evolution of insect wings in response to environmental changes.
  • How does our lifestyle affect the environment?
  • Water resource problem and its causes.
  • The importance of waste management and recycling.
  • Global warming in Australia: Environmental health.
  • Production and consumption impact on the environment.
  • Environmental racism and justice.
  • How dangerous is microplastic?
  • Global warming policies and options.
  • How can zero-waste help our planet?
  • Scope of improvement of the environmental impact of air travel.
  • The advantages of green engineering.
  • Renewable energy sources controversies.
  • What is earth day, and why is it important?
  • Environmental impacts of Heathrow Airport: Demand for a strategic sustainable transport.
  • Social impact on climate change.
  • Waste handling and control as fundamental phenomena.
  • Healthy lifestyle habits and their impact on the environment.
  • The role of waste management in the environment.
  • The most vulnerable regions to the rising sea level.
  • Global warming: Human vs. natural causes.
  • The change of the average air temperature in my area.
  • Implementing environmental sustainability in Dubai.
  • Acid rain: Causes and effects.
  • Sustainability and waste management.
  • Social and environmental sciences connection.
  • Environmental governance and institutional arrangements in Niger Delta oil spills.
  • Conservation projects in my region.
  • Solar panels and their advantages.
  • Pandas’ extinction and how we can prevent it.
  • Sustainability in the built environment.
  • What is an ecosystem, and how does it work?
  • Maritime risk assessment and environmental management.
  • Melting glaciers and their impact on the environment.
  • Alternative fuels and the US nation development.
  • The correlation between climate change and natural disasters.
  • The noise pollution: Negative effects.
  • Why is ocean acidification dangerous?
  • Changing ecosystems: Effects of global warming.
  • Climate crisis and climate refugees.
  • Global warming: A real danger or a hoax?
  • How climate change impacts agriculture.
  • Ocean wave energy technologies.
  • The greenhouse effect and how it works.
  • The real effects of greenhouse gases.
  • The ways to prevent global warming.
  • The water-energy-food nexus and problem mitigation.
  • Deforestation and its impact on climate.
  • Gulf oil spill: facts, causes, response, effects.
  • How does tree planting affect climate change?
  • Alternative energy sources vs. fossil fuels.
  • The reason behind plants and animal extinction.
  • Environmental sustainability in the Dubai police force.
  • Population growth: Causes and effects.
  • Fossil fuels as a significant part of the future energy mix.
  • The reason behind birds’ migration.
  • Cost of plastic recycling in US.
  • What is green construction, and why is it beneficial?
  • Sustainable building and environmental design.
  • How can responsible consumption help nature?
  • Green technology and how it can help the environment.
  • Global warming: causes and consequences.
  • How can we improve agriculture without harming the environment?
  • Environmental conservation and resource management.
  • Invasive species and how they can harm the environment.
  • GMO: Advantages and disadvantages.
  • Air pollution and mortality rates.
  • The process of the nutrient cycle.
  • What are sustainable environmental practices?
  • Solutions to the environmental crisis in Vietnam.
  • How can we save more energy?
  • Solar energy effects on the environment.
  • What are alternatives to plastic?
  • Construction and demolition waste management in the UAE.
  • Commercial fishing impact on the ocean.
  • Mitigating climate change through trade schemes.
  • What is a marine ecosystem, and how do we affect it?
  • Nine challenges of alternative energy.
  • Energy efficiency and its importance.
  • Climate change causes: Position and strategies.
  • How do fossil fuels damage the environment?
  • Sustainable building materials and technologies in the construction industry.
  • The controversy behind environmental laws.
  • Environmental risks: opposing views.
  • Air quality in your country.
  • Why is urban sprawl a problem?
  • Energy sources: types and development.
  • Different types of environmentalism.
  • Global warming, climate change, and society’s impact on the environment.
  • Wildlife reserves and how they work.
  • Wind power in the United States.
  • Ecotourism regulations in your country.
  • Columbia river, its salmon culture and human impact.
  • Ecological footprint and its impact on nature.
  • Is solar energy important for the future of humanity?
  • Simple everyday habits that can help the environment.
  • Integrated sustainable water resource management plan.
  • Different ways of recycling water.
  • Global warming and carbon dioxide.
  • What is sustainable food?
  • Dubai municipal solid waste management.
  • The most popular renewable energy sources.
  • Environmental issues in developing and developed countries.
  • Various factors of sustainability.
  • Atomic power as a renewable energy source.
  • Climate change and global warming difference.
  • Los Angeles regional collaborative for climate action.
  • Human impact on climate.
  • The reasons behind climate change.
  • Virtual water and the water-energy nexus.
  • Why is carbon dioxide harmful?
  • Environmental benefits and problems of concrete.
  • The reasons for the carbon dioxide increase.
  • Water scarcity: An issue of living in the US.
  • Fracking and why it is bad.
  • The cost effectiveness of recycling plastic.
  • Ozone depletion: Causes and effects.
  • History of the environmental law in the US.
  • Three basic methods of ecological research.
  • Renewable energy sources in the aviation industry.
  • Different types of recycling.
  • Sources of energy: classification and aspects.
  • Volunteer organizations and their contribution to environmental health.
  • Quality and environmental management.
  • Does eco-friendly marketing help the environment?
  • The major contributors to water pollution.
  • Carpooling and its contribution to the environment.
  • Chemicals as the worst pollutants on the Earth.
  • Human impact on global warming.
  • The health effects of air pollution in America.
  • The water purification technology.
  • Solar energy in the modern world.
  • Environmental organizations and what they do.
  • Green space as an urban environment of Sydney.
  • Environmental activities to do at home.
  • How to protect the Egypt Nile River from pollution?
  • Famous environmental activists and the difference they made.
  • Wind energy: is it viable or not?
  • What is emancipatory environmentalism?
  • Water resource plan: The problem of overdrawing the surface water.
  • Green political parties and their influence.
  • Global warming causes and mitigations.
  • Environmental justice: Goals and causes.
  • Pollution of the marine environment.
  • Can any country become green?
  • Flint poisoning: Environmental racism and racial capitalism.
  • Environmental law and its history.
  • Investment into alternative energy.
  • How does emission trading work?
  • Wind energy and non-renewable energy.
  • Ecological niches and their types.
  • Waste diversion programs in Ontario in 1996-2010.
  • Pollution and its impact on our health.
  • Dubai coast: Environmental sampling and analysis.
  • The most significant causes of desertification.

Didn’t find the topic that perfectly suits your taste? You are welcome to use our essay topic generator !

📑 Environmental Issues Essay: Outline

The environmental issues essay consists of three parts: introduction , body , and conclusion . The optimal length is five paragraphs (around 200-300 words).

So, what do you write in each of them?

In the introduction part , you can mention the following:

  • the current environmental situation in the world;
  • the specific topic you chose;
  • your thesis statement.

The introduction part shouldn’t be very long. One paragraph is usually enough.

The thesis statement is your main idea that you need to support in your body part. Let’s say you want to write about the dangerous effects of air pollution. “Air pollution not only harms the environment but also is the cause of numerous diseases.” This might be your thesis.

Need to formulate a thesis statement? Use our thesis-making tool !

In the body , make sure to:

  • elaborate on your thesis statement;
  • find reliable references with precise information;
  • suggest some advice on the chosen problem;
  • be argumentative.

The length of the body depends on the size of the whole paper. A five-paragraph essay should contain a three-paragraph body. A five-page research paper, in its turn, would have a four-page body.

Finally, write your one-paragraph conclusion . Here you can:

  • sum up your essay;
  • restate your thesis statement.

🛡️ Environment Protection Essay: Writing Prompts & Example

Environment protection starts with each of us. So, a good essay topic might be about how each of us can contribute to it.

You can list some options of how we can protect the environment. You can try to persuade the reader to contribute. It might be simple everyday steps or a more significant contribution like volunteering. Make sure to mention their benefits as well.

Some sample questions to answer in your essay:

  • How can we protect the environment?
  • What are the ways to decrease pollution?
  • What are the governmental policies of environmental protection?
  • How should we preserve nature?

Environment Protection Essay Example: 250 Words

☘️ eco-friendly environment essay: writing prompts & example.

What to write in an eco-friendly environment essay?

You can list various ways to maintain an eco-friendly environment. Here are some of them:

  • Eco-friendly marketing
  • Green movements
  • Eco-friendly technology
  • Water-conserving
  • Energy conserving
  • RRR (reduce, reuse, recycle)

Another option is to explain how you maintain an eco-friendly environment. Maybe you recycle your waste at home or avoid using fuel vehicles? You can also create a list of effective and ineffective ways to create an eco-friendly environment. It is better to read some articles on this issue before starting your writing.

Eco-friendly Environment Essay Example: 250 Words

♻️ human impact on the environment essay: writing prompt & example.

As we all know, people are the ones who affect nature the most. So, in this essay, you can elaborate on how people harm the planet.

Some of the issues you could focus on are:

  • Air pollution
  • Water pollution
  • Plastic pollution
  • Climate change
  • Overpopulation
  • Global warming

Make sure also to include your advice on how we can solve these problems.

Human Impact on the Environment Essay Example: 250 Words

🗑️ effect of plastic on environment essay: writing prompt & example.

Plastic undoubtedly plays a significant role in our life.

In your essay, you can list the reasons why plastic is damaging. You can also suggest ways of how we can reduce the usage of plastic.

Some of the topics you can mention in your essay:

  • Microplastic
  • Plastic effect on animals
  • The reasons why plastic is toxic
  • Plastic decomposition and why is it harmful
  • What can we replace plastic with?

Effect of Plastic on Environment Essay Example: 250 Words

Now you are ready to share your thought on environmental issues in your essay. What is your opinion on environmental issues? What topic would you like to write about? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

❓ Environment Issues FAQ

How have approaches to environmental issues changed over the years.

Over the years, environmental problems have become more complex. It takes more time to study and identify them. However, technology is constantly developing and contributes to solving environmental problems now.

Why is it important to cooperate with other countries on environmental issues?

A lot of issues such as air pollution or climate change are very wide-range. If people can’t cross the different countries’ boundaries that easily, these problems can. So, it can only be solved by international cooperation of different countries. That is why we should support international nonprofit organizations.

What are some of the major environmental issues in Europe?

Some of the major environmental issues in Europe are: • climate change • nuclear waste • biodiversity loss • waste disposal • deforestation • water pollution.

Why is globalization potentially damaging to the environment?

Globalization has different positive impacts on the world. However, it has contributed to environmental damage as well. Globalization leads to consumption and export increase. These also lead to the rise of gases and the used fuel amount. Finally, the greenhouse effect is increasing because of that.

Environmental Awareness Essay

Environmental awareness is discussed and studied by many. However, to make an impact, we must be aware of the problems and solutions. We will start with what we are doing wrong and move toward what needs to be done to improve our environment . Some ways to take care of our environment are to practise recycling, follow proper garbage disposal protocol, avoid using our cars too much and rely more on public transportation instead.

Every day we hear about how our planet is changing. The need for environmental protection arises from the changes in rising carbon dioxide levels, which causes drastic changes in our environment. The rising levels of carbon dioxide result in changes in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps heat, which leads to a rise in atmospheric temperature. When a plant dies, more carbon dioxide is released into the air. This can cause more temperature changes and less oxygen in the air. To help slow down this process, we have to take care of the environment before it is too late. Now, let us read BYJU’S essay on environmental awareness and understand the importance of protecting the environment.

Environmental Awareness Essay

Importance of Environmental Awareness

We wish to have a good life for our children. We can ensure our children and future generations enjoy the best quality of life by taking small steps every day towards protecting the planet. Let us read about environmental awareness by referring to BYJU’S environmental awareness essay .

One of the first steps to becoming more environmentally conscious or environmentally aware is by reducing our energy usage. This may also mean driving less polluting vehicles.

Environmental awareness is critical because it can help us to become aware of the impacts on the Earth created by human activities, leading to global warming. It can also help us to create a more sustainable world by promoting renewable resources, such as solar, wind and water .

Causes of Environmental Pollution

The environmental pollution that we face today is caused by many factors. A major cause of environmental pollution is mismanagement of oil production and transportation. Due to this, there are oil spills worldwide that destroy aquatic life. Another issue related to environmental pollution is global warming . The increase in greenhouse gases causes a rise in the planet’s atmospheric temperature. Hence, it is important to be environmentally aware and protect the environment. To understand more about this cause, read BYJU’S environmental problems essay.

To conclude, being environmentally aware is essential. We must ensure not to pollute our precious nature and exploit natural resources. For more kids learning activities, such as GK questions and stories , visit BYJU’S website.

Frequently Asked Questions on Environmental Awareness Essay

Why should we protect the environment.

Environmental protection is so vital that each person can make a difference. Whether it’s recycling, lowering your carbon footprint, or driving electric cars, there are many ways to reduce pollution. By reducing pollution and keeping the Earth healthy, we can continue to live on the planet for years to come.

What are the causes of environmental pollution?

The causes of environmental pollution are many, but the most common is improper disposal of waste and overconsumption. We must take care of our planet and use resources wisely not to leave future generations with a polluted Earth.

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Environmental Issues: Problems in Our Environment, Their Causes and Effects

Introduction to the different environmental problems.

Environmental issues can be defined as the harmful effects of human activities on the earth’s environment. Environmental issues include many types of human activities which cause pollution, waste disposal , climate change, global warming , greenhouse effect , etc.

In order to tackle these issues, there are various types of environmental protection programs, which are being practised at the individual, organisational and government levels. The aim of these programmes has been to establish a balance between man and the environment.

Our Environment

Our Environment

There are different types and causes of Environmental Pollution and the current environmental issues that are causing catastrophic changes to require urgent attention. Some of the major environmental issues which are also the global environmental issues are as follows:

Climate Change

Climate change is one of the biggest concerns in today’s scenario of environmental issues. Climate change has escalated over the last few decades with the advent of the destruction of the natural habitat , global warming, overpopulation and pollution. Greenhouse gases which increase the earth’s temperature are the major cause of climate change. Environmental changes cause destructive impacts like the melting of glaciers, changes in seasons, epidemics, etc.

Climate Change

Global Warming

Global Warming is caused by the increased temperature of the earth’s environment due to the burning of fossil fuels, emissions from automobiles and chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. This has led to an increase in environmental changes and also has impacted the environment adversely. This increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere across the globe is known as global warming .

Global Warming

Ozone Layer Depletion

The ozone layer is a layer which protects the earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. The ozone layer is an extremely important layer for the earth. However, over time, it is being destroyed by CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), which are used in industries and everyday life (e.g. aerosol cans).

The chlorine present in these compounds destroys the ozone layer. There is the formation of a hole in the ozone layer and this hole leaves humans and wildlife exposed to the harmful UV rays resulting in several skin diseases including cancer .

Ozone Layer

Ozone Layer

Water Pollution

Water pollution is caused by the introduction of harmful substances into rivers, oceans, lakes and ponds. These lead to changes in the physical, chemical or biological condition of the water, resulting in water pollution. The water which has been polluted lacks oxygen and therefore the organisms living in that particular water body die.

It is our prime duty to prevent water from any kind of pollution as it is the main source of life.

Water Pollution

Air Pollution

Air Pollution is a type of pollution that is caused as a result of emissions from industries, automobiles, and the increasing use of fossil fuels by human beings. The gaseous emissions result in an increase in the temperature of the earth. Air pollution causes various health problems. It has also increased the risk of diseases among individuals and made the environment too difficult to live in.

Air Pollution

Deforestation

Deforestation is another major reason for environmental issues, which is caused by the depletion of trees and forests at an alarming rate. Trees are very important for us because they provide us with oxygen, and several raw materials and also maintain the temperature of the earth. However, due to the depletion of trees and forests by human beings for commercial purposes, there has been a drastic change in the earth’s climate.

We can conclude that the destruction of forests has led to the elimination of a large number of plants and animal species affecting biodiversity .

Deforestation

Overpopulation

Overpopulation is the major cause of the destruction of Earth's environment. The earth’s population is increasing drastically and the increasing population has led to a shortage of resources. If overpopulation continues, it will be very difficult to sustain for the next generation. Overpopulation has affected an increase in pollution, waste management, deforestation, climate change and global warming.

Overpopulation

Solved Questions

1. How can we control environmental pollution?

Ans: The methods to control environmental pollution are as follows:

The use of paper should be avoided.

Replace disposal items with reusable items.

Conserve water and electricity.

Support environmental friendly practices.

Recycle the waste to conserve natural resources .

2. What are the main problems in our environment?

Ans: The major problems in our current environment include climate change, pollution, environmental degradation, and resource depletion.

Do you know? Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. She is a very famous child environmental activist and she persuaded her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced their own carbon footprint.

Child Environment Activist

Child Environment Activist

Environmental issues are the various issues which are related to causing harmful effects on our earth’s atmosphere and climate. Environmental justice is a social movement to address; unfair exposure to our natural resource extraction, hazardous waste, and other damaging land use. Environmental issues have resulted in climate change and extreme pollution destroying flora and fauna . If it continues it is possible that various natural resources, species and even human beings may go extinct.

Learning By Doing

Can you think of different methods which can decrease pollution?

According to you, what are the different ways we can apply in our day to day life to limit climate change?

Do you think Climate Change is real?

How can you increase awareness of Climate Change?

FAQs on Environmental Issues: Problems in Our Environment, Their Causes and Effects

1. Which city in India has all the public road transport running on CNG?

Delhi is an Indian city which has all the public transport running on CNG. For example, DTC buses and autos.

2. What is the environment?

Environment can be defined as everything that is around us. It includes both living and nonliving factors and things such as soil, water, animals and plants, which adapt themselves to their surroundings. 

3. What is solid waste management?

Solid waste management can be defined as a process which is associated with the generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and disposal of solid waste in such a manner that it does not have a harmful effect on the environment. Solid waste management is thus a process which can decrease land pollution.

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants.

Biology, Ecology, Health, Earth Science, Geography

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Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment . These harmful materials are called pollutants . Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash . They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land. Many things that are useful to people produce pollution. Cars spew pollutants from their exhaust pipes. Burning coal to create electricity pollutes the air. Industries and homes generate garbage and sewage that can pollute the land and water. Pesticides —chemical poisons used to kill weeds and insects— seep into waterways and harm wildlife . All living things—from one-celled microbes to blue whales—depend on Earth ’s supply of air and water. When these resources are polluted, all forms of life are threatened. Pollution is a global problem. Although urban areas are usually more polluted than the countryside, pollution can spread to remote places where no people live. For example, pesticides and other chemicals have been found in the Antarctic ice sheet . In the middle of the northern Pacific Ocean, a huge collection of microscopic plastic particles forms what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch . Air and water currents carry pollution. Ocean currents and migrating fish carry marine pollutants far and wide. Winds can pick up radioactive material accidentally released from a nuclear reactor and scatter it around the world. Smoke from a factory in one country drifts into another country. In the past, visitors to Big Bend National Park in the U.S. state of Texas could see 290 kilometers (180 miles) across the vast landscape . Now, coal-burning power plants in Texas and the neighboring state of Chihuahua, Mexico have spewed so much pollution into the air that visitors to Big Bend can sometimes see only 50 kilometers (30 miles). The three major types of pollution are air pollution , water pollution , and land pollution . Air Pollution Sometimes, air pollution is visible . A person can see dark smoke pour from the exhaust pipes of large trucks or factories, for example. More often, however, air pollution is invisible . Polluted air can be dangerous, even if the pollutants are invisible. It can make people’s eyes burn and make them have difficulty breathing. It can also increase the risk of lung cancer . Sometimes, air pollution kills quickly. In 1984, an accident at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, released a deadly gas into the air. At least 8,000 people died within days. Hundreds of thou sands more were permanently injured. Natural disasters can also cause air pollution to increase quickly. When volcanoes erupt , they eject volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere . Volcanic ash can discolor the sky for months. After the eruption of the Indonesian volcano of Krakatoa in 1883, ash darkened the sky around the world. The dimmer sky caused fewer crops to be harvested as far away as Europe and North America. For years, meteorologists tracked what was known as the “equatorial smoke stream .” In fact, this smoke stream was a jet stream , a wind high in Earth’s atmosphere that Krakatoa’s air pollution made visible. Volcanic gases , such as sulfur dioxide , can kill nearby residents and make the soil infertile for years. Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy, famously erupted in 79, killing hundreds of residents of the nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Most victims of Vesuvius were not killed by lava or landslides caused by the eruption. They were choked, or asphyxiated , by deadly volcanic gases. In 1986, a toxic cloud developed over Lake Nyos, Cameroon. Lake Nyos sits in the crater of a volcano. Though the volcano did not erupt, it did eject volcanic gases into the lake. The heated gases passed through the water of the lake and collected as a cloud that descended the slopes of the volcano and into nearby valleys . As the toxic cloud moved across the landscape, it killed birds and other organisms in their natural habitat . This air pollution also killed thousands of cattle and as many as 1,700 people. Most air pollution is not natural, however. It comes from burning fossil fuels —coal, oil , and natural gas . When gasoline is burned to power cars and trucks, it produces carbon monoxide , a colorless, odorless gas. The gas is harmful in high concentrations , or amounts. City traffic produces highly concentrated carbon monoxide. Cars and factories produce other common pollutants, including nitrogen oxide , sulfur dioxide, and hydrocarbons . These chemicals react with sunlight to produce smog , a thick fog or haze of air pollution. The smog is so thick in Linfen, China, that people can seldom see the sun. Smog can be brown or grayish blue, depending on which pollutants are in it. Smog makes breathing difficult, especially for children and older adults. Some cities that suffer from extreme smog issue air pollution warnings. The government of Hong Kong, for example, will warn people not to go outside or engage in strenuous physical activity (such as running or swimming) when smog is very thick.

When air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide mix with moisture, they change into acids . They then fall back to earth as acid rain . Wind often carries acid rain far from the pollution source. Pollutants produced by factories and power plants in Spain can fall as acid rain in Norway. Acid rain can kill all the trees in a forest . It can also devastate lakes, streams, and other waterways. When lakes become acidic, fish can’t survive . In Sweden, acid rain created thousands of “ dead lakes ,” where fish no longer live. Acid rain also wears away marble and other kinds of stone . It has erased the words on gravestones and damaged many historic buildings and monuments . The Taj Mahal , in Agra, India, was once gleaming white. Years of exposure to acid rain has left it pale. Governments have tried to prevent acid rain by limiting the amount of pollutants released into the air. In Europe and North America, they have had some success, but acid rain remains a major problem in the developing world , especially Asia. Greenhouse gases are another source of air pollution. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane occur naturally in the atmosphere. In fact, they are necessary for life on Earth. They absorb sunlight reflected from Earth, preventing it from escaping into space. By trapping heat in the atmosphere, they keep Earth warm enough for people to live. This is called the greenhouse effect . But human activities such as burning fossil fuels and destroying forests have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This has increased the greenhouse effect, and average temperatures across the globe are rising. The decade that began in the year 2000 was the warmest on record. This increase in worldwide average temperatures, caused in part by human activity, is called global warming . Global warming is causing ice sheets and glaciers to melt. The melting ice is causing sea levels to rise at a rate of two millimeters (0.09 inches) per year. The rising seas will eventually flood low-lying coastal regions . Entire nations, such as the islands of Maldives, are threatened by this climate change . Global warming also contributes to the phenomenon of ocean acidification . Ocean acidification is the process of ocean waters absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Fewer organisms can survive in warmer, less salty waters. The ocean food web is threatened as plants and animals such as coral fail to adapt to more acidic oceans. Scientists have predicted that global warming will cause an increase in severe storms . It will also cause more droughts in some regions and more flooding in others. The change in average temperatures is already shrinking some habitats, the regions where plants and animals naturally live. Polar bears hunt seals from sea ice in the Arctic. The melting ice is forcing polar bears to travel farther to find food , and their numbers are shrinking. People and governments can respond quickly and effectively to reduce air pollution. Chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are a dangerous form of air pollution that governments worked to reduce in the 1980s and 1990s. CFCs are found in gases that cool refrigerators, in foam products, and in aerosol cans . CFCs damage the ozone layer , a region in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The ozone layer protects Earth by absorbing much of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation . When people are exposed to more ultraviolet radiation, they are more likely to develop skin cancer, eye diseases, and other illnesses. In the 1980s, scientists noticed that the ozone layer over Antarctica was thinning. This is often called the “ ozone hole .” No one lives permanently in Antarctica. But Australia, the home of more than 22 million people, lies at the edge of the hole. In the 1990s, the Australian government began an effort to warn people of the dangers of too much sun. Many countries, including the United States, now severely limit the production of CFCs. Water Pollution Some polluted water looks muddy, smells bad, and has garbage floating in it. Some polluted water looks clean, but is filled with harmful chemicals you can’t see or smell. Polluted water is unsafe for drinking and swimming. Some people who drink polluted water are exposed to hazardous chemicals that may make them sick years later. Others consume bacteria and other tiny aquatic organisms that cause disease. The United Nations estimates that 4,000 children die every day from drinking dirty water. Sometimes, polluted water harms people indirectly. They get sick because the fish that live in polluted water are unsafe to eat. They have too many pollutants in their flesh. There are some natural sources of water pollution. Oil and natural gas, for example, can leak into oceans and lakes from natural underground sources. These sites are called petroleum seeps . The world’s largest petroleum seep is the Coal Oil Point Seep, off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The Coal Oil Point Seep releases so much oil that tar balls wash up on nearby beaches . Tar balls are small, sticky pieces of pollution that eventually decompose in the ocean.

Human activity also contributes to water pollution. Chemicals and oils from factories are sometimes dumped or seep into waterways. These chemicals are called runoff. Chemicals in runoff can create a toxic environment for aquatic life. Runoff can also help create a fertile environment for cyanobacteria , also called blue-green algae . Cyanobacteria reproduce rapidly, creating a harmful algal bloom (HAB) . Harmful algal blooms prevent organisms such as plants and fish from living in the ocean. They are associated with “ dead zones ” in the world’s lakes and rivers, places where little life exists below surface water. Mining and drilling can also contribute to water pollution. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a major contributor to pollution of rivers and streams near coal mines . Acid helps miners remove coal from the surrounding rocks . The acid is washed into streams and rivers, where it reacts with rocks and sand. It releases chemical sulfur from the rocks and sand, creating a river rich in sulfuric acid . Sulfuric acid is toxic to plants, fish, and other aquatic organisms. Sulfuric acid is also toxic to people, making rivers polluted by AMD dangerous sources of water for drinking and hygiene . Oil spills are another source of water pollution. In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing oil to gush from the ocean floor. In the following months, hundreds of millions of gallons of oil spewed into the gulf waters. The spill produced large plumes of oil under the sea and an oil slick on the surface as large as 24,000 square kilometers (9,100 square miles). The oil slick coated wetlands in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi, killing marsh plants and aquatic organisms such as crabs and fish. Birds, such as pelicans , became coated in oil and were unable to fly or access food. More than two million animals died as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Buried chemical waste can also pollute water supplies. For many years, people disposed of chemical wastes carelessly, not realizing its dangers. In the 1970s, people living in the Love Canal area in Niagara Falls, New York, suffered from extremely high rates of cancer and birth defects . It was discovered that a chemical waste dump had poisoned the area’s water. In 1978, 800 families living in Love Canal had to a bandon their homes. If not disposed of properly, radioactive waste from nuclear power plants can escape into the environment. Radioactive waste can harm living things and pollute the water. Sewage that has not been properly treated is a common source of water pollution. Many cities around the world have poor sewage systems and sewage treatment plants. Delhi, the capital of India, is home to more than 21 million people. More than half the sewage and other waste produced in the city are dumped into the Yamuna River. This pollution makes the river dangerous to use as a source of water for drinking or hygiene. It also reduces the river’s fishery , resulting in less food for the local community. A major source of water pollution is fertilizer used in agriculture . Fertilizer is material added to soil to make plants grow larger and faster. Fertilizers usually contain large amounts of the elements nitrogen and phosphorus , which help plants grow. Rainwater washes fertilizer into streams and lakes. There, the nitrogen and phosphorus cause cyanobacteria to form harmful algal blooms. Rain washes other pollutants into streams and lakes. It picks up animal waste from cattle ranches. Cars drip oil onto the street, and rain carries it into storm drains , which lead to waterways such as rivers and seas. Rain sometimes washes chemical pesticides off of plants and into streams. Pesticides can also seep into groundwater , the water beneath the surface of the Earth. Heat can pollute water. Power plants, for example, produce a huge amount of heat. Power plants are often located on rivers so they can use the water as a coolant . Cool water circulates through the plant, absorbing heat. The heated water is then returned to the river. Aquatic creatures are sensitive to changes in temperature. Some fish, for example, can only live in cold water. Warmer river temperatures prevent fish eggs from hatching. Warmer river water also contributes to harmful algal blooms. Another type of water pollution is simple garbage. The Citarum River in Indonesia, for example, has so much garbage floating in it that you cannot see the water. Floating trash makes the river difficult to fish in. Aquatic animals such as fish and turtles mistake trash, such as plastic bags, for food. Plastic bags and twine can kill many ocean creatures. Chemical pollutants in trash can also pollute the water, making it toxic for fish and people who use the river as a source of drinking water. The fish that are caught in a polluted river often have high levels of chemical toxins in their flesh. People absorb these toxins as they eat the fish. Garbage also fouls the ocean. Many plastic bottles and other pieces of trash are thrown overboard from boats. The wind blows trash out to sea. Ocean currents carry plastics and other floating trash to certain places on the globe, where it cannot escape. The largest of these areas, called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. According to some estimates, this garbage patch is the size of Texas. The trash is a threat to fish and seabirds, which mistake the plastic for food. Many of the plastics are covered with chemical pollutants. Land Pollution Many of the same pollutants that foul the water also harm the land. Mining sometimes leaves the soil contaminated with dangerous chemicals. Pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural fields are blown by the wind. They can harm plants, animals, and sometimes people. Some fruits and vegetables absorb the pesticides that help them grow. When people consume the fruits and vegetables, the pesticides enter their bodies. Some pesticides can cause cancer and other diseases. A pesticide called DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was once commonly used to kill insects, especially mosquitoes. In many parts of the world, mosquitoes carry a disease called malaria , which kills a million people every year. Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Muller was awarded the Nobel Prize for his understanding of how DDT can control insects and other pests. DDT is responsible for reducing malaria in places such as Taiwan and Sri Lanka. In 1962, American biologist Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring , which discussed the dangers of DDT. She argued that it could contribute to cancer in humans. She also explained how it was destroying bird eggs, which caused the number of bald eagles, brown pelicans, and ospreys to drop. In 1972, the United States banned the use of DDT. Many other countries also banned it. But DDT didn’t disappear entirely. Today, many governments support the use of DDT because it remains the most effective way to combat malaria. Trash is another form of land pollution. Around the world, paper, cans, glass jars, plastic products, and junked cars and appliances mar the landscape. Litter makes it difficult for plants and other producers in the food web to create nutrients . Animals can die if they mistakenly eat plastic. Garbage often contains dangerous pollutants such as oils, chemicals, and ink. These pollutants can leech into the soil and harm plants, animals, and people. Inefficient garbage collection systems contribute to land pollution. Often, the garbage is picked up and brought to a dump, or landfill . Garbage is buried in landfills. Sometimes, communities produce so much garbage that their landfills are filling up. They are running out of places to dump their trash. A massive landfill near Quezon City, Philippines, was the site of a land pollution tragedy in 2000. Hundreds of people lived on the slopes of the Quezon City landfill. These people made their living from recycling and selling items found in the landfill. However, the landfill was not secure. Heavy rains caused a trash landslide, killing 218 people. Sometimes, landfills are not completely sealed off from the land around them. Pollutants from the landfill leak into the earth in which they are buried. Plants that grow in the earth may be contaminated, and the herbivores that eat the plants also become contaminated. So do the predators that consume the herbivores. This process, where a chemical builds up in each level of the food web, is called bioaccumulation . Pollutants leaked from landfills also leak into local groundwater supplies. There, the aquatic food web (from microscopic algae to fish to predators such as sharks or eagles) can suffer from bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals. Some communities do not have adequate garbage collection systems, and trash lines the side of roads. In other places, garbage washes up on beaches. Kamilo Beach, in the U.S. state of Hawai'i, is littered with plastic bags and bottles carried in by the tide . The trash is dangerous to ocean life and reduces economic activity in the area. Tourism is Hawai'i’s largest industry . Polluted beaches discourage tourists from investing in the area’s hotels, restaurants, and recreational activities. Some cities incinerate , or burn, their garbage. Incinerating trash gets rid of it, but it can release dangerous heavy metals and chemicals into the air. So while trash incinerators can help with the problem of land pollution, they sometimes add to the problem of air pollution. Reducing Pollution Around the world, people and governments are making efforts to combat pollution. Recycling, for instance, is becoming more common. In recycling, trash is processed so its useful materials can be used again. Glass, aluminum cans, and many types of plastic can be melted and reused . Paper can be broken down and turned into new paper. Recycling reduces the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills, incinerators, and waterways. Austria and Switzerland have the highest recycling rates. These nations recycle between 50 and 60 percent of their garbage. The United States recycles about 30 percent of its garbage. Governments can combat pollution by passing laws that limit the amount and types of chemicals factories and agribusinesses are allowed to use. The smoke from coal-burning power plants can be filtered. People and businesses that illegally dump pollutants into the land, water, and air can be fined for millions of dollars. Some government programs, such as the Superfund program in the United States, can force polluters to clean up the sites they polluted. International agreements can also reduce pollution. The Kyoto Protocol , a United Nations agreement to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, has been signed by 191 countries. The United States, the world’s second-largest producer of greenhouse gases, did not sign the agreement. Other countries, such as China, the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, have not met their goals. Still, many gains have been made. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River, in the U.S. state of Ohio, was so clogged with oil and trash that it caught on fire. The fire helped spur the Clean Water Act of 1972. This law limited what pollutants could be released into water and set standards for how clean water should be. Today, the Cuyahoga River is much cleaner. Fish have returned to regions of the river where they once could not survive. But even as some rivers are becoming cleaner, others are becoming more polluted. As countries around the world become wealthier, some forms of pollution increase. Countries with growing economies usually need more power plants, which produce more pollutants. Reducing pollution requires environmental, political, and economic leadership. Developed nations must work to reduce and recycle their materials, while developing nations must work to strengthen their economies without destroying the environment. Developed and developing countries must work together toward the common goal of protecting the environment for future use.

How Long Does It Last? Different materials decompose at different rates. How long does it take for these common types of trash to break down?

  • Paper: 2-4 weeks
  • Orange peel: 6 months
  • Milk carton: 5 years
  • Plastic bag: 15 years
  • Tin can: 100 years
  • Plastic bottle: 450 years
  • Glass bottle: 500 years
  • Styrofoam: Never

Indoor Air Pollution The air inside your house can be polluted. Air and carpet cleaners, insect sprays, and cigarettes are all sources of indoor air pollution.

Light Pollution Light pollution is the excess amount of light in the night sky. Light pollution, also called photopollution, is almost always found in urban areas. Light pollution can disrupt ecosystems by confusing the distinction between night and day. Nocturnal animals, those that are active at night, may venture out during the day, while diurnal animals, which are active during daylight hours, may remain active well into the night. Feeding and sleep patterns may be confused. Light pollution also indicates an excess use of energy. The dark-sky movement is a campaign by people to reduce light pollution. This would reduce energy use, allow ecosystems to function more normally, and allow scientists and stargazers to observe the atmosphere.

Noise Pollution Noise pollution is the constant presence of loud, disruptive noises in an area. Usually, noise pollution is caused by construction or nearby transportation facilities, such as airports. Noise pollution is unpleasant, and can be dangerous. Some songbirds, such as robins, are unable to communicate or find food in the presence of heavy noise pollution. The sound waves produced by some noise pollutants can disrupt the sonar used by marine animals to communicate or locate food.

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Introduction to Essays in Honour of Anastasios Xepapadeas

  • Published: 30 May 2024

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environmental issue essay introduction

  • Phoebe Koundouri 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 ,
  • Aart de Zeeuw 4 , 5 &
  • Athanasios Yannacopoulos 6  

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In 2021, Anastasios Xepapadeas retired as professor of economic theory and policy at the Athens University of Economics and Business, with environmental economics as his main area of interest. From 1987 to 2007, he was affiliated with the University of Crete and since 2017, he is affiliated with the University of Bologna. He has contributed at a high level to all three areas of the academic profession: education, research, and administration. Many of the students he supervised have an academic career. His list of publications is diverse and impressive. He was dean in Crete and in Athens, president of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, co-editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and editor of Environment and Development Economics. He was also chair of the board of the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and last but not least, he was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.

An important contribution of Professor Xepapadeas is that he introduced and developed advanced methodologies for environmental economics, wrote in a transparent way on this, and derived novel insights and conclusions for several environmental problems. He was one of the first researchers to use game theory in dynamic models, evolutionary games, robust control, tipping points, and diffusion for analyzing spatial issues. He uses these techniques, but he writes about economics, and mainly about policy in resource management and in pollution control. His papers are widely cited, because these papers are transparent, use advanced techniques, and reach novel conclusions in a wide range of issues in environmental economics.

The papers in this special issue are in some way related to the publications by Professor Xepapadeas. They do not cover the whole area of research in which he has been active but indicate a few areas to which he has made important contributions. The paper by Gautier and Fikru extends the analysis of the role of endogenous market structure under oligopoly in the design of emissions taxes. Katsoulacos and Xepapadeas ( 1995 ) showed that the emission tax should exceed the marginal damages when the number of firms is endogenous. In their paper in this special issue, Gautier and Fikru extend this result by considering the possibility of new firm acquisitions. The paper in this special issue by Agliardi and Lambertini is also on emission taxes in an oligopolistic market structure and shows under which conditions a win-win solution emerges in terms of abatement and profits, for a time-consistent policy.

An important issue for emission reduction in the international context is the possibility of carbon leakage. Petrakis and Xepapadeas ( 1996 ) studied international agreements on emission reduction when environmentally conscious countries commit but have to use side payments to include other countries. The paper by Antoniou et al. in this special issue shows that the relative emission intensities of tradable and non-tradable goods, and their relationship in production and consumption, are crucial for determining the direction of carbon leakage and the terms-of-trade effects.

One of the frequently cited articles of Professor Xepapadeas is his chapter on economic growth and the environment (Xepapadeas 2005 ) in the Handbook of Environmental Economics. This special issue has four papers in this area. Dioikitopoulos and Karydas use an endogenous growth model with local pollution externalities. The investments in advanced production methods are key to sustainable development but presuppose that households’ long-term views are not distorted by a currently poor natural environment. Chatzistamoulou and Koundouri show that the different aspects of the green transition in Europe, such as energy efficiency and environmental efficiency, cannot be handled in isolation. In an integrated econometric analysis, with a panel covering the EU-28 from 2010 to 2019, they show that green taxation fosters energy efficiency but hinders environmental efficiency. In another empirical paper, using panel data from 1995 to 2019, Halkos and Aslanidis show that total factor productivity in the EU increases much more when using renewable energy sources instead of non-renewable energy sources, by estimating the Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index. More specifically on the topic of growth and environment, Menuet et al. ( 2023 ) analyze the complex relationship between economic growth and environmental quality by an endogenous growth model where environmental policy may generate instability and may condemn the economy to an environmental poverty trap. Baret and Menuet extend this analysis by considering the role of public debt. Public debt can be used to finance abatement activities, but it also affects the long-run growth rate.

Mäler et al. ( 2003 ) is a seminal paper analyzing the eutrophication of a lake system as a common-property resource with a possible tipping point. The methodological basis for this analysis is a differential game with tipping. The paper in this special issue by de Zeeuw is a crash course in the concepts and techniques of differential games, covering these recent developments. When a tipping point is uncertain, such as in climate change, a hazard rate can be used to model a tipping point. In their paper in this special issue, Brausmann and Bretschger analyze optimal policy in the presence of climate shocks to the economy that occur with an endogenous hazard rate. In comparison, Athanassoglou and Xepapadeas ( 2012 ) use robust control (or the maxmin expected utility) to analyze the optimal policy under uncertainty and show that precaution does not have to increase with increasing uncertainty.

Brock and Xepapadeas ( 2003 ) develop a conceptual framework for valuing biodiversity from an economic perspective and show that a more diverse system could have a higher value although the genetic distance of the species could be almost zero. Furthermore, Levin and Xepapadeas ( 2021 ) show that deep uncertainty and ambiguity aversion are important concepts in ecological-economic systems. In their paper in this special issue, Agliardi, Agliardi and Spanjers continue these directions of research and find that while calculated risk creates a scope for biodiversity preservation, the presence of ambiguity aversion reduces it, which suggests that effective conservation strategies would involve a reduction of ambiguity aversion.

Environmental economic policy usually requires that individuals or countries come to an agreement while having different evaluations of uncertainty or different preferences. Petracou et al. ( 2022 ) develop a procedure for group decision making by using Fréchet-Wasserstein mean preferences. Koundouri et al. extend this analysis by developing an iterative procedure towards consensus based on the concept of the Fréchet barycenter. They apply this to reaching consensus on the social discount rate.

The papers in this special issue show the diversity and the importance of the research by Professor Xepapadeas but cover only part of the broad area of research and policy advice in which he has been active. We can only be grateful for his contributions and for his collegiality and friendship over so many years.

Athanassoglou, Stergios and Anastasios Xepapadeas (2012) Pollution control with uncertain stock dynamics: when, and how, to be precautious. J Environ Econ Manag 63:3, 304–320

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Brock WA, Xepapadeas A (2003) Valuing biodiversity from an economic perspective: a unified economic, ecological, and genetic approach. Am Econ Rev 93(5):1597–1614

Katsoulacos, Yannis and Anastasios Xepapadeas (1995) Environmental policy under oligopoly with endogenous market structure. Scand J Econ 97:3, 411–420

Levin, Simon and Anastasios Xepapadeas (2021) On the coevolution of economic and ecological systems. Annual Rev Resource Econ 13:355–377

Mäler K-G, Anastasios Xepapadeas and, Aart de Zeeuw (2003) The economics of shallow lakes. Environmental & Resource Economics 26, 4, 603–624

Menuet M, Minea A, Villieu P, and Anastasios Xepapadeas (2023). Environmental quality along the process of economic growth: a theoretical reappraisal. Economic Theory

Petracou EV, Xepapadeas A, Yannacopoulos AN (2022) Decision making under model uncertainty: Fréchet-Wasserstein mean preferences. Manage Sci 68:2, 1195–1211

Petrakis E, Xepapadeas A (1996) Environmental consciousness and moral hazard in international agreements to protect the environment. J Public Econ 60(1):95–110

Xepapadeas A (2005) Economic growth and the environment. In: Karl-Göran Mäler and Jeffrey R. Vincent (eds). Handbook of Environmental Economics 3, Chap. 23, 1219–1271

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Phoebe Koundouri

Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Danish Technical University, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

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Department of Economics, TSC, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands

Aart de Zeeuw

Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden

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Koundouri, P., Zeeuw, A. & Yannacopoulos, A. Introduction to Essays in Honour of Anastasios Xepapadeas. Environ Resource Econ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-024-00883-w

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The National and State Tobacco Control Program: Overview of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Efforts to Address Commercial Tobacco Use

ESSAY — Volume 21 — May 30, 2024

LaTisha Marshall, DrPH, MPH 1 ; Emilia Pasalic, MPH 1 ; Margaret Mahoney, JD 1 ,2 ; Tiffany Turner, PhD 1 ; Karla Sneegas, MPH 1 ; Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, PhD, MPH 1 ( View author affiliations )

Suggested citation for this article: Marshall L, Pasalic E, Mahoney M, Turner T, Sneegas K, Kittner DL. The National and State Tobacco Control Program: Overview of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Efforts to Address Commercial Tobacco Use. Prev Chronic Dis 2024;21:230311. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.230311 .

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Introduction

The national and state tobacco control program, the national and state tobacco control program approach, disparities and health inequities, technical assistance to recipients, monitoring ntcp recipients, process evaluation findings from year 1 of current 5-year funding cycle, implications for public health practice, acknowledgments, author information.

Considerable progress has been made in reducing cigarette smoking among US youth and adults (1). Comprehensive statewide evidence-based tobacco control programs have reduced smoking prevalence and tobacco-related diseases and deaths (1). Even so, commercial tobacco use (ie, harmful products made and sold by tobacco companies, not traditional tobacco used by Indigenous groups for religious or ceremonial purposes) remains the most preventable cause of disease and death in the US, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths each year (1). Close to 46 million US adults currently use tobacco products (2), including smoked, smokeless, and electronic products, such as e-cigarettes (3). Cigarette smoking is estimated to have contributed to more than $225 billion in annual health care costs in 2014 (4). Although the overall prevalence of tobacco use has declined, this decline has not been experienced equally by all populations in the US. Large tobacco-related health disparities exist among such groups as American Indian and Alaska Native people (5); Black and African American people (6); people exposed to secondhand smoke, such as those who live in states without smoke-free air policies (7); people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) (5,8); adults with a mental health condition (9); and people with low socioeconomic status (SES) (5), among many other population groups.

Since the release of the US Surgeon General’s report in 1964, which warned of the health hazards of cigarette smoking (10), state and national tobacco control efforts have helped to dramatically reduce smoking in the US (1,2,11–13); however, disparities in tobacco use remain, making national, state, tribal, territorial, and community-level efforts necessary.

In 1978, the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) was established in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health to serve as the lead federal entity for gathering information about smoking-related death and disease. OSH administers a national program that works with state and local governments on smoking and health matters to reduce death and disability from smoking (14). In 1986, this office became a part of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (15), where OSH became the lead federal agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control (16).

In 1999, OSH created the National and State Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) and published Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs to provide grant recipients with tobacco control program guidelines and recommendations (17). CDC established NTCP to provide technical assistance and funding to support comprehensive tobacco control programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 8 US territories and freely associated states. Overall, NTCP was formed to encourage nationally coordinated, statewide-level efforts to reduce tobacco-related disease and death.

NTCP funding for states and territories is managed through cooperative agreements. Cooperative agreements transfer funds and technical assistance to recipients in exchange for their contributions to federal public health goals and objectives with substantial agency involvement (18). Technical assistance involves advice, assistance, or training to prepare for and manage program development, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation.

NTCP continues to be built on the successes and lessons learned of previously funded work, such as Tobacco Use Prevention: Public Health Approaches for Ensuring Quitline Capacity (CDC-RFA-DP14-1410PPHF14) (19) and National State-Based Tobacco Control Programs (CDC-RFA-DP15–1509) (20). Although recipients receive funds through various sources, the aforementioned funded projects contributed to progress in tobacco control prevention in such areas as education and outreach, smoke-free policies, media campaigns to increase the use of the state quitlines, and health-systems changes that institutionalize tobacco screening and referrals to the quitline. Many states used the Tips From Former Smokers Campaign (Tips), the first federally funded tobacco education campaign in the US. During 2012–2018, the Tips campaign contributed to 16.4 million quit attempts and more than 1 million estimated sustained quits (21). Quitlines have also been effectively tailored for racial and ethnic groups, lower-income groups, and LGBTQI+ (LGBT, queer, intersex, and all other identities not encompassed by the acronym) groups (22).

In June 2020, OSH initiated a new 5-year cooperative funding agreement, the NTCP CDC-RFA-DP20-2001, to implement evidence-based tobacco control strategies (23). NTCP’s fiscal year investment was $71.5 million. State tobacco control programs, including the District of Columbia and territorial governments, could apply for one or both of the two components of the cooperative agreement. For Component 1 — National Tobacco Control Program (State-Based), state tobacco control programs (including the District of Columbia) engage local lead agencies, coalition partners, and others to implement selected strategies — including State and Community Interventions; Mass-Reach Health Communication Interventions; Tobacco Use and Dependence Treatment Interventions; Surveillance and Evaluation; Infrastructure, Administration, and Management; and 3 new requirement areas to promote health equity — the Statewide Disparity Requirement, the Community-Based Disparity Requirement, and the Statewide Prevention of Initiation to Emerging Tobacco Products, Including E-Cigarettes, for Youth and Young Adults Requirement. For Component 2 — State Commercial Tobacco Use and Dependence Treatment Support System, states, the District of Columbia, and territorial governments apply for funds to focus on commercial tobacco use and support systems to treat dependence.

Recipients of NTCP funds are required to use evidence-based policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) strategies to address NTCP’s 4 goals: 1) prevent initiation of commercial tobacco product use (including emerging products and e-cigarettes) among youth and young adults; 2) promote quitting among adults and youth; 3) eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke; and 4) advance health equity by identifying and eliminating commercial tobacco product–related inequities and disparities. The relationship among program inputs, PSE strategies, and short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes is depicted in the NTCP logic model ( Figure ) .

PSE strategies are based on CDC’s Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs (22), a guide that assists states in planning their comprehensive tobacco control program. The following best practices are evidence-based interventions that serve as the foundation for NTCP work and are among the core PSE strategies selected by recipients to fulfill their cooperative agreements:

State and Community Interventions (Component 1). This PSE strategy supports a comprehensive statewide tobacco control program that coordinates community-level interventions, focusing on the synergies of implementing policies and programs that promote and reinforce behavior changes that align with tobacco-free norms. Examples of interventions include counteracting protobacco messaging, restricting the availability of tobacco products, increasing tobacco prices, and disseminating positive health messaging (24–26). The short-term outcomes of advancing these initiatives at the state and community levels include increased reach of evidence-based strategies, such as PSE changes that benefit the general population as well as populations affected by disparities (27). Interventions are aimed at preventing initiation of commercial tobacco products, promoting cessation of commercial tobacco product use, and eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke with the help of community support and engagement (22).

Mass-Reach Health Communication Interventions (Component 1). This PSE strategy includes activities to deliver evidence-based, strategic, culturally appropriate, high-impact messages. These messages include mass-reach health communication campaigns and counter-marketing strategies (24), including those that leverage CDC’s national tobacco education campaigns and reports by the US Surgeon General. Recipient outputs related to this PSE strategy include the development of detailed communications plans to increase public and decision-maker knowledge about the drivers of tobacco use, the harms of tobacco use and secondhand-smoke exposure, and tobacco-related disparities. Communication campaigns can provide graphic and personal stories of the health consequences of smoking as effective tools to motivate people who smoke to quit (21). In 2012, to support recipients to effectively implement this PSE strategy, CDC launched the first-ever federally funded national tobacco education campaign (Tips), which has increased population-level quit attempts (28).

Tobacco Use and Dependence Treatment Interventions (Component 1). People who use commercial tobacco are encouraged to quit by using the most effective methods (26,29). Recipients selected interventions designed to promote health systems change, expand health insurance coverage, use proven cessation treatments, and support state quitline capacity (22,29,30). Implementation of this PSE strategy is expected to increase availability and awareness of barrier-free health insurance coverage of tobacco cessation treatment and result in the adoption of health systems changes that promote and support tobacco cessation.

Surveillance and Evaluation (Component 1). NTCP cooperative agreements require 10% of funds be allocated to a surveillance and evaluation system that can monitor and document outcomes and provide direction for future activities. As such, recipients are required to develop and implement a written evaluation plan and report program progress, evaluation findings, and performance measurement data annually. Evidence shows that “systematic surveillance and monitoring of key program inputs and outputs and environmental influences is central to understand the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of tobacco control efforts” (31). Strong recipient-led evaluations in combination with a national surveillance network can help state programs select and implement best practices (31).

Infrastructure, Administration, and Management (Component 1). Recipients develop and maintain an infrastructure to sustain comprehensive tobacco control programs, ensuring that programs have networked partnerships, multilevel leadership, engaged data, managed resources, and responsive plans (32). Program infrastructure that supports program capacity and sustainability can help programs achieve positive public health outcomes (32).

Commercial Tobacco Use and Dependence Treatment Support System (Component 2). Recipients develop and implement action plans to enhance quitline capacity and infrastructure, optimize quitline intake processes, increase quitline partnerships, diversify funding, expand cessation services, and improve quitline evaluation to include an assessment of disparities in quitline use and effectiveness. This PSE strategy is expected to improve quitline outcomes, including expanding the reach of evidence-based tobacco use dependence treatment services (29,33).

As recipients implement PSE strategies during the 5-year cooperative agreement, they can expect to see changes in long-term outcome indicators related to each of the 4 goal areas, such as decreases in initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults; tobacco product consumption, dependence, and prevalence; exposure to secondhand smoke; and tobacco-related disparities (34).

The decrease in prevalence of tobacco use has not been experienced by all population groups equally; many population groups continue to be at a disproportionate risk for experiencing tobacco-related disease and death (1). These disparities are closely linked with social, economic, or environmental factors that includes systemwide problems, unfair practices, and unjust conditions (35). NTCP supports implementing evidence-based strategies through a health equity lens to decrease commercial tobacco use among all population groups. For example, menthol cigarette use disproportionately affects people who are African American, women (36–38), LGBT (39), have a low income (38) or education (38), and adult smokers who have behavioral health conditions (40). Culturally appropriate, evidence-based strategies to prevent and reduce commercial tobacco use may help reduce these disparities. This cooperative agreement supports recipients to implement state and community interventions that educate communities on evidence-based population-level strategies to reduce access to menthol and other flavored tobacco products. Policies that prohibit menthol can reduce tobacco experimentation among young people, increase the number of smokers that quit, and lead to a reduction in disease and death (41).

NTCP elevated the importance of OSH’s fourth goal area — advance health equity by identifying and eliminating commercial tobacco product–related inequities and disparities — by including 3 new requirements.

Statewide Disparity Requirement (Component 1): Recipients develop strategies and activities to reduce tobacco product–related disparities among population groups with behavioral health conditions or low SES. Recipients working with population groups with behavioral health conditions engage behavioral health systems, health care providers, hospitals, outpatient facilities, residential facilities, and recovery residences to 1) create tobacco-free campuses, 2) increase screening for tobacco use and dependence, and 3) provide tobacco use and dependence treatment assistance to clients. Recipients working with people with low SES collaborate with low-income multi-unit housing providers to implement smoke-free policies and promote quit support resources and work with Medicaid recipients and health care providers to improve comprehensive coverage for treatment of tobacco use and dependence.

Community-Based Disparity Requirement (Component 1). To promote a community-led approach to addressing tobacco product–related disparities for a specific population group, recipients are required to identify a population group in a community that is disparately affected by tobacco use and dependence and secondhand smoke exposure, and then fund, support, and collaborate with a local lead agency that serves this population group. The recipient supports the local lead agency and its tobacco-control community coalition partners to promote PSE strategies and activities with and for the identified population group to reduce disparities in tobacco use, dependence, or secondhand smoke. Community engagement and mobilization are essential to programs addressing tobacco control (42). To support strategies for achieving equity and eliminating commercial tobacco–related disparities, National Networks also partner with states to assist in providing technical assistance with this requirement. National Networks is a consortium of organizations that strives to prevent commercial tobacco use and cancer in population groups with tobacco- and cancer-related health disparities (43).

Statewide Prevention of Initiation to Emerging Tobacco Products, Including E-Cigarettes, for Youth and Young Adults Requirement (Component 1). This strategy requires recipients to focus on disparities in tobacco product use (such as e-cigarettes) among youth and young adults. Recipients collaborate with partners to support youth and young adults in making behavior choices consistent with tobacco-free norms. As part of a comprehensive approach to tobacco control, recipients tailor interventions to reach population groups with the highest use, which might vary by tobacco product type (2).

To increase recipients’ capacity for implementing evidence-based tobacco prevention and control strategies, OSH created an infrastructure in which public health advisors serve as the primary contact for identifying and implementing technical assistance. Cooperative agreements provide substantial federal staff involvement, which creates a collaborative foundation for the work of OSH. As such, recipients also receive internal support through OSH’s subject matter experts such as scientists, evaluators, health communication specialists, and policy experts. This support can be obtained through monthly calls facilitated by their public health advisor, monthly NTCP webinars, media network webinars, surveillance and evaluation webinars, or administrative calls based on the need of the recipient. In addition, communities of practice exist for which topics are selected to advance the program knowledge and skill necessary for managing and leading comprehensive tobacco control programs.

Furthermore, external support is provided through funded technical assistance partnerships, such as National Networks, which provide an avenue for recipients to receive training and technical assistance. Each network focuses on a specific population group (ie, Asian American; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; American Indian or Alaska Native; African American; Hispanic or Latino; LGBTQ; a geographically defined population; people with behavioral health conditions; and people with low SES) experiencing disparities in commercial tobacco use and cancer-related illness and death. Other funded organizations that provide technical assistance to recipients include the Public Health Law Center, the American Lung Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and other nongovernment organizations.

In providing technical assistance, recipients are provided with tools, resources such as best practices user guides (44), and access to experts in the field. For example, to support NTCP recipients in measuring performance and conducting evaluations, OSH evaluators developed guidance materials. These include 4 key outcome indicator guides, one for each goal area, plus an introduction to process evaluation in tobacco use prevention and control and a compendium of surveillance and evaluation data resources (34,45–49). Another resource is the NTCP Awards Management Platform (50), which facilitates communication across internal OSH technical assistance providers; it provides easy access to information and resources about the NTCP and provides a platform for recipients to upload their workplans, performance measures, and evaluation plans and reports in collaboration with OSH’s evaluators.

OSH’s approach to technical assistance is tailored to meet the unique needs of the recipient organization, including the context and culture within which they operate (51). Therefore, we identify measures that indicate improvements in individual recipient practice or organizational performance and track those measures to demonstrate that our technical assistance has real, measurable results. Technical assistance is an important element in building capacity for adopting and implementing PSE strategies, such as policies (52), which are critical in moving tobacco control efforts forward. Through provision of the wide array of technical assistance offered, recipients are able to learn from others and share their successes and lessons learned (52,53).

All publicly financed programs require accountability. CDC and recipients monitor NTCP program progress and outcomes by examining a combination of process and outcome indicators. Monitoring long-term outcome indicators over time, such as the prevalence of commercial tobacco product use, allows CDC to document progress toward the 4 goal areas and provides data to demonstrate program effectiveness and inform decision making (34). CDC regularly monitors and publishes findings on long-term outcomes by using several national and state-level surveillance data sources (49). Healthy People 2030 benchmarks and tracks several NTCP long-term outcomes at the national level (for example, reducing current tobacco use to a 2030 target level of 17.4%), underscoring the alignment of NTCP goals with national objectives to improve health and well-being (54). Just as long-term outcome data provide critical information, timely data on program process indicators from recipients (eg, program data and performance measurement data related to program activities, outputs, and short-term and intermediate outcomes like reach) demonstrate program fidelity and allow for iterative program improvements (48).

CDC systematically collects performance measurement data from recipients to monitor the NTCP’s inputs, activities, outputs, and reach. Recipients are required to report program measurement data for indicators of selected short-term and intermediate outcomes depicted in the NTCP logic model ( Figure ). These data are collected annually from funded recipients through the NTCP Awards Management Platform, an online, collaborative platform designed for knowledge management, information sharing, technical assistance management, and performance monitoring with uniform data collection, reports, and dashboards (55).

To monitor the number and proportion of recipients implementing selected PSE strategies and delivering outputs, CDC used program data submitted by recipients, including NTCP work plan and annual progress reports, NTCP evaluation reports, and communications plans (56–58). To calculate the reach of selected PSE strategies, CDC relied on a combination of recipient-reported data and secondary data sources. Recipients reported the number and location of state, local, and tribal policies to prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol (55). OSH calculated reach as the combined sum of adults aged 18 years or older in each local jurisdiction in which recipients reported policies were passed, using 2021 1-year estimates from the American Community Survey (59). Recipients reported the number and reach of state Medicaid plans, state employee health plans, and other employers’ private health insurers that improved coverage of evidence-based cessation services, removed barriers, or adopted comprehensive coverage for all evidence-based cessation services without barriers (55). OSH calculated reach as the combined sum of enrollees in each of the plans reported by recipients to have gained improved coverage. The number of Medicaid enrollees reached was determined by using secondary Medicaid enrollment data (60). The number of enrollees reached in employer or private health insurer plans was reported by recipients (55). For the first time, a selection of program process data, demonstrating early results of the current NTCP cooperative agreement, is presented next.

From June 29, 2020, through April 28, 2021, a total of 53 recipients from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico were awarded funding for Component 1 (51 recipients) and/or Component 2 (52 recipients). In year 1, recipient activities and outputs reached millions of people in the US ( Table 1 and Table 2 ). Recipients engaged local lead agencies, coalition partners, and subcontractors to implement strategies across all PSE intervention areas, including the 3 new requirement areas. Popular strategies are highlighted below.

State and Community Interventions (Component 1). Eleven of 51 recipients (21.6%) selected the strategy of supporting the implementation of local policies prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol. For example, California and Minnesota provided data, technical assistance, and education to partners on evidence-based strategies that can reduce access to menthol and other flavored tobacco products. Twenty-two communities adopted policies in California and Minnesota, affecting an estimated 5,790,779 adults who became newly protected by local policies that prohibit the sale of menthol and other flavored products. Of the 11 recipients implementing this strategy, 9 recipients did not reach adoption (or implementation) of new policies in year 1; however, many reported substantive progress in their efforts to educate and engage partners, developing new partnerships and coalitions, providing educational resources, and working with partners to develop and coordinate key messaging on health risks and target marketing of flavored tobacco products.

Mass-Reach Health Communications (Component 1). All 51 recipients submitted detailed communication plans designed for reaching the general population and population groups experiencing tobacco-related disparities to prevent and reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. Plans for implementation varied across recipients.

Tobacco Use and Dependence Treatment (Component 1). Twenty-one of 51 recipients (41.2%) selected strategies to expand the availability and promotion of comprehensive, barrier-free insurance coverage for evidence-based cessation treatment. Combined, 8 recipients reported that 20 state Medicaid plans, state employee health plans, or other employers or private health insurance plans improved coverage of evidence-based cessation services, removed barriers to these services, or adopted comprehensive coverage for evidence-based cessation services without barriers, potentially affecting 7,828,192 enrollees.

Surveillance and Evaluation (Component 1). All 51 recipients submitted detailed evaluation reports focusing on in-depth evaluations of a subset of strategies.

Infrastructure, Administration, and Management (Components 1 and 2). All 53 recipients selected and implemented up to 8 strategies to bolster the infrastructure and management of their tobacco control programs. Recipients reported successful partnerships, acquiring additional funding streams, onboarding and training new staff, and other successes.

Commercial Tobacco Use and Dependence Treatment Support Systems (Component 2). Among the 52 recipients funded through Component 2 to ensure quitline capacity, 37 recipients (71.2%) conducted follow-up studies among people who used the quitline to assess quit success rates at 7 months postintervention.

Statewide Disparities Requirement (Component 1). Thirty-one of 51 recipients (60.8%) chose the strategy focused on promoting health systems changes in behavioral health care facilities to encourage and support screening for and treatment of tobacco use and dependence.

Community Based Disparities Requirement (Component 1). Forty-six of 51 recipients (90.2%) chose the strategy focused on developing or engaging partners to plan and implement evidence-based tobacco prevention and control strategies. As of April 2023, states had partnered with numerous population groups that experience tobacco-related disparities, including people who are African American (n = 12); American Indian or Alaska Native (n = 9); Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander (n = 2); Hispanic or Latino (n = 1); living in specific geographic regions (n = 4); LGBTQ (n = 10); experiencing low SES (n = 10); experiencing behavioral health conditions (n = 1); and veteran or military (n = 2).

Emerging Tobacco Products Requirement (Component 1). Forty-one of 51 recipients (80.4%) chose the strategy focused on educating and engaging partners, such as parents, schools, and community-based organizations, on evidence-based strategies to reduce use of emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, among young people.

This cooperative agreement (National and State Tobacco Control Program CDC-RFA-DP20-2001) enhances relationships between states and communities. The data presented here have several limitations. First, they are limited to findings that recipients chose to report and may not encompass all outcomes in every jurisdiction, potentially underestimating results. Second, they reflect year 1 of the program only, with the exception of the most recent list of recipients’ partnering with population groups as part of the community-based disparity requirement. Third, the short performance period (June 29, 2020–April 28, 2021) may have limited the results.

The 2020 NTCP cycle was built on previously funded work, which contributed to positive outcomes in year 1 of the cooperative agreement, and further supports the value of sustained commercial tobacco control efforts (22). NTCP’s Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs (22) provides a roadmap for states and communities to decrease commercial tobacco–related diseases and deaths with several implications for public health practice. Strategic partnerships are critical in leveraging resources to end the use of commercial tobacco. They assist programs in developing synergy, building capacity, collecting and disseminating data that can inform policy change, enhancing credibility, countering tobacco industry influence, advancing health equity, reducing disparities, and sustaining commercial tobacco control efforts (61). For example, policies that prohibit menthol can reduce experimentation among young people, increase the number of smokers that quit, and lead to a reduction in disease and death (41). Finally, requiring states to work in partnership with communities is critical for understanding local needs and implementing culturally appropriate, evidence-based strategies that work best for the community served.

The authors acknowledge the collective efforts of the NTCP recipients that contributed to the findings of this article. We also acknowledge the contribution of Yvelyne Poulard, Mackenzie Collins, and OSH/Evaluation Team. This article was supported by Notice of Funding Opportunity, National and State Tobacco Control Program, DP20-2001. Contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC or the US Department of Health and Human Services. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The authors used no copyrighted material, surveys, instruments, or tools in this article.

Corresponding Author: LaTisha L. Marshall, DrPH, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, 4770 Buford Highway NE; Mailstop S107-7, Atlanta, GA 30341 ( [email protected] ).

Author Affiliations: 1 Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. 2 Katmai Government Services, Orlando, Florida.

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Abbreviations: NA, not applicable; PSE, policy, systems, and environmental. a Beginning in 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health awarded funding to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico through the National Tobacco Control Program. Fifty-one recipients received funding for Component 1 (excluding Puerto Rico and Guam); 52 recipients received funding for component 2 (excluding New Mexico). The program implemented strategies to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, promote quitting among adults and youth, prevent initiation among youth and young adults, and advance health equity by identifying and eliminating commercial tobacco product-related inequities and disparities. Unless otherwise noted, data include reported outcomes from the year 1 performance period: June 29, 2020–April 28, 2021. Data are limited to recipients who chose to report outcomes to the Office on Smoking and Health and may not include all outcomes in every jurisdiction. b Data sources: National Tobacco Control Program Awards Management Platform (50); Office of Smoking and Health (55–58). c Two recipients chose to report outcomes for this measure (California, Minnesota). Reach represents the combined sum of adults aged ≥18 years in each of the 22 local jurisdictions where recipients reported policies were passed (California: Alhambra, Glendale, Encinitas, Guadalupe, Hayward, Long Beach, Maywood, Mendocino County, Mill Valley, Napa, Palo Alto, Paradise, Pleasanton, San Mateo, Sebastopol, Sunnyvale, Tiburon, West Hollywood; Minnesota: Edina, Lauderdale, Fridley, and Brown County). Data source: US Census Bureau (59). d Eight recipients chose to report outcomes for this measure (Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah). Reach represents the combined sum of enrollees in each of the 20 plans that the 8 recipients reported had improved coverage. Data source for recipients reporting changes to state Medicaid Agency coverage (Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah): Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (60). Data source for recipients reporting changes to other employers/ private health insurers plans (Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey): National Tobacco Control Program Awards Management Platform (50).

Abbreviations: SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; WIC, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. a Only 50 recipients selected an e-cigarette requirement strategy in year 1. b Updated April 2023.

The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors’ affiliated institutions.

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  1. Environmental Issues Essay for Students and Children

    Q.1 Name the major environmental issues. A.1 The major environmental issues are pollution, environmental degradation, resource depletion, and climate change. Besides, there are several other environmental issues that also need attention. Q.2 What is the cause of environmental change? A.2 Human activities are the main cause of environmental change.

  2. Essays on Environmental Issues

    A Research on The Relationship Between The Global Economy and The Environmental Protection Issues. 6 pages / 2789 words. Introduction The issue on environmental protection and the global economy is quite a sensitive, broad one. This section of the paper sets to discuss these issues and also their significance.

  3. Environmental Issues Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

    189 essay samples found. Environmental Issues encompass the challenges posed by human activities on the natural environment, including pollution, climate change, and deforestation. An essay could explore the impacts of these issues on ecosystems and human societies, discuss policy measures to address environmental challenges, or analyze the ...

  4. Environmental Issue Essay

    Essay on Environmental Issue. Environment is the surrounding of an Organism. This Environment in which an Organism lives is made up of various components like Air, Water, Land, etc. These components are found in fixed proportions to create a Harmonious Balance in the Environment for the Organism to live in. Any kind of undesirable and wanted ...

  5. Essay on Environmental Issues

    500 Words Essay on Environmental Issues Introduction. As the world continues to evolve, environmental issues increasingly take center stage, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable solutions. The environment, our life-support system, is under threat from various angles, including pollution, deforestation, and climate change.

  6. Human Impact on Environment

    Human Impact on Environment Essay. Ecological problem is one of the most important issues nowadays. Human activities have a negative impact on the environment. Humanity currently faces problems with air, water, and lands pollution, unreasonable agricultural systems, deforestation, and others. As a result, the number of available natural ...

  7. 79 Environmental Issues Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Environmental Justice Issues Affecting African Americans: Water Pollution. Water pollution in the 1960s occurred due to poor sewage systems in the urban and rural areas. Unlike in the 1960s, there are reduced cases of water pollution today. The Issue of Conserving the Environment in the US.

  8. Essay on Environment: Examples & Tips

    In the 21st century, the Environmental crisis is one of the biggest issues. The world has been potentially impacted by the resulting hindrance in the environmental balance, due to the rising in industrialization and urbanization. ... In the introduction of the essay on Environment, the student can make it interesting by recent instances or ...

  9. Environmental Issues Essay

    200 Words Essay On Environmental Issues. 500 Words Essay On Environmental Issues. Environmental Issues Essay. Reduce your energy consumption by changing to LED or CFL light bulbs and unplugging electronic devices when not in use; Use public transport or carpool instead of driving; Buy locally produced food and products as much as possible;

  10. Environmental Pollution: Causes and Consequences Essay

    Environmental pollution is the unwarranted discharge of mass or energy into the planet's natural resource pools, such as land, air, or water, which detriments the environment's ecological stability and the health of the living things that inhabit it. There is an intensified health risk and pollution in middle and low-income countries due to ...

  11. 7 Steps for Writing a Paper on an Environmental Issue

    First craft a paper outline with your main ideas organized, and a thesis statement. A logical outline will make it easy to gradually flesh out ideas and eventually produce complete paragraphs with good transitions between them. Make sure all the sections serve the purpose of the paper outlined in the thesis statement.

  12. Essay on Global Environmental Issues

    500 Words Essay on Global Environmental Issues Introduction to Global Environmental Issues. The 21st century is marked by an array of global environmental issues that pose significant threats to the planet and its inhabitants. These issues, primarily caused by human activities, range from climate change and deforestation to pollution and ...

  13. Environmental Issues Essays & Research Papers for Students

    1. Introduction Food waste is a pressing issue with far-reaching consequences, impacting not only the environment but also the economy and societal well-being. The problem of food waste is a multi-faceted issue that requires a thorough understanding of its root causes, effects, and potential solutions.

  14. Essay on Environmental Issues

    You can read more Essay Writing about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more. Long and Short Essays on Environmental Issues for Students and Kids in English. Here we have provided one brief long essay of 500 words, one short essay of 100-150 words, and ten important lines covering the topic.

  15. Climate Change Assay: A Spark Of Change

    A spark of change. "Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted," says Aldous Huxley in one of his books. He perfectly summarises the biggest cause of the issues the world of today struggles with, the issues that are created by humans' tendency to ignore the consequences of their actions.

  16. Introductory essay

    The greenhouse effect has been detected, and it is changing our climate now. James Hansen, June 24, 1988. The drought that crippled much of the U.S. and Canada in 1988-89 was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history prior to Hurricane Katrina. It spawned dust storms in the Midwest and forest fires in Yellowstone National Park.

  17. Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues

    Students should take notes on the three main sections of a persuasive essay (i.e., introduction, body, and conclusion). 6. ... As a whole class, have students brainstorm topics that could be used in writing a persuasive essay about an environmental issue. The topics should be pertinent to the students and their daily lives.

  18. Climate Change Essay for Students and Children

    Climate change refers to the change in the environmental conditions of the earth. This happens due to many internal and external factors. The climatic change has become a global concern over the last few decades. Besides, these climatic changes affect life on the earth in various ways. These climatic changes are having various impacts on the ...

  19. 184 Environment Essay Topics + Examples & Writing Prompts

    Looking for environmental issues essay topics? Read our article to find environment essay topics, examples, and a writing guide. ️ Write your A+ paper with us! ... The environmental issues essay consists of three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The optimal length is five paragraphs (around 200-300 words).

  20. Environmental Awareness Essay

    Another issue related to environmental pollution is global warming. The increase in greenhouse gases causes a rise in the planet's atmospheric temperature. Hence, it is important to be environmentally aware and protect the environment. To understand more about this cause, read BYJU'S environmental problems essay.

  21. Human Impacts on the Environment

    Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water. Help your students understand the impact humans have on the ...

  22. Environmental Issues

    Introduction to the Different Environmental Problems. Environmental issues can be defined as the harmful effects of human activities on the earth's environment. Environmental issues include many types of human activities which cause pollution, waste disposal, climate change, global warming, greenhouse effect, etc.

  23. Pollution

    Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land.

  24. Introduction to Essays in Honour of Anastasios Xepapadeas

    An important issue for emission reduction in the international context is the possibility of carbon leakage. Petrakis and Xepapadeas studied international agreements on emission reduction when environmentally conscious countries commit but have to use side payments to include other countries.The paper by Antoniou et al. in this special issue shows that the relative emission intensities of ...

  25. The National and State Tobacco Control Program: Overview of the Centers

    Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. PCD provides an open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to improve the health of the public through chronic disease prevention.