Environmental issues are problems that affect how natural communities work. These problems can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or by natural events. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recover in its current state, and very harmful if the ecosystem is expected to definitely collapse.

Environmental protection is the action of keeping the natural environment safe at the individual, group, or government level. This helps protect both the environment and people. Environmentalism is a movement that works to solve environmental problems through activities like speaking out, making laws, teaching others, and taking action.

Human actions that harm the environment are a worldwide and ongoing problem. Water pollution also harms ocean life. Some experts think that the expected highest number of people, about 9–10 billion, could live in a way that does not harm the Earth’s ecosystems if humans use resources wisely within the planet’s limits. Most environmental harm comes from the overuse of industrial products by the wealthiest people in the world. In its 2021 "Making Peace With Nature" Report, the UN Environmental Program said solving major problems like pollution, climate change, and loss of wildlife is possible if groups work together to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

Types

Major environmental problems today include climate change, pollution, damage to the environment, and using up natural resources. The conservation movement works to protect endangered animals and important natural areas that help the environment, as well as address issues like genetically modified foods and global warming. The United Nations has created international rules to handle environmental problems, focusing on three main issues called the "triple planetary crises": climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

Human impact

During the 1800s, important thinkers such as Martineau, Tocqueville, Marx, Spencer, Le Bon, Ward, Pareto, Tönnies, Veblen, Simmel, Durkheim, Addams, Mead, Weber, Du Bois, Mannheim, and Elias studied human society and its effects on the world.

Human impact on the environment, also called anthropogenic environmental impact, describes changes to nature, ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by people. When humans change the environment to meet their needs, such as building cities and roads, it can lead to serious problems like global warming, ocean acidification, loss of species, and damage to ecosystems. Major causes of these problems include population growth, economic policies that focus on growth, overuse of resources, pollution, and cutting down forests. Some issues, like global warming and loss of species, may threaten the survival of humans.

The word "anthropogenic" means something caused by humans. It was first used by Russian geologist Alexey Pavlov and later by British ecologist Arthur Tansley to describe how humans affect plant communities. Scientist Paul Crutzen introduced the term "Anthropocene" in the 1970s to describe the human influence on Earth since the start of the Agricultural Revolution. Many environmental changes, such as burning fossil fuels for energy, transportation, and manufacturing, contribute to a warmer planet.

Pollution happens when harmful substances or energy, such as chemicals, heat, or noise, are added to the environment. These harmful substances, called pollutants, can be natural or man-made. While natural events can cause pollution, the term usually refers to pollution from human activities like factories, mining, farming, or poor waste management. Pollution can be from a single source, like a factory, or from many sources, such as plastic waste or runoff from farms.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, many industrial activities caused pollution without rules to stop it. Some polluted areas still have harmful effects even after the pollution stopped. Major types of pollution include air, water, noise, plastic, and soil pollution. In 2019, pollution caused about nine million deaths worldwide, with most linked to air pollution. A 2022 study found that human-made pollution has reached levels that harm ecosystems globally. Vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, and communities with less power, often suffer the most from pollution. This inequality led to the environmental justice movement, which fights for fairness in how pollution affects people.

To reduce pollution, governments and organizations have created rules to improve air and water quality and manage waste. Local and national governments work with environmental agencies, while international efforts are led by groups like the United Nations. Pollution control is part of global goals to protect the environment and people.

Environmental degradation is the harm to the environment caused by using too many resources, destroying ecosystems, and polluting. It includes loss of clean air, water, and soil, as well as the extinction of wildlife. The United Nations says environmental degradation reduces the ability of the environment to support life. This can happen through direct actions, like cutting down forests, or indirect causes, like plastic buildup or greenhouse gases that change the climate. Efforts to stop this include protecting nature and managing resources carefully. Poor management can lead to conflicts between communities and groups that harm the environment.

Environmental conflicts happen when people disagree over how the environment is used or damaged. These conflicts often involve communities fighting to protect their homes from harmful activities like mining or waste disposal. These issues can affect the rights of indigenous people, farmers, and ocean-dependent communities. Global networks of activists help resolve these conflicts.

Environmental conflicts can make it harder to respond to natural disasters or other environmental problems.

Costs

Environmental problems cause many economic challenges that affect public health, buildings, work, nature, and future economic growth.

• Health and public health costs: In the United States, the yearly costs from air pollution and climate change, such as more sickness, hospital visits, lost income, and early deaths, are estimated to be more than $820 billion each year.
• Global economic losses from climate change and extreme weather: Around the world, damage from climate change to buildings, homes, farming, and health is expected to cost between $1.7 and $3.1 trillion each year by 2050. From 2000 to 2019, extreme weather events alone caused about $2.8 trillion in total losses.
• Costs of environmental harm and loss of nature: Industries that harm nature, such as farming, fossil fuels, logging, construction, fishing, and mining, create large environmental problems. Recent studies estimate these yearly costs to be between $10.5 and $22.6 trillion globally.
• Lost economic potential and productivity: When ecosystems, nature, and natural resources decline, it can harm the economy’s future stability. For example, large-scale deforestation, poor soil, and ecosystem breakdown reduce resources for farming, fishing, clean water, and controlling the climate, which can harm jobs and economic strength.

Action

Environmental justice is a movement that works to fix unfairness when poor or unfairly treated groups face harm from dangerous waste, mining, or other activities they don’t benefit from. Studies show that harmful environmental effects are not shared equally. Many groups, such as Black or racialized communities and LGBTQ people, are more likely to suffer from natural disasters.

Environmental justice means treating everyone fairly and letting all people, no matter their race, income, or background, have a say in decisions about the environment. Scholars have studied this idea in many ways over time.

The movement started in the United States in the 1980s. It was inspired by the civil rights movement and focused on unfair treatment of people in rich countries. Later, the movement included issues like gender, LGBTQ rights, and problems in poor countries. As progress was made in rich countries, harmful activities often moved to poorer nations. Now, the movement is global, with the United Nations helping to guide its goals. It also connects with efforts to protect Indigenous lands and the right to a healthy environment.

The goal of the movement is to help unfairly treated groups make decisions about their environment. Global efforts began with local fights where people protect their land from companies involved in mining or other industries. These local efforts are now supported by international groups.

Environmental justice scholars have written about many topics, including how to protect nature, laws about the environment, and ideas about fairness and sustainability.

A 2023 report from the IPCC said climate change harms people who are already struggling the most. The report explains that even small increases in global warming make problems like heatwaves and heavy rain worse, harming health and nature. Half the world’s population lives in areas at high risk from climate change. This shows the need for quick and lasting global action. The report also says using knowledge from scientists, Indigenous groups, and local communities can help solve climate problems better.

The report also said developing countries need more money to adapt to climate change than they currently get. This shows a gap in helping poorer nations and highlights the need for more support. The IPCC says with enough money and international help, it is possible to build a future that protects everyone.

Environmental laws are rules that protect nature. These laws include agreements, rules, and policies that help protect ecosystems and manage human activities like cutting down forests or fishing. They deal with issues like pollution, saving resources, protecting wildlife, and reducing climate change. These laws work at both national and international levels to balance protecting the environment with economic needs.

Environmental law became important in the middle of the 20th century as people noticed more harm from pollution and industrial growth. Major agreements, like the 1972 Stockholm Conference and the 1992 Rio Declaration, helped shape these laws. Key ideas include being careful to avoid harm, making polluters pay for damage, and ensuring future generations can enjoy the same resources. Today, environmental law connects with human rights, trade, and energy policies.

International agreements, such as the Paris Agreement (2015) and the Kyoto Protocol (1997), help countries work together on global problems. In some countries, laws like the UK’s Clean Air Act (1956) and the US Toxic Substances Control Act (1976) set rules to reduce pollution and manage chemicals. How these laws are enforced depends on the country, often involving government agencies, courts, and international groups. Environmental impact assessments are often used to check if projects follow the law.

Challenges in environmental law include balancing economic growth with protecting the environment, deciding how much money should be paid for harm, and fixing gaps in enforcing laws globally. The field keeps changing as new problems like losing wildlife and ocean plastic pollution arise.

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) checks how a project might affect the environment before it starts. If the project is proposed by a company or individual, it is called an EIA. If the project is part of a government plan or policy, it is called a strategic environmental assessment (SEA). EIAs are part of the process to approve projects and make decisions. These assessments often require public input and detailed records of decisions, and they can be reviewed by courts.

The goal of an EIA is to help decision-makers think about the environment when choosing whether to approve a project. The International Association for Impact Assessment says an EIA is a process to find, predict, and reduce the effects of a project on nature, people, and other areas before major decisions are made. EIAs do not force a specific outcome but require decisions to consider environmental values and explain them based on studies and public feedback.

The environmental movement, also called the ecology movement, works to protect nature from harmful actions to create a sustainable future. It sees humans as part of ecosystems, not separate from them, and focuses on health, nature, and human rights.

The movement is global and includes many organizations, from large groups to local communities. It varies by country and has many members with different beliefs. Sometimes, the movement’s ideas are based on theories or predictions, but it remains focused on protecting the environment.

Film and television

More and more movies are being made about environmental problems, especially climate change and global warming. Al Gore's 2006 movie An Inconvenient Truth became popular and earned a lot of money. It also received a lot of attention from the media.