‘Environment’ Archives
Rain Forest
Rain Forest Rain forest is a forest that grows where the rainfall is heavy and spread fairly evenly through the year. Rain forests grow in both the Tropics and in temperate latitudes. Tropical rain forest was first defined in 1898 by the German botanist and ecologist Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper (1856–1901), who also coined the term (in [...]
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace These two environmental groups established themselves in Britain in 1977 and 1971 respectively, with Friends of the Earth gaining instant media attention for its campaign against non-returnable bottles. Both organizations share a common environmental agenda (pollution control, nature preservation, [...]
Radical Environmentalism
Radical Environmentalism Although environmentalism in the United States began in the 19th century with a kind of spiritual appreciation of nature, it evolved into a less serene and respectful scene that today is marked by animosities, “culture wars,” and public policy skirmishes. In fact, one faction of environmentalism has become greatly [...]
The Scope of Ecotourism
The Scope of Ecotourism Ecotourism is the sector of the international tourism industry that has shown the fastest growth since the mid-1990s. The value of this sector to the economy of a developing country like Ecuador is significant, but difficult to measure with any precision. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, 83 per [...]
Montreal Protocol
Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty that has guided the gradual phaseout of production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, and other chemicals suspected of thinning the ozone layer. Restoration of the ozone layer is necessary to protect humans, animals, and plants [...]
Human Impact on Deserts
Human Impact on Deserts As all ecosystems with low productivity, deserts are fragile to disturbance. Some ecologists go as far as to state that no direct succession occurs at all after disturbance but it is at least obvious that regeneration times after perturbations can be very long. The few long-term studies following disturbance, as [...]
Superfund
Superfund Superfund is the name commonly used for the federal program to clean up hazardous waste sites, which is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The program was created by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), which has been copied by many states, which have their [...]
Ozone
Ozone Ozone (Greek ozein, “to smell”), pale blue, highly poisonous gas with a strong odor. Ozone is considered a pollutant at ground level, but the ozone layer of the upper atmosphere protects life on Earth from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Ozone is one of three forms, called allotropes, of the element oxygen. Ozone is [...]
Ozone Depletion
Ozone Depletion Ozone is a relatively unstable form of molecular oxygen containing three oxygen atoms (03). Ozone near the earth’s surface is the most noxious component of smog that is treated as an air pollutant in most industrial countries. The ozone layer in the stratosphere, however, shields the earth from ultraviolet radiation that is [...]
Oil Spills
Oil Spills Oil spills can occur on land or in rivers and lakes, but the most serious spills tend to involve tankers that travel the open seas. Spills represent a serious environmental risk as they threaten a wide range of marine species that can die when they or the food they need become coated with oil. The largest oil spill in US history [...]
