The modern ecological crisis is characterized by the following manifestations:

gradual change in the planet's climate due to changes in the balance of gases in the atmosphere;

general and local (above the poles, separate areas of land) destruction of the biospheric ozone screen;

pollution of the oceans with heavy metals, complex organic compounds, oil products, radioactive substances, water saturation with carbon dioxide;

ecological crisis environment

gap natural environmental ties between ocean and land waters as a result

construction of dams on rivers, leading to a change in solid runoff, spawning routes.

air pollution with the formation of acid precipitation, high toxic substances as a result of chemical and photochemical reactions;

pollution of land waters, including river waters used for drinking water supply, with highly toxic substances, including dioxides, heavy metals, phenols;

desertification of the planet;

degradation of the soil layer, reduction of the area of ​​fertile land suitable for agriculture;

radioactive contamination of certain territories in connection with burial radioactive waste, man-made accidents, etc.;

accumulation on the land surface of household waste and industrial waste, especially practically non-degradable plastics;

reduction in areas of tropical and northern forests, leading to an imbalance of atmospheric gases, including a reduction in the concentration of oxygen in the planet's atmosphere;

pollution underground space, including The groundwater, which makes them unsuitable for water supply and threatens the as yet little studied life in the lithosphere;

mass and rapid, avalanche-like disappearance of species of living matter;

deterioration of the living environment in populated areas, primarily urbanized areas;

general depletion and lack of natural resources for human development;

change in the size, energy and biogeochemical role of organisms, reshaping food chains, mass reproduction certain types organisms;

violation of the hierarchy of ecosystems, an increase in systemic uniformity on the planet.

Transport is one of the main environmental pollutants. Today, automobiles, with their petrol and diesel engines, have become the main sources of air pollution in industrialized countries. Huge areas of forests that grew in Africa, South America and Asia began to be destroyed, providing for the needs of various industries in Europe and the United States of America. This is very scary, because the destruction of forests disrupts the oxygen balance not only in these countries, but throughout the planet as a whole.

As a result, some species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappeared almost overnight. Many of the animals, birds and plants today are on the verge of extinction, many of them are included in the "Red Book of Nature". Despite everything, people still continue to kill animals so that some of the people can wear coats and furs. Think about it, today we do not kill animals in order to finish off our food and not die of hunger, as our ancient ancestors did. Today people kill animals for fun, in order to get their fur. Some of these animals, such as foxes, are in real danger of disappearing forever from the face of our planet. Every hour, several species of plants and animals disappear from the face of our planet. Rivers and lakes dry up.

Another global environmental problem is the so-called acid rain.

Acid rain is one of the most serious forms of environmental pollution, a dangerous disease of the biosphere. These rains are formed due to the entry into the atmosphere at a great height from the burning fuel (especially sulfurous) sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The weak solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid thus obtained in the atmosphere can fall out in the form of precipitation, sometimes after several days, hundreds of kilometers from the source of release. It is still technically impossible to determine the origin of acid rain. Penetrating into the soil, acid rain disrupts its structure, adversely affects beneficial microorganisms, dissolves natural minerals such as calcium and potassium, carrying them into the subsoil and taking away from plants their main source of nutrition. The damage caused to vegetation by acid rain, especially sulfur compounds, is enormous. External sign exposure to sulfur dioxide - gradual darkening of leaves on trees, reddening of pine needles.

Air pollution from heat-generating plants, industry and transport, scientists believe, has led to a new phenomenon - the defeat of some species of deciduous trees, as well as a rapid reduction in the growth rate of at least six species of coniferous trees, which can be traced in the annual rings of these trees.

Damage caused in Europe by acid rain to fish stocks, vegetation, architectural structures, is estimated at 3 billion dollars a year.

Acid rain, various harmful substances in the air major cities, also cause destruction of industrial structures and metal parts. Acid rain is detrimental to human health. Harmful substances that form acid rain are carried by air currents from one country to another, which sometimes causes international conflicts.

In addition to climate warming and the appearance of acid rain, there is one more thing on the planet. global phenomenon- Destruction of the Earth's ozone layer. When the maximum permissible concentration is exceeded, ozone has harmful effect on humans and animals. When combined with vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions harmful action ozone is enhanced, especially with solar irradiation of this mixture. At the same time, the ozone layer at an altitude of H-20 km from the earth's surface retains the hard ultraviolet radiation of the Sun, which has a destructive effect on the human and animal organisms. Excess solar radiation causes skin cancer and other diseases, reducing the productivity of agricultural land and the oceans. Today, about 1300 thousand tons of ozone-depleting substances are produced all over the world, less than 10% of them - in Russia.

To prevent the serious consequences associated with the destruction of the protective ozone layer of the Earth, the Vienna Convention on its protection was adopted at the international level. It provides for a freeze and subsequent reduction in the production of ozone-depleting substances, as well as the development of their harmless substitutes.

One of the global environmental problems is a sharp increase in the population on the planet. And for every well-fed person, there is another who barely manages to feed himself, and a third who is malnourished from day to day. The main means of agricultural production is land - the most important part of the environment, characterized by space, topography, climate, soil cover, vegetation, waters. During the period of its development, mankind has lost almost 2 billion hectares of productive land due to water, wind erosion and other destructive processes. This is more than currently under arable land and pastures. The rate of modern desertification, according to the UN, is about 6 million hectares per year.

As a result anthropogenic impact lands and soils are polluted, which leads to a decrease in their fertility, and in some cases to their removal from the sphere of land use. Sources of land pollution are industry, transport, energy, chemical fertilizers, household waste and other types of human activities. Land pollution occurs through sewage, air, as a result of the direct impact of physical, chemical, biological factors, exported and dumped on the land of production waste. Global soil pollution is created due to the long-range transport of a pollutant over a distance of more than 1000 km from any source of pollution. greatest danger for soils are chemical pollution, erosion and salinization.

ESSAY
On the topic: "The ecological crisis and its signs"

Students
3 courses, groups RK-71
Chekh N.O.

Novosibirsk 2008

Plan
Introduction………………………………………………………… ………………..3Chapter 1. Ecological crisis and its signs.

The concept of ecological crisis………………………………4
signs ecological crisis, their characteristics .............. 5
Dangerous pollution of the biosphere……………………...5
Depletion of energy resources ....................................6
Reduction of species biodiversity…………….7

2.1. Global warming………………………………………….8

2.2. Water shortage………………………………………………………8

Introduction.
The contradictions in the relationship between society and nature in the second half of the twentieth century became threatening. A thorough analysis of the causes of the destruction of the ozone screen, acid rain, chemical and radioactive pollution of the environment was required. It became clear that, as a biological species, a person with his life activity affects natural environment no more than other living organisms. However, this influence is incomparable with the enormous impact that human labor has on nature. According to V. I. Vernadsky, human activity has become a powerful force that transforms the Earth, comparable to geological processes.
The transformative impact of human society on nature is inevitable; it intensifies with the growth of the population, the development of scientific and technological progress, and the increase in the number and mass of substances involved in economic circulation.
As you know, the whole world around us, inhabited by living organisms, which is called the biosphere, has undergone a long historical development. People themselves are generated by the biosphere, are part of it and obey its laws. Unlike the rest of the living world, man has a mind. He is able to assess the current state of nature and society, to know the laws of their development.
According to Academician N. N. Moiseev (1998), a person has learned the laws that allowed him to create modern machines, but until he learned to understand that there are other laws that, perhaps, he still does not know, that in his relationship with nature “there is a forbidden line that a person has no right to cross under any circumstances ... there is a system prohibitions, breaking which he destroys his future.
In recent years, through the fault of man, environmental crises caused by chemical and radioactive contamination have become frequent. Catastrophic consequences arise as a result of pollution by industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust gases and the formation of poisonous fogs - smogs in large cities.
Due to the rapid modern pace and significant scale of crisis situations in the relationship between human society and nature, the biosphere is entering a global ecological crisis.

Chapter 1. Ecological crisis and its signs.

Concept of ecological crisis.

Signs of the ecological crisis, their characteristics.

Dangerous pollution of the biosphere
Depletion of energy reserves
Reduction of species biodiversity

Depletion of energy resources .

1.2.3. Reduction of species biodiversity.

Chapter 2. Global problems of ecology.
The environmental crisis is characterized by the presence of a number of problems that threaten sustainable development. Let's consider some of them.
2.1. Global warming.
Global warming is one of the most significant impacts on the biosphere associated with anthropogenic activity. It appears in climate change and biota: the production process in ecosystems, shifting the boundaries of plant formations, changing crop yields. Especially strong changes concern the high and middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. According to forecasts, it is here that the temperature of the atmosphere will rise the most. The nature of these regions is especially susceptible to various impacts and is extremely slowly restored. The taiga zone will move to the north by about 100-200 km. In some places this shift will be much smaller or not at all. The rise of the ocean level due to warming will be 0.1-0.2 m, which may lead to flooding of the mouths major rivers especially in Siberia.
Some developed countries and countries with economies in transition have made commitments to stabilize greenhouse gas production. The countries of the EEC (European Economic Union) have included provisions in their national programs to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
etc.................

Novosibirsk cooperative technical school

Novosibirsk Regional Potrebsoyuz

ESSAY

On the topic: "The ecological crisis and its signs"

Students

3 courses, groups RK-71

Novosibirsk 2008

Plan

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………..3

1.1. The concept of ecological crisis………………………………4

1.2. Signs of the ecological crisis, their characteristics ............... 5

1.2.1. Dangerous pollution of the biosphere……………………...5

1.2.2. Depletion of energy resources ....................................6

1.2.3. Reduction of species biodiversity…………….7

Chapter 2. Global problems of ecology.

2.1. Global warming………………………………………….8

2.2. Water shortage……………………………………………………8

Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………….9

Bibliography …………………………………………………………….10

Introduction.

The contradictions in the relationship between society and nature in the second half of the twentieth century became threatening. A thorough analysis of the causes of the destruction of the ozone screen, acid rain, chemical and radioactive pollution of the environment was required. It became clear that, as a biological species, man, by his vital activity, affects the natural environment no more than other living organisms. However, this influence is incomparable with the enormous impact that human labor has on nature. According to V. I. Vernadsky, human activity has become a powerful force that transforms the Earth, comparable to geological processes.

The transformative impact of human society on nature is inevitable; it intensifies with the growth of the population, the development of scientific and technological progress, and the increase in the number and mass of substances involved in economic circulation.

As you know, the whole world around us, inhabited by living organisms, which is called the biosphere, has undergone a long historical development. People themselves are generated by the biosphere, are part of it and obey its laws. Unlike the rest of the living world, man has a mind. He is able to assess the current state of nature and society, to know the laws of their development.

According to Academician N. N. Moiseev (1998), a person has learned the laws that allowed him to create modern machines, but so far he has not learned to understand that there are other laws, which, perhaps, he still does not know that in his relationship with nature "there is a forbidden line that a person has no right to cross under any circumstances ... there is a system of prohibitions, violating which he destroys his future."

In recent years, through the fault of man, environmental crises caused by chemical and radioactive contamination have become frequent. Catastrophic consequences arise as a result of pollution by industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust gases and the formation of poisonous fogs - smogs in large cities.

Due to the rapid modern pace and significant scale of crisis situations in the relationship between human society and nature, the biosphere is entering a global ecological crisis.

Chapter 1. Ecological crisis and its signs.

1.1. Concept of ecological crisis.

An ecological crisis is a tense state of relations between mankind and nature, characterized by a discrepancy between the development of productive forces and production relations in human society, and the resource and economic possibilities of the biosphere.

The ecological crisis can also be viewed as a conflict in the interaction of a biospecies or genus with nature. In a crisis, nature, as it were, reminds us of the inviolability of its laws, and those who violate these laws perish. So there was a qualitative renewal of living beings on Earth. In a broader sense, the ecological crisis is understood as a phase in the development of the biosphere, in which a qualitative renewal of living matter takes place (the extinction of some species and the emergence of others).

The modern ecological crisis is called the "crisis of decomposers", i.e. its defining feature is the dangerous pollution of the biosphere, due to anthropogenic activity, and the associated violation of the natural balance. The concept of "environmental crisis" first appeared in scientific literature in the mid-1970s. According to its structure, the ecological crisis is usually divided into two parts: natural and social .

natural part indicates the onset of degradation, destruction of the natural environment. social side The ecological crisis lies in the inability of state and public structures to stop the degradation of the environment and improve it. Both sides of the ecological crisis are closely interconnected. The onset of the ecological crisis can be stopped only with a rational state policy, the existence of state programs and state structures responsible for their implementation.

1.2. Signs of the ecological crisis, their characteristics.

Signs of the modern ecological crisis are:

1. Dangerous pollution of the biosphere

2. Depletion of energy reserves

3. Reduction of species biodiversity

1.2.1 Dangerous pollution of the biosphere.

Dangerous pollution of the biosphere is associated with the development of industry, agriculture, the development of transport, and urbanization. A huge amount of toxic and harmful emissions enters the biosphere economic activity. A feature of these emissions is that these compounds are not included in natural metabolic processes and accumulate in the biosphere. For example, when burning wood fuel, carbon dioxide is released, which is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis, and as a result, oxygen is produced. When burning oil, sulfur dioxide is released, which is not included in the natural exchange processes, but accumulates in the lower layers of the atmosphere, interacts with water and falls to the ground in the form of acid rain.

Used in agriculture a large number of pesticides and pesticides that accumulate in the soil, plants, and animal tissues. Dangerous pollution of the biosphere is expressed in the fact that the content of harmful and toxic substances in its individual components exceeds the maximum permissible standards. For example, in many regions of Russia, the content of a number of harmful substances (pesticides, heavy metals, phenols, dioxins) in water, air, soil exceeds the maximum allowable standards by 5-20 times.

According to statistics, among all sources of pollution, vehicle exhaust fumes are in first place (up to 70% of all diseases in cities are caused by them), emissions from thermal power plants are in second, and the chemical industry is in third.

1.2.2. Depletion of energy resources .

The main sources of energy used by man are: thermal energy, hydropower, nuclear energy. thermal energy obtained by burning wood, peat, coal, oil and gas. Companies that generate electricity from chemical fuels are called thermal power plants. Oil, coal and gas are non-renewable natural resources and their reserves are limited.

The calorific value of coal is lower than that of oil and gas, and its extraction is much more expensive. In many countries, including Russia, coal mines are closed because coal is too expensive and difficult to mine. Despite the fact that forecasts of energy resources are pessimistic, new approaches are being successfully developed to solve the problem of the energy crisis.

First, reorientation to other types of energy. Currently, in the structure of world electricity production, 62% is accounted for by thermal power plants (TPPs), 20% - by hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), 17% - by nuclear power plants (NPPs) and 1% - by the use of alternative energy sources. This means that the leading role belongs to thermal energy. While hydroelectric power plants do not pollute the environment, they do not need the use of combustible minerals, and the world's hydro potential has so far been used by only 15%.

Renewable energy sources- solar energy, water energy, wind energy, etc. - use on Earth is impractical (in spacecraft solar energy is indispensable). "Environmentally friendly" power plants are too expensive and they produce too little energy. Relying on wind energy is not justified; in the future, it is possible to rely on the energy of sea currents.

The only real source of energy today and in the foreseeable future is nuclear power. Uranium reserves are quite large. With proper use and serious attitude, nuclear energy is also out of competition from an environmental point of view, polluting the environment much less than burning hydrocarbons. In particular, the total radioactivity of coal ash is much higher than the radioactivity of spent fuel from all nuclear power plants.

Secondly, mining on the continental shelf. The development of fields on the continental shelf is now an urgent problem for many countries. Some countries are already successfully developing offshore deposits of fossil fuels. For example, in Japan, coal deposits are being developed on the continental shelf, through which the country provides 20% of its needs for this fuel.

1.2.3. Reduction of species biodiversity.

In total, since 1600, 226 species and subspecies of vertebrates have disappeared, and over the past 60 years - 76 species, and about 1000 species are endangered. If the current trend of extermination of wildlife continues, then in 20 years the planet will lose 1/5 of the described species of flora and fauna, which threatens the stability of the biosphere - an important condition for the life support of mankind.

SIGNS OF ECOLOGICAL

SIGNS ECOLOGICAL set of ecological characteristics (features) of a species (population) that distinguish it (her) from other similar independent units; for example, the nature (width, accessibility, variability, etc.) of the ecological niche, the characteristics of food relationships, resistance to various physical and chemical factors (including those of anthropogenic origin), the ability to resist the influence of predators and competitors, pathogenic organisms, etc. Where two closely related species coexist in the same habitat, they avoid fatal competition due to this niche specificity (the law of competitive exclusion). A number of twin species (for example, apple and blueberry moths) were discovered as a result of discovering differences in the nature of the preferred food - the so-called. host specificity. Many aspects life cycle, such as lifespan, fecundity, the duration of the breeding season and the timing of its onset, are sometimes different in closely related species. Niche specificity is quite pronounced even in species belonging to such groups as mollusks, mammals, birds, which are not particularly attached to a particular substrate.

Ecological encyclopedic dictionary. - Chisinau: Main edition of the Moldavian Soviet Encyclopedia. I.I. Grandpa. 1989

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Since the middle of the XX century. the growth of human needs and its production activity has led to the fact that the scale of the possible human impact on nature has become commensurate with the scale of global natural processes. As a result of human labor, channels and new seas are created, swamps and deserts disappear, huge masses of fossil rocks move, new chemical materials are synthesized. The transformative activity of modern man extends even to the bottom of the ocean and outer space. However, the ever-increasing influence of man on the environment gives rise to complex problems in his relationship with nature. Uncontrolled and unpredictable human activity began to have a negative impact on the course of natural processes, causing sharply negative irreversible changes in both the environment and the biological nature of man himself. This applies to literally the entire environment - the atmosphere, hydrosphere, subsoil, fertile layer; animals and plants die, biocenoses and biogeocenoses are destroyed and disappear; the incidence of people is growing. At the same time, the world population is steadily increasing. The conclusion suggests itself: humanity is inexorably heading towards an ecological catastrophe - the depletion of energy, mineral and land resources, the death of the biosphere, and possibly the very human civilization. Therefore, it became necessary to protect the human environment from its own impact on it.

So, modern civilization is in a state of deepest ecological crisis. This is not the first environmental crisis in human history, but it could be the last.

An ecological crisis is a severe transitional state of ecological systems and the environment as a whole. The ecological crisis implies the presence of significant structural changes in the environment. It differs significantly from ecological disaster, meaning the complete destruction of the social system: in the event of an ecological crisis, the possibility of restoring the disturbed state remains.

Greater concern in almost all countries of the world is caused by the threat of environmental pollution - one of the manifestations of an irreversible imbalance between man and nature. The impact of material production on nature has become so intense that it is unable to compensate for violations of the ecological balance using its own forces and mechanisms.

The pollution of the atmosphere and water by industrial emissions is threateningly growing. The main sources of emissions into the atmosphere are the production and consumption of energy. For 1970-2000 the growth rate of total emissions has somewhat decreased, but their absolute size is growing and reaching huge volumes - 60-100 million tons of suspended particles, nitrogen oxides, sulfur, 22.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide (1990 - 16.2 million tons). In this regard, in recent decades, the concentration of gases, particulate matter in the atmosphere has increased significantly, as well as chemical elements that reduce the ozone layer. The concentration of gases causing the greenhouse effect - methane, nitrogen, carbon compounds - has increased significantly. Before the industrial revolution, the concentration of greenhouse gases remained relatively stable (0.0028% of the volume of the atmosphere). AT recent times it is 0.036%, which is caused by various types production activities. It is believed that greenhouse gases persist in the atmosphere for a hundred years or more.

A serious environmental problem is the risk of climate change. The climate of the Earth was relatively stable, temperature changes during the century did not exceed 1 ° C. In the twentieth century. compared with six centuries, the climate has warmed - the temperature has risen by 0.5 °. Terrestrial and aquatic ecological systems, socio-ecological systems (agriculture, fisheries, forestry and water resources) are vital for human development, and they are all sensitive to climate change. Rising temperatures could lead to further sea level rise, which has risen by 10 to 25 cm over the past century. But with more than a third of humanity living within 60 km of a coastline, the number of people displaced could be unprecedented.

There was a threat of destruction of the ozone layer in the lower layers of the atmosphere. Water systems and soil are polluted. In recent years, about 150 million tons of mineral fertilizers and over 3 million tons of pesticides have been scattered on the fields a year. With the increase in the number of different species in the environment chemical compounds there is a real threat of their joint action as a result of mutual reactions involving unforeseen catalysts. According to experts, even at low concentrations, the accumulation of negative effects from the action of various chemical compounds is possible.

For the development of man and his production activities, it is vital plain water. It is also of particular importance for the normal life of nature. In many parts of the world, there is a general shortage, gradual destruction and increasing pollution of sources fresh water. This is caused by an increase in untreated sewage, industrial waste, the loss of natural water intake areas, the disappearance of forest areas, poor management practices, etc. Only 18% of the population have access to clean water (in 1970 - 33%), 40% of the population suffers from its shortage. AT developing countries approximately 80% of all diseases and 1/3 deaths caused by consumption of contaminated water.

Modern production poses a threat of destruction of the initial conditions of human life on Earth, and in some cases it has crossed a possible boundary. An example of this is the destruction of valuable objects of nature, the disappearance of a number of varieties of the plant world and some species of wild animals. According to estimates, after 1600 more than 100 species of birds, invertebrates, mammals, about 45 species of fish, 150 species of plants disappeared. Decrease biodiversity poses a serious threat to the development of human society. The availability of necessary goods and services depends on the diversity and variability of genes, species, populations and ecosystems. biological resources they feed and clothe a person, provide housing, medicines, spiritual food. Thus, about 4.4% of the US GDP is received from wild species. The greatest economic benefit from biodiversity is found in medicine.

Emergency situations have an important impact on the state of the environment and nature management. technogenic nature, industrial disasters. In India in 1984, 2,500 people died and tens of thousands were poisoned when a toxic gas was released from a nearby densely populated area in Bhopal of the American chemical corporation Union Carbide. Two years later, the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded. 135 thousand people were evacuated, and radioactive contamination affected a large area. Some time later, another incident at a chemical plant in Sandoz, Switzerland caused an environmental disaster in Western Europe.

Military operations and the use of weapons of mass destruction cause enormous damage to the environment. During the Vietnam War american aviation dropped over 15 million liters of defoliants. The affected area is 38 thousand square meters. km for several decades turned into a lifeless desert, over 2 million people were affected by toxic substances.

Let us characterize the main crisis directions in the development of the ecological situation.

Disappearance of plant and animal species, species diversity, the gene pool of the flora and fauna of the Earth, and animals and plants disappear, as a rule, not as a result of their direct extermination by humans, but due to changes in the habitat. Early 1980s. one species of animal dies out every day, and one plant species per week. Extinction threatens thousands of animal and plant species. Every fourth species of amphibians, every tenth species of higher plants is under the threat of extinction. And each of the species is a unique, unique result of evolution that has been going on for many millions of years.

Mankind is obliged to preserve and pass on to the descendants of the biological diversity of the Earth, and not only because nature is beautiful and delights us with its magnificence. There is an even more significant reason: the conservation of biological diversity is an indispensable condition for the life of man himself on Earth, since the stability of the biosphere is the higher, the more its constituent species.

Depletion of natural resources. Every year, more than 100 billion tons of various rocks are extracted from the bowels of the Earth. For the life of one person in modern civilization, 200 tons of various solid substances are needed per year, which he, with the help of 800 tons of water and 1000 W of energy, turns into products of his consumption. At the same time, humanity lives off not only the exploitation of the resources of the modern biosphere, but also the non-renewable products of the former biospheres (oil, coal, gas, ores, etc.). According to the most optimistic estimates, the existing reserves of such natural resources will not last long for mankind: oil for about 30 years; natural gas for 50 years; coal for 100 years, etc. But renewable natural resources (for example, wood) become non-renewable, since the conditions for their reproduction change radically, they are brought to extreme depletion or complete destruction, i.e. All natural resources on Earth are finite.

Continuous and rapid growth of human energy costs. Energy consumption (in kcal / day) per person in a primitive society was about 4,000, in a feudal society - about 12,000, in an industrial civilization - 70,000, and in developed post-industrial countries it reaches 250,000 (i.e. 60 times higher and more than our Paleolithic ancestors) and continues to increase. However, this process cannot continue for a long time: the Earth's atmosphere is warming up, which can have the most unpredictable adverse consequences (climatic, geographical, geological, etc.).

Pollution of the atmosphere, water, soil. The source of air pollution is primarily ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, thermal power plants, motor transport, garbage and waste incineration, etc. Their emissions into the atmosphere contain oxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, hydrocarbons, metal compounds, and dust. About 20 billion tons of CO 2 are emitted into the atmosphere every year; 300 million tons of CO; 50 million tons of nitrogen oxides; 150 million tons O 2 ; 4-5 million tons of H 2 and other harmful gases; more than 400 million tons of soot particles, dust, ash.

An increase in the content of CO 2 in the atmosphere causes the formation of "acid rain", causing an increase in the acidity of water bodies, the death of their inhabitants.

Exhaust gases from vehicles cause great damage to the life of animals and plants. The components of car exhaust gases are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxide, lead compounds, mercury, etc.

Hydrosphere pollution. Water is widely, although not universally, distributed on our planet. The total water supply is about 1.41018 tons. The bulk of the water is concentrated in the seas and oceans. Fresh water accounts for only 2%. AT natural conditions a constant circulation of water is carried out, accompanied by the processes of its purification. Water carries huge masses of dissolved substances into the seas and oceans, where complex chemical and biochemical processes take place that contribute to the self-purification of water bodies.

At the same time, water is widely used in all areas of the economy and in everyday life. In connection with the development of industry, the growth of cities, water consumption is constantly increasing. At the same time, water pollution by industrial and domestic wastes is increasing: annually about 600 billion tons of industrial and domestic wastewater, over 10 million tons of oil and oil products are discharged into water bodies. This leads to a violation of the natural self-purification of water bodies.

Radioactive contamination of the environment as a result nuclear testing, accidents at nuclear power plants (Chernobyl disaster in 1986), accumulation of radioactive waste.

All these negative trends, as well as the irresponsible and improper use of the achievements of civilization, have a detrimental effect on the human body and create another set of environmental problems - medical and genetic. Previously known diseases become more frequent and completely new, previously unknown diseases appear. formed whole complex"diseases of civilization" generated by scientific and technological progress (an increase in the pace of life, the number stressful situations, physical inactivity, malnutrition, abuse of pharmaceuticals, etc.) and the environmental crisis (especially pollution of the environment by mutagenic factors); Drug addiction is becoming a global problem.

The scale of pollution of the natural environment is so great that the natural processes of metabolism and the diluting activity of the atmosphere and hydrosphere are not able to neutralize the harmful effects of human production activities. As a result, the ability for self-regulation of the systems of the biosphere that have developed over millions of years (in the course of evolution) is undermined, and the biosphere itself is destroyed. If this process is not stopped, the biosphere will simply die. And humanity will disappear with it.

The main thing, however, is not in the completeness of the list of these problems, but in understanding the causes of their occurrence, nature and, most importantly, in identifying effective ways and means to resolve them.

The true prospect of a way out of the ecological crisis is in changing the production activity of a person, his way of life, his consciousness. Scientific and technological progress creates not only "overloads" for nature; in the most advanced technologies, it provides a means of preventing negative impacts, creates opportunities for environmentally friendly production. There was not only an urgent need, but also the opportunity to change the essence of technological civilization, to give it an environmental character.

One of the directions of such development is the creation of safe industries. Using the achievements of science, technological progress can be organized in such a way that production waste does not pollute the environment, but re-enters the production cycle as a secondary raw material. Nature itself provides an example: the carbon dioxide emitted by animals is absorbed by plants, which release oxygen, which is necessary for the respiration of animals.

Waste-free is a production in which all the raw materials are ultimately converted into a particular product. If we take into account that modern industry converts 98% of the feedstock into waste, then the need for the task of creating waste-free production becomes clear.

Calculations show that 80% of the waste from the heat and power, mining, and coke industries are suitable for use. At the same time, the products obtained from them are often superior in quality to products made from primary raw materials. For example, ash from thermal power plants, used as an additive in the production of aerated concrete, approximately doubles the strength of building panels and blocks. Of great importance is the development of nature restoration industries (forestry, water, fisheries), the development and implementation of material-saving and energy-saving technologies.

Some alternative (in relation to thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants) energy sources are also environmentally friendly. It is necessary to quickly find ways of practical use of the energy of the sun, wind, tides, geothermal sources.

The ecological situation makes it necessary to assess the consequences of any activity related to interference with the natural environment. An environmental review of all technical projects is required.

Even F. Joliot-Curie warned: “We must not allow people to direct those forces of nature that they have managed to discover and conquer to their own destruction.”

General ways to solve environmental problems:

1. instead of declarations - environmentally sound and economically secure projects within the global framework;
   

   - integration of intellectual forces, technology and finances of all countries of the world for the implementation of these projects;
   

   – regulation of population growth and the needs of people, their environmental education;
   

   - introduction of economic activity within the capacity of ecosystems based on the widespread introduction of energy and resource-saving technologies;
   

   - go to non-waste technologies production; development of agriculture based on environmentally progressive technologies adapted to local conditions.

   2. HISTORY OF RUSSIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
   

   The supreme legal force and direct effect of the Constitution
   Russian Federation creates the foundations of all industries Russian legislation, including environmental protection and environmental safety, which by the end of the last century have become a global problem of the modern world. In the 21st century, the ecological crisis is aggravated and manifests itself in an increase in the shortage of drinking water, the struggle for explored mineral deposits, the search for clean air in metropolitan cities and even the possibility of selling it to other countries.
   

   The first constitutions of our country contained only norms on the exclusive state ownership of land and other basic natural resources, on the obligations of land users to increase soil fertility.
   

   Russia was one of the first states to adopt in 1960 the Law "On Nature Protection in the RSFSR", which proclaimed the foundations of legal relations
   "man is nature". Many of the provisions contained in it justified themselves and found further development- for example, about teaching nature conservation in educational institutions and propaganda by publishing houses, museums, television, editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, about public environmental expertise of major construction projects, about the need rational use natural resources and state protection of natural objects, on the responsibility of heads of departments and enterprises, as well as citizens for violations of environmental regulations. But many legislative provisions turned out to be too declarative and not supported by by-laws.
   

   At the constitutional level environmental theme was reflected in
   The Constitutions of the USSR of 1977 and the RSFSR of 1978, when Art. 18 (after the international Stockholm conference in 1972), the principle was enshrined, according to which, in the interests of present and future generations, Russia adopts necessary measures for the protection and scientifically based rational use of land and its subsoil, water resources, flora and fauna, to keep the air and water clean, to ensure the reproduction of natural resources and improve human environment environment.
   

   The constitutional institution of environmental protection had a pronounced economic, social, political character, although even then science set and justified the promising tasks of transferring priority to social goals related to ensuring human health, its habitat and life; involvement in environmental control the public, a person whose right to a favorable environment was assumed, but not guaranteed; transformation of citizens from objects into subjects of environmental management.
   

   The 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation, ten years since its adoption, contains more specific environmental regulations and principles that must be applied throughout the country, and all legal acts adopted in the Russian Federation must not contradict them. This increases the fundamental nature of the influence of the Constitution both on the development of environmental legislation - federal and regional, and on the adoption and application of other regulatory legal acts on the territory of the Federation[?].
   

   Federal law passed State Duma of the Russian Federation and approved by the Federation Council in December 2001 on environmental protection is the latest regulatory legal act that exists in this moment. Overview of current regulatory legal acts in the field of protection and (or) environmental protection
   

   The Constitution of the Russian Federation is a normative legal act with the highest legal force. The constitution contains many articles in which, in one way or another, public relations in the field of the environment are regulated. For example, Art. nine:
   

   "one. Land and other natural resources are used and protected in
   of the Russian Federation as the basis for the life and activities of the peoples living in the respective territory
   

   2. Land and other natural resources may be in private, state, municipal and other forms of ownership”
   

   In Art. 42 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation clearly defines that everyone has the right to a favorable environment, reliable information about its condition and compensation for damage caused to health or property by an environmental offense. The Constitution fixes only the foundations of the state and social structure, and specific mechanisms are prescribed in lower-level regulatory legal acts, or in international treaties and agreements. As in other states, this constitutional thesis seems to be too general and needs to be specified, supported by other acts and law enforcement. Claims of citizens based on this article of the Constitution of the Russian Federation either remain unsatisfied, and if satisfied, they remain unfulfilled, as happened in the Moscow region, where municipalities were unable to comply with court decisions on the resettlement of citizens living in adverse noise conditions near the airport Bykovo.
   

   Article 58 defines the obligations for the conservation of nature and the environment, obliges to take care of natural wealth. In Art. 41 refers to the promotion of activities that contribute to environmental and sanitary-epidemiological well-being. On the formation of the foundations of federal policy and federal programs in the field of state, economic, environmental, social, cultural and national development The Russian Federation says in paragraph "e" of Art. 71. In paragraph 1 "c" of Art. 114 The government of the Russian Federation ensures that public policy in the field of culture, science, education, healthcare, social security, ecology. And finally, Art. 72 contains this wording: “In the joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and the subjects
   Russian Federation are:
   

   … e) nature management; environmental protection and ensuring environmental safety; specially protected natural areas; protection of historical and cultural monuments…”.
   

   In addition to the constitution, which general provisions, there are codes and laws aimed at more specific and clear regulation of the mechanisms and ways of implementing the rules of law, in addition, they contain many interpretive and clarifying rules:
   

   – Land Code of the Russian Federation;