Conserving the Environment - Social Studies - Standard Four
Meaning of Environment
Environment is everything that surrounds us. This includes both living and non-living components.
Natural components of environment are such as air, sources of water, stones, sand, plants, animals, mountains, valleys and hills.
Artificial components of environment are such as buildings, vehicles, furniture, clothes, books and shoes.
From the environment, we get our needs such as air, water, food, fruits, medicine, timber, wood, manure, rainfall and plants.
Environment should be well kept and protected in order for living organisms to survive and conserve the nature. Environment can be destroyed in many ways. However, the main cause is human activities.
Destruction of the environment
Destruction of the environment is also known as environmental degradation.
Destruction of the environment is any act that causes harm to the environment.
Most of the environment destruction is caused by man (human activities).
The following are some of the factors that contribute to the environment destruction.
1. Deforestation: This is cutting down of trees. People cut down trees to obtain timber and charcoal. This causes loss of rainfall and affects water sources. Deforestation leads to global warming. Global warming is the increase in the average earth's temperature.
2. Mining: This is the digging of minerals from under the ground. Mining activities cause huge pits on land. People also dig sand and stones for building purposes. The area where mining takes place becomes ugly and without vegetation.
3. Overgrazing: This is to allow animals to graze in an area to the point of damaging vegetation cover. Overgrazing leaves the ground bare, thus increases soil erosion.
4. Overstocking: This is keeping of a large number of animals in a small area of land. Animals will eat all the grass and cause desertification.
5. Industrial activities: Some factories produce a lot of smoke and waste material. Smoke leads to air pollution while liquid waste leads to water pollution.
6. Poor farming methods: Farming, especially on slopes leads to soil erosion. When it rains, the upper part of the soil is easily, thus causing lack of fertility. We are advised to use terracing on slopes.
Effects of environmental degradation
1. Water pollution causes deaths.
2. Global warming.
3. Loss of forests leading to drought.
4. Soil erosion due to afforestation and poor farming.
5. Loss of wildlife due to destruction of forests.
6. Shortage of rain and air pollution.
Conserving the environment
To conserve the environment means taking care and protecting it from being destroyed or degraded.
Ways of conserving the environment
1. Afforestation: This is the planting of trees where there were no trees.
2. Reforestation: This is the planting of trees where they were cut down. It means making a forest again in a deforested area.
3. Building sewage systems: These are used to transport waste water away from people’s residences.
4. Recycling: This is the process of turning waste materials into new, useful products. For example, waste paper can be used to make egg trays. This will reduce the amount of waste materials in the environment.
5. Building industries far from residential areas: Industries should be built far way from people’s residents to avoid water and air pollution.
6. Tall chimneys: Tall chimneys reduce the amount of smoke in residential areas.
7. Good fishing methods: We should discourage the use bad fishing methods such as the use of explosives and poisonous chemicals.
8. Reducing the number of livestock: This enables us to control soil erosion in an area.
9. Good farming methods: The use of proper farming methods such as inter-cropping and the use of organic manure should be applied.
Importance of environmental conservation
The benefits of a well conserved environment are:
1. Promotes our economic activities such as tourism and transport.
2. Provides food for human beings, animals and other living organisms.
3. Provides people and other living organisms with suitable water.
4. Provides people with fresh air and good health.
5. Creates good habitats for man, wildlife and other living organisms.