Urbanization and Sustainability

It is the contamination of indoor or outdoor environment change caused by any physical or biological particles that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere

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Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires are common sources of air pollution

Each year air pollution is responsible for nearly seven million deaths around the globe (WHO)

The two main types of air pollutions are smog and soot

Air pollution increases the risks of breathing problems, heart failure

Air pollution harms the environment by allowing toxins to enter the water system.

Solutions

Take action in your community by coming together and finding a sustainable solution. In Brussels, Belgium, a movement started by parents concerned about poor air quality in schools led to a plan to invest in public transportation and bicycling. Communities can make a lot of change when they come together and demand a solution that will affect future generations.

Conserve energy by turning off lights, buy appliances rated for energy efficiency, and keep the thermostat set higher in the summer and lower in the winter. Also educating people around you for them to find renewable energy sources and produce lower emissions.

Urbanization plays a big role in air pollution as they produce 78% of carbon emissions and more chemicals. This affects 50% of the world’s population living in them. If the world’s lifestyle continues like this we might not have a world to live in.

Flooding happens when water overflows or soaks land that is normally dry

The most common way for a flood to develop is when rivers or streams overflow their banks. These floods are called riverine floods

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Floods can be useful as floodwaters withdraw, affected areas are often blanketed in silt and mud. This sediment can be full of nutrients, benefiting farmers and agribusinesses in the area

Floods have enormous destructive power. When a river overflows its banks or the sea moves inland, many structures are unable to withstand the force of the water

The Central-Western flood was the most expensive food in the world, the economic loss resulted in $41 billion and 220 people died

Solutions

This is not a problem you can necessarily prevent, but can try to stop the rate of it. The biggest factor is climate change, so if we try to prevent that we can try to stop flooding.

We can prevent the impacts of flooding by wet- or dry-flood proofing, water pumps, upgrading structures to withstand flooding, and setting up measures in case of an emergency in communities.

Urbanization affects flooding as it increases regional impervious surface area, which generally reduces hydrologic response time and therefore increases flood risk

Deforestation is the “purposeful clearing of forested land”

Deforestation has changed our land so much that, about 2000 years ago, 80 percent of Western Europe was forested; today the figure is 34 percent

Today, the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring in tropical rainforests, aided by extensive road construction into regions that were once almost inaccessible

Agriculture is the biggest contributor in deforestation (~80%), construction (~15%), urbanization (~5%)

Deforestation has many consequences for natural ecosystems and it poses serious problems to the resilience of the planet

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Solutions

You can influence government policies, in ways as if you live near a forest, or have a favourite forest you’ve visited, ask them what they are doing to protect it. Use your vote to make it count, ask the candidates tough questions about their support for the environment and see past bills and records.

Making smart consumption and consumer choices by asking yourself if you really need what you're buying and only buy what you need. Find stuff was built already. Entire buildings are constructed out of reclaimed wood. Wood companies making guitars, and furniture wood are becoming increasingly popular.

Urbanization is affecting deforestation as the result of our society moving so fast and urban sprawling has led to the acceleration of deforestation (~31%). This will grow even further if our society’s lifestyle continues like this.

Water pollution is the “contamination of water sources by substances”

Pollutants include chemicals, trash, bacteria, and parasites. All forms of pollution eventually make their way to water. Air pollution settles onto lakes and oceans

Water pollutants may cause disease or act as poisons. Bacteria and parasites in poorly treated sewage may enter drinking water supplies and cause digestive problems such as cholera and diarrhea

Every time it rains, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms and livestock operations wash nutrients and pathogens such bacteria and viruses into our waterways.

More than 80 percent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations

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Solutions

Plastic waste reduction, as 80% of plastic in oceans is from land sources. In order to reduce plastic from entering waterways, we need to both reduce our use of plastic globally, and to improve plastic waste management.

We have conserve water. Water is a scarce resource and it is important to make sure the world has better access to clean water, so we have to take care of it accordingly and manage it responsibly

In urban areas there is a high concentration of vehicles and industries, which release harmful pollutants into the water. If we continue like this we might not have anymore clean water to drink.

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Land degradation is caused by multiple forces, including extreme weather conditions, particularly drought. It is also caused by human activities that pollute or degrade the quality of soils and land utility.

The speed has increased of land degradation during the 20th and 21st centuries due to increasing and combined pressures of agricultural and livestock production

Land degradation can cause places, food production is reduced, water sources dry up and populations are pressured to move to more hospitable areas

It affects the health of humans, such as more water- and food-borne diseases that result from poor hygiene and a lack of clean water and the spread of infectious diseases as populations migrate

We have already altered 70 percent of all ice-free land, impacting over 3.2 billion people. At current rates, 90 percent of land will bear our imprint by 2050.

Solutions

We can curb industrial farming. Tilling, multiple harvests and agrochemicals have increased the rate of land degradation. “Evidence shows we should eat much smaller quantities of sustainably-reared, grass-fed meat – if any – less dairy, and much more fruit and veg.” We have to responsibly regulate use of land and agriculture.

We have to leave land alone. Leaving land alone, despite urbanization, is another solution to land degradation. “It takes around 500 years for just 2.5cm of topsoil to be created.” Taking land out of production would allow soil carbon to rebuild and become stable.

Deforestation and land degradation are interconnected, as the more use of machinery we use for deforestation, has led to chemicals seeping into the soil and making it hazardous for use.

Water and air pollution are interconnected, as their main reason is urbanization. Due to this trend, we are building big factories and buildings. We might see this as good for the economy as we are producing more jobs. But the construction and the use of them is leading to water and air pollution, as they are releasing dangerous chemicals into our environment.

Flooding and deforestation are interconnected, as trees are useful to stop the intensity of flooding. They are a natural barrier against the weather phenomenon. As we cut down trees, we have to come up with artificial solutions to these problems.

Water pollution and land degradation are interconnected, as the hazardous chemicals in our water due to pollution, can seep into our soil and land. Making it unusable, if we try to stop pollution we might stop land degradation or slow it down.

Water pollution and flooding are interconnected, as during a flood lots of water gets into water systems and if the water is polluted, it will affect our body when we use it. As there is an increased risk that private drinking water wells may become contaminated with bacteria and/or any other contaminants that may be present in the floodwater

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