El Nino: Environmental Damage

Nowadays, it is evident that one of the pivotal issues that are troubling the world would be environmental damage. Our environment is facing a crisis that is mostly caused by human activities. Although humans may not be the sole reason leading to the devastation of the environment, it is undeniable that we are tightly connected to the ruins of our own world. One of the current issues of environmental damage would be the 2016 El Nino. From mid 2015 to early 2016, “Super” El Nino has struck the world affecting 60 million people. According to WHO (World Health Organization), El Nino caused severe drought, especially in the Asia Pacific region. (WHO,) The shocking news is that the 2015-2016 El Nino is considered as the worst one that has

These toxic chemicals may cause already polluted landscapes to disperse noxious materials into the water and eventually pollute water by rainfall.(Whalefacts,) Although pollution can be caused by natural phenomena, around half of the pollution towards the ocean is caused by wastewater and sewage. These actions are caused by human’s improper disposal of sewage and fertilizer. An example of the effects is harmful algal bloom. WWF (World Wildlife Fund) states that 80% of urban sewage discharged into the Mediterranean Sea is left untreated. Weed killers used in agricultural activities by humans drain into the ground polluting not only surface water but also groundwater, known as aquifers, the water humans drink. Other than that, atmospheric deposition is too a cause to water pollution. Atmospheric deposition is the outcome of the dispersion of air pollution particles and aerosols circulating the atmosphere in wet or dry form. (Karl Zeller, 2000) From combustion, the air particles circulating the atmosphere are deposited into the fresh water system, leading to water pollution. Human activities such as open burning and motor vehicle emissions are some of the