Development black book

Contamination

War Deforestation

Water

WorldTrashTree

Global warming

Land, a time bomb

This wonderful book was thought of, elaborated and designed by the students of the Second Language Program; English Intensive Group No. 3 in the second semester of 2011. Our book is a quick overview of the Natural Disasters ad Man-Made disasters that are faced every day by the planet's population and how these affect our ENVINRONMENT. Perhaps this group is calling out to the community to stop and think about how each one of us can help make this world a better place to live. Many thanks to Sebastian M. Moreno T. who had the patience and invested precious time to put our book together.

Introduction

Earth, the small blue planet, so big and so fragile, many

speak of its destruction but very few accept that we are

really the cause of most problems.

We are the principal cause of environment degradation,

every time that we ignite the car we are not aware of the

damage produced to the air, the same air that we breathe,

but this is not the worst; we have developed medicinal

techniques to fight the effects of pollution contrary to the

other living things that depend only on their natural

defenses.

On the other hand, we are predators that kill animals for

food, planting and harvesting plants indiscriminately, many

species have become extinct with our unbridled ambition of

a "better life" forgetting conveniently the natural equilibrium

concept and stupidly that one day we will be victims of our

own invention.

Einstein said “If the bee disappears from the planet, man

would have only 4 years of life” he was right, the bee is the

means of pollination, pollination is the source of plants

propagation, the plants are agriculture base and agriculture

is the most important source of life. But man thinks this is

impossible. Impossible?!! Every building, every road built, all

toxic products released to the environment, have stolen the

home of bees, have killed them, and this condemns

humanity to a terrible death… terrible but deserved, for their

excessive unconsciousness and irresponsibility.

The exploitation of petroleum has bled the planet, damaging

support structure, its derivate products are huge sources of

contamination and the fight for the control has been subject

of terrible and devastating wars... and this not is the worst,

the bill extends and the price that we must pay is

unattainable.

Religion, politics, envy, ambition, fear, insensibility ... we are

a self-destructive species, our destiny is written and the

ending is tragic… "Give us, Satan, eternal punishment, and

fall upon us the perpetual darkness"… we deserve it.

PROLOGUE (By J Luque Leandro)

IndexDEFORESTATION- Paula Moreno Caro

WILDFIRE- Camilo Duarte Sandoval

LANDSLIDE-domingo Coronado Arrieta

GLOBAL WARMING- Andrea Paola Ramirez Galindo

ACID RAIN- Cristian Camilo Torres Castro

FLOOD- William Ariza

EARTHQUAKES- Cristian Orlando Barrera

VOLCANO- Sergio Andres Gonzalo Rojas

TSUNAMIS- Vanessa Fajardo Piratoa

TORNADOES-carolina CuevasOIL SPILL- Angie Dayana Ortiz Rivera

HAIL STORM- Jonathan Granados

FAMINE- Diana Lancheros

DROUGHT- Deisy Lorena Gomez

WAR- Brayam Camilo Vela Galindo

TERRORISM- Daniela Nieto Tellez

NUCLEAR DISASTERS- Jessica Ortiz

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE- Juan David Vergara Ruiz

INFECTION DISEASES- Willington Padilla

SOLAR FLARE- Nicolas Moreno Anzola

POLLUTION - Edgar Alfonso Varco

POLLUTION ( )- Mayerly Torres

HEAT WAVES- Anderson Mora Lopez

ENVIRONMENT AGENCIES-froilan Villarea BarreraENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY- Diana Marcela Torres VivasECO-DESIGN- Sebastian Moreno Torres

contaminants into a natural environment

Page 5Page 7Page 9Page 11Page 14Page 16Page 18Page 20Page 22Page 24Page 26Page 28

Page 30Page 32Page 34Page 36Page 38

Page 40Page 42

Page 44Page 46Page 48Page 50Page 52Page 54Page 56

Deforestation in one of the biggest problem in the planet, because it is the major reason of climate changes, and it is

caused by human acts.

is that the native peoples in an area are put under

a lot of pressure to make a living to support their

families, and get jobs as loggers, often illegally so.

The people are often uneducated and know

nothing other than logging practices. In many

countries the logging trade is the biggest foreign

money-earner ,therefore, governments try to

exploit the forests for all they can take, and more.

Human settlement is a big problem in many areas.

People who have left the city to live in the rural

areas claim pieces of land as their own and slash

and burn the surroundings, using wood for fuel and

also selling it on roadsides ,etc.

The construction of roads and highways is a big problem in wooded areas.

The growth of the world´s population is also a

problem because more ground has to be cleared in

order to feed the ever-growing populations. As the

population grows there is a need for food. People

take the initiative and buy large pieces of land that

they cultivate with single crops. They have to cut

down trees and bush, etc.

The most popular reason behind deforestation is

the industrial use or fuel, the expansion of

agricultural grounds includes over exploitations,

cattle farming, lumber and woodland

experimentation.

Dioxide levels in the air. The essential point is

that we have to pull together to stop the

destruction of the world.

Causes: deforestation has too many causes

because it is multidimensional, the social part,

the political and the economic aspects also

origins in a deep way the deforestation.

The forests are cultivated, cleared and burned

every year by international ranchers and local

farmers. Logging, farming, population

expansion, growth of cities, roads and highways

are a little part of the biggest list.

Some of the social and economic factor

Deforestation is the continuous and the

permanent destruction of woodlands, forest and

all the agriculture areas. Deforestation is about

killing all the trees in a specific area, for

individual benefits, like money, property, and

possibly status; without thinking about the

consequences to others who live around the

area.

The problem is that the trees cannot be regrown

and replanted at the rate at which they are

being cut down. For this reason the forests are

declining at an incredible rate.

Deforestation is a problem with far reaching

consequences ranging from a barren landscape

to a higher Carbon woodlands and forests.

DEFORESTATION

5

Deforestation influences water cycle

transpiration to the atmosphere and it makes the

climate become drier; it makes the atmosphere

become less moist and reduces the water table

quantity.

- Deforestation lowers the soil quality and it

triggers soil erosion and flooding. Deforestation

has increased the sub-surface flow and it often

caused unexpected flooding to the lower

ground.

- Deforestation has messed up the rich

biodiversity on the forestlands.

- Deforestation is a contributing factor to the

green house effect. The trees are large carbon

dioxide stores, and when the trees are burnt

they release this gas. This leads too an increase

in the carbon dioxide levels in the air.

If there are no trees, the land becomes far more

unstable than before.

-Native people living in forest areas are pushed out

of their homes and have to encroach on more of

the forest. They can not go anywhere else because

they only know how to survive on the plants in the

forest. In this way more forest is destroyed and the

cycle will probably continue until all forests are

destroyed.

- In the Amazon they propose to build a 960km

highway called the BR-163 from Curiaba in the

middle of South America to Santarem in the top

right corner of Brazil. The BR-163 will allow giant

grain producers in the Matto Grosso region to

export their crops to Europe via Santarem far more

quickly and cheaply. It is estimated that 49 000km2

of forest will be destroyed during construction.

Effects and example

6

A Wildfire is the fire that spreads out of control on forest fuels located in the brush: Meaning greeneries and wood,

affecting the ecosystem and man.

Effect of weather: Heat waves, droughts, cyclical climate changes such as El Niño, and regional weather patterns such as high-pressure ridges can increase the risk and alter the behavior of wildfires dramatically. Years of precipitation followed by warm periods can encourage more widespread fires and longer fire seasons. Since the mid 1980s, earlier snowmelt and associated warming has also been associated with an increase in length and severity of the wildfire season in the Western United States. However, one individual element does not always cause an increase in wildfire activity.

A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area.Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, grass fire, and wild land fire may be used to describe the same phenomenon depending on the type of vegetation being burned. A wildfire differs from other fires by its extensive size, the speed at which it can spread out from its

WILDFIRE

source, its potential to change direction unexpectedly, and its ability to jump gaps such as roads, rivers and fire breaks. Wildfires are characterized in terms of the cause of ignition, their physical properties such as speed of propagation, the combustible material present, and the effect of weather on the fire.

The most common cause of wildfires varies throughout the world. In the United States, Canada, and northwest China, for example, lightning is the major source of ignition. In Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa, Fiji, and New Zealand, wildfires can be attributed to human activities such as animal husbandry, agriculture, and land-conversion burning. Human carelessness is a major cause of wildfires in China and in the Mediterranean Basin. Too, the source of wildfires can be traced to both lightning strikes and human activities such as machinery sparks and cast-away cigarette butts.

7

The effects of wildfires are: People lose their

homes, animals are killed and also lose their

vegetation, affects the air quality, the wind and

heat. The good that wildfires do is they burn old

dead trees, leaves, grass, anything that Mother

Nature has not yet destroyed herself. Most

fires leave a lot of animals homeless which

causes these animals to come into the cities

nearer the fires and create a lot of confusion

not only to themselves but to the communities.

The Great Miramichi Fire refers to a massive

forest fire (or series of fires) which devastated

forests and communities throughout much of

northern New Brunswick in October 1825. It ranks

among the three largest forest fires ever recorded

in North America. About 1/3 of the homes in

Fredericton were destroyed, but the main

devastation was 100 miles (160 km) to the

northeast. The cause of the blaze is not known,

but was likely of human origin.

Effects and example

8

The land is the source of life, but through natural disasters or man- made disasters these can crush bigger dreams of

peoples, cities and ecosystems.

These phenomena are mass movements of soil

or rock a slope on suddenly.

The gravity of the earth is the most important

cause of landslides, bus there are other aspects

to consider such as:

- Class of rock and soils.

- Topography.

- Orientation of fracture or cracks in the

earth.

- Amount of rain in the area.

LANDSLIDE

- Seismic Activity.

-Human activity (deforestation).

- Erosion.

These are some of the major causes of landslide.

Human activity is relevant when studying the

causes of landslides, deforestation caused by

logging reduces the resistance of the earth. And

also it is occur when rain water seeps into the

mountains and these end up succumbing.

IMPACT

Landslide can impair the functioning of

infrastructure in cities, creating destruction and

loss of life, economic collapse in the markets, it

can destroy or bury the cultural heritage. It can

destroy roads, it can cause personal injury and

economic loss. Mountains may disappear. It can

affect water systems, damage the ecological

system, impair mobility and massive

transportation, generating lack of food, increased

diseases, disorderly conducts, insecurity,

vandalism, panic, among other things.

These are the main socio-economic impacts of a

landslide.

9

PREVENTION

Landslide cause great destruction, to overcome

and minimize damage, efforts to control

landslides have increased. One of the

technologies developed using a wireless sensor

network (WSN). This network is used to detect

and measure the vibrations caused by landslide.

And after measurements, the system indicated

significant changes in ground motion.

This is the main system for prevention on

landslides created so far.

thŸ The 5 of September, 2010, a landslide

buried 30 houses in “Bello – Antioquia”

(Colombia), 124 people were killed and 50

families were relocated, this is just one of the

faces of the tragedy and let the displacement

result of land.

Ÿ In September 2010, a landslide in “Oxaca”

(México). Killed at least eight people's dead

and 100 missing.

Ÿ In December 2010, a landslide in “La Cruz -

Nariño” (Colombia). Killed at eleven people.

Effects and example

10

“Global warming can have many different causes, but it is most commonly associated with the release of excessive

amounts of greenhouse gases.”

of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases. The

causes are split up into two groups, man-made or

anthropogenic causes, and natural causes.

Natural causes are causes created by nature. One

natural cause is a release of methane gas from

arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane is a

greenhouse gas.

Warming is worse when people cut down trees.

Trees and other plants collect carbon dioxide

(CO2), which is a greenhouse gas.

Another problem is burning fossil fuels, this is

one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are

fuels made of organic matter such as coal, or

oil. The burning of garbage in landfills is another

cause of global warming, this sends an

enormous amount of greenhouse gasses into

the air and makes global warming worse.

Global warming refers to climate change that

causes an increase in the average temperature

of the lower atmosphere. It happens when

greenhouse gases trap heat and light form the

sun in the earth's atmosphere, which increases

the temperature.

Global warming can have many different

causes, but it is most commonly associated with

the release

GLOBAL WARMING

11

EFFECTS SHORT TERMS AND EXAMPLES

There are also a number of effects to the nature

and atmosphere. One of the most serious

effects of Global Warming that humans have to

think about is the effects on the health of

individuals, nations and, therefore, civilizations.

The rise in temperature due to Global Warming

is known to be supportive to various viral

diseases like the west Nile virus and Malaria.

Global Warming increases the incidence of such

diseases in poorer countries where these

diseases exist.

Global Warming results in a drastic rise in

temperature. This rise in temperature finally

results in an increase in the mortality rate of

people. A higher temperature causes problems to

people with cardiovascular problems.

Global Warming may also cause a decline in

agriculture due to the rise in temperature. Global

Warming also results in increased number and

longer droughts.

The increase in temperature also causes various

damages to the transport infrastructure such a

bridges

Ships to face greater temperature changes. Due

to this, the maintainable costs of the transport

infrastructure will increase.

The effects and consequences of the Global

Warming are can be seen in the atmosphere,

weather as well as the health of individuals. As it is

One thing that is happening is warm water,

caused from global warming, is harming and

killing algae in the ocean. Fewer algae is a

problem because there is less food for us and

many animals in the sea.

12

EFFECTS LONG TERMS

obvious by its name, Global Warming is a

global phenomenon with a number of effects on

the global level. Global warming has various

effects, ranging from the effects to the

atmosphere to the economic, environmental as

well as the health life of human beings.

Increasing global temperatures are causing a

broad range of changes. Sea levels are rising

due to thermal expansion of the ocean, in

addition to melting of land ice. Amounts and

patterns of precipitation are changing.

One of the most important effects is the

increase in extreme temperatures. The levels of

evaporation will also increase due to Global

Warming. Other effects of global warming, like a

decreased snow level, increased temperature

and other weather changes will have a effect not

only on humans but also entire ecosystems.

These ecosystems will change and cause many

traditional inhabitants to leave their inhabitants.

This may cause extinction of species. Another

Global Warming consequence is the decline of

the ecosystem's productivity.

Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns

increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of

other extreme weather events, such as floods,

droughts, heat waves, and tornadoes. Other

effects of global warming include higher or lower

agricultural yields, further glacial retreat, reduced

summer stream flows, species extinctions. As a

further effect of global warming, diseases like

malaria are returning into areas where they have

been extinguished earlier.

13

Emissions of carbonic gas from the burning fuels, industrial processes, cars and more, cause toxic activity in

the atmosphere: its result is acid rain.

Furthermore, another cause of acid rain are the

human activities because long time people have

produced different chemicals in to the atmosphere

with industries or chemical experiments, for this

reason, pollution has increased and at this

moment we have lost a lot of nature. Some power

plants emit sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

when burning fossil fuels such as coal to produce

electricity. Also, the exhaust from cars, trucks and

buses emit nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide in

the air. These pollutants cause acid rain.

Dry deposition

Where the weather is dry, the chemicals products

are incorporated in dust or smoke. Dry deposited

gases and particles can be washed from these

surfaces by rainstorms, leading to increased

runoff. This runoff water makes the resulting

mixture more acidic. About half of the acidity in the

atmosphere falls back to earth through dry

deposition

Wet depositionIt is the combination of acidic rain, fog and snow. The acids in the air travel thousands of kilometers and can fall in lakes, rivers, trees, animals furthermore on the humans causing multiple diseases. The effects depends on several factors such as, the degree of acidity in water, the chemistry and the types of fish, trees, and other living things that depends on the water

Acid rain has been caused by an intensive

contamination on the atmosphere. It is for some

reasons like: First, contamination is due to

mixing of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and

nitrogen oxides there are in air, this mixture

reacts with water, oxygen and more chemicals to

produce other

are cause of diseases and environment

risks when it rains.

acidifying pollutants or harmful

particles. This is usually called as acid rain.

Finally, these chemicals travels long distances

and are part of rain or the fog that we have on

certain days

also

ACID RAIN

14

Effects and example

Why is acid rain harmful?

First, acid rain can cause health problems in

people because the mixing of chemicals such as

sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause

respiratory diseases, for example, asthma,

pneumonia or chronic bronchitis because this

pollution creates tiny particles that enter the

lungs and can even cause permanent lung

damage. Second, acid rain causes damages in

forest because living things absorb different

nutrients and stop the growth of trees and other

plants eliminating forest. Another consequence

produced by acid rain is the damage to the rivers

and the lakes because this increase in acidity an

aluminum levels can be lethal for aquatic life.

Finally, a long example of acid rain is in China,

because this country has the biggest industrial

pollution in the world. For this reason, news has

presented the causes and consequences of

nature disaster such as damage to buildings and

objects because chemical compounds containing

acid rain can cause paint to peel and stone

statues begin to deteriorate.

This is the biggest threat of pollution and loss

many lives as animals, plants and people by acid

rain.

15

If water becomes ice, it cause dangerous rains.

Above the surface. This thin layer of air then cools

the rain to a temperature under freezing (0 °C).

However, the drops themselves do not freeze, a

phenomenon called supercooling. When the

supercooled drops strike ground below 0 °C or

anything else below 0 °C (power lines, tree

branches, aircraft), they instantly freeze, forming a

thin film of ice, hence freezing rain.

40 degrees and 50 degrees latitude are most

susceptible due to the frequent mixing of warm

and cold air masses in these regions. In January

of 1998, the "Storm of the Century" in Canada was

a freezing rain event that lasted for days, leaving

four million people without electricity and costing

over $5 billion in structural damage and economic

loss combined. Over two dozen people died

during this event, and approximately 1000 people

were injured.

In the entire world (specially the countries that

are located in the north and south of the

Ecuador meridian), ice storms are very

common. In the northern United States, the

states of New York and Pennsylvania have

recorded the greatest number of ice storms,

followed by Ohio and North Carolina. Although

ice storms can also occur in the southern United

States, they are much less common due to the

greater number of days with above freezing

surface temperatures. In general, mid-latitude

regions between

An ice storm is when a layer of warm air is

between two layers of cold air. Frozen

precipitation melts while falling into the warm air

layer, and then proceeds to refreeze in the cold

layer above the ground. If the precipitation is

partially melted, it will land on the ground as

sleet. However, if the warm layer completely

melts the precipitation, becomes rain, the water

droplets will continue to fall, and pass through a

thin layer of cold air just

HAIL STORMS Rains under 0° Celsius.

16

Effects and example

Ice-covered roads become slippery and hazardous, as the ice causes vehicles to skid out of control, whichcan cause devastating car crashes aswell as pile-ups. Additionally, the lossof power during ice storms hasindirectly caused numerous illnessesand deaths due to unintentional carbonmonoxide (CO) poisoning at lower levels.CO poisoning causes symptoms suchas nausea, dizziness, fatigue, andheadache, but high levels can causeunconsciousness, heart failure, and death.

In December 25, 2010, freezing rain fell on Moscow and vicinity. The glaze ice accumulation caused a number of accidents and power outages, of which the most serious was damage caused to two power lines feeding Domodedovo Airport, causing a complete blackout of the airport and express railway that connected it to the city.

Here, the food from the farms and other sites were

destroyed and the people from this country had a

violent famine and caused a reduction on the

country´s economy.

17

Over flows of huge volume of waters causes floods, this can be damaging and devastating and are caused by

different situations depending on the location.

combination of sea tidal surges and storm-force winds. Coastal floods are caused by cyclones, hurricanes and tsunamis. These are one of the most common natural disasters.

Heavy rainfalls are one of the major causes of floods. The level of water in rivers or lakes rises due to heavy rainfalls. When the level of water rises above the rive banks or dams, the water starts overflowing, which causes floods. The overflow to areas adjacent to rivers, lakes or dams, causing flooding or floods. The flood water causes chaos and great destruction in the areas where it flows. Floods occur more in the regions that get heavy rainfalls. Floods are also caused due to heavy snow melting.

When the level of water rises above the sea level, it causes floods in coastal areas or coastal lowlands.

There are also several human causes of floods. Deforestation is one of the major causes of floods. Trees are being cleared fast from large areas. As result, soil is easily eroded, and the eroded soil gets settled at the bottom of rivers and seas, which raises the level of water in rivers and seas, which consequently causes floods.

Generally, floods occur more in the low-lying areas or the areas below the sea level. One of the main reasons is that rivers flow slowly in these areas. The volume of water increases in the low lying areas. When the level of water rises in these regions, it causes floods.

Floods also occur more in the coastal regions. Floods, in the coastal regions, are caused due to high tides, storms, cyclones, hurricanes, or tsunamis.

Flood is an overflow of a huge amount of water onto the normally dry land. Flooding occurs when the overflowing water submerges land and causes deluge. It is a cruel and violent expression of water. Floods are often deadly, damaging and devastating. They kill lots of people, damage houses and crops, and cause extensive destruction. In broader terms, floods are of two types: Natural floods and Catastrophic floods.

Natural floods are the floods that are caused

naturally by the overflow of the huge volume of

water, from rivers, lakes, oceans, or by heavy

rains or downpours, hurricanes, cyclones, or

tsunamis, etc. Natural floods could be riverine

floods. Estuarine floods are caused by a

FLOOD

18

Effects and example

Floods make an enormous impact on the

environment and society. Floods destroy

drainage systems in cities, causing raw sewage

to spill out into bodies of water. Also, in cases of

severe floods, buildings can be significantly

damaged and even destroyed. This can lead to

catastrophic effects on the environment as many

toxic materials such as paint, pesticide and

gasoline can be released into the rivers, lakes,

bays, and ocean, killing maritime life. Floods

may also cause millions of dollars worth of

damage to a city, both evicting people from their

homes and ruining businesses. Floods cause

significant amounts of erosion to coasts, leading

to more frequent flooding if not repaired.

The rains have flooded the country's main rivers, and mudslides have devastated the worst-affected regions in the south-east.

Millions of dollars in damage have been caused by the downpour in the central coffee-producing area of the country.

Officials in five provinces Cauca, Nariño, Valle, Cundinamarca and the capital Bogota have called for a maximum state of alert.

Colombia's Prevention of Disasters office has issued a red alert for communities near the San Jorge river, 410km north-east of the capital.

19

Earthquakes are caused by faulting,a sudden lateral or vertical movement of rock along a rupture surface.

P-Waves

Primary Waves (P-Waves) are identical in

character to sound waves. They are high

frequency, short-wavelength, longitudinal waves

which can pass through both solids and liquids.

The ground is forced to move forwards and

backwards as it is compressed and

decompressed. This produces relatively small

displacements of the ground. P Waves can be

reflected and refracted, and under certain

circumstances can change into S-Waves.

L-Waves

Surface Waves (L-Waves) are low frequency

transverse vibrations with a long wavelength. They

are created close to the epicenter and can only

travel through the outer part of the crust. They are

responsible for the majority of the building

damage caused by earthquakes. This is because

L Waves have a motion similar to that of waves in

the sea. The ground is made to move in a circular

motion, causing it to rise and fall as visible waves

move across the ground.

S-Waves

Secondary Waves (S-Waves) travel more slowly

than P-Waves and arrive at any given point after

the P-Waves. Like P-Waves they are high

frequency, short-wavelength waves, but instead

of being longitudinal they are transverse. They

move in all directions away from their source, at

speeds which depend upon the density of the

rocks through which they are moving. They

cannot move through liquids. On the surface of

the Earth, S-Waves are responsible for the

sideways displacement of walls and fences,

leaving them 'S' shaped.

The surface of the Earth is in continuous slow

motion. This is due to the tectonic plates -- the

motion of immense rigid plates at the surface of

the Earth in response to flow of rock within the

Earth. The plates cover the entire surface of the

globe. Since they are all moving they rub against

each other in some places, sink beneath each

other in others, or spread apart from each other.

At such places the motion is not smooth--the

plates are stuck together at the edges but the

rest of each plate is continuing to move, so the

rocks along the edges are distorted

EARTHQUAKES

20

Effects and example

Most earthquake-related deaths are caused by

the collapse of structures and the construction

practices play a tremendous role in the death toll

of an earthquake. In southern Italy in 1909 more

than 100,000 people perished in an earthquake

that struck the region. Almost half of the people

living in the region of Messina were killed due to

the easily collapsible structures that dominated

the villages of the region. A larger earthquake

that struck San Francisco three years earlier had

killed fewer people (about 700) because building

construction practices were different type

(predominantly wood).

-Devastating fires.

-Landslides

-Flash floods.

-Tsunamis

-Seiche

Survival rates in the San Francisco earthquake was about 98%, that in the Messina earthquake was between 33% and 45%) (Zebrowski, 1997). Building practices can make all the difference in earthquakes, even a moderate rupture beneath a city with structures unprepared for shaking can produce tens of thousands of casualties.

Although probably the most important, direct shaking effects are not the only hazard associated with earthquakes, other effects such as landslides, liquefaction, and tsunamis have also played important part in destruction produced by earthquakes.

-Deformed ground surface.

-Damage to manmade structures.

-Damage to towns and cities.

-Loss of human and animal life.

21

Volcano is a vent through which magma and dissolved gases are discharged.

A volcano is a rupture, in a planet's surface crust,

which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases

to escape from below the surface.

The most common perception of a volcano is of a

conical mountain, (because after it erupts

numerous times, a cone is created), spewing lava

and poisonous gases from a crater at its summit,

but the causes of volcanoes are much more

complicated.

The structure and behavior of volcanoes depends

on a number of factors

An eruption begins when pressure on a magma

chamber forces magma up through the conduit

and out the volcano's vents. When the magma

chamber has been completely filled, the type of

eruption partly depends on the amount of gases

and silica in the magma. The amount of silica

determines how sticky (level of viscosity) the

magma is and water provides the explosive

potential of steam.

Since the magma is always building up

pressure and the earth is always spinning, it

sometimes causes a crack in the earth. The two

sides of the crack may shift. (This is called plate

tectonics, known to be the cause of volcanic

eruptions).

The magma will burst through the crack. If this

crack is in the ocean, an island can be created.

When there is an eruption in a volcano, the

place where pressure builds up and where the

magma is called the magma chamber.

A volcano is a rupture, in a planet's surface

crust, which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and

gases to escape from below the surface.

The most common perception of a volcano is of

a conical mountain, (because after it erupts

numerous times, a cone is created), spewing

lava and poisonous gases from a crater at its

summit, but the causes of volcanoes are much

more complicated.

The structure and behavior of volcanoes

depends on a number of factors

VOLCANOS

22

Effects and example

These effects of volcanic eruptions are mostly

the result of certain hazards. Volcanoes provide

different hazards during an eruption. Each

hazard poses different risks affecting different

areas. The most threatening hazards include:

Volcanic ashes, Lahars, Debris avalanches,

landslides, Tsunamis, blast, lava, Gas etc.

Various notorious eruptions of volcanoes in the

past have taken place, such as Mount Pelée, and

the Nevado del Ruíz which demonstrated the

devastating impact of volcanic activity on nearby

landscapes and communities.

Many people were killed and injured. A large

number of people had to abandon their homes

and land forever. Even the whole world's climate

was changed for a while as a result of the

eruption!

23

A tsunami is a wave or a group of waves that occur in the water when they are pushed by a force that makes these

waves move vertically.

Section where two plates are in contact is called

border or edge of plates and the way in which one

plate moves relative to the other determines the

type of edge.

While it is true that a tectonic plate

movement can generate a tsunami, not all

earthquakes generate it. To form a tsunami the

fault where the earthquake occurs must be below

or near the ocean and must create a vertical

movement of the sea floor over a large

These movements between tectonic

plates can lead to strong earthquakes that cause

tsunamis.

In recent years we have seen many

catastrophes and disasters around the world

caused by tsunamis, but do we know what they

are? What are the main causes of such

devastating disaster? That impact it has on the

planet? Through this article we will understand

and expand our knowledge about this

phenomenon that has considerably harmed

many people around the world. The

phenomenon we call tsunami is a wave or

series of waves that occur in a body of water in

the ocean, generated primarily by earthquakes

occurring below or grows from the sea floor.

Volcanic eruptions, landslides, meteorites,

landslides and coastal groundwater also may be

responsible for this phenomenon.

TSUNAMIS

At sea, the length between wave crest and the

next can be about 100 km and a height of few

tens of centimeters. These waves can't be

appreciated in the air or on board ships.

. The waves that reach the shores

of a lake or ocean are often mistaken for waves

caused by the tsunamis. Such waves are

generated by offshore winds there, and waves are

quite small compared to the waves of a tsunami.

As the waves travel in Address to the shallower

waters of the coast, it slows down and increases

its height when it reaches the coast can grow to

several feet tall. Usually the first wave

approaching the coast is not the biggest and the

danger of a tsunami can last for many hours after

the first wave.

Deepwater these waves can reach speeds over

800 km per hour

As has been mentioned earlier, tsunamis are

mainly earthquakes quasar. Very rarely are

caused by volcanic eruptions, submarine

landslide and meteor impacts in the ocean.

Earthquakes can be caused by volcanic activity,

but in most cases are associated with the

movement of tectonic plates, these plates

lithospheric have 70 to 250 kilometers thick and

cover the entire surface of the planet, contain

the continents and the sea floor and are in

relative motion between them at speeds of

several centimeters per year. The

24

Area. The shallow focus earthquakes are

responsible for the most destructive tsunamis.

Within the generation mechanism of this

phenomenon is taken into account the amount

of vertical movement of the sea floor, the area

and the energy with which it is transferred from

Earth's crust to ocean water. Given the potential

threat of a tsunami, people and goods more

elements are constituted as vulnerable and

damaged. The effects vary depending on the

relationship that occurs between factors such as

poor organization, lack of knowledge on the

subject, topographic features, adjacent to the

coast, type of infrastructure, quality of

construction materials, building height, among

others. The effects of this phenomenon are

characterized by the loss in human and animal

life, destruction of infrastructure and a strong

impact on the environment.

The information found on tsunamis dominant

tales of suffering deaths and physical destruction

of infrastructure, but man is not the only one who

has suffered the effects. Also, ecosystems and

many species were affected. Experience from

previous tsunamis and other major floods

suggests that the environmental damage they

inflict is linked with the invasion of ground water by

salt water and the disappearance of the beaches

or its appearance elsewhere. Tsunamis can make

small, low islands inhabitable. Vegetation in large

stretches of lowland can be hurt substantially as

mangroves and grasses that resist salt water take

the place of other species. For rare animals with

specific reproduction sites, such as sea turtles, the

effects of tsunamis could spell extinction.

Effects and example

25

“Tornadoes are a rapidly moving spinning air that is very dangerous, because they have great strength, they can

destroy large areas.”

The winds of the tornadoes may top 400 kilometers

an hour, and can make pathway a 1.6 kilometers

wide and 80 kilometers long.

Tornadoes move at speeds of about 16 to 32

kilometers per hour.

Safety tips:

· In house

* Prepare for tornadoes by gathering emergency

supplies including food, water, medications,

batteries, flashlights, important documents, road

maps, and a full tank of gasoline.

* Everyone has to have a designated shelter of

protection from tornadoes.

* Those responsible for activating the plan should

monitor weather information.

* If the school´s alarm system relies on electricity,

have a compressed air horn or megaphone to

activate the alarm in case of power failure.

* make special provisions for disabled students.

* make sure someone turn off electricity and gas.

Ÿ When a tornado approaches, anyone in it is

path should take shelter indoors

—preferably in a basement or an interior

first-floor room or hallway.

Ÿ Avoid windows and seek additional

protection by getting underneath large, solid

pieces of furniture.

Ÿ Avoid automobiles and mobile homes, which

provide almost not protection form

tornadoes.

Ÿ In schools

Ÿ develop a severe weather action plan and

have frequent drills

Tornadoes are a vertical funnel of rapidly

spinning air.

How are tornadoes created? The twisters are

born at thunderstorms and are often

accompanied by hail, this needs warm, moist

air (Golf the Mexican Gulf), and cool, dry air

(Canada) –the location of these kinds air

generates the most tornadoes in The United

States. When these two kinds of air meet, they

create a change in

Wind direction and an increment in wind speed.

Giant, persistent thunderstorms called super-

cells spawn the most destructive tornadoes.

TORNADOES

26

Tornadoes have a great destructive power,

that is the danger, this affects the population,

because these drag all they encounter. The

tornado winds can go to a speed 400

kilometers/hour, moreover the incredible power

of suction and the change of pressure

atmospheric than can exploit buildings.

Effect of a tornado on buildings

1. The devastating effect because of the

speed of objects that become

projectiles.

2. The collapse of the parts of building.

3. The explosion occurs because of the

change of pressure.

Despite of devastating effects, in 1986, a tornado

occurred in China, where 13 children ended up in

the air and were transported 19 km away and

deposited unharmed in an area of dunes and

maturates. The children there were safe.

Effects and example

27

An Oil spill is a big oil spot on the sea, that it is very extensive layer with a very slim thickness. It pollutes the

soil and the water; it can kill animals and plants, but if these are not killed, they will be injured, sick or disabled.

The worrisome effect is that oil spills will cause carcigenous agents in the food chain.

The ecological disaster that the gulf of Mexico is living because the spill itself is a result of the collapse of the platform that was under construction in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 a fire broke out on the boat also resulted in human losses on Thursday November 22 finally beginning to sink oil spill of crude oil at a rate of 750 thousand liters per day (according to British Petroleum) and about 4 million gallons

An oil spill involves a series of gradual changes in physical-chemical properties which are attributed to the weathering process, which includes: evaporation, dissolution, dispersion, oxidation, emulsification, sedimentation and biodegradation.A spill or discharge of oil primarily affects two elements of the environment, these are; abiotic elements (soil, landforms, geomorphology, etc.).Biotic (flora and fauna).

Per day according to an environmental organization. The causes are still being researched, at this level only probable cause is talked about, then we can cite: The geographical conditions, as it was thought, drilling from the surface of the sea 1500 meters down on the seabed, the internal currents were unpredictable due to high pressures. Previous studies were deficient or inaccurate. Also, human error, and insufficient security measures.

Oil spills could produced by accident in the oil extraction process in the sea or on the surface of the earth through oil-bearing platforms; in its transportation through oil ships. Also it could be caused intentionally during a war for terrorist crime. 13% of strikes occur from accidents suffered by large container ships of oil, by the negligence of the authorities and inadequacy of fuel oil transportation companies.

OIL SPILLS

28

SOILContaminated soil by the presence of oil remains there. This depends on soil type which is a product of its composition and texture as the soil characteristics as the oil will adhere or penetrate with more or less force and, therefore, more or less time that it will remain in the environment, in sandy soils, the oil penetrates faster, in greater numbers and deeper, in clay soils or rock; oil does not penetrate easily in small quantities and shallow and therefore it can be removed by washing it quickly in clay beaches of the jungle; in soils with high organic matter content of the oil adheres strongly to particles and plant debris so that it remains in the environment longer, for example, in soils of mangroves and marshes.

FLORA AND FAUNA AFFECTIONDirect mortality due to suffocation, dirt and suffocation, poisoning through direct contact with oil, absorption of toxic fractions of the water column (e.g. algae). The toxicity of oil increases with the concentration of unsaturated aromatic compounds and low boil. The larval and juvenile life forms are usually more sensitive, indirect mortality due to death of food resources or habitat destruction, incorporation of sublethal quantities of petroleum fractions in the tissues of the body (e.g., ingestion), which potentially decreases tolerance to other stresses (e.g., predation and disease), reduction or destruction of food or commercial value of fisheries, due to the degeneration of taste by the absorption of hydrocarbons, incorporation of potentially carcinogenic or mutagenic in the food chain.

Effects and example

29

The fundamental menace of famine is expressed in the Biblical reference to the “four horsemen of the

apocalypse”: meaning famine, pestilence a disease's cause, war and death.

In extreme cases famine is a synonym of death.

All situations of disvantage, for people in

starvation are contributing in a very real sense to

"eliminating the poor" through "starvation death".

In the words of Henry Kissinger: "Control oil and

you control nations; control food and you control

the people." Another case, is how is it possible

that a person with an entry of money of less than

half of a minimum salary in Colombia in this time?

They do not consider people under poverty

conditions, and the national government does

nothing to help them and improve their quality of

life.

The history shows that the Famine's causes are

many. Within them we find: as first causes,

natural disasters, pests, over populated areas

that are unable to feed masses of people, poor

quality of health facilities, the governments that

have poor management of resources. In the

case of Third world countries, the over

population is a famine's cause too; in some

countries culture and religion say that If people

have more children, people will be blessed.

FAMINE

But actually the principal cause of the global

Famine is the process of "free market"

restructuring of the global economy that began in

the 1980s. Is poverty and chronic

undernourishment a condition we have seen for a

long of time? The recent hikes in food prices have

contributed to exacerbating and aggravating the

food crisis. The food price increases are hitting the

impoverished populations, which barely have the

means to survive.

Famine has had an important role in the

societies. It is responsible for wars and conflicts

in different world's places, such as: Haiti,

Bangladesh (in this place about 20,000 textile

workers marches and demonstrations, their

nonconformity with the soaring food prices and

demand higher wages.

Food price increases, but, the worker's salary

does not. This is a total inequality, that is caused

by governments and politicians and laws. They

have to change these aspects so that this world's

cancer is not a danger and mortal for the people

in disadvantage and with little money.

Development of a better economy and in

consequence generation of more jobs for people

are aspects that are necessary to be considered

by every citizen of the world.

30

This is a sad reality.

Thousands of children and also adults die to the

cause of starvation and there upon famine. The

world with the help of its generous people,

conscientious and willing to make the countries

in poverty situations a better place to live have

to stop this big cancer.

In the following paragraph we expose the main

consequences of famine. It has seen in the past

and the present. Also, to show an example of

famine, we can talk about the Somalian

population in East African that are living this

disaster presently, it has declared as by The

United Nations using scientific criteria of death

and malnutrition rates.

The principal famine's menaces are pestilence a

disease's cause, war and death. Also

consequences, physical, psychological, social,

and economic. Children fail to grow and cannot

learn in school and both adults and children

experience weight loss, lack of energy, and

decreased work ability. Similarly, psychological

impacts resulting from fear and uncertainty about

having enough to eat or to feed one's family; and

socially, migration is a common occurrence during

periods of famine.

For example Somalia, was struck in the summer

of 2011 by one of the worst droughts in 60 years.

In this place where a relentless war has depleted

the country's food supplies over decades, the

drought hit with a particularly devastating impact.

Tens of thousands of Somalis have died of

malnutrition-related causes; three million Somalis

are in urgent need of aid and more than 10 million

are at risk. But they did not wait. Tens of

thousands, possibly even hundreds of thousands,

fled to Kenya and Ethiopia for help.

Effects and example

31

“Drought is a dry period, caused by the absence of rainfall, the effects of this are of economic, environmental

and social types; Africa is affected by this type of environmental disaster.”

Is quickly evaporated. Droughts can last for years

in most extreme cases. These types of droughts

effect the outback properties and can devastate

crops and livestock. Also, many crops are

effected.

Droughts are terrible disasters caused by the

lack of water mainly, also caused by the human,

as an effect of the growth of industries. Due to

this reason, the environmental disasters grows

every day, and it is higher in less developed

countries such as some countries of the African

continent which have suffered much because of

droughts.

A dry spell is usually more than 14 days without

precipitation, whereas a severe drought may

last for years.

DROUGHT

There are many types of droughts like:

Meteorological, Hydrological, Agricultural and

Socioeconomic. In the meteorological drought

changes in the weather are the cause. The

agricultural drought caused by the lack rainfall,

the ground converts in a dry ground and that

affects to the crops. Hydrological drought also is

caused by the lack of rainfall, that hurts the

hydrologic storage systems and this converts in a

social problem. Socioeconomic drought is

caused when the rainfalls are insufficient and the

supply goes down.

Droughts are caused by lack of rain over a long

period of time. If rain does occur it usually is not

enough for the ground to absorb before it is

evaporated again. Plants and animals need

water to survive, so if there is not enough water

they will eventually die from thirst and

dehydration. Water is one of the main

ingredients in the food chain.

Most droughts tend to occur during summer, as

the weather is hot and water

32

Drought produces many effects of economical,

environmental and social kind. The economic

effects are reflected on the price of the food,

also in the water

supply, range fires and wildland fires, damages

on the ecosystem.

Unemployment from production declines, loss to

the recreational and the tourism industry, loss of

hydroelectric power and loss of navigability of

rivers and canals. The environmental effects are:

increased desertification, damage to animal

species, reduction and degradation of fish and

wildlife habitat, lack of feed and drinking water,

disease, increased predation, loss of wildlife in

some areas and too many in others , increased

stress to endangered species, damage to plant

species, increased number and severity of fires,

wind and water erosion of soils. The social effects

are: loss of human life from food shortages, heat,

suicides, violence, mental and physical stress,

water user conflicts, social unrest, and political

problem.

AfricaA few months ago the world found out that in Africa a

drought caused that for almost 11 months these

communities were without a drop of rain, the water

fonts dried, the supplying was made through trucks

to all community, is very common this situation

types. Because of the lack of grass many difficult

situations like illness and malnutrition have begun.

In 1972 part of Africa was in one of the worst

droughts ever to hit earth. To the South of the

Sahara Desert lies the marginal zone, better none

as the Sahel. This area has been the home to

nomads and settling agriculturalists for many

hundreds of years. From 1968 the rain

Effects and example

33

“War is a state of organized, armed and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other

parties.”

impact side, in temporal or permanent form.

Changes over the earth´s surface: Humans

have changed their environment along the time,

but, war accelerates the rate of change, to search

an advantage in war, because it is a force that

boost towards victory, but at the expense of

nature.Obviously, war has impact over environment, many impacts, but we can consider in contrast of the principal causes their principal effects,Being these:

War, as a state of organized, armed and often

prolonged conflict carried on by humans, it has

existed for thousands of years. From conflicts

between primitive tribes until the greatest wars

such as the World War I and II. War has had a

lesser impact on the environment, but, with the

pass of time, and considering that military

technology has developed even more, these

consequences have been growing considerably.

WAR

This occur because war needs many resources, it

changes the structure of both: the zone where

the conflict is performed as important resource

zones, and every weapon used in war (specially in th th 19 and 20 centuries), have a fatal effect over

environment.

We can talk of three general causes that affect the

environment by war. These are:

Over-exploitation of resources: war requires

of many kind of resources such as soldiers,

food, transport, military equipment, energy

sources… all to support the conflict and win

the war, but resources are obtained finally from

the environment and with the proportion and

long duration of wars is making a much more

negatively damaged environment.

Direct effects produced by weapons:

Developing of military technology has been a

disadvantage for environment, because it has

a great destruction power, due to the fact to

this type of weapons have decided destine of

war, therefore, of many people, but no only it

destroys humans, also it affects all around their

34

On the resources: Impact produced by

mining, forest and agricultural activities that

normally have affected environment, grows

these impacts. We can observe this

phenomenon in decreasing of jungle and wood

zones, moreover, contamination produced by

mining… although it is “normal” for humans.

On the territory: In this case, weapons and

humans produce effects over the environment,

modifying territory through military and civil

buildings, that finally they are not the principal

and direct cause of this deteriorative state.

“Weapons of mass destruction” are the

principal and direct cause. For example The

Atomic Bomb”

launched on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan,

killed and injured a great amount of people and

destroyed buildings, but it affected to a greater

degree the environment, because the water and

the ground were altered for thousands of years

due radiation.

Over nature members: We as members of the

environment, we can regard ourselves as victims

together with other species, because war reduces

human population considerably. And addition, the

types of weapons as radioactive and biological

arms have induced illnesses and mutations on

humans, animals, plants and other elements of

our surroundings… serious and permanent

damage.

Effects and example

35

The worst effect of war and Terrorism is not people dying; the worst effect will be felt by those that haven't been born

yet.

Of course I am talking about terrorism which is not

the same as ecoterrorism, there is a big

difference between these two terms. Ecoterrorism

consists in doing vandalism acts to protect the

earth, in a way it is a form to protest against big

corporations who destroy the environment around

their, whit acts such as fire, short kidnapping this

doctrine represent a dark side of

environmentalism. On the contrary of terrorism,

ecoterrorism have something good in some

cases like

Sea Shepherd who chase whale ships

In the 21th century humanity is the victim of all

sorts of evils, but, this article makes reference

to one of the most terrible because it is not

caused by nature, instead it is caused by man

himself. Terrorism by definition is the use of

force or violence against persons or property for

the purpose of intimidation, but, why to say all

humanity is affected by terrorism if we could

think that only a few nations have these kinds of

Issues

TERRORISIM

Otherwise, if we look beyond we can note that we as

the human race are the victims because behind of

this phenomenon is hiding one of the worse causes

of damage to the environment, nature and earth as

our ecosystem.

Certainly we are not the only species on the earth,

but, when we talk about terrorism we never think

about it, so it is time to change that.

Terrorism is caused by desire of power and

political interests and that is why terrorism is

extremely bound with massive production of

destruction arms. through history war and

terrorism only bring dead, desolation and forced

displacement, this words are familiar in the

context of our country likewise drugs traffic due

the fact that it is finance mutually. Terrorism

affects the environment through destruction of

big forestall zones which then are reduced to

unproductive deserts that don't serve for

reforestation even agriculture. Well,

Governments do not take actions because it is

more important being part of the war that trying

to stop it.

Desire of power and political interests

36

IRAK

In the world there exists many terrorist groups

who have spread their beliefs with horrible acts

as is the case of Al-Qaida with the 9/11

explosions and destruction of important sites in

the United States or ETA in Spain or not to go

so far, here in Colombia the FARC. These

groups have something in common: they

believe that war is the only way to be listened

and they do not think about the rest of people

that live in the different countries.

Consequences

· Destruction of fauna and flora

· Toxic contamination of the habitats

· Extinción of endemic species.

Physical destruction of wildlife and hábitats due

to increased human pressurecaused by mass

movements of people fleeing the

IthIn November 6 of 2002, the ONU Organization of

Nations United declared the International day to

prevent exploitation of the environment in war.

Birdlife International is an organization that studied

the effects of war and terrorism in the

environment, so In 2003 Birdlife send a report

about the situation in Iraq where the 80% of the

territory is desert, and it have 42 important areas

for wildlife specifically birds, but after war and

terrorism acts 16 species are endangered

because its habitats has been destroyed and the

animals have been killed for eat or just in the

attacks. About desert Mechanical crushing of

vehicles on it, can be damaging for decades.

Concluding people killing people, but they are

killing us, too.

Effects and example

37

The nuclear disaster not only affects the country in which it occurs, it affects everyone in the world, and we have not

changed that, no one is listening.

Including our beautiful country, Colombia, has a little

reactor, just for pedagogical experiments and

awareness about the energy that produce. For now

the eyes of the world are situated in the countries

that in opened voice proclaim they experiments to

'be protected of war ', like South Korea, China,

Taiwan and Pakistan.

Inside those, already exist the horrible histories

about the disaster that in few minutes destroyed

lives of many people, like is the case of Chernobyl

Disaster, Three Mile Island, Fukushima (more

recently), and others that to the moment leave

fatalities victims and posterior victims of induced

cancer.

All the environment disaster events that human

race causing, the nuclear disasters have the

horrible distinction of being listed as potential

harm. The radiation associated with nuclear

disasters is the principal team of health risk in

the immediate, short, medium and long term,

and not just in the generation affected, also, in

the next generations of descendants of the firs

contaminated.

NUCLEAR DISASTERS

All the environment disaster events that human race

causing, the nuclear disasters have the horrible

distinction of being listed as potential harm. The

radiation associated with nuclear disasters is the

principal team of health risk in the immediate, short,

medium and long term, and not just in the

generation affected, also, in the next generations of

descendants of the firs contaminated.

In generally, the nuclear disasters begin with the

implantation of factories, plants or power stations

to provide energy to a country, state, place, or in

the most dangerous case, for do war experiments

or armament. In total, around the world there exist

near thirty one countries that have at least, one

nuclear reactor, already it is to obtain energy or for

defending the territory (like they affirm). The most

named are: United States of America that

approximately have one hundred and four (104)

centrals in the country, then France and Japan

with at least fifty five (55) centrals, Russia, United

Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, and other

that have four (4) to twenty (20).

Caused primarily by human greed quest for energy...

38

The best known are Chernobyl Disaster, which

happened at 1:23 AM on April 25 of 1985, in the

Soviet Union (which is now Ukraine), about

thirty people were killed immediately, and near

of 4000 of cancer patients that lived the disaster

immediately.

The health impacts of Chernobyl will never be

fully know, it is estimated that about three

million people still living in high risk of

radioactive contamination areas, and others

thousand, pass sporadically at the less affected

area of Chernobyl. Recent studies reveal that

almost of children that suffering of cancer in

Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, are by the high

levels of radiation presents day by day in the

cities, schools, and parks. Most of the

deformations and genetic effects are still

investigate.

lNow the most recently disaster is Fukushima

Daiichi, really this did not begin by the human

hand, really, it is following of 2011 Tōhoku

earthquake and tsunami on 11 March of 2011,

since Chernobyl, similar accident did not

happened, and even more by the fact that Japan

do not brings to the world a sincerely status and

the cleaner of radiation in the area.

Many people still speculate about the true

magnitude of the tragedy and the consequences

for their lives, health and environment of the

country and the world at this time. The economical

consequences to the global economy did no wait,

and the anti-nuclear protest is growing day by day,

because like is know for everyone in this world,

the radiation do not kill all at the same time, in

many occasions is progressive.

Effects and example

39

Also known as germ warfare — is the deliberate use of disease-causing biological agents such as bacteria,

viruses, fungi, or biological toxins, to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war

Likewise, these agents can be easily procured from

the environment, universities, biological supply

houses, and clinical specimens.

Furthermore, biological warfare agents are typically

invisible in aerosol clouds and may not be detected

until humans become ill. Panic would result as

medical capabilities are quickly overwhelmed.

While the use of the biological weapons has

few disadvantages, in fact specifically, the

disadvantages are disadvantages to using

biological warfare agents as weapons include

hazards to the user, their dependence on

optimal weather conditions to result in effective

dispersal, and their possible inactivation by

solar irradiation and other climatic conditions.

Biological Warfare attacks would most likely

occur late at night or early in the morning when

agents would be less likely to undergo

inactivation by ultraviolet radiation. At these

times, atmospheric temperature inversions

would allow an agent cloud to travel at low

altitude to cover its target.

Weapons are easy and cheap to produce and

can be used to selectively target humans,

animals, or plants. The costs of conventional

weapons ($2000), nuclear armaments ($800),

and chemical agents ($600) would far outstrip

the bargain-basement price of biological

weapons ($1) to produce 50% casualties per

square kilometer (1969 dollars).

BIOLOGICAL WARFAREIts application has many advantages for those who want to

destroy, but, for the affected ones is hell.

40

Biological agents contain either living organisms

or their derivatives, such as toxins, which cause

disease or death. Living organisms can multiply

within the living targets to produce their effects,

while toxins cannot reproduce themselves.

Toxins are generally more lethal, and act

relatively quickly causing incapacitation or death

within minutes or hours. Living organisms

(microbial pathogens), require incubation

periods of 24 hours to 6 weeks between

infection and appearance of symptoms. This

incubation period places limits on their

battlefield utility, but means that biological

weapons can continue to have a significant

impact many weeks after the initial attack (eg by

causing a long-term pandemic). Likewise, this

Potential Viral agents include smallpox, yellow

fever, equine encephalitis and influenza, which

may be genetically modified to increase their

effectiveness. Bacterial agents such as anthrax,

meloidosis, pneumonic plague and glanders have

incubation periods of between one and five days

and are usually fatal without swift treatment.

Toxins include botulinum toxin, which produces an

acute muscular paralysis resulting in death of

animals or humans; ricin, derived from castor

bean plants whose lethality is that of nerve

gasses, and mycotoxins which produce nausea,

vomiting, diarrhoea, skin irritation and potential

fatalities.

To illustrate this, see what happened in the 1950's,

when army biological weapons research begins at

the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC).

Vials of anthrax are transferred from Ft. Detrick to

Plum Island. This information is contained in a

now declassified report, "Biological Warfare

Operations," Research and Development Annual

Technical Progress Report, Department of the

Army, 1951.

delayed incubation period may mean that a

biological attack can be completed before

those on the ground have realized that it has

occurred, or even take place entirely

covertly, the effects being confused with a

natural outbreak of disease.

Spray devices supplied by Ft. Detrick, sprayed

serratia marcescens across the San Francisco

Bay Area while the ship plied Bay waters.

Supposedly a non-pathogenic microorganism,

twelve mostly elderly victims die.

Effects and example

41

Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases

, resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological

agents in an individual host organism.

comprise communities clinically

Inhalation, or through vector organisms. Infectious

diseases that are especially infective are

sometimes called contagious and can be easily

transmitted by contact with an sick person or their

secretions. Infectious diseases with more

specialized routes of infection, such as vector

transmission or sexual transmission, are usually

regarded as contagious but do not require medical

quarantine of victims.

by fungi. Other types of fungi can infect your lungs

or nervous system.

Parasites. Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite

that is transmitted by a mosquito bite. Other

parasites may be transmitted to humans from

animal feces.

Direct contact: An easy way to catch most

infectious diseases is by coming in contact with a

person or animal who has one. Three ways

infectious diseases can be spread through direct

contact are:

Causes: Infectious diseases can be caused by:

Bacteria. These one-cell organisms are

responsible for illnesses such as strep throat,

urinary tract infections and tuberculosis.

Viruses. Even smaller than bacteria, viruses

cause a multitude of diseases — ranging from

the common cold to AIDS.

Fungi. Many skin diseases, such as ringworm

or athlete's foot, are caused

The term infectivity describes the ability of an

organism to enter, survive and multiply in the

host, while the infectiousness of a disease

indicates the comparative ease with which the

disease is transmitted to other hosts. An

infection is not synonymous with an infectious

disease, as some infections do not cause illness

in a host. Transmission of pathogen can occur

in various ways including physical contact,

contaminated food, body fluids, objects,

airborne

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

42

Effects and example

(MALARIA)

Person to person.

Animal to person

Mother to unborn child. Infectious diseases kill

more people worldwide than any other single

cause. Among the most common diseases

transmitted by vectors are: Malaria, viral

Encephalitis, Chagas disease, Lyme disease

and African sleeping sickness.

Malaria, which predominantly occurs in tropical

areas, is a potentially life-threatening disease

caused by infection with Plasmodium protozoa

transmitted by an infective female Anopheles

mosquito vector. Individuals with malaria may

present with fever and a wide range of symptoms.

43

Solar flares are one of the few environmental problems is not the fault of humans.

Prevention:

In itself there is nothing we humans can do to

prevent solar flares occurrances, although, at

present the best efforts of researchers are focused

in order to predict when they will happen in order

to prevent the possible consequences.

Cause:

Specific causes of solar flares are not yet known

with certainty, there are hypotheses that say that

these eruptions are consequences the life cycle of

the sun.

Consequences:

The major consequences of solar flares are

causing interference with comunnications of the

earth as electromagnetic radiation explosions

that release interfere in the operation of power

grids and satellites of the earth.

Since solar flares are highly charged radiation

can affect spacecraft and astronauts.

Definition:

Solar flares are huge explosions that occur in

the photosphere of the sun, generating large

amounts of electromagnetic radiation. These

explosions are spontaneously, therefore, they

can not be predicted.

SOLAR FLARE

44

Theories:

Besides this, there are radical and fatalistic

theories that say that in 2012 there will be a

solar flare so powerful that will destroy all

communication systems of the world leaving us

in a kind of cave which will bring violence

among people and be the beginning of the end

of the world.

Of course, this does not cease to be only a myth

and belief and that historically a solar flare so

strong has not eliminated the communication

system of the planet.

Latest solar flare:

The last solar flare was detected by NASA on

August 9, 2011 in the morning. It is one of the

strongest solar flares in recent years that

scientists say that it will have consequences on

the planet, but, they warned that there are

possibilities of the occurrence of more solar flares.

Effects and example

45

“pollution is something that is affecting humanity, is when the external agents have some influence in the

ecosystem and they cause alterations in the same, but mankind will not believe that, and they

affect pollution too, please save your world”.unfortunately

The causes of pollution causes are easy to

identify: humanity produces pollutants in

everything they make, for example: construction,

combustion, mining, agriculture and as a matter of

fact warfare is increasingly significant to the

pollution. Actually, we have more facts that

influence the growth of pollution, these are:

vehicles, chemical plants, refineries,

petrochemical plants, nuclear waste disposal,

incinerators, metal productions awareness in the

caring and saving of the environment.

Pollution is when the external agents have

some influence in the ecosystem, and they

cause the alteration in the same. These agents

can be: energy like sound, heat and light;

chemical substances or genes. When I talk

about alteration, we refer to a negative

alteration produced by human activities.

Pollution is divided according to the source of

procedence: The point sources are easy to

identify and isolate; and nonpoint sources are

difficult to identify and scatter.

Factories, most industry, plastics and more things

that help. ollution is the biggest problem in the

planet, it had its first appearance in England, with

, due to the fact that it

causes

P

the coal-burning in London

atmospheric pollution in that moment, with

the Industrial Revolution, the pollution of the air

increase and it affected humanity, but thanks to

people that concerned about pollution and their

environmental movements help the world and at the

same time Humanity, and this is very important.

The causes of pollution causes are easy to

identify: humanity produces pollutants in

everything they make, for example:

construction, combustion, mining, agriculture

and as a matter of fact warfare is increasingly

significant to the pollution. Actually, we have

more facts that influence the growth of pollution,

these are: vehicles, chemical plants, refineries,

petrochemical plants, nuclear waste disposal,

incinerators, metal productions

POLLUTION

46

Pollution causes three effects. In the firts place,

we have the human health effects; the second, we

have the enviromentel effects,and last we have is

the ozone layer effects. The human health is

affected in breathing and the circulatory system,

moreover, it generates throat inflammation, chest

pain and congestion. The effects in the

environment are: Biomagnifications, emissions of

carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases, invasive

species, nitrogen oxides, smog and haze, soil can

be infertile and unsuitable for plants and finally

sulphur dioxide that cause acid rain and among

other. The Ozone layer is affected by the gases

produced by humanity and animals, destroyed the

layer and allowing the entry of UV rays.

Inside of the many examples of pollution, we

found the pollution in the air, water, ligth, among

others, that affect the environment. But we do not

consider other types as: Visual pollution and

Acustic pollution. Visual pollution is the motorway

billboards, scarred landforms for example Time

Square in New York. On the other hand, we have

Acustic pollution, which encompasses roadways

noise, and industrial noise as high-intensity

sonars; for example Carrera 10 in Bogotá. To

conclude, pollution can be seen in different ways

and it does not affect just the humanity, but, also

the enviorement and we have to pay attention to

this problem and fix it.

Effects and example

47

Pollution is caused by man's carelessness with the environment mainly. The main pollution sources are solid,

liquid or gaseous waste from factories and human communities.

Pollution can also be the consequence of a natural

disaster or by accidents with coastal oil rigs,

refineries or nuclear power plants, which means

huge environmental damage proportions.

There is also the case of noise pollution whose main

source is the motor vehicle, producing about ninety

percent of all unwanted noise worldwide.

Air pollution is mainly caused by the energy and

heat generation, burning of solid waste,

industrial processes and the gases emitted by

transportation. Agriculture also pollutes the air

through contemporary practices such as clear

felling and burning of natural vegetation as well

as spraying of pesticides and herbicides.

The six major types of

monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides,

particulates, sulfur dioxide, and photochemical

oxidants.

Water pollution is given by the introduction of waste

chemical, physical, or biological material in

freshwater or saltwater and affect the organisms

living in it.

pollutants are carbon

The Land pollution is the degradation of the

Earth's land surface through misuse of the soil by

poor agricultural practices, mineral exploitation,

industrial waste dumping, and indiscriminate

disposal of urban wastes. It includes visible waste

and litter as well as pollution of the soil itself.

POLLUTIONPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder,

harm or discomfort to the ecosystem like physical systems or living organisms. There are three main

types if pollution: The air pollution, the water pollution and the land pollution.

48

· The wreck of the Amoco Cadiz oil tanker

off the coast of Brittany in 1978.

· The Bhopal disaster occurred on the night

of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide

India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal,

Madhya Pradesh, India.

· The most recent oil spill occurred on April

20, 2010 when there was an explosion and fire

at the oil rig Deepwater Horizon which sank on

April 22, 2010 causing an oil spill unchecked in

the Gulf of Mexico that is causing extensive

damage and slow repair complex.

The effects of pollution on the ecosystem are the

holes in the ozone layer, acid rain, global warming

and acidification of the oceans.

Another consequence is invasive species that

compete with native species and reducing

biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris

and biomolecules that can alter the soil and become

infertile and affect the chemical compositions of an

environment.

Air pollution causes respiratory and cardiovascular

diseases in humans, as well as sore throats, chest

pain and nasal congestion. Water pollution causes

approximately 14 000 deaths per day, mostly due to

contamination of drinking water by untreated

sewage in developing countries.

Effects and example

49

The causes and consequences of heat waves affecting the planet and how they affect the daily lives of people and, in

general, living things (plants and animals).

CAUSES

The winds tend to push the hot deserts and dry

warm air toward colder areas normally during a

heat wave. If a warm air mass traveling over a

large body of water is likely to collect the water

vapor with a temperature reduction, but the

humidity is much higher. Heat waves can also

come from air originating over tropical waters

penetrating deep into the middle latitudes most

the warming of the earth's surface, as often occurs

in the eastern United States and southeastern

Canada.

It is considered a heat wave as a significant

warming of the air or an invasion of very warm

air over a large area, which usually lasts several

days (if is more than three days). The

temperatures reached during a heat wave are

within the maximum extreme. However, it also

depends on what area of the planet you are

talking about, because it not is the same

comparing an area of Africa with an American.

HEAT WAVES

50

EFFECT

The consequences of the heat wave are

alterations in the health, mortality, power

outages, wildfires, psychological and

sociological problems and damage to

infrastructure and equipment. In addition, the

long-term effects are that they will be more

frequent with the increasing the temperature of

the planet reaching the melting of glaciers, of

glaciers and, consequently, flooding areas that

are closer to the sea, losing 50% of surface

land.

EXAMPLES

Ÿ Nearly 35,000 people died in the European

heat wave of 2003. Much of the heat was

concentrated in France, where nearly 15,000

people died. In Portugal, the temperatures

reached as high as 48 °C (118 °F) in the south.

Ÿ A record-breaking heat wave hit Southwestern

Asia in late July and early August 2011, with

temperatures in Iraq exceeding 120 °F (49

°C),[42] and an "asphalt-melting, earth-

parching, brain-scrambling heat of midsummer"

in Tbilisi, Georgia.[43] The Iraqis were further

challenged by pressure to fast during

Ramadan, despite heat of 124 °F (51 °C) in

Bagdad and 126 °F (52 °C) in Diwaniya on 4

August.

Effects and example

51

Change in the Earth's climate and its adverse effects is a common concern of humankind.

Each and every one of us must take a degree of

responsibility for the threat under which we now

live. We are the consumer and it is to satisfy our

insatiable appetites that many of these things

occur. Of course, some of us do try to live a

lifestyle that pays heed to the environment, but,

often thanks to the marketing men, too many take

the easy way and help exacerbate an already

critical situation.

Mass action and a new society based on co-operation rather than profit are ultimately the only real ways to stop the environmental crisis.

The environmental crisis was generated by capitalism and the State, and can only be dealt with by challenging the power of these forces. We believe that only mass organizing and mass grassroots action, as opposed to elections and lobbying, are effective methods of struggle.

The Earth is facing an environmental crisis on a unprecedented scale in human history. This environmental crisis is already responsible for high levels of human suffering. If the crisis continues to develop at its current rate, the ultimate result will be the extinction of human life on the planet.

Human activities have been substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, that these increases enhance the natural greenhouse effect, and that this will result on average in an additional warming of the Earth's surface and atmosphere and may adversely affect natural ecosystems and humankind.

The Earth systems are under threat. Global warming, freshwater depletion, biodiversity reduction, hole in the ozone layer, are all examples of such threats.

Even though much of what is happening in the world today does not show, we are totally dependent on the natural environment.

One has to ask oneself what can be done to stop this development? How serious is it really? And what is it actually possible to do to change the direction?

ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES

52

United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference)

This was an international conference convened under United Nations auspices held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5-16, 1972. It was the UN's first major conference on international environmental issues, and marked a turning point in the development of international environmental politics.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."

The treaty has protocols that would set mandatory emission limits. The principal update is the Kyoto Protocol.

WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

WWF came into existence on 29 April 1961, when a small group of passionate and committed individuals signed a declaration that came to be known as the Morges Manifesto.

This apparently simple act laid the foundations for one what has grown into the world's largest independent conservation organization.

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.

Effects and example

53

Sustainable development ensures the needs of the present without compromising the possibilities of the future; the

key is an environmental sustainability.

From this event is created a new term:

"sustainable development" a development that

protects human progress towards the future.

The Commission defined "sustainable

development" as one that ensures the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of

future generations to meet their own needs.

The politics, economics and globalization are the

main components of sustainable development but

the entire weight rests on the care and

management of natural resources for the future.

This is known as environmental sustainability.

Exist hunting, logging, population increase, the

wear of nonrenewable resources and many other

factors that kill the environment without giving it time

to recover. In these conditions it is very difficult to

talk about environmental sustainability without

referring to the commitment that governments must

assume with the creation of policies for control the

business and standards to restrict the exploitation of

natural resources.

But sustainable development has great

enemies: the governments, poverty and

especially the indiscriminate exploitation of

environmental resources. On the one hand, the

proposal of recovery and environmental

conservation and natural resources is strong in

countries with ecological culture and, on the

other hand, industrialized countries are

opposed. This clearly shows the strong

disagreement between material interests and

conservation awareness..

Humanity is responsible for the deterioration of

the environment, their actions reflect their lack

of conscience and the damage is something

that has gotten out of our hands.

In 1984 the United Nations with the World

Commission on Environment and Development

proposed establishing a global agenda for

change with the stong conviction that it is

possible to build a better future.

In 1987, it published a report called "Our

Common Future." An urgent call in the sense

that it is time to make decisions in order to

secure the resources to support this generation

and those following.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

54

Effects and example

The global population growth requires the

intervention of the leaders in the creation and

enforcement of policies. This is essential to

properly distribute available resources among

the growing child population while is created a

conservationist culture for the future with the

objective of better management of resources

and a real reduction of the poverty indices.

The children are a considerable unprotected

population and a topic to which governments

pay little attention, primarily at the time of

decision making. Being the inheritors of the

planet the policy makers must consider their

needs as priority in the laws, policies, programs,

and especially in the allocation of resources.

Agriculture is a very influential factor in the

intention of preserving the environment, this

practice is one of the largest agents and soil

depletion is closely linked to population growth, it

is increasingly necessary to take new land to meet

food demand, in addition to the human population

includes livestock of different types and these in

turn are another factor exhaustion this is added to

the management of agricultural crops that release

toxic wastes into the environment and pollute the

air and water sources.

It takes much time to reach a sustainable

environment but this will not happen if not

generated a real commitment on the part of

humanity, will be impossible without adopting a

real sense of responsibility, especially if account is

taken that recover the environment is almost

impossible and the only alternative is to care and

manage it wisely so we still have.

55

Design for Environment (DfE) or Ecodesign uses life cycle thinking to develop and assess different design options.

Ecodesign, and equivalent expressions such as green design, sustainable design and responsible design, refers to the methodology applied to design a product and its manufacturing process geared toward the prevention or reduction of the environmental impact of products and processes. Eco-design practices are distinguished by specific criteria incorporate and integrate the remaining environmental variables used in studies assessing the performance of the product and process throughout its life cycle (production,distribution, use, recycling and final disposal) .

External motivatorsMeet current and future legislationResponding to market and customer demandImprove company imageGet a competitive advantage that ahead of the competitioninternal motivatorsIncrease product qualityImprove production processGet a cost reductionIncrease the power of innovation of the company

Ecodesign methodologiesEcodesign projects require organizational vision where all project stakeholders to collaborate and perform their work simultaneously.

To develop truly sustainable products, you must be able to assess which design solution is environmentally preferable. Often the environmental load is related to simple indicators such as material mass, energy use, and transport volume. Once you have identified your 'hotspots' you can subsequently develop product specific guidelines and evaluate different alternatives.

Objectives of the EcodesignThe goal of ecodesign is twofold. It's about reducing the environmental impact of product during its life cycle, ensuring turn a profit for stakeholders and end users.Why implement the Ecodesign?The factors for the implementation of ecodesign in the definition phase of product design and can be of different kinds:

Ecodesign, and equivalent expressions such as green design, sustainable design and responsible design, refers to the methodology applied to design a product and its manufacturing process geared toward the prevention or reduction of the environmental impact of products and processes. Eco-design practices are distinguished by specific criteria incorporate and integrate the remaining environmental variables used in studies assessing the performance of the product and process throughout its life cycle (production,distribution, use, recycling and final disposal) .

ECO DESING

56

Effects and example

THROUGH ecodesign of time to become aware

of a transformer of the environmental damage

they cause all the production processes of

different industries, is also a provider of

operational tools to achieve real change, a factor

conducive to the design of change awareness

because you are looking for mainly two things

one to extend the product life cycle so that there

are fewer resudios or the second is to address

the root of environmental problems generated in

the process of waste produccidos objects, this is

achieved by strategies of reuse and recycling of

materials and objects.

in the world there are many eco-design strategies

which have been organized in relation to product

life cycle:

Ÿ Developing new concepts

Ÿ Reduction of material consumption and

diversity

Ÿ Selection of materials with less environmental

impact

Ÿ Reducing the environmental impact of

production processes

Ÿ Optimization of the distribution

Ÿ Reducing the environmental impact associated

with the use

Ÿ Increased life

Ÿ Optimization of waste management

57

Esperanza Martínez RojasUniversidad Nacional de Colombia

Foreign Languages DepartmentSecond Language Program

2011