Environmental Impact of Personal Lifestyle: Throwing Litter Essay

Introduction

The lack of litter bins in some areas of the country prompts people to throw litters such as plastic bottles, paper bags, and other materials to the environment. The throwing of litter is a personal lifestyle behavior especially in countries where there are no rules regarding the proper disposal of waste.

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Long-Term Environmental Consequences

The long-term environmental consequence of throwing litter to the environment is that it might result in a loss of ecosystems. Becirovic, Ibro, and Kalac (2015, p.3) articulate that a deteriorating environmental situation causes a destruction of the ozone layer, change in climate, and desertification. When the land is filled with waste products, ecosystems such as the tropical rainforest, deserts, water bodies, and the grasslands will be affected. Pollution manifests the anatomical and morphological structure, metabolism, growth process, at the cellular organization level, from the molecular to the cellular level, via individual and population to biocenosis and ecosystems (Becirovic, Ibro, and Kalac, 2015, p.3).

Mitigation Measures

Becirovic, Ibro, and Kalac (2015, p.4) affirm that some of the mitigation measures for preventing land pollution and the long-term consequences of the behavior include the prevention, reuse, recycling, and separation of waste. Besides, another mitigation measure is to allocate waste bins in all areas of countries and separate them in the form of reusable and non-reusable to prevent people from throwing waste products on the soil. Besides, creating awareness of the appropriate waste disposal and management methods is an effective mitigation measure. The authors articulate that the concept of waste management involves the activities associated with collecting, transporting, sorting, recycling, disposal, tracking, and monitoring. Furthermore, the authors indicate that another effective mitigation measure to protect the environment from toxins is to avoid biodegradable products and packaging. Notably, as a consumer, the purchase of biodegradable products and packaging can damage the environment if the products are exposed to it.

Water pollution, Littering and spilling oil in the water

Long-Term Environmental Consequences

The long-term environmental consequence of littering in the water is that the water will not be safe for use. When excessive amounts of these hazards are present in the water, the water will not be suitable for drinking, bathing cooking, and other uses. The water that comes in taps originates from rivers, oceans, and lakes. When the lakes are full of litter, even aquatic life will not survive. Owa (2014, p.2) affirms that water pollution is always worse in urban areas due to overpopulation. As he explains, some of the sources of water pollution caused by human activities include sewage leakages, littering, chemicals that are directed to the rivers.

Mitigation Measures

There are various mitigation measures for water pollution. According to Owa (2014, p.4), the control and management could be through prevention, practice efforts, and joint program efforts. The author indicates that regulation and monitoring or engaging in control measures by minimizing the waste that goes into the rivers is the effective mitigation measure. He provides the following mitigation measures,

• Washing cars away from stormwater drains
• Not throwing solvents in sewers
• Inspecting septic tanks in a period of 3-5 years
• Using non-toxic cleaning materials
• Sweeping litter to avoid them from spreading to water bodies
• Sweeping the driveway instead of hosing

Besides, Owa (2014, p.4) indicates that water pollution can be prevented by adopting practices such as recycling, reusing, and waste minimization. Also, the author explains that other mitigation measures include using pollution control devices such as dust collection system like baghouses, cyclones, electrostatic precipitators. Another includes scrubbers such as baffle spray scrubber, ejector venture scrubber, mechanically aided scrubbers, spray tower, wet scrubber (Owa, 2014, p.4). Another alternative is sewage treatment such as sedimentation (primary treatment), activated sludge biofilters (secondary treatment, also used for industrial wastewater), aerated lagoons, constructed wetlands (Owa, 2014, p.4). Another is industrial wastewater treatment like ultrafiltration, API oil-water separators, biofilters, dissolved air flotation (DAF), powdered activated carbon treatment as well as system and phytoremediation.

Tobacco Smoking

Long-Term Environmental Consequences

Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of chemicals and gases that are suspended in the air through the inhalation and exhalation of smoking cigarettes. According to Novotney et al. (2015, p.1), tobacco smoking results in the emission of 2600000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and about 5200000 tonnes of methane that are directly suspended in the atmosphere. Many people worldwide smoke tobacco in their cigarette sticks. The long-term environmental consequence of tobacco smoke in the environment is the congestion of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere thus polluting it. The habit of smoking cigarettes by many individuals results in the production of smoke in the environment that can affect the health of many individuals. People might choose to smoke cigarettes either inside or outside their home. Either way, the consequences to the environment, particularly the atmospheric air are severe. A report by the Tobacco control indicated that the smoke produced by cigarettes is ten times more than that of diesel car exhaust. Both smokers and non-smokers are susceptible to air pollution if the gases emitted by cigarettes are exposed to the atmospheric air.

Mitigation Measures

One of the mitigation measures is to use nicotine replacement therapy to aid in resisting the urge of smoking. As known, cigarette smoking is addictive because of the nicotine substance contained in it. Another mitigation measure is for tobacco manufacturing companies to come with steps that ensure the production of a comprehensive environmental-friendly tobacco. However, Novotney et al. (2015, p.1) articulate that there has been a conflict of interest between companies that manufacture tobacco and its users. The authors indicate that the FCTC article 5.3 has a guideline that states, "There is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry's interests and public health policy interests." The authors propose seven mitigation measures for parties to the FCTC to consider regarding air pollution caused by tobacco. They include the following,

• Identify, prevent, treat, and monitor health effects associated with the growing of tobacco.
• Come up with interventions that could free tobacco farmers and especially their children from inequitable and hazardous agricultural and labor-related practices.
• Strengthen regulation of tobacco agriculture to prevent the long-term consequences such as deforestation and land degradation.
• Put into practice the extended producer responsibility regulations on the tobacco industry to reduce, mitigate, and curb the manufacturing and post-consumption tobacco product waste.
• Extend tobacco product sales regulation to eliminate single-use filters by including any biodegradable varieties to minimize the post-consumption waste.
• Participate in the legal action and economic interventions in an effort to recover the costs associated with industry transgression and environmental damage.
• Create, advance and enforce new and existing environmental regulations as well as agreements that are applicable to the manufacture, transportation, and management of post-consumption waste.

Summary

Environmental impact has been a key issue in the recent times. A myriad of lifestyle behaviors affects the environment adversely. People should adopt environmental sustainability remedies to preserve the environment. Environmental sustainability involves making decisions that are directed toward the preservation of the environment. The paper discusses the lifestyle behaviors that result in the land, water, and air pollution. Based on the adverse effects that the lifestyle behaviors cause to the environment, I will adopt the sustainability remedies that are mentioned in each section of the mitigation measure. The reason I am willing to adopt the sustainability remedies is my concern for the environment. As discussed, land pollution, for example, can damage the ecosystems. As known, the ecosystems are essential for life. Besides, pertaining to water pollution, the habit of throwing waste or washing my car near the ocean, which causes oil spillage will stop. More so, concerning air pollution, I intend to quit cigarettes by looking for a nicotine replacement therapy to help me in stopping. Most importantly, I would engage my friends in the conversation about the significance of adopting sustainability measures to preserve the environment. Waste management is an integral part of our lives. People need clean air, safe water to drink and use, natural resources, and non-toxic environment. Sustainability is important because it preserves the quality of life.

References

Becirovic, S., Ibro, S., and kalac, B. (2015). Environmental pollution and waste management.Balkan Journal of Health Science, vol.3, No.1.

Novotny, T. E., Bialous, S. A., Burt, L., Curtis, C., Luiza da Costa, V., Iqtidar, S. U., ... Tursand'Espaignet, E. (2015). The environmental and health impacts of tobacco agriculture, cigarette manufacture and consumption. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 93(12), 877-880. http://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.15.152744.

Owa, F.W. (2014). Water pollution: sources, effects, control and management. International

Letters of Natural Sciences, vol.3 pp 1-6.