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According to the recent CountryWatch report, most countries around the word face many common environmental challenges. These issues not just adversely affect the quality of human life, but also threatens the sustainability of human life. Technology advancements, international cooperation, and public participation have made notable environmental progress. However, the work is still in progress and further continued efforts are needed to combat some of the major imminent environmental issues.

Higher poverty and increased population growth in the developing countries have resulted in the significant natural resources depletion. In contrast, developed countries have made some progress in reducing environmental pollution and the rate of resources depletion. However, the environmental progress in the developed countries is offset by the higher level of consumption per capita.

Here are the highlights of the current environmental situations facing each region in the word:

Africa

Although the quality of Africa’s natural resources is extraordinarily rich, the uneven geographical distribution makes the continent at great risk of desertification. The inefficient farming methods, overgrazing, and a climatic pattern of recurrent droughts have resulted in up to half a billion hectares of African land moderately to severely degraded. Soil degradation is also severe in most of the areas in the continent. Africa contains about 17 percent of the world’s forest cover, but majority of the forests are severely depleted with approximately 70 percent showing some sort of degradation.

The sustainable agriculture has made some success lately, but further progress is needed. Population growth has resulted in the loss of arable land. As a result, concerns over deforestation is increasing in some areas. The biological diversity is also compromised throughout the Africa, threatening mammal species in the region. The mammals are at high risk especially in the Mauritania and Madagascar where over 20 percent of the mammal species are currently under threat. The growing marine catch trends has increased the concerns about the reduction in fisheries and marine life if proper actions are not taken in near future. The central Africa has plenty of water resources. However, northeastern Africa faces a serious concern of water resources vulnerability.

Asia and the Pacific

Nine of the 14 word’s largest urban areas are in the Asia-Pacific region. The report classification included Australia in the Asia-Pacific region. The report highlights number of key points for the region. Asian timber reserves are expected to be depleted in the next 40 years. The loss of natural forest is seen as irreversible in some areas. However, tree plantation programs may improve a portion of resulting land degradation.

Higher amount of fossil fuel usage in China and other parts of southern Asia is projected to result in increased carbon dioxide emission. The air pollution in the region has caused upsurge due to the increased use of energy. The acidification issue is a major concern in the region. Sulfur dioxide emissions are expected to triple by 2010 if the current growth is continued. China, Thailand, India, and Korea are at high risk of acid deposition. Water shortage is a major concern surrounding the Indian subcontinent.

In the Pacific, water pollution is a serious issue. About 70 percent of the water discharged receives no treatment. The areas around Australia suffer the largest degree of ozone depletion. The global warming and rise in the sea levels have resulted in the land loss in the micro-states of the Pacific region.

Central Asia

One of the major environmental issue in the region is the storage of several billion tons of hazardous material in landfills across Central Asia. The region also faces many environmental challenges such as drought, water shortages, and soil salinization. Use of pesticides, such as DDT and other chemicals have contributed to contamination of soil and ground water throughout the region. Inappropriate irrigation practices has caused increased salinization. Air pollution is widely spread, primarily because of the use of low octane automobile fuel. Desertification is also a major environmental issue in the region.

Europe

The higher industrialization has created many environmental challenges in the region. Acid rain, Greenhouse gas emission, deforestation, overexploitation, air and water pollution, and wildlife extinction are some of the environmental issues in Europe. The region is a major contributor of chlorofluorocarbon emissions (36%), carbon dioxide emissions (30%), and carbon dioxide emissions (25%) in the world. Higher amount of Sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions have caused 30 to 50 percent of deforestation in Central and Eastern Europe.

Acid rain has been a major environmental concern for decades. Acid rain continues to be a challenge in parts of Western Europe. Overexploration (up to 60%) of groundwater is a concern for industrial and urban areas in Europe. Wildlife extinction, especially decline in fish stock is a major environmental issue. According to some estimates, up to 50 percent of Europe’s fish species may be considered endangered.

On the positive side, Europian countries have adopted and implemented many measures such as cleaner production technologies and alternative waste disposal including recycling to combat environmental challenges. The countries in the Eastern Europe have made air quality a major environmental priority.

The Middle and Near East

The major concern in the region is water scarcity. The increased usage and demand is putting additional pressure on scarce water resources throughout the region. For example, the Dead Sea has shrunk one-third from its original surface area because of the river diversions and industrial salt works. Water pollution as a result of oil spills is also an issue. The average oil spills in the region is 1.2 million barrels per year. Oil spill cleanup helps, but leaves environmental damage to the food webs and marine life ecosystems for a prolonged period.

Latin America and the Caribbean

The increased population and urban areas have caused many environmental challenges in the region. The projected extinction of up to 100,000 species in next few decades highlights the concern for biodiversity in the region, with majority of loss is expected to occur in the Amazon area. Soil erosion, salinization, alkalinization and overgrazing have caused up to 50 percent of region’s soil lose its soil fertility. Agriculture wastes have contaminated the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. The water pollution affects fish stocks, contributes to oxygen depletion and fosters overgrowth of aquatic vegetation. Industrial growth has caused many beaches of eastern Latin America and the Caribbean suffer from tar deposits.

Deforestation is a major concern especially in the Amazon Basin, which may significantly contribute to the risk of global warming or greenhouse gases. Soil erosion and landslides on the steep rainforest slopes of Caribbean islands result in heavy sedimentation of nearby river systems. The sedimentary rivers adversely affecting coral tissues in the sea and coral reefs, resulting in marine degradation and nutrient depletion. Intense ozone depletion in the southern hemisphere causing Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay suffer from increased ultraviolet-B radiation.

North America

Highly developed nations such as the United States and Canada in the North America due to the high industrialization pose many environmental challenges. Efforts to promote energy efficiency, recycling, and others have helped reduce the strain on environmental in the region. However, higher consumption level, increasing land development, and preferences for larger vehicles have offset these advancements.

The United States in particularly due to the significantly higher motor vehicle usuage compared to the rest of the world is responsible for contributing urban air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that is disproportionately high in relation to its population. The northeastern part of the United States, bordering with Canada continues to suffer from Acid rain issue. The lack of proper emission controls, Mexico’s urban area suffer from extreme air pollution from carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and other toxic air pollutants. Many Mexico’s cities discharge large amounts of untreated or poorly treated sewage.

The deforestation is a concern in various parts of the U.S., especially in the northwestern coastline. The north coast of California has experienced high level of soil erosion due to the extreme weather conditions in recent years. Nitrate contamination of well water, nutrient runoff to waterways, and pesticide exposure contribute to significant agriculture pollution in various areas. The issue is especially serious in California’s Central Valley, extensive stretches of the Midwest, and land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The depletion of various already endangered or threatened species, most notably the declining fish stock is a major environmental issue in the United States and Canada. Policies to decrease trends in catching marine fish have resulted in measurable encouraging results.

On the positive side, efforts at reducing water pollution by governmental, commercial and community representatives have improved water quality in waterways, especially around the Great Lakes. Strict policies to curb industrial effluents and near-universal implementation of sewage treatment are considered the chief factors responsible for this improvement.

Polar

The melting of the Arctic ice sheets because of the global warming has resulted in significant rise in sea level, with 10 to 25 centimeters in the last 100 years. The region also suffers from a major ozone hole. Environmental measures have been put into effect to reverse ozone depletion, with expectations to achieve significant result by 2050. The Arctic attracts toxic release discharges from thousands of miles away, resulting in higher bodily levels of contaminants such as PCB and dioxin in Arctic wildlife and Canada’s Inuit population.

Source: CountryWatch.com