Environmental Use and Environmental Disruption as an Allocation Problem

The following points shall explain environmental use and disruption as allocation problems:

(i) Farm Sector:

Agriculture Development depends upon the environment because of its dependence upon rain, climate, seasons etc. We can identify agriculture and an environment-oriented occupation. Agricultural production and productivity lie in the environment. The development of non-farm sectors is also determined by the farm sector. But r the utilization of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides damage the environment and ultimately the farm sector as a whole.

(ii) Forests:

The life and death of a human are connected with trees. Forests bring sufficient rain and balanced weather. Forest protect the man and man destroyed the forest. We are totally failed to maintain the minimum standard area under forest. Every year thousands of forest areas disappeared due to industrialisation and urbanization. Man is destroying the environment and creating pollution. Present environment problems are due to dangerous human mistakes and misbehaviour with nature. Problems of the environment are problems of destruction and disturbances of natural resources.

Forest is a gifted natural resource. It provides food to eat, building materials to live, raw materials for economic activities. It prevents floods and droughts. It gives oxygen to human life. Forests increase natural beauty and create heaven on the earth.

(iii) Economic and Social Development:

Economic development might be easily obtained through the proper working of environment mechanism because through environment development of agriculture, forests, dairy, mines and minerals and fisheries can easily be obtained. The environment also contributes to social development through increasing health, wealth and welfare of society.

(iv) Health and Happiness:

Human health and happiness depend upon the environment. Environment imbalances and destruction damage the quality of human life. Droughts, famines, earthquakes, floods etc. destroyed the whole economy. Pollution created the problem of the existence of human beings. This shows that human happiness and health is directly connected with the environmental system.

(v) Long-run development:

Overuse of natural resources by the present generation damages the interests and well-being of future generations. We are unable to achieve long-run development through the over-utilization of natural resources by the present generation.

(vi) Climate Change:

The climate depends upon various factors such as temperature, wind, rain, location of the area on earth and rotational and revolutionary movements of the earth. Air pollution caused by industries, automobiles etc. has resulted in the large scale production of certain gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. These gases form a shield in the upper atmosphere. Earth receives heat from the sun, absorbs part of it and reflects a part back to space. But now due to this shield, there is an increase in the average global temperature.

(vii) Acid Rain:

The exhaust of industries and automobiles are the major contributors to the generation of an air pollutant called sulphur dioxide. This gaseous compound reacts with water vapour to form dilute sulphuric acid. This acid when falls to earth in droplets is known as acid rain. It causes great harm to water animals like fish and vegetation. Some of the industrialists raised the height of their chimneys to reduce air pollution in the immediate vicinity. This does reduce direct air pollution but increases the incidence of acid rain.

(viii) Depletion of Ozone layer:

The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is responsible for reflecting back most of the ultraviolet rays arriving from the sun. Without this layer, life on earth would be exposed to high levels of UV rays that cause a number of diseases. The thinning of the ozone layer was observed first time in 1974 over Antarctica by scientists. Over time due to rapid industrialization, this effect has become pronounced. 

(ix) Declining Biodiversity:

Biodiversity refers to a variety of plant and animal life on the planet. Species of animals, plants and their creatures are dependent on each other and make a balance in nature. Biodiversity loss occurs when entire species are wiped out of existence thereby breaking some delicate link in a chain that may be vital for others. It occurs because of two reasons. First, by the distraction of the natural habitat, a particular species may be destroyed or migrate to a new habitat. Secondly, human beings resort to the slaughter of naturally occurring species for food and pleasure.