Mtumiaji:Ibrahim Ng'wanish Stanslaus

BASIC ENVIRONMENTAL CONCEPTS

What is environmental management?

Environmental management is the process keeping control of our activities so that we do what we can to conserve these physical resources and to avoid polluting them. We can apply these controls in our life domestically, or is the process of preserving and monitoring environment in order to maintain the nature. Such has been the impact of industrial activity that resources are becoming depleted and environmental damage is increasing. In addition to that the Environment is all things that surround human being. For example trees, water bodies, hills, and e.t.c

Environmental management is concerned with the understanding of the structure and function of the earth system, as well as of the ways in which humans relate to their environment. Environmental management is therefore concerned with the description and monitoring of environmental changes, with predicting future changes and with attempts to maximize human benefit and to minimize environmental degradation due to human activities.

Pollution is the effect of undesirable changes in our surroundings that have harmful effects on plants, animals and human beings. Or is the situation in which harmful things are imported to the environment to change the environment from being useful to be non-useful. The pollutants we produce not only affect our own lives but also those of other living things, the plants and animals that we share our environment with. All living things depend upon the non-living parts of the environment to survive - the land, the air and the water, and it is these 3 parts which are affected by pollution.

Resources refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants OR Are things that can be used to produce or can be produced. There are two types of resources that are Natural resources and artificial resources.

Natural resources are resources that are non human made which occurs naturally. For example, Fuels, minerals, trees, gas, and e.t.c.

on natural resources there are three levels on the types of natural resources that are; i. Level of renewability, on this level there are two types that are non-renewability and renewability

ii. Biotic resources, on this level there are two types that are Abiotic and biotic resources. Biotic: these resources come from living and organic material such as forests and animals and include the materials that can be obtained them. Abiotic: these resources come from non-living and non-organic material.

iii. Stages of development, on this level there are four types that are potential resources, actual resources, reserve resources, stock resources.

Artificial resources are resources that are manmade in which can occur through natural resources production. For example buildings, cars, clothes, phones, A) Conservation this can be defined as the process of keeping something away from danger keeping from being harmed. Basing on environment, the environmental conservation can be defined as the process of keeping and preserving or preventing environment from being harmed. For example cleaning environment, stopping cutting trees, planting trees, preserving land degradation and other that can keep the environment from danger.

B) Degradation is the act of lowering something or someone to a less respected stat. basing on environmental issues, Environmental degradation means reduction in the quality of the environment due to manmade and natural factors. For example, The resources get depleted and the quality of air, water and soil diminishes.

Classification of environment The environment can be classified basing on both natural and artificial environment, so due to that there are four (04) classification of environment those are as follows

i. Physical environment, the physical environment includes land, air, water, plants, animal’s buildings and other infrastructure and all of the natural resources that provide our basic needs and opportunities for social and economic development. What are the two types of physical environments?, There are two different types of environment:

• Geographical Environment. • Man-made Environment.

ii. Biological environment is the natural biological factors such as wild animals and plants or bacteria that surrounds and affect human life as in a particular place or period.

iii. Cultural environment, a cultural environment is a set of beliefs, practices, customs and behaviors that are found to be common to everyone that is living within a certain population. Cultural environments shape the way that every person develops, influencing ideologies and personalities.

iv. Ecosystem is a framework or geographic area of biotic and abiotic components and their interactions with each other. Do you know what are the benefits we get from the ecosystem and what are they called? We obtain various goods and services that are vital for the survival of all living organisms from the ecosystem. Some of the examples of these beneficial products and services include food, water, timber, air purification, soil formation, and pollination. All these numerous benefits that we obtain from our ecosystem are known as Ecosystem Services

IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 1. Effective use of resources Organizations have developed and executed several policies to manage resources, minimize waste and reduce costs.

2. Improve sustainability Effective environmental management policies encourage business entities to improve sustainability so that they can gain a competitive edge and give the business a good chance for long-term success

3. Helps in staying out of trouble An organization that implements environmental management policies stays ahead of regulations imposed by environmental affairs division. He does not have to pay any penalty for violating the balance of nature or adopting unethical practices.

4. Pollution control Environmental management practice has encouraged numerous business entities to take steps for pollution control

5. Improved public image An organization with environmental management procedures in place works towards preventing pollution, minimizing environmental risks and preserving natural resources. This will enhance the trust of its customers, attract new clients, boost employee morale and help the firm in entering new markets.

6. Economic progress The environmental management theory encourages business entities to participate in social welfare programs to enable economic progress of a nation

7. Finance Because of their environmental management policies and procedures companies are able to impress investors. It has now become easier to get the necessary finance.

8. Improved management efficiency An integrated environmental management policy will improve the overall management system of a firm. Documenting routine operations and compliance plans will help in capturing the attention of other employees and streamlining operations. This will help to decrease waste and environmental risk.

9. Marketing Business entities are projecting themselves as companies that are eco-friendly. They are highlighting their commitment to improved environmental policies via impactful advertising and this has helped them in creating a strong customer base.

10. Sales opportunities People are becoming eco-friendly and want to be associated with like-minded companies. The organization which promotes its products and services as eco-friendly has increased sales opportunities. 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN IN TANZANIA Tanzania is faced with a number of environmental problems. Resources are being depleted, with major developmental and environmental implications. The major environmental problems facing Tanzania are land degradation, lack of accessible, good quality water for urban and rural inhabitants, environmental pollution, loss of wildlife habitats and biological diversity, deterioration of aquatic systems and deforestation.

A) Environmental Change, is a turn or disturbance of the environment most often caused by human influences and natural ecological processes. Environmental changes include various factors, such as natural disasters, human interferences, or animal interaction. Environmental change encompasses not only physical changes, but also factors like an infestation of invasive species.

Environment problem is the harmful effects of human activities on the environment. These include pollution, overpopulation, waste disposal, climate change, global warming, the greenhouse effect, etc.

B) Causes of environmental change

Humans cause environmental change by releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. Today, there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there ever has been in at least the past 2 million years. During the 20th and 21st century, the level of carbon dioxide rose by 40%. We produce greenhouse gases in lots of different ways:

• Burning fossil fuels – Fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal contain carbon dioxide that has been 'locked away' in the ground for thousands of years. When we take these out of the land and burn them, we release the stored carbon dioxide into the air.

• Deforestation – Forests remove and store carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere. Cutting them down means that carbon dioxide builds up quicker since there are no trees to absorb it. Not only that, trees release the carbon they stored when we burn them.

• Agriculture – Planting crops and rearing animals releases many different types of greenhouse gases into the air. For example, animals produce methane, which is 30 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. The nitrous oxide used for fertilizers is ten times worse and is nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

• Industrial Activities - is harmful in a variety of ways. The waste this industry produces all ends up in landfills, or in our surrounding environment. The chemicals and materials used within industrialization can not only pollute the atmosphere but also the soil underneath it.

• Production Of Waste - Humans create more waste now than ever before, because of the amount of packaging used and the short life cycle of products. A lot of items, waste and packaging aren’t recyclable, which means it ends up in landfills. When the waste in landfills begins to decompose/break down it releases harmful gases into the atmosphere which contribute to global warming.

C) Signs Of Environmental Change

Environmental change can be seen by long term ecological effects, some of which can demolish whole environments. An environment is a unique unit and incorporates all the living and non-living components that live inside it. The followings are signs of environmental change.

• Rising of temperature - It’s clear that weather stations on land show average air temperatures are raising, and as a result, the frequency and severity of droughts and heat waves are increasing. Intense droughts can lead to destructive wildfires, failed crops, and low water supplies, many of which are deeply affecting southern areas of the United States and other parts of the world.

• Global sea level is rising - Records show that the sea level has been rising steadily across the globe at a rate of 0.04 to 0.1 inches per year since 1900. The current rate according to NASA is 0.13 in/year, suggesting rise is accelerating. The main reasons for the rise are thermal expansion due to higher sea water temperatures (warmer water expands) and the added water from melting of land ice, such as glaciers. This is directly shows how the environment is changing and indicating the environmental change as well.

• Diseases - Human health might be at the receiving end as a sign of environmental change. Areas exposed to toxic air pollutants can cause respiratory problems like pneumonia and asthma. Millions of people are known to have died due to the indirect effects of air pollution as indictor of environmental change, and sometimes people can suffer from frequently fever.

• Ozone Layer Depletion - The ozone layer is responsible for protecting the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. The presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro-chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere, is causing the ozone layer to deplete. As it will deplete, it will emit harmful radiation back to the earth, after this to occur will give out the sign for environmental change.

• Drought – in the issue of environmental change there is the issue of temperature to rise and cause most of area to be dry, this will directly indicates the change of environment

• Death – the issue of environment to change can be indicated through the death of living organism this due to different factors like disease, drought failure in agriculture that is due to environmental change and shows the environmental change in general.

D) Environmental Problems Of Concern In Tanzania Tanzania has indeed taken important steps to ensure that environmental sustainability is prominent in the country’s development agenda but still problems are still there; among the environmental problems in Tanzania are soil degradation, pollution and loss biodiversity.

i. Soil degradation - Is the physical, chemical and biological decline in soil quality. It can be the loss of organic matter, decline in soil fertility, and structural condition, erosion, adverse changes in salinity, acidity or alkalinity, and the effects of toxic chemicals, pollutants or excessive flooding. Declining soil fertility due to inadequate farming practices, deforestation and overgrazing are among the primary impediments to increased agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. These causal factors, driven by social, economic and political forces, manifest themselves in market, policy and institutional failures, inappropriate technologies and practices. This is also the case in Tanzania where over 90 percent of the population is rural and depends on land resources for its livelihood.

ii. Pollution - is unwarranted disposal of mass or energy into earth's natural resource pool such as water, land, or air that results in long- or short-term detriment to the atmosphere and its ecological health to negatively impact the living beings and their life both quantitatively and qualitatively. In Tanzania's major towns and cities, solid and liquid wastes are left untreated. As a result, air and water are contaminated with pollutants, a major health hazard for those who live in under-privileged areas. Take Dar es Salaam for example, where few people are connected to a sewage system.

iii. Loss biodiversity - refers to the decline or disappearance of biological diversity, understood as the variety of living things that inhabit the planet, its different levels of biological organization and their respective genetic variability, as well as the natural patterns present in ecosystems. In Tanzania, population growth, environmental mismanagement, commercial agricultural expansion, and climate change also combine to threaten biodiversity and rural livelihoods alike unfortunately, over the last few decades, Tanzania has lost at least one third of its important ecosystems, and experienced downward trends in both the number of species and their individual population sizes. In the last decade alone, the number of threatened species in Tanzania has tripled.  

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONCERN WITH RESPECT TO COMMUNITY HEALTHY.

Environment is the surroundings in which we live. But the contamination of our environment by pollutants is environmental pollution. The current stage of the earth that we are seeing is the cause of centuries of exploitation of earth and its resources. Moreover, the earth cannot restore its balance because of environmental pollution. The human force has created and destroyed life on earth. Human plays a vital role in the degradation of the environment. Pollutants are things that harm the environment or pollute environment.

Types of environmental pollution

Types of Pollution In simple terms, pollution is defined as the contamination of the physical and biological constituents in the earth’s atmosphere. It affects human life and the natural environment to a very great extent. It degrades our natural resources, from the water we drink to the air we breathe. While writing an essay on Pollution, you must mention the major four types of pollution which are as follows:

• Air Pollution: Air pollution is the contamination of air in the atmosphere when harmful or excessive quantities of substances such as smoke and harmful gases from industries, CFCs and oxides produced by automobiles, the burning of solid wastes, etc. are introduced into the environment.

• Water Pollution: This refers to the contamination of natural resources of water, due to the addition of harmful chemical, biological or physical materials, which includes industrial wastes, oil spills, domestic and farm wastes, pesticides, as well as mining and agricultural wastes, to water resource which make it unusable.

• Soil Pollution: Land/Soil Pollution occurs due to the degradation of the earth’s surface by different commercial, industrial, agricultural and domestic activities. Causes of soil pollution also include mining, deforestation, dumping of e-waste and other industrial wastes, usage of harmful chemicals such as insecticides, pesticides, etc.

• Noise Pollution: Excess noise due to sounds created by machines, loudspeakers, microphones, loud music, noise from industries, construction and civil engineering works etc. lead to noise pollution.

Types of Pollution Causes Health Effects Air Pollution Burning of fossil fuels, emissions from the industry, construction and agricultural activities, emissions from vehicles. Lung cancer, heart diseases, asthma and respiratory problems Water Pollution Oil spills, rapid urbanization, improper sewage system, chemical and radioactive waste dumping Cholera, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Polio, Dysentery and Diarrhea Noise Pollution Man-made noises like construction, loudspeakers, etc and natural noises like thunderstorms and animals. Headaches, high blood pressure, loss of hearing, problems with reasoning and behavioral changes Soil Pollution Waste disposal, industrial and agricultural activities, excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. Loss of fertility, cancer, damage to the nervous system and kidney and liver failure

  Causes of environmental pollution

Pollution refers to the addition of an unwanted foreign substance in an environment, which is by and large damaging to the latter. For example, smoke in the air, or any harmful gaseous leak from a factory, or release of chemical byproducts from a factory into the river is all examples of pollution. Causes of Air Pollution Air pollution is one of the most common types of pollution which is talked about too often. It refers to the contamination of the air by several activities mainly related to humans. The following are the main causes of air pollution.

• Burning of Fossil Fuel Fossil fuel burning is the main cause of air pollution because it releases harmful Sulfur dioxide (SO2) which is poisonous to inhale as well as a potent greenhouse gas. Burning of coal and petroleum in factories, transport vehicles, all are a constant source of harmful gases, primarily responsible for pollution. Transport vehicles emit Carbon monoxide (CO) and Nitrogen Oxides from the exhaust as byproducts of combustion. These two gases are not only poisonous but also potent greenhouse gases as well.

• Industrial Exhaust Exhausts from factories and industries are another significant source of air pollution. These industries release gases like carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons along with other chemicals into the air directly through chimneys. These gases are dispersed into the air and get mixed with it, thereby degrading the quality of air.

Causes of Water Pollution Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies through various sources. More often these sources are human-induced and are caused due to several human activities. The main causes of water pollution are listed below-

• Industrial Waste Gaseous byproducts of industries are left in the air and cause air pollution. But a good number of industries use water bodies to dispose of their solid waste. The solid waste, often consisting of harmful chemicals and solid pollutants are mixed with water and disposed of into the water bodies. This method pollutes the water bodies and makes the water unusable.

• Urban Sewage Sewage consists of the wastewater produced by the urban settlement. Such waste produced by the houses, hotels, offices, and other sources is channelized through a network of underground drainage systems and is often released into rivers and streams. Urban sewage consists of various harmful chemicals and gases, which upon release, get mixed in the water bodies. This builds a critical situation for the humans as well as other living beings; those rely on the water body. Causes of Soil Pollution Soil pollution is of greater concern for the human civilization as it is the soil from which food is produced. Also, many countries around the world have agriculture as a prime occupation.

• Chemical Fertilizers These days the agricultural industry uses a large number of chemical pesticides and fertilizers to enhance the production of crops. These chemical fertilizers and pesticides may enhance productivity, but in the long run, are damaging to the soil. Also, these chemicals seep down to the water bodies with rainwater and other sources.

• Un Proper Waste Disposal Improper waste disposal by humans is the main cause of soil pollution. It includes activities like littering etc. Also, the household waste that is not properly disposed of, find its way to the soil, through wind and water. Usually, this waste consists of plastic and other harmful substances that do not degrade and pollute the soil.

Effects of environmental pollution • Polluted water affects the sea organisms and aquatic life - The contaminated water when consumed by humans causes various diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and jaundice. Toxicity of oil in the water bodies, besides deaths caused, there are several other animals affected by oil spills. The oil pollutes marine and plant life which impacts animal life.

• Death - The poor quality of environment can kill many organisms including human beings, it causes immediate death of animals due to different diseases that are caused by pollution of environment

• Diseases - Pollution can cause several diseases like throat inflammation, asthma, congestion, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases. It damages the immune system, reproductive system and the endocrine system of humans. Older people are more vulnerable to diseases caused by air pollution. Those with lung and heart disorder are at further risk.

• Global warming - Because of the high level of air pollution, Global warming is increasing which will further depleting the ozone layer. Besides, breathing problems are increasing in humans.

• Acidic rain - is caused by a chemical reaction that begins when compounds like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the air. These substances can rise very high into the atmosphere, where they mix and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form more acidic pollutants, known as acid rain Control of environmental pollution

People should join hands to reduce pollution, So that our coming generations can experience the healthy environment, to preserve the healthy living environment, people should take some precautions and measures. Check the below steps that can help in reducing the pollutants-

• Reduce the use of non-biodegradable things – Environment has a property of reviving itself by degrading the naturally produced substances. However, the non- biodegradable things like plastic bags and bottles pollute the environment.

• Plant more trees – To decrease the air pollution and save the species, it is very important to plant more number of trees. Trees help in purifying the air by adding more oxygen in the environment.

• Less Use of Chemicals – With advancement in technology, many chemical-made substances are used to improve the yield of food products. People should produce food without using pesticides and

• To control Population increase– Continuously increasing population is the major reason for increased pollution. People should follow the policy to keep the population under control.

• Recycling is also a very effective and efficient way to reduce the pollution. It helps in limiting the use of non- biodegradable products.

PREPARED BY IBRAHIM NG'WANISH STANSLAUS EMAIL: standunga@gmail.com PHONE: +255752894781