Understanding the Chemistry of Our Environment

Man has the capability of transforming his surrounding for the benefit of all and also an opportunity to enhance the quality of life.But wrongly or heedlessly applied, the same power can do incalculable harm to human beings and to human environment.Unfortunately, there exists a growing evidence of man -made harm in many regions of the earth e.g. dangerous levels of pollution in water,air,earth and living beings,major and undesirable disturbances in the ecological balance,destruction and depletion of irreplaceable resources and gross deficiencies harmful to physical,mental and social health of man.

The protection and improvement of human environment is a major issue which affects the well-being of people and economic developement throughout the world and hence, it is the duty of all government and people equally to give common efforts for the preservation and improvement of human environment for our own benefit.Therefore,environment problem is one which no nation,no continent,no race,no system can handle alone.The quality of our atmosphere and oceans can only be the product of behaviour of our nations.

Although the U.N. has no power of it's own to be effective,it can make all the nations come o an agreement in this direction and create an organisation in taking effective measures for the environment.

As seen in the past,when the problem of environment had reached a certain magnitude,the ex-Soviet Union and United States of America, which were otherwise poles apart ideologically,reached an agreement to collaborate in finding ways and means to check pollution.

The chemistry of climatic conditions is affected or very likely to be affected by massive deforestation by altering the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.The concentration of C02 in the atmoshpere has risen drastically.Co2 comes from burning of fossil fuels and the oxidation of carbon stored in trees and soil humus are released when forests are cleared.

Each year, the process of photosynthesis by plants draws from the atmoshpere much more carbon than is returned to the air by respiration.The green plants convert C02 of the air into sugar and starch-their own food,with the help of solar energy and oxygen is given off in this process.With deforestation this massive conversion process is affected resulting in increased C02 in the atmoshphere.It causes climatic change like alteration in the distribution of rainfall and sea-level.

Likewise,certain bacteria is reponsible for maintaining the constant amount of nitrogen in the atmoshpere as they are involved in one of the steps of the nitrogen-cycle.Nitrogen is essential for the existence of forms of life,dependent for nourishment on earth.We the industrialised and civilised people do not think about these bacterial forms and dump huge amounts of chemicals recklessly into soil,water not realising any of them might be deadly poison for these bacteria.

Hence, it is very important to understand the chemistry of our environment so as to make necessary steps in preserving it.