What Risks Do Environmental Problems Create?
By Larry West, About.com Guide to Environmental Issues
What will happen to the Earth and its people, animals, plants, lands and oceans if we fail to successfully address the environmental issues we face today?
Our Global Population
Environmental issues have profound effects on the living conditions of people worldwide. The water shortage in many parts of the world, cross-border pollution, and rising sea levels are just a few of the challenges facing our global population.
- How Global Population Growth Creates Serious Environmental Problems
- Billions of People Face Food Shortages Due to Global Warming
- Climate Change Creating More Refugees than War
- Scholars Predict 50 Million “Environmental Refugees” by 2010
- Why Are Rising Sea Levels a Threat?
- Cross-Border Pollution: A Growing International Problem
Air Quality
What's wrong with our air quality? And how does poor air quality and air pollution affect life on Earth? Learn about the environmental issues of air quality and air pollution, and what's being done to improve--or worsen--our air quality.
- All About Smog
- Americans Breathe Dangerous Levels of Smog
- More Than Half of U.S. Population Lives in Counties with Unsafe Air
- Why Do Heat Waves Make Air Quality Worse?
- The Good and Bad of Ozone
- Indoor Air Pollution: Inside Your Car
- Indoor Pollution: Cooking Fires Kills 1.5 Million People Annually
- Secondhand Smoke and Its Effect on Human Health
Human Health
How do environmental issues create disease? What are the dangers of the chemicals we use every day? Are cell phones and noise pollution harmful? Learn how environmental issues affect your health by causing or contributing to health problems and diseases around the world.
- Nearly a Quarter of All Disease Linked to Environment
- Cleaning the Environment Could Save 13 Million Lives Annually
- Malnutrition, Pollution and Population Growth Increase Deadly Diseases
- What Causes Child Mortality and How Can We Prevent It?
- Common Household Chemicals Linked to Cancer
- Do Chemicals Increase Your Risk of Breast Cancer?
- Chemical in Everyday Plastics Linked to Health Problems
- Dangers of Phthalates in Cosmetics
- Is Excessive Use of Antibiotics Creating Super Bugs?
- Can Vaccines Cause Autism in Children?
- Health Effects of Airport Noise and Airport Pollution
- Are Cell Phones and Microwave Radiation Really Unhealthy?
- How Red Tides and Other Harmful Algae Affect Human Health
- How to Survive Tick Season
Our Food Supply
Are genetically modified or cloned foods safe? How have environmental issues affected the world's food supply? Learn how environmental factors affect the quality and availability of our food.
- Global Warming Creates Food Shortages for Billions
- Worldwide Hunger and Food Insecurity Rise Dramatically
- What's For Dinner? Genetically Modified Foods
- Is Cloned Food Safe?
- Is Eating Fish Safe?
- How the Feds Make Unhealthy Food Cheaper Than Healthy Food
- What is the Problem with Soft Drinks?
Drinking Water
As temperatures, wind patterns and pollution affect natural water sources, more people around the world have trouble finding drinking water--or any water at all. In other countries, water is plentiful but not safe to drink. Find out how the lack of clean water affects people around the world, and what's being done to provide fresh water.
- Global Water Supply Drying Up as Population Grows
- A Billion People Worldwide Lack Safe Drinking Water
- How Safe is Tap Water?
- Why is Chlorine Added to Tap Water?
- From Toilet to Tap: California Transforms Sewage into Drinking Water
- Can Ocean Desalination Solve the World's Water Shortage?
Wildlife and Habitats
Why are so many of the world's species being listed as threatened or face extinction? Why are natural wetlands important? Find out how wildlife around the world are being threatened by pollution, hunting, loss of habitat and other environmental issues, and what's being done to save them.
