The Top Environmental Issues in the Philippines: A Comprehensive Analysis

Environmental problems in the Philippines, and solutions (essay)

The essay on "Environmental Issues in the Philippines" will explore the various ecological problems that the country faces, such as deforestation, air and water pollution, and marine degradation. Through an analysis of published materials and research, the essay will provide a comprehensive understanding of these issues, their causes, and potential solutions. The goal is not only to raise awareness of the environmental challenges in the Philippines, but also to inspire action and change towards a more sustainable future.

Introduction

Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem that has worsened over the years as a result of the production and consumption of human to various plastic products. The rose of plastic produced annually is nearly equivalent to the mass of 66% people on the earth. Plastic is the most prevalent type of aquatic debris attained in the bodies of water. Plastic raises crucial threats to nature which leads to land, air, and water pollution. It likewise damages nature and produces extreme consequences for people, living organisms, and plants since it incorporates various hazardous components. A large portion of the chemical arrangement of plastic is resistant to natural degradation which results in the tremendous existence of plastic pollution.

Water is polluted due to various human activities that may result in the pollution of the bodies of water. It is likewise brought about by the pollutants which are directly or indirectly released into the waterways without satisfactory treatment to remove hazardous compounds. Despite being colorless, water contains pollutants such as heavy metals. Heavy metals include mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), thallium (Tl), and lead (Pb). Cadmium is a delicate, silver-white metal. It is not generally present in the earth as a pure metal. However, it is regularly found in zinc, lead, and copper minerals. Copper is a rosy metal with a face-focused cubic crystalline structure. It is flexible, malleable, and can be a good conductor of heat and electricity.

Meanwhile, biomimetics is developing in the science field, in which they utilize the arrangement and elements of a living being to make a material . Asper Rouse, different biomimetic strategies are as of now being used for a considerable length of time. In recent time, biomimetics is prescribed as reasonable in the plan of machine vision frameworks, machine hearing frameworks, signal enhancers, navigational frameworks, and information converters.

Rationale

At present, plastic pollution in the Philippines is progressing because of the enormous production of plastics for daily use. An article by Des Shoe stated that approximately eight million tons of plastic immerse the world’s oceans every year according to a 2015 report by the journal Science. Plastic is the most prevalent type of aquatic debris attained in the bodies of water. Chemicals in the water have a significant effect on human health. Water contamination may not harm human health directly yet can be dangerous upon long term exposure. Water that contains heavy metals is poisonous to living organisms. Heavy metal is any metallic substance component that has generally high thickness and is harmful or noxious at low concentrations. It is hazardous in light of the fact that they tend to bioaccumulated. Heavy metals are prevalent to the water system in the Philippines which is difficult to treat because it is not detected immediately. As indicated by DOST, earlier investigations demonstrated that regions, for example, Metro Manila demonstrated heavy metals in air, water, plants, and soil which may contaminate agricultural and marine products generally taken by the community. This is disturbing since individuals need more information about heavy metal pollution. People do not know about its effect on their health which can be totally risky.

Meanwhile, heavy metals can cause various effects on human health. Cadmium is a component which is not commonly utilized in the human body for it is harmful. It is a cancer-causing agent by inhalation and can damage the human kidney and bones when in contact with the human body. In the surroundings, cadmium is harmful to plants, animals, and microorganisms. It cannot be separated into less harmful substances on the earth.

People engage prominent amounts of copper every day by eating, drinking and breathing. The assimilation of copper is important for human health. Even though people can deal with relatively enormous concentration of copper, an excess amount of copper can result in long term exposure. It can irritate the nose, mouth, and eyes and it causes migraines, stomachaches, dizziness, vomiting, and diarrhea. Copper can also cause damage in the kidney and liver and even death.

Benefits of Preventing Plastic Pollution

The most common effect of heavy metals in living organisms is a disease. By the adsorption of cadmium and copper in wastewater, it can lessen the possibility of obtaining diseases in the water. The Philippines community can also benefit the study since they will be in touch in maintaining the cleanliness of the waterways as well as the manufacture of heavy metals pollution control from waste plastics gathered from their community. Next is environment. The findings of the study about preventing plastic pollution will benefit the environment as it can help to provide a solution to reduce the heavy metal pollutants present in wastewater which is toxic to living organisms.

Sollutions

Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. DENR can recycle disposable plastic wastes in a more useful manner and it can provide a solution in one of the growing environmental problems in the Philippines. This also aims one of the DENR’s priority project which is the Save an Estero or Waterways Program. Also local government units would be able to apply advances in technology using biomimetics towards different environmental problems based on the results of this study.

Conclusion

As a conclusion of an essay about environmental issues in the philippines, improper disposal of plastics leads to various environmental and health problems such as clogging of waterways, emissions of toxic fumes when incinerated in the open air and low temperatures, and diseases to both humans and sea creatures. Plastics are mostly non-biodegradable though some are manufactured to degrade but still fragments of such plastics are found deposited in land and water. We can start resolving this environmental issue by raising the awareness of the community. On the other hand the development of biomimicry as a novel technology will solve societal problems or even hasten the progress of technology in a safe way. This aims to solve different human problems by utilizing the scheme of biological processes.