Environment Protection: Explanation of Terms

 

1. There are some general terms and concepts which are very essential in the context of pollution and environment protection:

2. Environment or ‘natural environment’ is all living and nonliving things that occur naturally on Earth. It includes water, air, land and interrelationship among them. Additionally, it shows the relationship between water, air, land on one side and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organisms on the other side.

3. Pollution means any adulteration to the environmental surroundings. By pollution is meant:

– the introduction of solids, liquids or gases to air, water or ground;

– noise and vibrations;

– light and other radiation to the extent decided by the pollution control authority; and

– effects on temperature,

which cause or may cause damage and hazards to life, either to human beings, animals, plants or nature.

4. According to the target area there are three distinctive forms of pollution, namely:

– Air pollution: which is generally in the form of a gas emitted by factories, power plants, automobiles, etc. Air pollutants are divided into five main classes: carbon monoxide, particulates, sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons. The most common sources of air pollution include oil refineries, power plants, burning of fossil fuels, automobiles, fumes from aerosols and chemicals such as paint, factories, and incinerators.

– Water pollution: occurs when pollutants enter into a water source such as the ocean, rivers, lakes, or ground water. Many of the same sources that result in air pollution can also release pollutants into water supplies through either directly leaking or spilling materials into the water or releasing chemicals into the air that then fall back into water supplies in the form of acid rain. Water pollution also results from runoff which occurs when storm waterdrains off of farms or other areas carrying with it a variety of pollutants including fertilizer, pesticides, and waste. Oil spills are also another source of water pollution, even on land since it can contaminate water via run off or by seeping into the ground, polluting ground water.

– Soil (land) pollution: Soil pollution, also commonly known as soil contamination, is a condition that occurs when soil loses its structure, biological and chemical properties due to the use of various man-made chemicals and other natural changes in the soil environment. Factors often believed to contribute to soil pollution include the use of chemicals such as fertilizers, the salinity of the soil and environmental changes. Other factors considered to be major contributors to soil pollution include chemical runoff from industries and factories, toxic wastes, petroleum and other oil leaks from vehicles and improper discharge of sewage wastes.

5. A pollutant is a substance that pollutes the air, water or land and thus pollution is the presence of a pollutant in the environment. Based on the nature of pollutants, environment contamination may be classified into three main forms:physical, chemical or biological:

– Physical pollution: it is the introduction of discarded materials into the environment, what you might refer to as trash. Physical pollutants are often sent to landfills, which are designated areas for trash disposal in which the waste is dumped and then covered by soil.

– Chemical pollution: it is defined as the introduction of chemicals into the environment. Agricultural practices are one example of a chemical pollution source. Pesticides used to control insects and fertilizers used to make soil more fertile contain nitrogen, phosphorus and other chemicals. These chemicals can contaminate soil or run off into bodies of water where they can deplete oxygen levels. The burning of fossil fuels release chemical pollutants into the air called greenhouse gases and can also lead to acid rain.

– Biological pollution: it is the introduction of living organisms, which grow and become invasive, into the environment. This can force out native species. Examples include some microorganisms, invasive weed species and invasive forest pests.

6. Causes of pollution. Environmental pollution is basically due to lack of controls and safeguards. Exploitation of natural resources, beyond the permissible level, is also a basic cause for environmental pollution. From this point of view, pollution may be either natural or man-made pollution:

– Natural pollution includes earthquake, flood, cyclone, famine, drought, etc.

– Artificial pollution is man-made. It is created due to various activities like water pollution, air pollution, land pollution or food pollution.

7. Pollution control methods. Pollution control is the process of reducing or eliminating the release of pollutants into the environment. It is regulated by various environmental agencies which establish pollutant discharge limits for air, water, and land. Methods of control may include:

– recycling and reusing the products that can be used a few times so that the waste produced from them does not deplete the environment.

– enforcement of health and safety protection (e.g. for workers handling biological agents).

– licensing/banning specific substances;

– setting of emissions controls (e.g. vehicles exhausts, industrial emissions);

– enforcement of concentrations or exposure limits for specific target groups (e.g. radiation workers);

– setting of guidelines/standards relating to environmental levels (e.g. air pollution monitoring).

8. In the USA, for instance, companies must obtain permit approvals from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or delegated state agencies when they discharge pollutants. The permit specifies each pollutant and sets average and maximum daily limits on each. Permit holders must monitor their discharges and furnish reports to the authorities.

 

основные источники информации: 1) http://study.com/; 2) http://www.ehow.com/; 3) http://www.encyclopedia.com/; 4) http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/15650.aspx

 

8.1.1. Слова из текста:

environment – окружение, окружающая обстановка; окружающая среда

pollution = contamination – загрязнение (окружающей среды); загрязненность

environment protection – охрана окружающей среды

adulteration – ухудшение качества

introduction of solids – внесение твёрдых веществ

hazard – опасный фактор, источник опасности

target area – объект воздействия

emitted – порождаемый, выделяемый, выбрасываемый

carbon monoxide – окись углерода, угарный газ

particulates – пылевидные вещества, аэрозольные частицы

sulfur oxide – оксид серы, сернистый газ

nitrogen oxide – окись азота

hydrocarbons – углеводороды

oil refineries – нефтеперерабатывающие заводы

power plant – электростанция

fumes – испарения, пары

incinerator – установка для сжигания отходов, мусоросжигательный завод

ground water – подпочвенные воды, грунтовая вода

storm water – ливневая сточная вода

drain off – сливать, стекать, фильтровать

fertilizer – удобрение

seep into – просачиваться в

salinity – засолённость, повышение процентного содержания соли

toxic wastes – токсичные отходы, ядовитые отходы

sewage wastes – канализационные отходы

pollutants = contaminants – загрязняющие вещества, загрязнители

pollute = contaminate – загрязнять (воздух, воду, окружающую среду), пачкать, портить, понижать качество

physical pollution – физическое загрязнение окружающей среды

discarded – выкинутый, брошенный

trash – мусор, отходы

landfill – захоронение отходов, мусорная свалка

disposal – размещение, захоронение, сброс

deplete – истощать, уменьшать

invasive – агрессивный

force out – выдавливать, вытеснять

weed – сорная трава

forest pests – лесные вредители

permissible level – допустимый уровень

man-made pollution – загрязнение, вызванное деятельностью человека

natural pollution – природное загрязнение

pollution control – меры по охране окружающей среды, контроль над загрязнением окружающей среды

recycling – повторное использование материалов (после вторичной переработки), возобновление, утилизация отходов, переработка утильсырья

handle biological agents – работать c биологическими возбудителями болезни

vehicles exhausts – выхлопные газы автомобилей

exposure limit – предел облучения, предельно допустимый уровень воздействия

permit approval – утверждение допуска, лицензия, разрешение

Environmental Protection Agency – Управление по охране окружающей среды

discharge – сбрасывать, сливать, выливать, выделять

permit holder – владелец разрешения, держатель лицензии

furnish reports – предоставлять отчётность

8.2. Выполните следующие задания:

1) Прочитайте и переведите текст.

2) Составьте 5 ‘специальных вопросов’ к тексту, используя информацию из Приложения 3 с комментариями о структуре вопросительного предложения в английском языке. Будьте готовы в ходе занятия задать другим студентам свои вопросы по содержанию прочитанного текста.