About The Environmental Problems In Greece And Its Causes (Essay Sample)

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Environmental Problems in Greece
Greece is a developed country in southeastern Europe and is considered as the cradle of western civilization as it is where democracy started. It is highly democratic and has a high quality of life and also a high standard of living. Geographically it has a lot of mountains and also a mainland which is a peninsula. It also has a big coastline. It also has lakes in the western regions and extensive plains. Greece has a number of islands. Greece environment faces some serious environmental issues which pause as problems to the environment and to the nature of Greece as a result of loss of biodiversity. The purpose of this paper is took at the different causes of environmental pollution and the effects.
There are different causes of environmental pollution. Having undergone major economic and social developments, Greece has become highly industrialized as they make major steps towards economic and social growth over the other European countries. Some of the causes of these environmental issues are not just because of the developments in the industries but due to political factors such as administrative incompetence and corruption hence the required laws and regulations are not enhanced. (Athanasios, & Vlachogianni, 7). There has also been so much inactivity in environmental law enforcement. There have been vast changes in major sectors that contribute to the environmental disasters such as the transport, tourism, construction, urbanization and also the development of coastal and other regions. Environmental laws are therefore important in enhancing the environment.
Changes in the evolution of the ecology are a major problem. The country has always had a touch of the environment which was untouched by human activity. It also was characterized by a rich cultural heritage which would put into consideration the factors of environmental inputs. The ancient Greek was so keen in development planning where settlements were restricted to those areas that were natural habitats so as the natural ecology is maintained. (Athanasios, & Vlachogianni, 9). However, due to urbanization and industrialization, this environmental regard is no longer considered and people have increased unplanned settlements especially in urban areas. This only puts more pressure on the environment.
The major cause of the environmental pollution has been increased air pollution and also the use of water excessively. There has been the promotion of the public transport industry resulting in an increase in the number of vehicles which emit smoke that contains carbon dioxide in the air. (Athanasios, & Vlachogianni, 11).These high demands have caused an increase in the use of fossil fuels to generate energy even in industries for the production and manufacture of items.
Urbanization has increased environmental pollution. Urbanization within the country has increased as people look for a settlement near the industries where they work. This tries to strike a balance between the increasing number of population in the urban areas, the transport available and also the industries available for the production of goods that meet the needs of the population. Almost half of the industries are located in Athens where their production results in the production of exhaust fumes that contain harmful gases to the air. The industries normally produce smog that usually serious respiratory attacks on the citizens of the country. They usually produce effluents that are deposited in water resources due to lack of proper laws that state how these effluents should be discarded. Urbanization is a cause of environmental pollution.
Major cities like Athens have a problem with clean air. There is the poor quality of clean air which continues to be more toxic as more dangerous gases are released into the air. Air is used by all the living things including plants hence when it’s contaminated with dangerous gases such as carbon dioxide, it becomes harmful to the living things. These issues of poor air quality are causing damage to the ecosystem where the whole ecology has been destroyed. The Greek transportation industry is the main cause of industrial pollution where most of the vehicles use oil which is burnt to produce energy. Due to the large population of Athens and other urban areas, the levels of air pollution by vehicles is high such he use of road and railway line to transport oil using tankers also causes oil spillage thus causing soil and land pollution. That one cannot stay outside due to the levels of air pollution. Other main causes are forest fires where Greece face forest fires that burn the forests and destroy the ecosystem.
There is limited clean drinking water in Greece. Water is one important resource that living things cannot live without. Over the past few decades, there has been a struggle on providing clean water to the population. The effects of lack of clean water are seen in the disruption of aquatic ecology and also the rise of many glasses of water caused diseases. The depositing of industrial waste and also sewage in water sources have caused adverse effects as aquatic life is destroyed where the animals and plants die. Aquatic animals may also migrate to other areas. (Theodore, & Tsavdaridou, 25). The industrial waste may also be consumed by the fish so that they have deposits of harmful wastes in their bodies causing adverse effects when consumed by human beings. Such effluents may include lead and also mercury. Water pollution also causes human diseases such as the waterborne diseases. These may include cholera, bilharzia and also typhoid. This is infections that cause serious trouble to humans as they can be deadly as they are highly contaminated. Water pollution has effects on both plants and animals including human beings.
Other environmental issues that involve the environment include pollution within the coastlines. The overload in the country’s use of chemicals such as phosphates, nitrates among others which are the main pollutants of rivers and other water bodies causes significant damages to the coastline. Also, the increase in the tourism industry in the country is a cause of this pollution where tourist litter the beaches and eventually these litter such as plastic bags finds itself in the water causing pollution. (Theodore, & Tsavdaridou, 28). These have serious damages to the aquatic life in the sea and also the effects can be felt on the tourism industry where people are unable to swim in the beaches as a result of unsafe water which may cause infections such as skin cancer.
The agricultural sector has experienced changes over the past few decades as modern methods of farming are adopted. (Paulina, 23).These practices have contributed to the largest percentage of environmental pollution in the country. Excessive use of water for irrigation has seen big rivers draining. Also, use of agricultural chemicals for farm appliances such as fertilizers and also pest controls have contributed to water pollution, air pollution, and land pollution. The increase in modern agricultural practices has also influenced the increase of land coverage for farming where there is a significant cutting down of the forest coverage to create more land for farming. Forests are important resources in the country as they act as water catchment areas. (Theodore, & Tsavdaridou, 23). When they have diminished the level of water in the country decreases. Forests also act as carbon sinks where they use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis they help absorb excess carbon dioxide in the air and produce more oxygen for the population. When forests are cut down, there are adverse effects even on the ecosystem as many animals live in the...