"But the future of the of the human race and the life on Earth is much less certain." - Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking says that the reason that the Earth will die, other than comets, is because we are destroying it.

love the world,

jian ping

(/\)peace

Land pollution in Singapore!

Did you know that Singaporeans threw away 2.8 million tons of rubbish in 1999? You do now.
But if that was 10 years ago, when Singapore had much lesser people, can you imagine how much is thrown away today? 2.8 million tons if stacked up to 1.7m can occupy 350 football fields!! Whats more, Singapore hasnt got enough land to keep up at this rate. Throwing away rubbish rather than recycling is one of the main causes of land pollution in Singapore!

Other causes of land pollution in Singapore include littering, illegal dumping of domestic waste and poor waste management by construction sites and industrial estates. Even though 'No littering' signs have been placed everywhere in Singapore, Singaporeans still do not care and continue littering. We shall address these people as "Litterbugs". Singaporeans need to understand the seriousness of land pollution. Being a small nation, we will soon run out of land if this continues.

Love the world,
Jian Ping
(/\)peace

What is land pollution?

• Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's land surfaces often caused by human activities and their misuse of land resources.
• It occurs when waste is not disposed properly.
• Industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors of land pollution.
• Urbanization and industrializationare major causes of land pollution.
• Land pollution destroyes natural habitats and polluted the environment, causing diseases in both humans and other species of animals.

Case Study : Israel!
a program for cleaning up contaminated
land,

1) Defining land pollution, and establishing methods and means for cleaning up
contaminated land;
2) A mechanism for delegating responsibility for cleaning up contaminated land;
3) A system for collecting information, identifying and registering polluted sites;
4) A national, multi-year program for cleaning up polluted lands and providing
the financial resources needed to carry out such a program;
5) A distinct legal system in addition to rehabilitation policy and legislation, whose
role is to ensure that preventive action is taken by potential polluters thus
preempting land pollution before it has occurred. This issue is not discussed
here since it was perceived to be a separate topic deserving of independent
study.

Control Measures!
The following measures can be used to control land pollution:

anti-litter campaigns can educate people against littering;
organic waste can be dumped in places far from residential areas;
inorganic materials such as metals, glass and plastic, but also paper, can be reclaimed and recycled.
more tree's can be grown to help clean the soil

Consequences of Land Pollution?

• 
  Land pollution can affect wildlife, plants, and humans in a number of ways, such as:
  •Cause problems in the respiratory system
  •Cause problems on the skin
  •Lead to birth defects
  •Cause various kinds of cancers
• Smothered habitats, where aquatic animals feed and live, thus driving them out of a home.
• Reduced oxygen levels from decomposition of organic material dumped from drains.
• Increased human health risks, from syringes, broken glass and cans washing onto creek banks and beaches.
• Reduced aesthetic appeal of areas from litter strewn on banks and beaches, thus reducing recreation and tourist appeal.
• Acid rain damages trees and other plants. The toxic materials that pollute the soil can get into the human body directly by:
  •Coming into contact with the skin
  •Being washed into water sources like reservoirs and rivers
  •Eating fruits and vegetables that have been grown in polluted soil
  •Breathing in polluted dust or particles

• 
  Tonnes and tonnes of domestic wastes are dumped every day. Since people do not follow proper methods for the disposal of such wastes, it leaves the places look dirty and makes them unhealthy.
• 
  Land pollution indirectly affects the respiratory system of human beings. Breathing in polluted dust or particle can result in a number of health problems related to the respiratory system.
• 
  Skin problems are often diagnosed due to land pollution. It is said that the improper disposal of household wastes leads to allergic reactions on the skin.
• 
  Land pollution has been found as one of the leading causes for birth defects. Pregnant women living in unhealthy and dirty environment can incur breathing problems and a number of diseases, which may affect the health of the baby as well.
  
• Land pollution has serious effect on wildlife. Flora, which provides food and shelter to wildlife, are destroyed.
• 
  Land pollution often disrupts the balance of Nature, causing human fatalities.

A few video's on why you should not polute! (:

STOP land pollution, you live on land!

Causes of land pollution!:

•Increase in urbanization. Construction uses up forestland. More constructions means increase in demand for raw materials like timber. This leads to the destruction of forests. There is more demand for water. Reservoirs are built leading to the loss of land.

•Increase in agricultural land. As the human population grew there was a greater demand for food. This caused more land for agriculture. Forests were cut down for this purpose.

•Domestic waste. Every single day, tons and tons of domestic waste is dumped ranging from huge pieces of rubbish such as unused refrigerator to fish bones. If all these wastes are not disposed of properly, the damage they can do to the environment and humankind can be devastating. While waste collected from homes, offices and industries may be recycled or burnt in incinerators, a large amount of rubbish is neither burnt nor recycled but is left in certain areas marked as dumping grounds. We throw away more things today and there is an increase in the quantity of solid waste. This has given rise to problems as new dumping grounds have to be found and there is limited land.

•Agricultural activities. Besides domestic waste, pesticides used by farmers to increase crop yields also pollute the land when they are washed into the soil.

•Industrial activities. Industrial activities also contribute to land pollution. For example, in open cast mining, huge holes are dug in the ground and these form dangerously deep mining pools. Heaps of mining waste are left behind and these waste often contain several poisonous substances that will contaminate the soil.

Pollution sources include plastics factories, chemical plants, oil refineries, nuclear waste disposal activity, large animal farms, coal-fired power plants, metals production factories and other heavy industry.