Pollution of natural waters.

Humanity is almost entirely dependent on surface waters sushi – rivers and lakes. This insignificant part water resources(0.016%) is exposed to the most intense effects. All types of water use consume 2,200 km 3 of water per year. Water consumption is constantly growing, and one of the dangers is the depletion of its reserves. The ever-increasing amount of household waste is causing concern.

Pollution of water bodies occurs not only with waste industrial production, but also the ingress of organic matter, mineral fertilizers, and pesticides used in agriculture from fields into water bodies.

Sea waters are also subject to pollution. Millions of tons of chemical waste are carried into the seas annually with rivers and wastewater from coastal industrial and agricultural enterprises, and with municipal wastewater they also carry organic compounds. Due to accidents of tankers and oil production units, water enters the ocean. different sources at least 5 million tons of oil per year, causing the death of many aquatic animals and seabirds. Concerns arise from the burial of nuclear waste at the bottom of the sea, sunken ships with nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons on board.

Deforestation is one of the most important global environmental problems of our time. The forest absorbs atmospheric pollution of anthropogenic origin, protects the soil from erosion, regulates the flow of surface water, prevents the decline in groundwater levels, etc.

A decrease in forest area causes disruption of oxygen and carbon cycles in the biosphere. Although the catastrophic consequences of deforestation are widely known, deforestation continues. Deforestation entails the death of their richest fauna and flora.

Soil depletion and pollution.

Soils are another resource that is overexploited and polluted. Imperfect agricultural production is the main reason for the reduction in the area of ​​fertile soils. The plowing of vast steppe areas in Russia and other countries has caused dust storms and the destruction of millions of hectares of the most fertile lands.

Soil erosion became a worldwide scourge in the 20th century. It is estimated that as a result of water and wind erosion during this period, 2 billion hectares of fertile land under active agricultural use were lost on the planet.

Excessive irrigation, especially in hot climates, can cause soil salinization. Nuclear pollution soil poses a great danger. Radioactive substances from soils enter plants, then into the bodies of animals and humans, accumulate in them, causing various diseases. Chemical means of protection are particularly dangerous, especially organic compounds, used in agriculture to control pests, diseases and weeds. Inept and uncontrolled use of pesticides leads to their accumulation in soil, water, and bottom sediments of reservoirs.

Reduction of natural diversity.

Extreme exploitation, pollution, and often simply barbaric destruction of natural communities lead to a sharp decrease in the diversity of living things. Animal extinction could be the largest in the history of our planet. More species of birds and mammals have disappeared from the face of the Earth in the last 300 years than in the previous 10,000 years. It should be remembered that the main damage to diversity does not lie in their death due to direct persecution and destruction, but in the fact that due to the development of new areas for agricultural production, industrial development and environmental pollution, the areas of many natural ecosystems are disturbed. This so-called “indirect impact” leads to the extinction of tens and hundreds of species of animals and plants, many of which were not known and will never be described by science. The process of extinction, for example, of animals, has significantly accelerated due to the destruction of tropical forests. Over the past 200 years, their area has almost halved and continues to decline at a rate of 15–20 hectares per minute. The steppes in Eurasia and the prairies in the USA have almost completely disappeared. Tundra communities are also being rapidly destroyed. Coral reefs and other marine communities are under threat in many areas.

Over the past few millennia human activity caused little damage to the environment, but after technological revolutions the balance between man and nature was disrupted, since since then natural resources have been intensively used. Soils have also been depleted as a result of agricultural economic activity.

Land degradation

Regular farming and growing crops leads to land degradation. Fertile soil turns into desert, which leads to the destruction of human civilizations. Soil depletion occurs gradually and is caused by the following actions:

• abundant irrigation contributes to soil salinization;
• loss of organic matter due to insufficient fertilizers;
• excessive use of pesticides and agrochemicals;
• irrational use of cultivated areas;
• unsystematic grazing of livestock;
• wind and water erosion due to deforestation.

The soil is forming long time and recovers very slowly. In places where livestock graze, plants are eaten away and die, and rainwater erodes the soil. As a result, deep holes and ravines can form. To slow down and stop this process, it is necessary to resettle people and animals to other areas and plant forests.

In addition to the problem of erosion and depletion resulting Agriculture there is another problem. This is from various sources:

• industrial waste;
• oil spill;
• mineral fertilizers;
• transport waste;
• construction of roads, transport hubs;
• urbanization processes.

This and much more causes soil destruction. If anthropogenic activities are not controlled, most of the territories will turn into deserts and semi-deserts. The soil will lose fertility, plants will die, animals and people will die.

Problems of soil pollution and ways to solve them.

Currently, the problem of interaction between human society and

nature has acquired a special acuteness. It becomes indisputable that the decision

the problem of preserving the quality of human life is unthinkable without a certain

understanding modern environmental problems: conservation evolution of living things,

hereditary substances (gene pool of flora and fauna), maintaining purity and

productivity of natural environments (atmosphere, hydrosphere, soils, forests, etc.),

environmental regulation of anthropogenic pressure on natural ecosystems in

within their buffer capacity, preservation of the ozone layer, trophic chains

in nature, biological cycle of substances and others.

The Earth's soil cover is the most important component of the biosphere

Earth. It is the soil shell that determines many processes,

occurring in the biosphere.

Soil is a special natural formation that has a number of properties,

inherent in living and inanimate nature, formed as a result of long-term

transformations of the surface layers of the lithosphere under combined

interdependent interaction of the hydrosphere, atmosphere, living and dead

organisms.

Soil cover is the most important natural formation. His role in life

society is determined by the fact that soil is a source

food supply, providing 95-97% of food resources for

population of the planet.

The soil cover is a natural basis for human settlement and serves as the basis for the creation of recreational areas. It allows you to create an optimal ecological environment for people’s life, work and leisure. From character soil cover, soil properties, chemical and biochemical processes occurring in soils depend on the purity and composition of the atmosphere, ground and underground waters. Soil cover is one of the most powerful regulators of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. Soil has been and remains the main condition for the life support of nations and humanity as a whole.

The world's land area is 129 million km 2, or 86.5%

land area. Under arable land and perennial plantings in the composition

agricultural land is occupied by about 15 million km 2 (10% of land), under

hayfields and pastures – 37.4 million km 2 (25%). total area

arable land is assessed by different researchers in different ways: from

25 to 32 million km 2.

The planet's land resources make it possible to provide more food

population than there currently is. However, due to the growth

population, especially in developing countries, soil degradation,

pollution, erosion, etc.; as well as due to the allocation of land for development

cities, towns and industrial enterprises amount of arable land per capita

the population is declining sharply.

Human impact on soil is an integral part overall influence human

society for earth's crust and her upper layer, to nature in general, especially

increased in the age of scientific and technological revolution. At the same time, it not only intensifies

human interaction with the earth, but the main features also change

interactions. The “soil-man” problem is complicated by urbanization, everything

large use of lands and their resources for industrial and housing

construction, growing demand for food. By the will of man

the nature of the soil changes, soil formation factors change - relief,

microclimate, new rivers appear, etc.

Currently, the Moscow and Kurgan regions should be classified as regions with significant soil pollution, and the Central Black Earth Region and Primorsky Territory as regions with moderate pollution. North Caucasus.

Soils around big cities and large enterprises of non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, chemical and petrochemical industries, mechanical engineering, thermal power plants at a distance of several tens of kilometers are contaminated with heavy metals, petroleum products, lead compounds, sulfur and others toxic substances. The average lead content in the soils of a five-kilometer zone around a number of surveyed cities in the Russian Federation is within 0.4 80 MAC. The average manganese content around ferrous metallurgy enterprises ranges from 0.05-6 MPC.

Soil contamination with oil in places of its production, processing, transportation and distribution exceeds the background level tens of times. Within a radius of 10 km from Vladimir in the western and eastern directions, the oil content in the soil exceeded the background value by 33 times.

The soils around Bratsk, Novokuznetsk, Krasnoyarsk are contaminated with fluorine, where its maximum content exceeds the regional average level by 4-10 times.

The intensive development of industrial production leads to an increase in industrial waste, which, together with household waste, significantly affects chemical composition soil, causing a deterioration in its quality. Severe soil contamination with heavy metals, together with zones of sulfur pollution formed during the combustion of coal, lead to changes in the composition of microelements and the emergence of technogenic deserts.

A change in the content of microelements in the soil immediately affects the health of herbivores and humans, leads to metabolic disorders, causing various endemic diseases of a local nature. For example, a lack of iodine in the soil leads to thyroid disease, a lack of calcium in drinking water and food leads to joint damage, deformation, and growth retardation.

In podzolic soils with a high iron content, when it interacts with sulfur, iron sulfide is formed, which is a strong poison. As a result, microflora (algae, bacteria) are destroyed in the soil, which leads to loss of fertility.

In agriculture, thousands of chemicals have been invented to kill pests. They are called pesticides, and depending on the group of organisms on which they act, they are divided into insecticides (kill insects), rodenticides

(destroy rodents), fungicides (destroy fungi). However, none of these

chemicals does not have absolute selectivity towards organisms

against which it is designed, and poses a threat also to others,

organisms, including humans. . Annual application of pesticides in

agriculture in the Russian Federation is approximately 150 thousand tons.

In our opinion, it is much more environmentally feasible to use natural or biological methods to combat agricultural pests. Soil always contains carcinogenic (chemical, physical, biological) substances that cause tumor diseases in living organisms, including cancer. The main sources of regional soil pollution with carcinogenic substances are vehicle exhausts, emissions from industrial enterprises, and oil refining products. The removal of industrial and household waste to landfills leads to pollution and irrational use of land, creating real threats

significant pollution of the atmosphere, surface and ground waters, increased transport costs and irretrievable loss of valuable materials and substances. Technogenic soil pollution required the development of special methods for its regeneration and protection. Some of them consist of confining pollutants using storage facilities and settling tanks. This method does not destroy toxins and pollutants, but does prevent them from spreading into natural environment . The real fight against polluting compounds is their elimination. Toxic products can be destroyed on site or transported to special centralized points for their processing and neutralization. Used locally various ways

: burning hydrocarbons, washing contaminated soils with mineral solutions, releasing pollutants into the atmosphere, as well as biological methods if the pollution is caused by organic substances.

Over the past 25 years, the area of ​​agricultural land has decreased by 33 million hectares, despite the annual involvement of new lands in agricultural circulation. The main reasons for the decrease in the area of ​​farmland are manifestations of soil erosion, insufficiently thought-out land allocation for non-agricultural needs, flooding, waterlogging, overgrowth with forests and shrubs. Improving the situation is only possible if agriculture is conducted strictly, taking into account environmental consequences. At each stage of the agricultural process, the laws of interaction of plants with the environment and soil, the laws of the circulation of matter and energy must be taken into account. The law of ecological farming is formulated as follows: the anthropogenic impact on the soil, plant, and environment should not exceed the limits beyond which the productivity of the agroecosystem decreases and the stability and stability of its functioning are disrupted. Increasing the productivity of an agroecosystem can only be achieved by parallel improvement of all its elements.

To preserve soils, it is necessary to take into account and apply all soil formation factors. Here are some examples of their use.

Soil-forming rocks are the substrate on which soils are formed; they consist of various mineral components that, to varying degrees, participate in soil formation. Mineral matter makes up 60-90% of the total weight of the soil. The physical properties of the soil depend on the nature of the parent rocks - its water and thermal regimes, the speed of movement of substances in the soil, mineralogical and chemical composition, and the initial content of nutrients for plants. The type of soil also largely depends on the nature of the parent rocks.

Vegetation

Organic compounds in the soil are formed as a result of the vital activity of plants, animals and microorganisms. The main role here belongs to vegetation. Green plants are practically the only creators of primary organic substances. terrain, etc.
In the process of death of both whole plants and their individual parts organic matter enter the soil (root and ground decay). The amount of annual decline varies widely: in tropical rainforests it reaches 250 c/ha, in the Arctic tundra - less than 10 c/ha, and in deserts - 5-6 c/ha. On the soil surface, organic matter, under the influence of animals, bacteria, fungi, as well as physical and chemical agents, decomposes to form soil humus. Ash substances replenish the mineral part of the soil. Undecomposed plant material forms the so-called forest litter (in forests) or felt (in steppes and meadows). These formations influence soil gas exchange, sediment permeability, the thermal regime of the top layer of soil, soil fauna and the vital activity of microorganisms. Vegetation influences the structure and nature of soil organic matter and its moisture.

Animal organisms

The main function of animal organisms in the soil is the transformation of organic matter. Both soil and terrestrial animals take part in soil formation. IN soil environment animals are represented mainly by invertebrates and protozoa. The bulk of soil animals are saprophages (nematodes, earthworms, etc.). Saprophages influence the formation of the soil profile, humus content, and soil structure. For more than a decade, there has been experience in using the Californian red worm to obtain biologically valuable fertilizer (vermicompost) from fiber-containing and a wide range of organic waste, as well as to improve soil structure and aeration.
The most numerous representatives of the terrestrial animal world involved in soil formation are small rodents (voles, etc.). Plant and animal residues entering the soil undergo complex changes. A certain part of them disintegrates into carbon dioxide, water and simple salts (mineralization process), others pass into new complex organic substances of the soil itself.

Microorganisms

Microorganisms (bacteria, actinomycetes, lower fungi, unicellular algae, viruses, etc.), very diverse both in their composition and in biological activity, are of great importance in the implementation of these processes in the soil. Microorganisms in the soil number in the billions per hectare. They take part in the biotic cycle of substances, decompose complex organic and minerals to simpler ones. The latter are utilized both by microorganisms themselves and by higher plants. One of the most common and persistent land pollutants is oil. Natural microflora, adapting, can destroy this type of pollution. Mixing oil-contaminated soil with crushed pine bark accelerates the rate of oil destruction by an order of magnitude due to the ability of microorganisms existing on the surface of the bark to grow complex hydrocarbons that make up the pine resin, as well as the adsorption of oil products by the bark. This biotechnological technique is called “microbial remediation of oil-contaminated soil.”

As for the protection of lands, it includes a system of organizational, economic, legal, engineering and other measures aimed at protecting them from theft, unjustified withdrawals from agricultural circulation, irrational use, harmful anthropogenic and natural influences, in order to increase the efficiency of environmental management and create a favorable environmental situation.
Land protection and rational use are carried out on the basis integrated approach to lands as complex natural formations (ecosystems), taking into account their zonal and regional characteristics. The system of rational use of land should be of an environmental, resource-saving nature and provide for soil conservation, limiting impacts on vegetation and animal world, geological rocks and other components environment. Land protection includes:

Protection of lands from water and wind erosion, salts, from leeward erosion, flooding, swamping, secondary salinization, drying out, compaction, pollution by industrial waste, and other destruction processes;
- reclamation of disturbed lands, increasing their fertility and other useful properties;
- removal and preservation of the fertile soil layer in order to use it for land reclamation or increasing the fertility of unproductive lands;
- establishment of special regimes of use for land plots that had environmental, historical and cultural significance.
All landowners, land users and tenants, regardless of the forms and terms of land use, carry out work to protect and improve the quality of land through own funds and are responsible for the deterioration of the environmental situation on their land plot and adjacent territory associated with their activities.

The exceptionally important role of natural resource relations is enshrined in Art. 9 of the Russian Constitution, which establishes that land and other natural resources are used and protected as the basis for the life and activities of the peoples living in the corresponding territories. These relations are also regulated by the Land Code of the Russian Federation, laws on land use, land management, agricultural lands and many other regulatory legal acts.

In 1992 the Government Russian Federation adopted a resolution “on approval of the regulations on the procedure for exercising state control over the use and protection of lands.” Specially authorized government agencies exercising state control over the use and protection of land are: the Committee on Land Reform and Land Resources under the Government of the Russian Federation and its local bodies, the State Committee for Environmental Protection of the Russian Federation and its local bodies, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Architecture and Construction and housing and communal services of the Russian Federation and local authorities architectural and construction supervision.

The Russian Federation has a fairly large regulatory framework for land legislation, but as you can see, it is not enough to solve all the environmental problems of modern land use. In this regard, in our opinion, the current land legislation requires careful analysis, refinement and elimination of gaps, and the adoption of new bills.

Bibliography:

1 G.V. Dobrovolsky “Soil. City. Ecology", Moscow, 1997.

2. Yu. V. Novikov “Ecology, environment and people”; m., 1999

3. V.D. Valova. "Fundamentals of Ecology". Publishing house "Dashkov and Co." M – 2001.

4. Arustamov E.A. "Nature Management" Textbook. Publishing house "Dashkov and

Co. M - 2000.

5. G.V. Stadnitsky “Ecology”, St. Petersburg Khimizdat, 1999

6. A. P. Oshmarin “Ecology”; Yaroslavl, 1998

G.V. Dobrovolsky “Soil. City. Ecology", Moscow, 1997.

Yu. V. Novikov “Ecology, environment and people”; m., 1999

V.D. Valov "Fundamentals of Ecology" Publishing house "Dashkov and Co." M – 2001.

Arustamov E.A. "Nature Management" Textbook. Publishing house "Dashkov and

Co. M - 2000.

G.V. Stadnitsky “Ecology”, St. Petersburg Khimizdat, 1999

A. P. Oshmarin “Ecology”; Yaroslavl, 1998

Human activities as a cause of soil degradation

Negative anthropogenic impacts often arise as a result of agricultural activities, the operation of large industrial facilities, the construction of buildings and structures, transport communications, as well as domestic needs and the needs of humanity. All of the above are the causes of negative processes called “Soil Pollution and Depletion”. Among the consequences of impact on land resources anthropogenic factor The following can be mentioned: erosion, acidification, destruction of structure and change in composition, degradation of the mineral base, waterlogging or, conversely, desiccation, dehumification, and so on.

Agriculture

Perhaps this type of anthropogenic activity can be considered key to the question of what causes soil pollution and depletion. The reasons for such processes are often interconnected. For example, first there is intensive land development. As a result, deflation develops. In turn, plowing can activate water erosion processes. Even additional irrigation is considered a negative impact factor, since it is what causes salinization of land resources. In addition, soil pollution and depletion can occur due to the application of organic and mineral fertilizers, unsystematic grazing of farm animals, destruction of vegetation cover, and so on.

Chemical pollution

The planet's soil resources are significantly influenced by industry and transport. It is these two directions of development of human activity that lead to the pollution of the earth with all kinds of chemical elements and connections. Heavy metals, petroleum products and other complex organic substances are considered especially dangerous. The appearance of all of the above compounds in the environment is associated with the operation of industrial enterprises and internal combustion engines, which are installed in most vehicles.

Soil pollution and depletion: ways to solve the problem

Of course, it is initially necessary that every person understands the extent of his responsibility for a favorable environmental situation on the planet. In addition, restrictions on conducting business activities should be established even at the legislative level. An example of such measures is the increase in green spaces, as well as the establishment of control and systematic checks of the rational use of land.

The article will talk about one of the most important for humans natural resources– soil. With the increase in the world population, its importance increases. All agriculture and livestock raising are unthinkable without some fertile soils; the life of forests and many other ecosystems depends on them. However, despite the extreme importance of the issue, land reduction continues. According to various estimates, about 2 billion hectares of soil are in the stage of degradation, which is about 15% of the land surface. To better imagine the scale of this disaster, we can say that the area of ​​degraded soil exceeds the area of ​​Russia. An increase in waste, harmful chemicals and fertilizers used in agriculture, and unwise use of land for construction and livestock farming are the main causes of soil degradation. The damage caused by humanity leads to consequences that no state can cope with alone. Globalization leaves no choice but to jointly solve problems that go beyond the borders of one state.

Methodology of modern soil purification from technogenic pollution

This section examines the applicability of soil purification methods that meet the problems of the consequences of polluting technogenic use of land in the conditions of modern civilization and its technically developed culture. The determination of the soil cleaning method is determined by many circumstances, the most important of which are the type of soil contamination (hydrocarbons, heavy metals, various chemicals, etc.), the nature of the soil (permeable or not, its granularity, humidity, acidity, etc. ) and future expected regulatory imperatives in relation to its ecological state. Mainly, soil cleanup consists of making the surface of the earth and its subsoil suitable for new industrial or domestic use in a given area, even returning it to its original natural state or ensuring its suitability for agricultural use after it has been polluted by an emergency or man-made activity. . Thus, in modern industrial states with a progressive environmental culture, two fundamental approaches are used when working on the problem of soil cleanup. The first is “universal-functional”, which involves cleaning the soil prior to measurements that meet local regulatory imperatives for the concentration of man-made pollutants and guarantees any further use of the treated land. To date, various methods have been developed for the “improvement” of the land, which have become a response to the existing variety of circumstances of soil contamination. Their main idea is to either partially or completely remove pollutants from the soil, or neutralize or destroy them in it. Soil cleanup methods can be divided into three categories: off-site, on-site and on-site. The first two usually require the extraction of land to be cultivated, while the latter is carried out on site by incorporating a cleaning process into the area. There is one last organizational method - soil conservation, but it is not, strictly speaking, cleaning. It is simply about preventing the spread of contaminants by installing impermeable barriers (geomembranes, concrete barriers, layers of clay, etc.) between the polluted and healthy environments. Such a remedy is resorted to in cases where other methods are ineffective, and in anticipation of the discovery of a technology capable of meeting the task of full-fledged soil treatment. Before starting the soil cleanup itself, a study of the nature and origin of pollution is usually carried out, with the aim of specifically identifying the pollutants themselves, designating the space and volume of land to be processed.

The following are consistently carried out: studying the history of the area and the activities carried out on it; logging and physical and chemical study of found pollutants; laboratory assessment and, if necessary, preliminary on-site testing of various soil treatment methods and processes; finally, an initial report and design for clearing the land (usually drawn up with the future use of the area in mind). History shows that the original method of cleanup was soil replacement: soil was removed to the full thickness of the contamination and replaced with clean soil taken from another location. In addition to the resulting transportation costs, the cost of storing or processing contaminated soil is commensurate with its transported volumes, which directly depend on the area and depth of the contaminated territory. It is worth noting that contaminated soil is considered industrial waste from the moment of excavation and it can retain its malignant state for hundreds of years. When considering soil purification methods, they should be distinguished by the nature of their action during application into two main categories: physicochemical and biological. Physico-chemical methods are carried out in two directions: cultivating the soil “in situ” - in the soil layers, or processing it “on the ground” through excavation. The first direction of physico-chemical methods is to inject into the soil liquids or gases under pressure that can decompose pollutants in cases where they are known. Therefore, contaminated soil can be gradually treated on site. This technique involves the launch of a temporary industrial processing plant to perform the percolation or gas injection process, and subsequently extract the leach products and their subsequent processing. This technique is suitable for breathable soils, with the use of volatile solvents (for example, chlorinated): special wells allow for the injection process and subsequent vapor recovery. In cases with sandy soils and in the presence of volatile or semi-volatile pollutants (including hydrocarbons), evacuation is carried out directly using a vacuum pump; the resulting vapors are treated by catalytic oxidation, condensation by cooling or adsorption by activated carbon.

In addition, to increase the effectiveness of this technique, the soil can be heated (via microwaves). Actually, heat treatment can itself represent a separate method of soil cleaning that does not require excavation. In this way, many pollutants can be completely or partially removed, but not heavy metals (due to the problem of their further condensation). This is one of the most commonly used treatment methods and involves heating the soil to temperatures ranging between 80°C and 450°C in an oxygen-poor environment to evaporate the contaminants. Once the pollutants vaporize, they either oxidize or decompose (sometimes converting into carbon dioxide or water), or are sent to a special installation for processing air and steam. Another method of physicochemical purification, which is fundamentally different from the previous ones, is electrochemical treatment. As part of this technology, electrodes with DC. The essence of the technique is that in most soils, in the smallest holes (pores) between grains of earth, there is a certain content of liquids, salt solutions, which are endowed with electrical conductivity. Also, to implement this technique, chemical reagents or solutions of surfactants are used. Pollutants tend to become diluted in soil fluid, and as a result of their passage electric current they are subjected to such "processing" processes as electrochemical oxidation, electrolysis, electrocoagulation and electroflotation. Subsequently, pollutants migrate to the electrodes, from which they are then removed. It is worth noting that this technique is suitable for low-permeability soil conditions. Another effective physical-kinetic method for treating contaminants in the layers of the earth is the use of ultrasound. With the onset of a critical level of pressure sound waves, a cavitation effect is formed in soil liquids, and when cavitation bubbles collapse, shock flows arise that break down pollutants or wash them away from solid grains of soil. In addition, cavitation ruptures lead to ionization and stimulation of the transformation of molecules, and then to their oxidation and processing. It should be noted that under restrictive technical and material circumstances, the methods described above can also be implemented “on the ground” - not in the soil, but on its surface. However, within the framework of the second direction of physical and chemical methods, there is a technique that fundamentally requires soil excavation - “washing” the soil. The purpose of the technique is to separate the smallest particles, in which pollutants are mainly concentrated, or to enclose these pollutants in a liquid solution (water, acid): after excavation, the earth is sifted, solutions of surfactants or strong oxidizing agents are added to it; Air bubbles injected into the resulting mixture transport phases containing pollutants based on the principle of hydrophobic affinity. This technique is suitable for to varying degrees in relation to most pollutants, at the same time, it leads to the contamination of a significant volume of water, which in turn needs to be recycled. Finally, the second main category of land cleaning methods is biological. This type of cleaning technique has been developing since the 1990s. and is based on the ability of some biological species filter, accumulate and decompose harmful substances in your body, or even eat them. It is believed that this method of processing contaminated soil can resolve some of the difficulties associated with the cost of classical approaches and can be applied “on site” as the most gentle method of land cleanup (biodegradation, bioimmobilization, bioleaching). In turn, this technique is divided into two fundamental areas: phytoremediation and microbiological remediation. The direction of phytoremediation involves growing specific genera of plants on soils contaminated with pollutants. Many plants are capable of containing heavy metals, radionuclides, polluting organic compounds and other undesirable substances in their cells. Some plants produce enzymes that break down such pollutants into less or non-harmful compounds. For example, peat has an effective decomposing effect and does not require long-term adaptation to contaminated soil. Plants are also selected for their size and ability to sink their root systems deep into the soil, as well as the type of pollutants they are able to absorb. In order to eliminate the vast majority of pollutants, a series of phytoremediation cycles should be carried out. This method tillage of the land ends with the removal and destruction of the applied plants. The remaining ash from combustion is an unsafe waste and must be disposed of, in particular by recovering the remaining metals and reusing them in metallurgy. The second direction of the biological cleaning technique is microbiological remediation, which involves the targeted stimulation of the vital activity of certain soil microflora and the introduction of cultures of specific microorganisms. Many bacteria are capable of decomposing complex molecules and thus extract the energy necessary for life. In addition, bioventilation seems to be a direct and relatively simple technology for activating microflora in the processes of breaking down soil pollutants. The essence of this method is that the oxygen necessary to stimulate earth microorganisms in their function of decomposing pollutants is driven into the soil contaminated with pollutants through a provided system of vertical and horizontal wells. As a result of exposure to oxygen flows, pollutants (liquid and semi-liquid) are transported through the soil. By the time oxygen streams reach the surface, most pollutants are processed and decomposed by soil microflora. Thus, the amount of pollutants in the exhaust gases is significantly reduced. However, although the technique of microbiological soil remediation is generally confirmed in laboratory tests, its application in real conditions may be unsatisfactory, for example, if the local content of pollutants is excessive, or if the area is endowed with specific features that impede the growth and spread of the mentioned microorganisms. In addition, it was subsequently noted that such a method of soil purification in the case of some pollutants can lead to the formation of decomposition products that are more harmful in nature and mobile in the soil than the original substances. In addition, such metabolites will be different depending on the oxygen conditions of the life of the corresponding soil microflora. Research is currently underway to identify the types of microorganisms responsible for the decomposition of each type of pollutant. To summarize, it should be noted that none of the methods presented above can completely clean up land that has been contaminated as a result of many years of uncontrolled emissions of industrial waste. In practice, to achieve the best results, several cleaning methods are usually combined to optimize the removal of contaminants. As a result, the obtained indicators reach an acceptable level that corresponds to the standards for the maximum permissible content of the most harmful pollutants and in accordance with the future use of the land. As a result of the cleaning treatment, it is recommended that the area in the future be made available for non-industrial use (at least for this type of use, which is fundamentally different from the previous one in its technogenic effects on the structure and properties of the soil, and, most importantly, does not contribute to its uniform quality depletion ), acceptable with characteristics achieved by an appropriate degree of purification, since, in fact, we are not talking about completely returning the land to its state prior to contamination (full purification) due to excessive cost modern processes cleaning treatment combined with scales for their possible applications. Consequently, the dominant criterion in determining the parameters of the task regarding the degree of soil cleanup remains, based on practical considerations, its subsequent probable purpose. Thus, the need for subsequent use of the contaminated area becomes a practical incentive to clean up its soil. On the other hand, regulatory imperatives increasingly make it mandatory to clean up land upon completion of its technogenic polluting use. Such factors have led to the emergence of a whole market for soil treatment, with the creation of companies specializing in this type of activity, relating to both the detection and analysis of pollutants and soil cleaning itself. Some enterprises, whose activities by their nature have an inevitable polluting effect, have gone ahead and progressively adapted to such motivating and obliging factors, organizing their own specialized departments for the cleaning of used areas. As a result, we can make the assumption that the issue of comprehensive elaboration of the conditions for the systematic application of soil purification methods within the framework of a modern technically developed culture is keyly dependent not only on the mentioned practical considerations, but on the national and international legal regulation of the industry under consideration

Desertification

According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, desertification is defined as the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climate change and human activities. Most drylands are found in developing countries, accounting for about 43% of all cultivated land. Soil degradation results in approximately US$42 billion in agricultural production losses per year. One way or another, about 30% of artificially irrigated lands, 47% of agricultural lands moistened by natural precipitation and 73% of pasture lands are in the stage of desertification. Every year, from 1.5 million to 2.5 million hectares of irrigated land, from 3.5 million to 4 million hectares of agricultural land moistened by natural precipitation, and about 35 million hectares of pasture land completely or partially lose productivity.

Desertification occurs when the ecological balance is disrupted. Weather anomalies can also be reasons for this, but very often human activity is the decisive factor. Deforestation, improper irrigation methods, overuse of land, and frequent grazing of livestock in one place are the most common reasons for the spread of deserts. Ironically, it is the human desire to reduce the need for food that leads to desertification. Deforestation for new fields, grazing of ever larger herds, over-branched irrigation that depletes reservoirs and groundwater, refusal of crop rotation.

Erosion

Destruction and removal of the upper most fertile horizons and underlying rocks by wind (wind erosion) or water flows (water erosion). Lands that have been destroyed by erosion are called eroded. Every 50 years, the area of ​​soil eroded on Earth increases 10-fold. It carries away nutrients from the soil (phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium) in greater quantities than those added with fertilizers, which also disrupts the structure of the soil. The productivity of such soil decreases by 35-70%, and within several years. Erosion carries away from 25 to 40 billion tons of topsoil annually, which significantly reduces crop yields and soil properties, the ability to store nutrients and water. Unless measures are taken to reduce erosion, total crop losses are projected to be equivalent to the removal of 1.5 million landmass by 2050 (roughly the equivalent of all arable land in India).

The main cause of erosion is excessive plowing, drainage and plowing of floodplains, severe floods due to drainage of swamps and deforestation, improper crop rotation, plowing of water protection zones, and overgrazing. In Russia, more than half of the area of ​​agricultural land (57%) is prone to erosion and eroded. The area of ​​erosion-hazardous and eroded arable land makes up 65% of the total area of ​​used land. At least 400-650 million tons of soil are lost annually.

Ways to resolve the problem

Soil degradation occurs for various reasons. Accordingly, the solution to the problem must be based on a specific situation. One of the most serious of these problems is desertification. From the United Nations Program to Combat Soil Degradation (adopted June 1992): When combating desertification of rangelands, rain-fed croplands and irrigated croplands, it is necessary to take preventive measures in areas not yet affected or only slightly affected by this process ; Measures should be taken to correct the current situation in order to maintain the productivity of drylands affected by moderate desertification; and measures should be taken to rehabilitate drylands that are seriously or very seriously affected by desertification.

In general, measures to improve soil properties are called reclamation. This concept includes engineering work (to combat erosion or waterlogging) and chemical treatment (to combat oxidation, etc.). To combat other causes of land degradation, it is necessary to optimize land use and limit the use of certain types of fertilizers and pesticides. One of the difficult issues to resolve is the reduction of industrial emissions and the prevention of man-made disasters. For reasons of high cost, few countries are willing to specifically upgrade industrial infrastructure for soil protection.

Regional specifics

Saint Petersburg the second largest city in Russia. The city is distinguished by a long history and developed industry, which influenced the condition of its mail and soil.

In urban areas there are no natural soil types, and specific organomineral formations with one or another admixture of construction and household waste are formed. Soil condition settlements is of great importance for assessing the environmental condition of the city. Although no food products are planned to be grown on urban soils, they reflect the ecological state of the city and can be a secondary pollutant of the surface atmospheric layer. In addition to secondary effects, it can also indicate an impact directly on human health - especially on children - due to direct contact and ingestion of soils and soils into the body.

The Committee for Environmental Management, Environmental Protection and Environmental Safety of the Government of St. Petersburg has been conducting research on the city’s soil for many years and assessing its contamination. Typically, tests are first carried out in public areas and places of increased environmental risk (children's and educational institutions).

According to research in 2008, the Kolpinsky district is considered one of the most polluted. In the same year, an analysis of land allocations planned for construction in the rest of the city was carried out. The Vyborg, Vsevolozhsk, Kingisepp, Tikhvin and Slantsevsky districts are considered among the most polluted in the Leningrad region.

On the territory of Russia, assessment of soil pollution is carried out on the basis of comparison of the analyzes performed and comparison of the results with the rating scale. Indicators above 32 conventional units are considered hazardous to health.

Thanks to research on soil quality analysis conducted by the Russian Geoecological Center on orders from the Committee for Natural Resources, Environmental Protection and Environmental Safety of the Government of St. Petersburg, the largest archive of data on heavy metal pollution is stored, which allows planning environmental measures and is necessary for planning investment projects.

The UN General Assembly declared 2015 the International Year of Soils. St. Petersburg also took part and several events took place.

1. Conducting the student International Conference “XVIII Dokuchaev Youth Readings” in St. Petersburg (March 2–5, 2015), dedicated to the International Year of Soils.

2. Conducted on the basis of the Central Museum of Soil Science named after. V.V. Dokuchaev school section of the International Conference “XVIII Dokuchaev Youth Readings” in St. Petersburg (March 2, 2015), dedicated to the International Year of Soils.

4. Performances in media mass media: newspapers, television, radio devoted to the problems of soil conservation.

5. Day open doors at the Central Museum of Soil Science named after. V.V. Dokuchaev for the children of St. Petersburg “The Earth-Nurse”, dedicated to June 1 (International Children's Day).

6. Popular science lectures by leading scientists of St. Petersburg State University on global problems soil science.

7. Exhibition “Native Land”.

8. Exhibition “Soil-Artist”.

9. Popular lectures on soil science by museum staff for schoolchildren and preschoolers in St. Petersburg.

10. Carrying out school Olympiad"Underground Kingdom"

Probably the brightest of them was held on December 4-6, when International Soil Day is celebrated. On December 4th there were several events: excursion “St. Petersburg - the cradle of genetic soil science”; report by the director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Central Museum of Soil Science named after. V.V. Dokuchaeva (TsMP), head. Department of Soil Science and Soil Ecology of the Institute of Geosciences of St. Petersburg State University, Vice-President of the Society of Soil Scientists named after. V.V. Dokuchaeva, prof. B.F. Aparin “Soils – a mirror of the landscape” and round table“The role of youth in the popularization of soil science” (responsible executor: graduate student, senior researcher at the Center for MP Elena Mingareeva). On December 5th, a large-scale city event “Soil Parade” was held, dedicated to World Day soils and the International Year of Soils (responsible executive: deputy director for scientific work TsMP, Associate Professor, Department of Soil Science and Soil Ecology, Institute of Geosciences, St. Petersburg State University, Elena Sukhacheva). A last day there were 2 events: innovative scientific and educational complexes of the Central Museum of Soil Science named after. V.V. Dokuchaeva - acquaintance with the exposition and round table "Experience of work of students and graduate students of St. Petersburg State University with schoolchildren."

Resolutions adopted within the framework of international relations on the issue

It is clear that soil degradation is a serious international problem. Despite this, the world community pays less attention to this issue than, for example, water or air. Legislation regulating the condition or use of soil is insufficiently developed either at the national or international levels. There is no single document covering all aspects related to soils. This section will present the most basic ones.

One of the goals of further human development, as stated in UN General Assembly resolution 64/201, is the restoration of degraded lands, especially under the negative impact of climate change. On a global scale, major global cooperation on conservation is discussed at UN environmental conferences or Earth Summits. Summits took place in 1972, 1992, 2002, 2012.

The “Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa” is dedicated to solving the problem of desertification. In 1977, at a UN conference dedicated to this problem, an action plan to combat desertification was adopted. Despite this, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) concluded in 1991 that the problem of land degradation had worsened. Therefore, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, the issue of desertification was widely discussed. The conference proposed to the UN General Assembly to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a new convention to combat desertification by June 1994, which was approved in December 1992 by resolution 47/188. The Convention was adopted in Paris on June 17, 1994 and came into force in 1996. To implement the Convention, the creation of a Conference of Parties was provided for. From 1997 to 2001, conferences were held annually, then twice a year. The 8th Conference of the Parties, held in September 2007 in Madrid, adopted a Strategic Plan to enhance implementation of the convention from 2008 to 2018.

Various UN agencies provide assistance in the fight against desertification. UNDP (United Nations Development Program) sponsors efforts to combat desertification through its Dryland Development Center in Kenya. IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) has committed US$3.5 billion to dryland development projects over more than 27 years. The World Bank organizes and finances programs aimed at protecting fragile drylands and increasing their agricultural productivity. FAO (Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) promotes sustainable agricultural development by providing broad practical assistance to governments. UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) supports regional programs of action, data assessment, capacity building and public awareness of the issue. Various aspects of soil protection are also addressed in sectoral international agreements, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Aarhus Protocol on Heavy Metals, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage , Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

It should be noted that in Russian legislation there are examples of legal regulation of the fight against this negative factor. So, in state program development of agriculture and regulation of markets for agricultural products, raw materials and food for 2013 - 2020, the fight against desertification and soil erosion is recognized as an important part of the agricultural policy of the Russian Federation.

Conclusion

The modern globalizing world opens up before us both a lot of new opportunities and a lot of new problems. Among these problems, one of the most serious is environmental. An increase in population, a gradual increase in the global standard of living, and an expansion of the middle class lead to an increase in consumption, and therefore production. For nature, meeting our needs has two main consequences: resource depletion and landfill growth. It is obvious that irreparable damage has already been caused to the Earth. The consequences of our actions threaten all living things on the planet. However, there is no growth model without the use of natural resources yet. Developed countries can afford to invest huge amounts of money in modernizing production, reducing emissions, and introducing “green” technologies, but others can hardly. This means that saving the Earth is possible only through joint efforts.

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