Environmental problems of the soil. Abstract: Environmental problems due to soil pollution

Soil pollution has become a pressing problem in our time. Due to excessive chemicalization, chernozem degradation occurs. Modern agricultural chemists already fear the complete degradation of Kuban soils by 2040. The humus content has decreased critically. Fertility is also lost with crops, weeds, rain washout, dust storms, and as a result of wind and water erosion. The fields are already heavily poisoned by pesticides and, despite the fact that some of them are banned for use, others continue to be applied to the soil. But such drugs tend not to decompose for decades. It is not difficult to guess how this deliberate poisoning of the environment will end for humans. Nature is no longer able to independently cleanse its resources from those inventions that our progressive society uses. Therefore, a person must make every effort and take all possible measures to eliminate his own mistakes and protect the environment.

Also, the fields are littered with stones and all kinds of garbage, and all because of unauthorized dumps. It is much more difficult to fight this, because no matter what punishment we come up with for these violators, it is not possible to catch everyone by the hand. Well, if only we set up a 24-hour patrol around each field. But I think that in this case the problem will not be solved, because it does not take much time to empty the garbage. Therefore, there is one last way to solve this problem:

Raising children in the spirit of respect for nature. This needs to start from the moment when a person is just beginning to form as a person. And not just repeat the word “impossible” to him, but explain in accessible language why it is impossible. So that by the time the child opens the Natural History textbook, he has a figurative idea of ​​what nature is and how it should be treated. Of course, this is a long process and more than one generation must mature for the results to be visible. But it seems to me that this is the only effective way to solve this problem. This includes not only environmental, but also ethical standards.

Another problem is that this garbage is burned in the fields with crop residues, and this causes significant damage to the soil. This is easier to deal with. If agronomists themselves do not understand the damage they are causing to their own farms and land, then the authorities should intervene. Create a law under which they would bear administrative responsibility for damage caused to soil resources.

Another serious problem is the introduction into the soil of pesticides - drugs that destroy pests of cultivated plants, herbicides - drugs that destroy weeds, insecticides - drugs that kill insects and fungicides - drugs against fungal diseases. All of them belong to a large group - biocides, i.e. substances that threaten various forms of life. Pests of cultivated plants, no matter what family they belong to, very quickly adapt to any pesticide. The result is mutants on which the poison does not have the proper effect. Therefore, the dose of the administered drug has to be increased or a new one produced. This leads to chemicalization of soils and cultivated plants. The poison enters the human body through food chains, and it is not difficult to guess what consequences it will lead to in the future.

I believe that it is necessary to introduce a ban on the introduction of any biocides into the soil. Pest control must be done exclusively biologically, creating complex ecosystems. Moreover, they must be developed in such a way that the trophic relationship obeys the law of the “Pyramid of Numbers”.

The lands are currently severely depleted and damaged due to irrational use, neglect and the introduction of more and more new drugs into them. Maybe enough experimentation? It's time to stop and think about what will happen to the earth and humanity if society continues to solve some problems by creating others.

Environmental law – problems and solutions Describe the main elements of the decision-making process: goal setting – situation assessment – ​​problem identification – solution. Show with a specific example THE CONCEPT OF “ECOLOGICAL RELATIONS” ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE MODERN RUSSIAN STATE

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: preserving the 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. The purity and composition of the atmosphere, ground and underground waters depend on the nature of the soil cover, the properties of the soil, and the chemical and biochemical processes occurring in the soils. 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.; and also 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 of the overall human impact

society on the earth's crust and its upper layer, on 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.

The soils around large 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 other 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 the chemical composition of the 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. Disposal of industrial and household waste to landfills leads to pollution and irrational use of land, creates real threats of significant pollution of the atmosphere, surface and ground waters, increased transportation 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 it does prevent their spread in the 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. Various methods are used locally: 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 on strictly scientific principles, 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 the death of both whole plants and their individual parts, organic substances enter the soil (root and ground decline). 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 the 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, decomposing complex organic and mineral substances into 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 land protection, it includes a system of organizational, economic, legal, engineering and other measures aimed at protecting them from theft, unreasonable withdrawals from agricultural circulation, irrational use, harmful anthropogenic and natural influences, in order to increase the efficiency of environmental management and create a favorable ecological situation.
Land protection and its rational use are carried out on the basis of an 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 environmentally friendly, resource-saving in nature and provide for soil conservation, limiting impacts on flora and fauna, geological rocks and other components of the 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 at their own expense 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 of the Russian Federation adopted a resolution “approving the regulations on the procedure for exercising state control over the use and protection of lands.” Specially authorized state bodies exercising state control over the use and protection of lands 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, Ministry of Architecture, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation and local authorities of 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

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

Recently, human impact on nature has increased significantly, so there is a threat of depletion of certain resources. In addition, the scale of waste emissions into nature has increased. This also affected soils, which are the most important component of the biosphere and determine many of the processes occurring in it. It is a base for human settlement, and therefore the consequences of soil pollution must be prevented whenever possible.

Soil and its importance in human life

This is a natural formation of great importance for humans. Primarily as a source of food. In addition, soil cover is involved in creating an optimally positive environment for people’s life, rest and work.

Thanks to the land resources of our planet, it is possible to provide the necessary food products to a population much larger than the number currently living on Earth. Soil is also a regulator of the chemical composition of the hydrosphere and atmosphere.

Types of soil pollution

The consequences of soil pollution can be minimized, but this requires a good knowledge of what types and sources exist.

The main soil pollutants are: mineral fertilizers, pesticides (pesticides), gas and smoke emissions into the atmosphere, industrial waste, oil and petroleum products.

Pesticides are chemicals widely used in agriculture to control weeds and pests. Accumulating in the soil, they can be transmitted through the food chain and cause serious diseases in animals and people. The production of pesticides is constantly growing in the world, which has an extremely negative impact on health.

Mineral fertilizers can also cause soil pollution and its consequences. This happens as a result of their use in unreasonable quantities, with losses during production or transportation.

Waste and industrial waste also lead to intense soil pollution. Considerable areas of land are occupied by landfills, many of which are toxic.

Gas and smoke emissions cause enormous harm to the normal functioning of soils. Industrial enterprises emit pollutants (heavy metals), which are especially dangerous for people, and which the soil can accumulate.

As a result of imperfect oil production technology, one of the most pressing environmental problems in our country is the contamination of the upper layer of the lithosphere with oil and its products.

Scale of the problem

In our age of scientific and technological breakthrough, the negative impact of humans on nature as a whole, and especially on the upper layer of the lithosphere, has increased significantly. The nature of the earth changes due to human intervention.

The main consequences of impact on soil are the following:

• erosion;
• desertification;
• waterlogging;
• pollution.

Recently, the issue of lithosphere pollution has become particularly acute; in particular, attention should be paid to such problems as sources of soil pollution, the consequences of pollution and solutions.

Sources

The main factors causing soil pollution are the following:

• household enterprises and residential buildings (food waste, household garbage, feces, garbage from public organizations);
• agriculture (pesticides, fertilizers);
• industrial enterprises (heavy metals);
• transport (exhaust gases settling on the soil surface).

Consequences

Pollution is the ingress of various types of waste, toxic substances, and chemicals into it, which lead to an inevitable result. The consequences of soil pollution are inevitable and include: changes in the terrain, its structure, subsidence and movement of rocks, and activation of dangerous geological processes. All this has an extremely negative effect on the vital activity of microorganisms in the soil cover and fertility. The ecosystem itself is being destroyed. The negative consequences undoubtedly affect the health of the population, which is getting worse with each generation.

Ways to solve the problem

Green spaces can play an important role in the process of soil restoration. If you create a continuous green strip of hawthorn or maple along the highway, then a significant part will be absorbed by them. The most contaminated areas can also be used for forest planting.

The consequences of soil pollution can be reduced by recycling waste. It would be useful to introduce strict control over the use of mineral fertilizers. Pesticide contamination can be reduced by improving their composition and preventing accumulation in the soil. As an alternative to pesticides, it is quite possible to use insect predators, the so-called biological protection (these are ants, ground beetles, ladybugs). For construction, land unsuitable for agriculture should be taken. Also, whenever possible, it is necessary to carry out withdrawals from oil.

This soil has colossal natural wealth. The causes and consequences of soil pollution remain today one of the most pressing issues that specialists must closely address. At the moment, this problem is one of the most important tasks of humanity. It can be solved only if you approach the issue comprehensively, without missing out on little things or making concessions.

The article will focus on one of the most important natural resources for humans - soil. As the world population increases, 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 soils 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 the pollution is usually carried out, with the goal of specifically identifying the pollutants themselves, designating the space and volume of land to be treated.

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 running a temporary industrial processing plant to perform the percolation or gas injection process, and subsequently extract the leach products and subsequently process them. 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 are released into steam, they are either oxidized or decomposed (sometimes converted into carbon dioxide or water) or sent to a special air and steam processing plant. Another method of physicochemical purification, which is fundamentally different from the previous ones, is electrochemical treatment. As part of this technology, electrodes with direct current are installed in the contaminated ground. 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 be diluted in the soil liquid, and as a result of the passage of electric current, they are subjected to such “recycling” 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 of 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 to varying degrees for most pollutants, but it leads to the contamination of a significant volume of water, which in turn needs to be processed. 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 to filter, accumulate and decompose harmful substances in their bodies, or even consume them as food. 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 no 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 of tillage 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 extracting 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 the excessive cost of modern purification processes in combination with the scale 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 as a result of 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

St. Petersburg is 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. The condition of soils in populated areas is of great importance for assessing the ecological state 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. Speeches in the media: newspapers, television, radio, dedicated to the problems of soil conservation.

5. Open day 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 of 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. Holding the 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 are a mirror of the landscape” and a round table “The role of youth in the popularization of soil science” (lead: 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 Soil Day and the International Year of Soils (responsible: Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Center for MP, Associate Professor of the Department of Soil Science and Soil Ecology of the Institute of Geosciences of St. Petersburg State University Elena Sukhacheva). And on the 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. Thus, in the state program for the 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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