Environmental Degradation in South America

South America is yet another continent troubled by many of the same familiar environmental issues we’ve seen affecting other continents so far, as well as additional degradation concerns unique to their area.  On this continent, levels of motor vehicle use and overall urbanization are much higher than in most developing regions around the world.  According to the article, “Environmental Problems in South America” at the website http://bio.sunyorange.edu, “almost ¾ of residents live in urban areas,” which is largely contributing to air pollution.  Unlike the United States’ implementation of the Clean Air Act, this area does not have an initiative in place to improve air quality at the moment.  As stated in the post, “more than 100 million people reside in areas where air pollution…exceeds limits set by the World Health Organization;” correlating with the increase in asthma rates.

This continent is also dealing with the issue of lack of access to clean water.  In many areas around the world including South America, water is being extracted from the ground at rapid rates, causing dramatic drops in the levels of underground aquifers.  Many areas that desperately need water for drinking and irrigation suffer water shortages during times of drought.

Another pertinent negative environmental occurrence involves eutrophication.  The amount of oxygen dissolved in water can prove a limiting factor for fish communities, which in turn can create a lack of food supply for people who rely on fish to eat or sell.  As the amount of dissolved oxygen continues to drop in bodies of water in South America, fewer and fewer fish can inhabit these waters.  According to the website, “Eutrophication…is a type of pollution which adds nutrients to water where were in short supply.  This occurs when fertilizers (containing nitrates and phosphates) enter the water through agricultural runoff and when the water is polluted with detergents (which contain phosphates).”  This detrimental environmental phenomenon results in the disappearance of many desirable species of fish.

Another issue is simply that of disease.  A number of illnesses can be transmitted through water, such as cholera, typhoid fever, giardia, hepatitis, and polio.  The article goes on to mention, “according to the UN, dirty water and water-born diseases cause 25,000 deaths daily in the developing nations…”

Yet an additional environmental problem lacking initiatives for improvement in South America right now involves ocean dumping and fisheries.  8 million tons of toxic wastes are estimated to be dumped in the oceans each year, with this continent as a significant source of overall ocean pollution.  This continues to occur even though the ocean is such an important food source: “8 million tons of seafood a year provide 16% of the world’s protein.”

South America is reeling from shortages in fuel wood and biofuels, as well.  Biofuels in fact present a potential solution for a few of the environmental issues in this area, as “sugar cane, sugar beets, and corn are the primary crops used to generate ethanol” (rather than depleting precious fossil fuels).  With continuing environmental degradation ranging from deforestation and loss of biodiversity to population growth, there is certainly an alarming lack of reforms that should be brought to the forefront in order to improve the overall wellbeing of the continent of South America.

2 thoughts on “Environmental Degradation in South America

  1. There are some parts of South America that are beautiful and coated in rain forest and rich soil, but the outrageous population density in the urban areas are probably what contribute to most of the environmental degradation. A lot of South America isn’t completely developed, and these areas are rapidly urbanizing. With so many people in one area, it’s hard to maintain sanitation – especially in water.

  2. I think a lot of the problem is that South America is a lot poorer than Europe and the U.S. so finding the money to protect the environment is difficult when they’re lacking money in so many other vital areas. Also corruption and weak governments is quite a big issue so passing and enforcing regulation to protect the environment is difficult. With so many other issues facing South Americans environmental concerns probably aren’t the first that come to mind, which is a shame because they are still very important.

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