We need to change!

More and the human race is uplifting its existence in this Earth, the more and more it has been hampering the planet due to over exploitation. With the rapid industrial development, many things of the environment have been depleted such as the quality of air, water, land and climate change has been prominent at the present day. We human kind have not thought about the consequences that would occur in the present back in the past. It's not that some efforts were made to create a sustainable productivity and development running green and environmental friendly. But they had not been really considered.
But the time has now come for all of us to realize that we need to change. We need to change for us, our future and our future generations. What we are suffering now is from all kinds of environmental problems like global warming, depletion of ozone layer, lack of adequate energy, environment pollution, biodiversity loss etc. These problems have caused negative impact in the life of each and every living organisms from the microscopic singular cellular organisms to the largest creature as blue whale. Poaching and hunting has already endangered many creatures and some have been lost for ever. Due to this the whole ecosystem depending on it is in jeopardy. Much of our oceans have been used as fishing area due to which much of the aquatic animals have less prey to devour on. The human interference in the animal ecosystem has caused a great deal of damage that will take many years to repaired. The industrial revolution has made humans able to mass produce human consumption products hampering the environmental health.
In the present, can we assure that the air is fresh and good to breath? Is the water pollutant free? Is the land chemicals free? The answer is no. Why has the present condition prevailing in the first place. The answer is ignorance and the human nature to explore but not care for the the negative aspects it brings about with the exploration. We humans have brought the whole planet in this situation and we humans have to work effectively to protect the environment and its inhabitants including ourselves. We should be able to assure an insured future for our future generations and the existence of life on Earth.
We should raise awareness among the people about the reasons for the environmental hazards we are facing today and ask them to be unified against the activities that cause these problems to occur. We have the power to change the current environmental condition. Why should the other creatures that are not responsible for degrading the environment suffer for our deeds. The question now arises that what should we do to change our environment. Should we help by donating millions and millions of dollars bring back the lost environment? No, the first thing we should do is we need to change. We need to change our behaviors that hampers the environment. Any activity that we do should be environment friendly. What we should not forget is that Earth is our home along with billions of creatures and we should be responsible to protect it and its inhabitants. We humans should be guided by "live and let live" ideology. Every organisms on Earth have the equal rights. Why not take a simple yet powerful step towards the modern day environmental challenges. Why cant we say, "We need to change"?

Ozone Layer, why do we need it?

Ozone is a pale blue gas formed in the stratosphere of atmosphere. It is formed in the atmosphere by absorption of certain radiations by the oxygen. When oxygen absorbs radiations, it is dissociated into nascent oxygen and then combine with other oxygen molecules to form ozone.
In the stratosphere, there is a thick layer of ozone called ozonosphere. It extends from 17 to 50 kilometers from the surface of the Earth.It absorbs all the harmful radiations coming from Sun and the space. It acts as a protective shield for living organisms on the Earth. If there were no layer of ozone in the atmosphere then, the harmful ultraviolet radiations and highly energetic particles coming from space would enter the Earth's surface and cause damage to the living organisms. In addition to that, the ozonosphere also absorbs the shortwave ultraviolet radiations capable of heating the lower atmosphere and saves the atmosphere from overheating.Ozone layer is important for all living organisms.
According to environmental scientists,the ozone layer is getting depleted due to the action of chlorofluro carbons(CFCs) and oxides of nitrogen. CFCs are also known as feron and are a group of non-toxic, non-inflammable and cheaply produced chemicals. The ferons are released by spray cans, refrigerators, air conditioners, various industries, research laboratories , burning foam products etc. and the oxides of nitrogen are released by jet liners and nitrogenous fertilizers. They reach the stratosphere and destroy the ozonosphere and it is depleted. Due to the release of CFCs and oxides of nitrogen in the atmosphere, a large number of holes have been found in stratosphere. A large ozone hole was reported over Antarctica where ozone content dropped by 30 percent from its original value.
The depletion of ozone layer can cause many destructive effects. Over exposure of UV radiation can cause skin burn; skin, lung and breast cancer, leukemia, cataracts etc. It may also damage DNA leading to mutation of genes. Depletion of ozone layer may also cause the loss of different plants from terrestrial and aquatic habitats. It may also reduce crop productivity. The depletion of ozone layer may bring about scientific changes in climate and cause green house effect leading to global warming.
Therefore, we should protect the ozone layer to protect our environment from various kinds of hazards. The ozone layer in the atmosphere can be protected with many efforts. We should ban production and use of CFCs. We should avoid foam products and find alternatives for them and other CFC products. We should also make efforts to recapture the CFCs released from air conditioners, refrigerators and other machines using them. We should avoid the release of oxides of nitrogen. We should bring awareness about the importance of ozone layer and effects of ozone layer depletion in people. We should be able to work effectively against the ozone layer depletion for the betterment and conservation of our environment.

Energy Crisis, the problem that we can face in the near future. What can we do?

Energy is the most important part of our life which is obtained from various sources. For sustaining our lives, the major source of energy are the sun, water, coal, natural gases, L.P. gases, petroleum products, wood etc. Out of these energies, some are renewable and some are non-renewable. At present world, more and more energy has been used up due to over population. One one hand, there has been an over exploitation of the non-renewable sources of energy: and , on the other hand, there has not been enough search for renewable sources of energy. For example, the petroleum products, coal etc. are being finished in their mines; the forests are being reduced; and the ground water level has decreased. The rate of consumption of the fuel energy is so rapid that they can not last for long time. If the present rate of consumption of fuel energy is continued and no alternative sources of energy are brought in, the fuels like coal, petroleum etc. will be evacuated as. As result, the world is likely to face a serious problem of energy scarcity. such scarcity of energy is known as energy crisis.
It is necessary to conserve energy. There should be economical use of energy. We must also start looking for alternative sources of energy. The main cause of energy crisis is over population. The most effective step to prevent energy crisis can be the control of world's population. The use of non-renewable sources of energy should be avoided and they should be replaced by use of renewable source of energy. Situation should be created for the renewable sources to be reproduced. Household appliances such as tube lights , bulbs, fans, heaters, air conditioners etc. should be switched only when they are in use and devices based on solar energy should be encouraged. More efficient devices which use less amount of energy should be used. All leaking gas pipes, fuel pipes, water pipes etc. should be repaired on time. Deforestation should be stopped and forestation should be implemented. Awareness about the importance of energy conservation should be created in people.

Green House Effect

When solar radiations fall on the Earth, it is absorbed by Earth. Some part of heat energy is absorbed by the Earth is emitted back into the space. For this, some of the gases in the lower atmosphere act like the glass in a green house i.e. it allow the Sun radiation to pass through them and fall onto the Earth and do not allow the infra-red radiation emitted by the Earth to pass into the space. Some part of heat are trapped by the gases is sent back to the Earth's surface. The heat sent back to the Earth surface and the heat absorbed by the gases heat up the lower atmosphere and the surface of Earth. this Heating of Earth surface is called green house effect. The gases responsible for green house effect are carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, chlorofluorocarbon carbons(CF Cs), etc.
The major sources of green house gases are various carbon dioxide releasing human activities like burning of fossil fuels(coal, oil, natural gases etc.), industrial activities, automobiles, aircraft, thermal power stations; methane releasing activities like domestic wastage and sewage; chlurofloro carbon releasing activities like burning of foam products,use of spray cans, use of coolant in refrigerators and air conditioners etc. ,deforestation and reduction of ground cover and burning of grass lands and natural oils, forest fire, bio-decomposition of nitrous fertilizers.
When The green gases in the troposphere of the atmosphere absorb the radiations emitted by the Earth, the air around the Earth becomes. In fact this warmth of Earth's atmosphere is necessary for sustaining lives on it. If there were no green house gases, all the heat radiations emitted by the Earth would escape into the space. As a result, the Earth would ve inhospitably cold and life would not exist on it. Therefore, green house effect is very important and responsible for sustaining lives on the Earth.
However, due to the over concentration of green house gases in the atmosphere caused bya human activities, the surface of Earth and the air close to it are overheated. The overheating of the air in the lower surface is the global warming.
green house effect helps in spreading diseases like malaria and filariasis. It helps breeding, growth and spreading of insects. It also increases the temperature of the atmosphere and brings about changes in the rainfall pattern. Global warming evaporates terrestrial water and leads to shortage of drinking water. The yields of crops reduces due to green house effect due to the reduction of soil moisture.
Green house effect can be controlled by increasing forestation and banning deforestation activities, reducing use of fossil fuels, banning use of CF Cs,increasing the efficiencies of internal combustion engines, using unleaded petrol in vehicles and using bio gas.

Environmental Pollution and Pollutants

There has been a continuous or non-interrupted interaction between the organisms and their environments. In the interaction, a large number of extraneous matters and energy are liberated into the environment. When the liberated matters and energy in the environment exceeds its normal concentration, ti is extremely harmful for the living organisms. Such unfavorable or undesirable effect of the environment which is caused due to the over exploitation of the interaction of between the organisms and the environment is called environmental pollution. Or in other words, any undesirable change(which may be physical, chemical or biological) that takes place in the environment and has adverse effect in the organisms is called pollution.
Any living or non-living thing or any physical or chemical agent whose presence in excess makes any part of the environment undesirable or uncomfortable for living lives on Earth is called pollutant. For example, water contaminated with chemical or any waste material is not desirable for drinking and also for aquatic lives. Air containing dust ,smoke, and more carbon dioxide is uncomfortable for breathing.Similarly, high concentration of chemical fertilizers such as nitrogen phosphorous and potassium in soil is not suitable for yielding crops. So, the over concentration of chemicals, the waste materials, dust, smoke,etc. are pollutants.
Some of the common pollutants are deposited substances such as smoke, dust, soot etc.;solid waste like plastic bags, pieces of glass and metals; economic poisons like herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides and other biocides; complex organic compounds like benzene, ether, acetic acid etc.; fertilizers, radioactive wastes , noise ,heat etc.
Human beings are the most effected component of environment. The effect of pollution on human beings toxicological. High dose of some kind of pollutant can be fatal as well. The pollution causes many diseases on human. For example, polluted water a large number of diseases. Chemical pollutants cause injury to plants and reduce their growth and vegetation; and finely reduce crop yield. For example, Sulfur dioxide, hydrogen florid and photochemical smog can cause injury to the plant.Similarly, air pollution , water pollution and radiation pollution can bring complex changes in plants. Animals also get affected by the pollution. Polluted water can kill millions of aquatic lives; pollution in lakes and rivers can kill fishes, frogs, snakes etc. living there. The pollution can also cause deterioration on living things. For example, pollutants like sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid can corrode metals and other building materials. The suspended particles or dissolved organic compounds in water can reduce life in machines as pumps and industrial equipments. Similarly, noise can produce a pressure more than 100 N/meter square which can cause destruction of buildings.
Therefore, it is necessary that we should to use our resources sustainably and not over exploiting the natural resources. We should try not to use the things which are harmful to the environment and its components.

Have you ever wondered what a Black Hole is?

Black hole is the region in the space where nothing, even the light cannot escape. It appears black because the light hitting its region cannot return back. Despite the fact that we cannot view the interior part of black hole, we can still view its interaction with the other matters around its region.

The structure of black hole are all alike although they are of different masses and sizes. A black hole's entire mass is concentrated in an almost infinitely mall and dense point also known as singularity. This singularity is surrounded by the event horizon at which the escape velocity exceeds the velocity of light. A rotating black hole is surrounded by a region called ergo sphere, which in black hole drags the space itself.
Matter is compressed so tightly in a black hole that no other natural force can balance it. In a normal star, eg. the Sun, the inward pull of gravity is balanced by the outward pressure of the nuclear reactions in its core. In the collapsed stars which are also known as white dwarfs or neurons, the other forces stops the collapse. If there is too much mass in a given volume, the body reaches critical density where nothing can prevent it from forming a black hole. Because gravity overcomes the other forces of nature, a singularity follows its own laws of physics. Time and space as we know them are crushed out of existence, and gravity becomes infinitely strong.
As the distance from the singularity increases, the escape velocity decreases. Escape velocity is the speed at which an object must move to get away from the gravitational field of a body. For Earth, the escape velocity is 11.2 km per second. A spacecraft must move at least that fast to escape Earth's gravitational pull and travel to another planet. At a certain distance from the singularity, the escape velocity drops to the speed of light i.e. about 300,000 km per second. This distance is known as the Schwarzschild radius. This radius depends on the mass of the black hole. For a black hole as massive as the Sun, the radius is about 3 km. For every extra solar mass, the radius increases by 3 Kilometers. This radius enfolds the singularity in a zone of blackness - in other words, it makes a black hole black. It gives the black hole a visible surface, which is known as the event horizon.
It is the "point of no return" for anything that approaches the black hole. Once any object enter inside this horizon, it cannot get back out. It is trapped inside the black hole. Anything that enters the black hole increases its mass. As the mass goes up, the size of the event horizon gets bigger and bigger. If the black hole doesn't rotate, then its gravitational influence on its environment is straightforward. If the black hole is spinning, though, then its gravitational effects are more sophisticated. It actually pulls the fabric of space and time along with it - an effect called frame dragging. This area is known as the ergo sphere.

Nuclear Enery, the need for today and tomorrow.

With the rapid use of the fossil fuels in this day to day life there has been a need of alternative source of energy. The present form of energy extraction from the fossil fuels are considered to last quite a while but they will run out soon.The sustainability of human race is dependent on energy. The advancement of life has increased the demand for more and more energy. The most effective alternative energy source for today world can be Nuclear Energy. Large amount of energy can be extracted from the nuclear power plants without the release of green house gases as in fossil fuels and natural gases which been considered as the main cause for the climate changes that we are currently facing. The generation of nuclear energy began before more than 50 years before. At present, it generates as much electricity as it was produced then by all sources. Now, around two-thirds of the population of the world lives in the countries where nuclear power plants are integral part of electricity production. Today nearly 440 nuclear reactors produce electricity around the world. More than 15 countries rely on nuclear power for 25% or more of their electricity. In Europe and Japan, the nuclear share of electricity is over 30%. In the U.S., nuclear power creates 20% of electricity.
In this modern world where the fuel prices are higher and are in the verge of getting short, the generation of nuclear power is viewed by many countries as the alternative source of energy. Developed nations have already generated nuclear power whereas some developing nations such as India and China have also started generation nuclear energy. While, some of the developing countries have considered it to come to play very soon.
Nuclear energy has been considered cost efficient, most cost effective and been considered the alternate source of energy against the current key energy sources i.e. fossil fuels and natural gases and effective over controlling the current major problem of climate change. So, why not vote for the nuclear power where we can draw sufficient energy and fulfill the ever growing hunger for more and more power.
We should not only look at the benefits that we can get today but we should also try to look up to the possibilities for the clean and energy efficient power sources that would be available tomorrow from the nuclear power. We can bring about a vast change in our environment making it sustainable and available for the generations to come.