Suspended particles due to atmospheric pollution can cause an environmental contingency.
An environmental contingency is a situation that occurs when there is an ecological risk due to a natural phenomenon or an activity carried out by humans. This is a scenario that is triggered unexpectedly or that can be predicted from a study or environmental monitoring .
The usual thing is that the environmental contingency is officially declared by the authorities. This declaration is usually associated with the implementation of a plan to prevent or reduce damage that may affect both the environment and health .
Oil spills, the appearance of acid rain or an unusual level of polluting emissions that threaten air quality are factors that can lead to an environmental contingency. As can be seen, these phenomena cause a crisis that demands a response from the rulers to protect the population.
Causes of an environmental contingency
The causes of an environmental contingency can be varied. The activities of the chemical industry are in a position to foster a situation of this kind, to mention one possibility.
The same thing happens with the oil industry . On the other hand, vehicles that emit polluting gases , which are those that use fossil fuels, can also generate an environmental contingency when certain weather conditions occur at the same time. This combination causes the so-called smog effect , for example.
Although environmental contingency can arise due to accidents or natural disasters, it is sometimes related to a temporary worsening of a context that has a certain stability or persistence. Climate change fueled by greenhouse gases , by leading to the loss of biodiversity and encouraging desertification , can create the conditions for an environmental contingency.
The responses of the rulers
The responses of rulers to an environmental contingency are essential. Both to try to prevent the emergency and to act in the face of the crisis, authorities have to adopt an active role in caring for the environment .
Within this framework, the governments of different countries have been working together for decades in supranational organizations such as the United Nations (UN) to implement measures in favor of ecology . At each United Nations Climate Change Conference, progress is usually made in this direction, often through the signing of protocols and agreements.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , adopted in 1992 and in force since 1994 , marked a milestone in confronting environmental contingencies. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was added and in 2016 , the Paris Agreement , always with the objective of reducing polluting emissions.
It should be noted that international agreements for environmental preservation began to be established in the 1980s . The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer made it possible to create the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to prevent the depletion of the ozone layer and achieve the elimination of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) .
The agreements linked to emissions regulations and environmental legislation , in short, are essential tools for the prevention and mitigation of environmental contingencies.
A change in land use that causes deforestation is a factor that affects environmental contingencies.
Activism and environmental contingencies
Activism is another key actor in the treatment of environmental contingencies. Non-governmental organizations and various environmental movements can influence environmental policy thanks to the pressure they exert on governments and companies.
Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are among the associations working in this line of environmental activism. Their campaigns usually receive great attention and gain support from a wide number of people.
Reducing emissions is necessary to minimize the carbon footprint and prevent environmental contingencies.
Preventive measures
Among the measures to prevent environmental contingencies are those linked to energy consumption. To reduce the use of fossil fuels, the adoption of renewable energy sources (such as solar energy , wind energy , hydroelectric energy , geothermal energy and biomass ) is encouraged.
In this context, we seek to promote sustainable transportation for urban mobility , with the bicycle as the ecological vehicle par excellence. Another important aspect is waste management : recycling is encouraged to reduce the amount of garbage that reaches landfills .
Urban design, likewise, must consider sustainable architecture and respect for green spaces. If we focus on rural environments, reforestation to fight soil erosion is key.
Beyond any measure taken at the government level, greater public awareness and better environmental education are needed so that the entire society becomes involved in avoiding environmental contingencies. Opting for clean technologies and appliances and devices that offer energy efficiency , to point out one possibility, are decisions that can be made in homes to contribute to the mitigation of climate change and the care of the planet.