List of environmental issues

This is an alphabetical list of environmental issues, harmful aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment. They are loosely divided into causes, effects and mitigation, noting that effects are interconnected and can cause new effects.

Issues

Greenhouse gas emissions — Coal-fired power station • Carbon dioxide • Methane • Fluorinated gases
Human population — Biocapacity • climate change • Carrying capacity • Exploitation • Industrialisation • I = PAT • Land degradation • Land reclamation • Optimum population • Overshoot (population) • Population density • Population dynamics • Population growth • Projections of population growth • Total fertility rate • Urbanization • Waste • Water conflict • Water scarcity • Overdrafting
Hydrology — Environmental impacts of reservoirs • Tile drainage • Hydrology (agriculture) • Flooding • Landslide
Intensive farming — Agricultural subsidy • Barn fires • Environmental effects of meat production • Intensive animal farming • Intensive crop farming • Irrigation • Monoculture • Nutrient pollution • Overgrazing • Pesticide drift • Plasticulture • Slash-and-burn • Tile drainage • Zoonosis
Land use — Built environment • Desertification • Habitat fragmentation • Habitat destruction • Land degradation • Land pollution • Lawn-environmental concerns • Trail ethics • Urban heat island • Urban sprawl
Nanotechnology — Impact of nanotechnology
Natural disasters
Nuclear issues — Nuclear fallout • Nuclear meltdown • Nuclear power • Nuclear weapons • Nuclear and radiation accidents • Nuclear safety • High-level radioactive waste management
Ocean trash — Garbage patch • Ghost net • Washed Ashore
Water pollution

Effects

Climate change — Global warming • Global dimming • Fossil fuels • Sea level rise • Greenhouse gas • Ocean acidification • Shutdown of thermohaline circulation • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Urban heat islands • Flooding
Environmental degradation — Loss of biodiversity • Habitat destruction • Invasive species
Environmental health — Air quality • Asthma • Birth defect • Developmental disability • Endocrine disruptors • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of nanotechnology • Electromagnetic field • Electromagnetic radiation and health • Indoor air quality • Lead poisoning • Leukemia • Nanotoxicology • Nature deficit disorder • One Health • Sick building syndrome • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing
Environmental issues with energy — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of the energy industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing
Environmental impact of transport

Environmental impact of aviation

Environmental impact of the petroleum industry — Exhaust gas • Waste tires • Motor vehicle emissions and pregnancy • Externalities of automobiles

Environmental impact of shipping (Cruise ships in Europe • Cruise ships in the United States)

Environmental issues with war — Agent Orange • Depleted uranium • Military Superfund site (Category only) • Scorched earth • War and environmental law • Unexploded ordnance
Overpopulation — Burial • Overpopulation in companion animals • Tragedy of the commons • Gender Imbalance in Developing Countries • Sub-replacement fertility levels in developed countries
Mutation breeding — Genetic pollution
Synthetic biology — Synthetic DNA • Artificially Expanded Genetic Information System • Hachimoji DNA
Genetically modified food — Genetically modified crops • Genetically modified livestock • Genetically modified food controversies
Pollution — Nonpoint source pollution • Point source pollution

Air pollution — Atmospheric particulate matter • Biological effects of UV exposure • CFC • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Indoor air quality • Ozone depletion • Smog • Tropospheric ozone • Volatile organic compound • Ultrafine particles

Light pollution

Noise pollution

Soil pollution — Alkali soil • Brownfield • Residual sodium carbonate index • Soil conservation • Soil erosion • Soil contamination • Soil salination • Superfund • Superfund sites

Visual pollution

Water pollution — Acid rain • Agricultural runoff • Algal bloom • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Eutrophication • Fish kill • Groundwater pollution • Groundwater recharge • Marine debris • Marine pollution • Mercury in fish • Microplastics • Nutrient pollution • Ocean acidification • Ocean dumping • Oil spills • Soda lake • Ship pollution • Thermal pollution • Urban runoff • Wastewater

Space pollution — Space debris • Interplanetary contamination

Resource depletion — Exploitation of natural resources • Overdrafting (groundwater) • Overexploitation

Consumerism — Consumer capitalism • Planned obsolescence • Over-consumption

Fishing — Blast fishing • Bottom trawling • Cyanide fishing • Ghost nets • Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Overfishing • Shark culling • Shark finning • Whaling

Logging — Clearcutting • Deforestation • Illegal logging

Mining — Acid mine drainage • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Mountaintop removal mining • Slurry impoundments

Water (depletion) — Anoxic waters • Aral Sea • California Water Wars • Dead Sea • Lake Chad • Water scarcity

Toxicants — Agent Orange • Asbestos • Beryllium • Bioaccumulation • Biomagnification • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • Cyanide • DDT • Endocrine disruptors • Explosives • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Herbicides • Hydrocarbons • Perchlorate • Pesticides • Persistent organic pollutant • PBBs • PBDEs • Toxic heavy metals • PCB • Dioxin • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons • Radioactive contamination • Volatile organic compounds
Waste — Electronic waste • Great Pacific garbage patch • Illegal dumping • Incineration • Litter • Waste disposal incidents • Marine debris • Medical waste • Landfill • Leachate • Toxic waste • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Exporting of hazardous waste

Mitigation

Mitigation of aviation's environmental impact – Aviation taxation and subsidies (Air passenger tax • Jet fuel tax) • Electric aircraft • High-speed rail
Conservation
- Ecosystems — Anoxic waters • Biodiversity • Biosecurity • Coral bleaching • Black carbon • Edge effect • Habitat destruction • Organic farming • Habitat fragmentation • In-situ leach
- Fishing — Blast fishing • Bottom trawling • By-catch • Cetacean bycatch • Gillnetting • Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Environmental effects of fishing • Marine pollution • Overfishing • Whaling
- Forests — Clearcutting • Deforestation • reforestation and afforestation • Illegal logging • Trail ethics
- Natural resources — Resource depletion • Exploitation of natural resources • Steady-state economy • Waste hierarchy
- Species — Endangered species • Genetic diversity • Habitat destruction • Holocene extinction • Invasive species • Poaching • Pollinator decline • Species extinction • Threshold host density • Wildlife trade • Wildlife disease
- Energy conservation — Alternatives to car use • Efficient energy use • Carfree city • Energy hierarchy • Local food
- Renewable energy — Renewable energy commercialization
- Recreation — Protected areas
- Water conservation
Disaster mitigation
Environmental law — Environmental crime • Environmental justice • Polluter pays principle • Precautionary principle • Regulatory capture • Trail ethics
Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles
- Environmental aspects of the electric car
- Hydrogen economy
- Rail electrification
- Scrappage program
- Vehicle recycling
Phase-out of single-use plastics
- Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags (Australia • United States) • Biodegradable bags • Reusable shopping bag • Shopping trolley (caddy)
- Bottled water ban — Reuse of bottles
- Plastic straw ban
Sustainable agriculture
- Nutrition transition — Cellular agriculture (cultured meat) • Plant-based diet (reducitarianism • veganism • vegetarianism)

External links

v t e Human impact on the environment
General	Anthropocene Ecological footprint Environmental impact assessment Environmental issues list of issues Human impact on marine life List of global issues Impact assessment Planetary boundaries Social ecology (ethics)
Causes	Agriculture animal agriculture cannabis cultivation irrigation meat production cocoa production palm oil (US) Bitcoin Corporate behavior Deforestation and climate change Energy industry biofuels biodiesel coal electricity energy fashion fracking (US) nuclear power oil shale petroleum reservoirs transport Genetic pollution Environmental crime Explosives Industrialisation Land use Manufacturing cleaning agents concrete fashion plastics nanotechnology paint paper pesticides pharmaceuticals and personal care Marine life fishing fishing down the food web marine pollution overfishing Mining Overconsumption Overdrafting Overexploitation Overgrazing Particulates Pollution Quarrying Reservoirs Tourism Transport aviation rail roads shipping Urbanization urban sprawl War
Effects	Biodiversity threats biodiversity loss decline in amphibian populations decline in insect populations Climate change runaway climate change in the United States Deforestation Defaunation Desertification Ecocide Ecological crisis Effects of climate change on agriculture Effects of climate change on livestock Environmental insecurity Environmental issues in the United States Coral reefs Externality Forest dieback Environmental degradation Erosion Freshwater cycle Greenhouse gas emissions Habitat destruction Holocene extinction Nitrogen cycle Land degradation Land consumption Land surface effects on climate Loss and damage Loss of green belts Phosphorus cycle Ocean acidification Ozone depletion Resource depletion Tropical cyclones and climate change Water degradation Water pollution Water scarcity
Mitigation	Alternative fuel vehicle propulsion Birth control Cleaner production Climate engineering Community resilience Cultured meat Decoupling Ecological engineering Environmental engineering Environmental mitigation Industrial ecology Mitigation banking Organic farming Recycling Reforestation urban Restoration ecology Sustainability Sustainable consumption Waste minimization
Commons Category by country assessment mitigation

Issues

Effects

Mitigation

See also

External links