By: Setiana Sri Wahyuni Sitepu
(Environmental Activist and A Lecturer at Faculty of Letter, Universitas Pamulang)
Pollution is a grave threat not only to our well-being and economic progress but also to the very survival of humanity. While this is indeed a concerning issue, it is a challenge we can address collectively. Individuals, corporations, and governments must unite and take effective measures before it becomes an irreversible problem.
Environmental contamination can manifest in various ways, and aside from air pollution, two significant forms of pollution are land (or soil) pollution and water pollution. Earth’s soil plays a crucial role in providing approximately 95 percent of our food. Sadly, human activities are endangering this essential natural resource bestowed upon us by the planet. The scale of human-induced environmental degradation resulting in land pollution is staggering. Each year, we lose millions of hectares of arable land that could otherwise support food production.
Land pollution can occur from the accumulation of household waste and industrial byproducts. Alarmingly, roughly 75 percent of the world’s land has already suffered degradation, impacting more than 3 billion people. If we don’t act decisively, this figure could surge to over 90 percent by 2050, leading to more casualties than cancer and incurring costs greater than the current global economy.
The consequences of environmental land pollution are manifold. It leads to soil erosion, which affects not only human beings and food production but also causes harm to other species, driving mass extinctions. The rise in land pollution is closely linked to excessive consumption and disposable practices, particularly in developed nations. This results in vast amounts of waste, some of which contain harmful substances. It also necessitates the creation of more landfills to accommodate the increasing waste. For instance, in 2018, the European Union generated an average of 5.2 tons of waste per person, while the United States, with one of the world’s largest consumer markets, produced over 290 million tons of waste in the same year, leading to the existence of more than 1,200 landfills nationwide.
Food and related waste made up the largest portion of all waste in the United States in 2014, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It highlighted that paper and paperboard accounted for over 26 percent, with yard trimmings and food contributing another 28.2 percent. Plastics constituted approximately 13 percent of municipal solid waste, with rubber, leather, and textiles at over 9 percent, and metals making up another 9 percent. Wood accounted for over 6 percent, while glass represented over 4 percent, and miscellaneous waste made up roughly 3 percent.
One significant issue is that more than half of the global population lacks access to efficient waste disposal systems. Landfills are responsible for nearly 11 percent of global methane emissions, which pose severe health risks. Approximately 700,000 people die each year from antimicrobial-resistant bacteria originating from land and soil pollution. This underscores the urgent need for developed nations to assist low-income and underdeveloped countries in establishing effective waste management systems.
One pressing issue revolves around the increasing accumulation of waste in our oceans, with over three-quarters of oceanic waste originating from land sources, as reported by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Similar to the concerns related to land and soil pollution, water pollution represents a substantial hazard to both humanity and the environment. Of particular note, a study in The Lancet revealed that water pollution was responsible for 1.4 million premature deaths in 2019.
Water pollution receives significant contributions from various sectors, including agriculture, notably livestock production, which introduces fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste into water bodies. Additionally, water pollution stems from sewage, illegal discharge of chemicals or waste by individuals, industry, or governments, radioactive waste, oil and gasoline contamination, and land-based waste and pollution.
It is imperative that we adopt sustainable practices and behaviors at the individual, collective, and societal levels. If current worrying trends persist, they will exacerbate environmental damage, rendering the Earth uninhabitable. The encouraging news is that we can alter this destructive trajectory and attempt to mitigate the adverse effects of land and water pollution if we take immediate action. This entails reducing both industrial and individual pollution and curtailing waste production.
Furthermore, addressing the issue requires the proper disposal of electronic waste and toxic materials, implementing effective waste management techniques, adopting sustainable practices in agriculture, employing efficient waste recovery and treatment methods, and investing in green infrastructure and energy recovery from waste.
Each one of us can also adopt efficient waste management strategies and adjust certain lifestyle choices to minimize land and water pollution. This includes reducing consumption, emphasizing recycling and composting, and avoiding the use of plastics and pollutants that could enter water bodies. Volunteering with environmental organizations that combat land and water pollution for a few hours each week is another way to contribute.
In summary, land and water pollution pose significant threats to both humanity and the planet. This global challenge can be addressed and resolved when individuals, corporations, and governments collaborate and promptly adopt sustainable practices to safeguard the environment from further contamination. Ultimately, we have the potential to leave a clean and thriving planet for future generations.