As is often the way, large issues with the world and society as a whole usually have a number of different catalysts, rather than just one simple root cause and the concerning issue of climate change is certainly no exception. 

As such, there are naturally going to be some factors that deserve more attention and action than others and with that being said, here are five serious dangers which are threatening the earth’s ecosystem.  

• Plastic Pollution 

Plastic waste in the natural environment is a serious and increasingly concerning issue and to put this into perspective, in 1950 the annual plastic production reached just over two million tons, yet by 2015, this number had risen exponentially to 419 million tons. 

With a shamefully low 9% of plastic being recycled in an average year in the United States—and a staggering two million plastic bags being used every single minute across the world—it is everyone’s duty to make more sustainable decisions and reduce their plastic consumption.

• Global Warming 

Global warming is actually far simpler than some people try and make it out to be, and is single-handedly the most dangerous threat to the modern world.

Leading technology encompassing carbon capture systems have already begun to make a dent in the amount of harmful carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. However, it is up to everyone—from leading CEOs of huge, international, industry leaders to managers of smaller, even family-run, businesses—to join in the fight to prevent additional global warming issues from making the situation even worse. 

• Deforestation 

Out of all the countries in the world, the three that are responsible for the highest levels of deforestation are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, and Brazil and in less than one hundred years, should deforestation continue at the current rate, the world’s rainforests could be entirely destroyed.

Problems caused by deforestation include:

• Faster erosion of exposed soil 
• Negative effects to biodiversity
• Concerning levels of harm to forest watersheds
• Slows down the creation and development of modern medicine
• Exacerbation of air pollution 
• An overall worsening of climate change 

• Ocean Acidification 

For all marine species, coral reefs, and other ecosystems in the ocean, the acidification of the water is their single biggest threat to survival.

The higher the emission levels of carbon in the atmosphere, the more carbon dioxide is present in the world’s oceans, and even a tiny change in the pH scale of the water can cause serious acidity-related problems. Even the skeleton and shells of small marine organisms such as oysters and clams can actually start to degrade and dissolve should the acidity level rise too much. 

• Air Pollution

The fifth and final environmental issue that is threatening the natural environment is air pollution, with the WHO (World Health Organization) reporting that uo to seven million people lose their life to air pollution every year. 

In Africa, in 1990, 165,000 people died as a result of the condition and quality of the air and in 2017, this number had increased to 260,000.