List of environmental issues

This is an alphabetical list of environmental issues, harmful aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment. As such, they relate to the anthropogenic effects on the natural environment, which are loosely divided into causes, effects and mitigation, noting that effects are interconnected and can cause new effects.

Issues

• Human overpopulation — Biocapacity • 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 • Environmental effects of meat production • Intensive animal farming • Intensive crop farming • Irrigation • Monoculture • Nutrient pollution • Overgrazing • Pesticide drift • Plasticulture • Slash and burn • Tile drainage
• 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

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 — 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 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 •
• Genetic engineering — Genetic pollution • Genetically modified food controversies
• Pollution — Nonpoint source pollution • Point source pollution •

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

Light pollution • Visual pollution •

Noise pollution •

Soil pollution — Alkali soil • Brownfield • Residual Sodium Carbonate Index • Soil conservation • Soil erosion • Soil contamination • Soil salination • Superfund • Superfund sites

Space debris • Interplanetary contamination * Ozone depletion

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

• 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 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 • PBDE • 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

• Conservation
  • Ecosystems — Anoxic waters • Biodiversity • Biosecurity • Coral bleaching • Edge effect • Habitat destruction • 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 • Illegal logging • Trail ethics
  • Natural resources — Resource depletion • Exploitation of natural resources • Steady-state economy
  • 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 — Efficient energy use
  • 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

See also

• Environmentalism
• Environmental racism
• Environmental racism in Europe
• Global issues
• Index of environmental articles
• List of conservation topics
• List of environmental disasters
• List of environmental organizations
• List of population concern organizations
• List of sustainability topics
• Lists of environmental topics

External links

• Environmental Issues and Research Topics | AurumScience.com
• Environmental Issues | GlobalIssues.com
• Human Activities that affect the Environment | The Energy Physics
• Environmental Threats That We are Going to Face | The Energy Physics (causes and effects)
• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Human impact on the environment
General	Anthropocene Environmental issues Human impact Impact assessment List of issues Planetary boundaries
Causes	Agriculture fishing irrigation meat production palm oil Energy industry biofuels biodiesel coal electricity generation nuclear power oil shale petroleum reservoirs wind power Manufacturing cleaning agents concrete plastics nanotechnology paint paper pesticides pharmaceuticals and personal care Tourism Transport aviation roads shipping reservoirs Other land use mining genetic pollution human overpopulation overexploitation particulates pollution war
Effects	Biodiversity threats Biodiversity loss Climate change Deforestation Desertification Ecocide Erosion Coral reefs Freshwater cycle Global warming Habitat destruction Holocene extinction Nitrogen cycle Land degradation Land surface effects on climate Phosphorus cycle Ocean acidification Ozone depletion Runaway climate change
Mitigation	Birth control Cleaner production Climate change mitigation Climate engineering Ecological engineering Environmental engineering Environmental mitigation Industrial ecology Mitigation banking Organic farming Reforestation urban Restoration ecology Sustainable consumption Waste minimization
Commons   Category by country assessment mitigation