Major environmental events in 2005

Tsunami in Khao Lak - Thailand

Natural disasters are the main environmental theme in 2005, a year marked by the devastating tropical storms of the North Atlantic Ocean and a series of large-scale earthquakes, seriously affecting society. human.

The beginning of the year on the environment may include the destruction after the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004. The wave claimed the lives of 300,000 living beings, depleting the economy and sweeping away the coastal communities from Sri Lanka to Somalia. Moreover, it also causes serious devastations to human habitats such as making saline water deeper into the mainland and completely disrupting underground reefs in southeast Asia.

Geologists have warned that there will be more earthquakes from this first attack. Indeed, in March, Indonesia's Sumatra island suffered a series of terrible, highest aftershocks of 8.7 Richter, seriously affecting the continental shelf, which could cause new tsunamis. Then in October, the earthquake with magnitude 7.6, devastated Pakistan, broke Kashmir. The death toll is estimated at 80,000, but more people will die because they have to go through winter in a cold state due to lack of necessities and shelter.

Hurricanes .

Hurricane Katrina devastated the southern US coast

Climate change in 2005 represents an increase in the number of tropical storms. A series of names appeared in the headlines such as Dennis, Emily, Rita, Wilma, Stan, etc. The most intense could be said of Katrina, devastating an area of ​​nearly 90,000 square miles of southern America. 80% of New Orleans is submerged in sea water. Americans suffer a catastrophe that, according to them, is unprecedented in history.

2005 is not only an increase in the number of storms but also shows great changes in the path of storms. Hurricane Catarina, hitting Brazil in March, was the first storm recorded in the South Atlantic. It was also the first time to record storms from the Americas that landed on Spain and Africa.

The earth is getting warmer .

In 2005, polar ice blocks continued to melt, signaling a warming around the globe. According to researchers, 87% of Antarctic glaciers have disappeared in the last 50 years. The continuous ice blocks of this continent are gradually being divided into oceans. The western ice sheet of the Antarctic continent is also collapsing. Similarly, in the north,

Antarctic ice blocks are gradually disappearing

Millions of square kilometers of the Siberian-Russian permafrost now become a muddy muddy land. The Arctic ice sheets are lower than a century ago.

A study published in November said Europe would sink in the Ice Age if the global warming situation is out of control. Some experts also said that the global warming situation will not be stopped at least in the next 10 years.

In Vietnam, we can see climate change under the influence of global warming. The climate of the North of Vietnam is getting hotter in summer, and colder in winter. Meanwhile, longer droughts in Central and Southern Vietnam cause great damage to people.

Actions against environmental pollution .

Pollution of the atmosphere

Despite warnings from nature and scientists, many governments are very slow in taking measures. In May, the G8 summit held that climate was an urgent issue, but nothing more than that general perception. In June, the Kyoto Protocol was not signed because the United States and Australia did not sign the decree but pledged to develop clean technologies to replace current infection technologies. The International Climate Conference in December, held in Montreal-Canada, is said to be successful when the countries participating in the protocol have "tougher" decisions on pollution and US promises. will participate in negotiations again in the next meeting.

While many governments are trudging, cities and many other governments have had goals and measures to reduce pollution.

The problem of environmental destruction .

In 2005, people continued to destroy the ecological environment. The Amazon forest, the planet's lungs, is still cut down steadily, 24,000 km2 per year, and tends to increase.

Major sporting events are always accompanied by catastrophic environmental consequences. People continue to destroy the marine environment and the air environment. Increased levels of carbonic gas in the air will accelerate ocean acidification, seriously affecting the marine environment. Ozon floor gaps are increasingly expanding. People are directly destroying their living environment.

Last November, hundreds of tons of toxic chemicals, including benzene, spilled into the Songhua River in China after a chemical plant explosion, seriously affecting the domestic water supply of many people. Big city of China, before flowing into Russia. In December, one of Europe's largest fires (in peacetime) was caused by a fuel depot in the UK, causing a cloud of toxic gas 3 kilometers high in the atmosphere.

However, it is not only bad news. In June the International Whale Association voted in favor of ending the whale's 19 years of danger before extinction. In November, the United Nations announced that the pace of forest regeneration has made positive progress. A study published in February shows significant changes in the biotic population in the swamp of the Mesopotamian River in Iraq.

The good news is too little compared to a "vast sea" of news about negative human harm to the environment. The consequences are borne by people themselves, from heaven, to the people, no one else, we are the agents. Not everyone but human beings must save themselves.