Among the most important problems of mankind, with which he has increasingly to face in the beginning of the 21st century, pollution such as the biosphere continues to grow. It is included in the list of the whole complex of global problems of mankind, which are considered by modern science as those that are capable of self-development, self-reproduction on an ever-increasing scale, and which can be overcome only by combining the efforts of all mankind.
The industrial and economic activity of countries begins to exert such an influence on the biosphere of the Earth that at this stage a real threat arose not only, in fact, to the purity of the natural environment, but also conditions arose for its physical and biological degeneration. This is manifested, first of all, in violation of the biocenosis - the equilibrium state of the natural environment, in which it is still able to use the internal resources of maintaining existence at the necessary chemical and biological level. The biocenosis shift occurring under the influence of a phenomenon such as pollution of the biosphere directly leads to the loss of self-regulation ability, which minimizes losses from various kinds of natural disasters and the negative consequences of human management in the natural environment.
In some cases, it is already possible to talk about reaching, or even exceeding, all the permissible limits at which the biological environment is able to ensure its sustainable existence. The problem also lies in the fact that humanity and science are still very poorly aware of these very limits of sustainability, which are formulated mainly on the basis of empiricism. Nevertheless, in some regions of the planet, irreversible processes of degradation of the natural environment and the biosphere as a whole are already observed. You can list some of the most “sounding” problems that directly led to pollution of the biosphere.
“Greenhouse effect” - this phenomenon is associated with an increase in temperature in the northern latitudes of the Earth, for example, scientists say that the magnitude of this increase over the past thirty years has been approximately 0.7 degrees. This temperature increase is due to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other aerosol compounds in the planet's atmosphere. As a result, the excess absorption by the air of the energy that is released to the earth by the sun. This effect really represents the global problems of the biosphere, because its source is energy-resource enterprises - thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, and even hydroelectric power stations, although until recently it was customary to consider "water energy" as environmentally friendly.
The same, truly “cosmic” problem is the reduction of the ozone layer. This protective screen, by its physical nature, is pulsating, that is, changing its value under the influence of a number of factors. However, in recent decades, factors, by no means cosmic in nature, but purely earthly and not at all positive, began to play an increasingly prominent role in the complex of factors. We are talking about the excessive use in production and everyday life of chlorofluorocarbons (freons), which actively destroy ozone. Internationally signed agreements on the preservation of the ozone layer, so far, unfortunately, do not have the desired effect, pollution of the biosphere with these products continues.
An important environmental problem is the mass destruction of forests, which play a leading role in maintaining the sustainability of biocenosis throughout the planet. Huge forests can well serve as the main supplier of oxygen to territories located tens of thousands of kilometers from them. They are able to absorb atmospheric pollution, protect the soil from erosion, promote the normal flow of rivers, and regulate the oxygen and carbon cycles in the natural environment.
The world’s wide resonance is also caused by the problems of the biosphere caused by the actually “dirty” production and economic activities of people.
As emphasized, as a result of pollution of soils, forests, water, air, in all these environments, irreversible processes begin, and therefore their solution should be considered by all mankind as an urgent task that must be solved today.