It may seem like Europe wouldn’t have very many environmental issues, but if you look close enough you can see them.  A lot of it is caused by the many years of constant agriculture, industrial manufacturing, and urbanization. Although western Europe is now considered to be one of the “greenest” regions of the world because of the EU’s efforts to address environmental issues, there are still a lot of problems, especially in the eastern Europe region. 

Air and water pollution are both big issues within the region and a lot of it spans across national boundaries.  For example, air pollution in England isn’t just a problem for Britain, but Sweden as well because it causes acid rain which destroys forests.  Similar effects can be seen in Poland where half of the forests are damaged by acid rain, and in the Czech Republic where three-quarters are damaged.  Factories on the upper Rhine River in Switzerland cause water pollution, which causes problems for the Netherlands which uses the river water for urban drinking supplies.  Until recently, ninety percent of Poland’s rivers have had no aquatic or plant life. 

For the more coastal countries, such as the Netherlands, are also threatened by sea-level rise caused by melting glaciers to the far North.  Much of the coast is lined with farmland and settlements that are susceptible to damage caused by the rising sea waters.   

One big issue specific to the Alps mountain range is that of melting glaciers.  Rising temperatures has caused the glaciers to begin and continue to retreat back towards the mountain tops.  The Alps are renowned worldwide for their prospect of great snow and mountains for skiing and other winter sports, but the increased temperatures has made winters warmer and reduced the snow pack. Not only is this bad for the many resorts and towns in the mountains, but also the surrounding environment that now has to adjust to the warmer air and decreased snow.  

Harsh industrial demands of the years dominated by Soviet communism throughout eastern Europe have also caused problems.  Leftover waste from manufacturing was thrown into large dump sites and over the years has become toxic and dangerous.  Surrounding landscapes are left polluted and harmful to whatever life forms reside in the area.  Issues like this are being addressed by the EU in their efforts to take care of environmental problems in new member states, but they are not completely eliminated yet and still pose a threat to the surrounding environment. 

Issues like these are fairly unique to the European region because of its history, land use, and industrialization, new and old.  In order for these populous countries to remain habitable for people, these problems need to be addressed and taken care of before there isn’t much land left to make use of and beauty to enjoy. 

The air is warmer,

          Birds are louder,

                    Grass is greener,

                              The sun is brighter,

                                        Days are longer,

Spring is here. 

Despite the fact that they are part of Africa, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Sudan are all included in this chapter because of their cultural ties to the countries in Southwest Asia.  That region consists of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey.  Within these countries exists a number of environmental issues brought on by globalization and the influences of the world.  

The land within this region has been populated by humans for thousands of years, withstanding numerous harvest seasons and the use of land for pasture.  The many years of sucking the land dry of its vegetation water supply is finally taking its toll. Though most of the land is too dry for trees to grow, there are more humid locations along the Mediterranean that allow for more vegetation growth.  Sadly, in more ancient times the lush forests that covered the coastal mountains have been stripped of their trees, leaving only a few groves left to show for what used to be there.  In other areas, increased population has called for the need of more land for agricultural uses, causing more land to be deforested.  

Salinization has also been a problem for many years, especially in areas that practice irrigation.  Water that is diverted to irrigate fields leaves behind small amounts of salt that build up over time.  In more humid environments the salt is washed away by rain and other natural sources of water.  However, because this region is so dry and arid, the salt is not washed away, leaving the land with high concentrations of salt and eventually unusable for crops.  The land is abandoned and farmers continue to move to new areas to plant.  This pattern has been practiced for so many years that so much of the land has become suspect to salinization, especially in Iraq, Iran, and Egypt.  

Similarly, water management has always been an issue for this region because of its constant dryness.  Large projects have been designed to help make the best use of the limited water within the region.  Dams have been built on the Nile River, a channel has been built to bring water from the Red Sea north to the Dead Sea, and extremely deep wells are being dug in Saudi Arabia to tap into the underground water supply, creating circular plots of planted land.  This, however, is not a long-term solution, for the water is quickly being depleted and faster than it is being replenished.  The limited amounts of water is a constant battle within and between the countries throughout this region and it is not helped by the constant demand for the resource. 

One place in particular that is in danger of being harmed by the human influence is the island of Socotra, which lies about 230 miles southeast of the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean.  This one small island is the home of nearly a thousand plant species, 30% of which are not found anywhere else in the world.  In its surrounding waters resides rare coral reefs and fish species that have evolved along with the rest of the island’s unique features.  The island itself has only recently been surveyed and its species identified.  Just a couple years ago it was recognized as a United Nations World Natural Heritage Site and the European Union is supportive of efforts to preserve its biogeography.  However, pharmaceutical and petroleum companies have been allowed to survey and harvest the land.  Along with that, plans have been made to develop luxury hotels for tourists.  Damage has already been done by those that have visited Socotra, even by those with eco-friendly interests.  If we continue to inhabit the island without preserving the natural and rare biodiversity that it presents, within a few years Socotra will no longer be the beautiful, unique island that it is known as.  

Due to the natural abundance of oil and natural gas reserves, this region is very valuable and significant to the rest of the world and its economies.  But just like the rest of the world, this region also has its own environmental issues that are affecting and affected by the globalization and the influence of the world.