Environmental Encyclopedia | Environmental topics

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Pioneer Species

( Article Type: Explanation )

Pioneer species are the first species to colonise a new area (for example, a new island that has emerged from the sea or an area that has been disturbed by large-scale activity such as a volcanic eruption or man's clearance of a piece of land for d

Plastics

( Article Type: Explanation )

Plastics are synthetic substances, which can be moulded and formed when soft and then set.

Plutonium

( Article Type: Explanation )

Plutonium is a heavy metal not found in nature because it undergoes radioactive decay over a period of time, and millions of years ago all the plutonium in the Earth’s crust had already disappeared due to the steady radioactive decay.

Polluter Pays Principle

( Article Type: Explanation )

This is a basic economic principle (currently being adopted in legislation by many countries) that requires the producers or generators of pollution to pay for the costs of avoiding pollution or of cleaning up or remedying its effects.

Pollution

( Article Type: Explanation )

Pollution comes in many forms and types. In its broadest sense, pollution can be described as the result of the release to air, water or soil from any process or of any substance, which is capable of causing harm to man or other living organisms supp

POPS & POPS Convention

( Article Type: Explanation )

POPs stands for Persistent Organic Pollutants, which is a group of chemicals targeted for elimination. These chemicals are all products of the industrial age and were initially used by the first world in industrial processes.

Population Growth & Sustainable Development

( Article Type: Overview )

n the year 2000 the human inhabitants of Earth reached 6 billion. Now, in 2003, there are 6.1 billion of us. And not only is the world population increasing, the rate at which it is growing has also been increasing. What will happen if the human popu

Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable Development

( Article Type: Opinion )

There is no need to choose between people and the environment. And yet there is a common belief that we need to address poverty first, before we can think about the environment.

Precautionary Principle

( Article Type: Explanation )

This principle argues that if the environmental consequences of a particular project, proposal or course of action are uncertain, then the project, proposal or course of action should not be undertaken.

Public Participation (Consultation)

( Article Type: Explanation )

There is a growing trend worldwide that requires projects and developments to be discussed with the public, especially local communities and interested and affected parties.

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