The major environmental problem in Madison Tennessee is water pollution. In a nutshell, water pollution is the introduction of pollutants into water bodies such as rivers and lakes without prior treatment to remove the poisonous constituents. Such contaminants include chemicals, oxygen depleting substances and pathogens. It results in the death of aquatic animals and can lead to diseases among humans due to contaminated drinking water and seafood. In the recent years, several water utilities in Tennessee reported high levels of lead contamination which exceeds the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Henderson, 2017). Several strategies have been put in place to enhance positive environmental behavior in curbing water pollution. The negative and positive consequences of water pollution can be used to promote pro-environmental behavior. There exist positive and negative technological advances and formulation of environmental policies which can help curb the problem.
Strategies for promoting positive environmental behavior
One of the most effective strategies for promoting positive environmental behavior is creating social awareness on the effects of water pollution. Educating the public on the menace not only helps to curb further pollution but also enhances the reversal of pollution in constructive ways. Such reversal activities include the cleaning up of water bodies and improvising efficient methods of sewage treatment to curb pollution. Water pollution leads to the disruption of the ecosystem hence adversely affecting the food chain. Human beings depend on several sea animals such as fish for food and economical use for trade (Singh, 2013) Therefore, the public should be educated on the need to conserve the water bodies so as to prevent the depletion of the natural sources of food and income. Besides, water pollution can also lead to an outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid due to the intake of contaminated drinking water and seafood. Such diseases result to death and are expensive to treat. If social awareness is efficiently created, human beings can easily develop a positive attitude towards ensuring environmental conservation.
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The formulation of environmental regulations is another important strategy for promoting positive environmental behavior. The regulations of Madison County seek to protect and conserve the integrity of water and wastewater systems by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. The authorities set a good example for the rest of the population on the need for environmental preservation. Besides, such actions limit human activities such as the release of industrial waste and methods of sewage treatment to ensure that the chemicals released into the water systems do not exceed the levels provided by environmental agencies. The Tennessee Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program finances agencies to help improve the quality of water (Henderson et al. 2017). The laws further require for the provision of sampling results to households regardless of the contamination level. These actions show concern from the regulatory agencies and hence influence the public into developing a positive attitude towards conservation.
How positive& negative consequences can increase pro-environmental behavior
Water is a necessity in the daily lives of human beings. It is important for the promotion of industrialization which meets the economic and biological needs of humans. Having shifted much of the attention to industrialization and technological advancements, humans fail to see the negative effects of the activities to other types of life on the planet. There have been pro-environmental behaviors in Madison, which has led to negative and positive consequences. One of the negative consequences is the cost that the society incurs in due to water pollution. For instance, the treatment of diseases such as cholera and typhoid is an expensive affair to households. More so, the penalties inflicted on non-compliant industries can result in loss of funds hence reducing the profit margins. To prevent such losses, households and industries are more compelled to reduce water pollution and promote the conservation of the systems (Hu et al. 2016).
On the positive consequence, it comes about once the public has learned on the advantages of curbing water pollution. Once individuals understand that it’s for their good and development that water systems need to be conserved, they will be more willing to ensure that the same is achieved. Besides, education on simple household actions that promote water control increases their positivity towards the same. For example, simple acts such using water sparingly during the execution of household duties such as cleaning and cooking is easy to understand and implement. This brings the preservation policy to a personal level of implementation. Other forms of water control such as recycling can easily be practiced within households and help to save on the cost of water (Singh, 2013).
Examples of how technological advancements have impacted the environment
Technological advances refer to the improvements in the processes, techniques, and skills of production of goods and services. The process of industrialization is characterized by various technological advances which have impacted on the environment in both positive and negative ways. These advances have increased the production volume of machines, weapons, and automobiles. This has increased the number of wastes released to water systems during the process hence resulting in water pollution. The release of poisonous chemicals such as lead has led to the development of health complications among human beings.
Technological advancements in agriculture have resulted in the rapid growth in the population. This has led to the clearing of water catchment areas such as forests to create room for human settlement. To promote rapid growth of agricultural products and to increase productivity, human beings have turned to using pesticides and fertilizers on their farms. Such products are manufactured through inventions in various fields of technology. These chemicals are later swept to water systems during floods or heavy rains. This has led to the contamination of water systems such as rivers and lakes. However, technological advancements have also helped in promoting the conservation of the environment. In the recent years, the improvements have led to the invention of detection tools which help to identify the presence of contaminants in water. Technological gadgets such as mobile phones and the internet are widely used by most people in the world. These forums have been used to create social awareness on the effects of environmental pollution and to provide possible solutions in curbing the same. Additionally, teleconferencing has enhanced the virtual meetings of world leaders to assess and formulate policies to help curb the high rates of environmental pollution in the globe (Simpson, 2016).
Assess the influence of environmental policies
Environmental policies refer to the dedication of various organizations in the formulation and implementation of regulations to control environmental pollution. These policies are developed to govern human and industrial activities to enhance the preservation of the environment. The introduction of market-based instruments such as the green tax in the US has led to increased compliance of industries to the environmental laws. Companies which efficiently manage their natural resources during production are more likely to exhibit higher rates of returns. Besides, the laws provide for tax exemptions and business permits to organizations which observe transparency in reporting environmental data (Hu et al., 2016).
More so, the overexploitation of natural resources such as water in search for raw materials for the industries has resulted in the need for government intervention. This has led to the establishment of laws to limit the exploitation of the natural resources. In Madison, the Average Monthly Discharge Limitation controls the amount of average daily discharges within each week (Henderson et al., 2017). This has enhanced the control of sewer discharges from firms and industries. The law further provides the allowable amount of chlorine content in drinking water and requires efficient treatment of sewage content before the release to water systems. These laws have further defined fines and fees payable for industries which exhibit non-compliance.
Environmental policies have greatly influenced the course of human activities. People who possess exposure through education on the adverse effects of environmental pollution easily develop a positive attitude towards the conservation laws. Such people do not throw garbage unnecessarily and are more ready in participating in conservation activities such as planting trees and cleaning up the rivers. They also tend to educate their peers on the need to preserve the environment and are more likely to report the non-compliant businesses to authorities. Lack of widespread public support creates a barrier to the formulation and implementation of environmental policies. However, laws which allow for the release of certain amounts of chemicals to the environmental limit the full execution of the policies. For instance, lead content in the waste materials released to water bodies has to exceed the provisions of the US Protection Agency to allow for action (Carter, 2015).
Conclusion
Water is a crucial component of our daily lives and should, therefore, be conserved. However, rapid industrialization and population increase have undermined the preservation of the water systems with increased demand for expansion and settlement. Educating the public is essential in creating positive pro-environmental behavior. Once the population learns on the adverse effects of water pollution, they will be more willing to curb the menace (Simpson, 2016). Although technological advances have negatively affected the environment, it has also enhanced teleconferencing and the internet which creates forums for awareness on environmental issues. The proper implementation of environmental laws can also help to control human and industrial activities to prevent environmental degradation.
References
Carter, T. (2015). Environmental law is born. ABA Journal , 101 (1), 52-53.
Henderson, H., LeMaster, L., Shepherd, C., & Dunn, J. (2017). Food Safety Program Performance Assessment in Tennessee, 2003-2011. Journal Of Environmental Health , 79 (7), 16-20.
Hu, P. J., Hu, H., Wei, C., & Hsu, P. (2016). Examining Firms’ Green Information Technology Practices: A Hierarchical View of Key Drivers and Their Effects. Journal Of Management Information Systems , 33 (4), 1149-1179.
Simpson, R. D. (2016). Putting a Price on Ecosystem Services. Issues In Science & Technology , 32 (4), 57-62.
Singh, P. (2013). Environmental Education: Enhancing Learning and Awareness through Assessment. Systemic Practice & Action Research , 26 (3), 299-314.
