Environmental disasters have their own specifics - during them not a single person may die, but at the same time very significant damage to the environment will be caused. Nowadays, the culprit of environmental disasters is mainly man. The growth of industrial and agricultural production not only brings material benefits, but is also slowly killing our environment. Therefore, the biggest environmental disasters in the world are imprinted in human memory for a long time.

1. Oil leakage from the Prestige tanker

The Bahamian-flagged single-hull tanker Prestige was built by the Japanese shipyard Hitachi to transport crude oil and launched in 1976. In November 2002, while passing through the Bay of Biscay, the tanker encountered a strong storm off the coast of Galicia, as a result of which it received a 35 m long crack, from which about a thousand tons of fuel oil began to leak per day.
Spanish coast services did not allow the dirty ship to enter the nearest port, so they tried to tow it to Portugal, but a similar refusal was received there. In the end, the restless tanker was towed to the Atlantic. On November 19, it sank completely, splitting into two parts, which sank to the bottom to a depth of about 3,700 m. Since it was impossible to repair the damage and pump out the oil products, over 70,000 cubic meters of oil ended up in the ocean. A spot more than a thousand kilometers long formed on the surface along the coastline, causing enormous damage to the local fauna and flora.
For Europe, this incident became the most catastrophic oil spill in history. The damage from it was estimated at 4 billion euros, and 300,000 volunteers worked to eliminate its consequences.

2. Exxon Valdez tanker wreck

On March 23, 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker, fully loaded with oil, sailed from a terminal in the Alaskan port of Valdez, bound for the Californian port of Long Beach. Having taken the ship out of Valdez, the pilot handed over control of the tanker to Captain Joseph Jeffrey, who by that time was already “tipsy.” There were icebergs in the sea, so the captain was forced to deviate from the course, notifying the coast guard. Having received permission from the latter, he changed course, and at 23 o'clock he left the wheelhouse, leaving control of the ship to the third mate and the sailor, who had already served their watch and needed a 6-hour rest. In fact, the tanker was controlled by an autopilot, guided by a navigation system.
Before leaving, the captain instructed the mate that two minutes after passing abeam the island it was necessary to change course. The assistant conveyed this order to the sailor, but either he himself was late, or his execution was late, but at half past one on the night of March 24, the tanker crashed into Blythe Reef. As a result of the disaster, 40,000 cubic meters of oil spilled into the ocean, and environmentalists believe that much more. 2,400 km of coastline were polluted, making the accident one of the world's most significant environmental disasters.

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3. Chernobyl disaster

Everyone has probably heard about the largest nuclear power plant accident in the history of mankind, which occurred in Chernobyl. Its consequences are visible today and will continue to be felt for many years to come. April 26, 1986 at the 4th power unit Chernobyl nuclear power plant an explosion occurred that completely destroyed the reactor, and tons of radioactive materials were released into the environment. At the time of the tragedy itself, 31 people died, but this is only the tip of the iceberg - it is simply impossible to calculate the number of victims and injured from this accident.
Officially, about 200 people who were directly involved in its liquidation are considered to have died from the accident; their lives were claimed by radiation sickness. Nature has suffered enormous damage of Eastern Europe. Tens of tons of radioactive uranium, plutonium, strontium and cesium were dispersed into the atmosphere and began to slowly settle to the ground, carried by the wind. The authorities’ desire not to widely publicize what happened so that panic would not start among the population contributed to the tragedy of the unfolding events around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Therefore, many thousands of residents of cities and villages who were not included in the alienated 30-kilometer zone carelessly remained in their places.
In subsequent years, there was a surge in cancer among them, mothers gave birth to thousands of deformities, and this is still observed. In total, due to the spread of radioactive contamination in the area, the authorities had to evacuate over 115,000 people living within a 30-kilometer zone around the nuclear power plant. More than 600,000 people took part in the elimination of this accident and its lingering consequences, and enormous amounts of money were spent. The territory directly adjacent to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is still a restricted area because it is unsuitable for habitation.

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4. Accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant

The disaster occurred on March 11, 2011. It all started with a strong earthquake and a powerful tsunami, which disabled the backup diesel generators and power supply system nuclear power plant. This led to dysfunction of the reactor cooling system and melting of the core in three power units of the station. During the accident, hydrogen was released, which exploded, destroying the outer shell of the reactor, but the reactor itself survived.
Due to the leak of radioactive substances, the level of radiation quickly began to increase, because the depressurization of the shells of the fuel elements caused the leak of radioactive cesium. On March 23, 30 kilometers from the station in the ocean, water samples were taken, which showed an excess of the norms for iodine-131 and cesium-137, but the radioactivity of the water was increasing and by March 31 it exceeded normal level almost 4400 times, because even after the accident, radiation-contaminated water continued to seep into the ocean. It is clear that after some time, animals with strange genetic and physiological changes began to be found in local waters.
The spread of radiation was facilitated by the fish themselves and other marine animals. Thousands of local residents had to be resettled from the radiation-contaminated area. A year later, on the coast near the nuclear power plant, radiation exceeded the norm by 100 times, so decontamination work will continue here for a long time.

5. Bhopal disaster

The disaster in Bhopal, India was truly terrible, not only because it caused enormous damage to the state’s nature, but also because it claimed the lives of 18,000 residents. A subsidiary of the Union Carbide Corporation was building a chemical plant in Bhopal, which, according to the original design, was supposed to produce pesticides used in agriculture.
But in order for the plant to become competitive, it was decided to change the production technology towards something more dangerous and complex, which would not require more expensive imported raw materials. But a series of crop failures led to a decrease in demand for the plant's products, so its owners decided to sell the plant in the summer of 1984. Funding for the operating enterprise was curtailed, the equipment gradually wore out and no longer met safety standards. In the end, liquid methyl isocyanate overheated in one of the reactors, causing a sharp release of its vapors, which ruptured the emergency valve. In a matter of seconds, 42 tons of toxic vapors entered the atmosphere, which formed a deadly cloud with a diameter of 4 kilometers over the plant and the surrounding area.
The affected area included residential areas and a railway station. The authorities did not manage to inform the population about the danger in time, and there was a critical shortage of medical personnel, so on the very first day, 5,000 people died after inhaling poisonous gas. But for a number of years after this, poisoned people continued to die, and total number The victims of that accident are estimated at 30,000 people.

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6. Disaster at the Sandoz chemical plant

One of the most terrible environmental disasters, which caused incredible damage to nature, occurred on November 1, 1986 in prosperous Switzerland. Chemical and pharmaceutical giant Sandoz's plant, built on the banks of the Rhine near Basel, produced a variety of chemicals used in agriculture. When a strong fire broke out at the plant, about 30 tons of pesticides and mercury compounds entered the Rhine. The water in the Rhine has turned an ominous red color.
The authorities prohibited residents living on its banks from leaving their homes. Downstream, in some German cities the centralized water supply had to be cut off, and residents were brought drinking water in tanks. Almost all the fish and other living creatures died in the river, some species were irretrievably lost. Later, a program was adopted until 2020, the goal of which was to make the waters of the Rhine suitable for swimming.

7. Disappearance of the Aral Sea

Back in the middle of the last century, the Aral was the fourth largest lake in the world. But the active withdrawal of water from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya for irrigating cotton and other crops led to the fact that the Aral Sea began to quickly become shallow, divided into 2 parts, one of which has already completely dried up, and the second will follow its example in the coming years.
Scientists estimate that from 1960 to 2007, the Aral Sea lost 1,000 cubic kilometers of water, which led to its reduction by more than 10 times. Previously, 178 species of vertebrates lived in the Aral Sea, but now there are only 38.
For decades, waste has been dumped into the Aral Sea and settled at the bottom. Agriculture. Now they have turned into poisonous sand, which the wind carries fifty kilometers around, polluting the surrounding area and destroying vegetation. Vozrozhdeniya Island has long been turned into part of the mainland, but once upon a time there was a testing ground for bacteriological weapons on it. There are graves with such deadly dangerous diseases, like typhus, plague, smallpox, anthrax. Some pathogens are still alive, so they can spread into inhabited areas thanks to rodents.

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8. Flixborough chemical plant accident

In the British city of Flixborough there was a Nipro plant that produced ammonium nitrate, and on its territory 4000 tons of caprolactam, 3000 tons of cyclohexanone, 2500 tons of phenol, 2000 tons of cyclohexane and many other chemicals were stored. But various technological containers and spherical tanks were insufficiently filled, which increased the risk of explosion. In addition, under high pressure and at high temperature the factory reactors contained various flammable materials.
The administration sought to increase the plant's productivity, but this reduced the effectiveness of fire extinguishing agents. The company's engineers were often forced to turn a blind eye to deviations from technological regulations and neglect safety standards - a familiar picture. Finally, on June 1, 1974, the plant was shaken by a powerful explosion. Instantly, the production premises were engulfed in flames, and the shock wave from the explosion swept through the surrounding populated areas, shattering windows, tearing roofs off houses and injuring people. 55 people died then. The power of the explosion was estimated at 45 tons of TNT. But worst of all, the explosion was accompanied by the emergence of a large cloud of toxic fumes, which is why the authorities had to urgently evacuate residents of some neighboring settlements.
The damage from this man-made disaster was estimated at 36 million pounds - it was the most expensive emergency incident for British industry.

9. Fire on the Piper Alpha oil rig

In July 1988, a major disaster occurred on the Piper Alpha platform, which was used for oil and gas production. Its consequences were aggravated by the indecisive and ill-considered actions of the personnel, due to which, out of 226 people working on the platform, 167 died. For some time after the accident, oil products continued to flow through the pipes, so the fire did not die out, but flared up even more. This disaster resulted not only in human casualties, but also in great environmental damage.

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10. Explosion of an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico

On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deep Water Horizon oil production platform, owned by British Petroleum, located in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a huge amount of oil to be released from an uncontrolled well into the sea for a long time. The platform itself sank into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts were only able to roughly estimate the volume of spilled oil, but one thing is clear - this disaster became one of the most terrible for the biosphere not only of the Gulf Coast, but also of the waters Atlantic Ocean. Oil was poured into the water for 152 days, 75,000 square meters. km of water in the bay were covered with a thick oil film. All states whose coasts overlook the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi) suffered from pollution, but Alabama suffered the most.
About 400 species of rare animals were threatened with extinction, and thousands of seabirds and amphibians died on oil-filled shores. The Office of Specially Protected Resources reported that there had been an outbreak of mortality among cetaceans in the gulf following the oil spill.

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In the world of birds.

The similarity of ecological preferences of these groups of species determined the similarity of morphology: small size (up to 10 cm in modern species), short and rounded wings, long strong legs, thin pointed beaks for catching small invertebrates, protective coloration of plumage (see mimicry). Birds from New Zealand are distinguished from true wrens by short tails, reverse sexual dimorphism in size (females are larger than males), a clear tendency to lose the ability to fly in conditions of a shortage of terrestrial predators, unusually fluffy integumentary plumage, as well as a number of structural features internal organs. Many of these traits are rare, if not unique, to passerine birds. This is a significant example of how habitat change affects island species that have lived in complete isolation from mainland fauna for millions of years.

The reasons for the unusual characteristics of New Zealand wrens have become clear after studying their DNA. It turned out that of all the passerines, which now make up more than half of the world's avifauna, it is the New Zealand wrens that are the branch of the evolutionary tree that separated the earliest - according to the most recent data, presumably at the beginning of the Eocene. For this reason, modern taxonomists often classify these birds into their own suborder. Acanthisitti. This isolated taxonomic position makes New Zealand wrens a valuable subject for a variety of molecular and morphological studies that can explain many aspects of the life and evolution of birds.

Of the seven species of the family that met the first people of New Zealand about 700 years ago, only two have survived to this day. The most numerous of them is the shooter ( Acanthisitta chloris), which received such an unusual name due to the similarity of its protective colors with the uniform of the New Zealand infantry riflemen. Males and females of the shooter are clearly distinguished by color: the back and top of the head of males are uniformly green, while those of females are olive green with dark and light streaks. In addition, females are distinguished by a slightly more upturned tip of the beak and a slightly longer claw of the hind toe. The current range of the species is both large islands of New Zealand, North and South, as well as a number of smaller islets adjacent to them. The clutch consists of 3–5 eggs; Both parents take part in building the nest and caring for the offspring. Arrows are found mainly in wooded areas; Due to their limited flight abilities, they are unable to cross vast open areas, making them especially vulnerable to massive tree felling that fragments the species' range.

Second modern look family - New Zealand rock wren ( Xenicus gilviventris; see photo above). It inhabits the alpine and subalpine mountain belt of the western part of the South Island; in the North, populations of the species - probably representing a separate subspecies - died out in historical time. The usual habitat of this bird is more open locations with bare rock outcrops, often covered with low bushes. Sexual dimorphism in color is less pronounced: males are colored predominantly green on top, females are brownish. Birds construct relatively large, closed nests with an entrance from the side from dry grass and twigs with inclusions of feathers from other birds. There are usually three eggs in a clutch. Like the shooter, both parents take care of the offspring. The total population of the rock wren does not exceed 15 thousand individuals and tends to decline; The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The main threat to New Zealand rock wrens is persecution by invasive mice, rats and stoats.

The rock wren's closest relative was the New Zealand bush wren ( X. longipes), distinguished by a darker color on the top, a predominantly gray belly and slightly longer legs. The range of this species until the last century was not inferior to the range of the shooter, dividing into three geographical races: X.l. stokesii lived in the North Island, nominative X.l. longipes - on Yuzhny, X.l. variabilis - on Stewart Island and a number of adjacent small islets. Consecutive invasion into New Zealand several species of rats, as well as mice and stoats, led to the extinction of all three subspecies during the 20th century. Northern subspecies in last time was seen near Lake Waikaremoana in 1955, the southern one - in 1968 in Nelson Lakes National Park. Following the rat invasion of the last stronghold of the Stuart subspecies, Big South Cape Island, the New Zealand conservation service natural resources carried out a desperate operation to save the bird, transporting six individuals to the rodent-free island of Kaimohu. Unfortunately, the small population of birds was not able to gain a foothold in the new location: after the sighting of a pair of bush wrens in 1972, birds of this species were no longer seen.

Three more relatively large (up to 30–50 g) species of the family were able to survive only until the time when the islands of New Zealand were colonized by the Maori natives. This is the New Zealand long-billed wren ( Dendroscansor decurvirostris), as well as two species of great-footed wrens, which until recently were classified as an independent genus Pachylpichas - northern ( Xenicus jagmi) and southern ( X. yaldwyni). Subfossil remains of these birds indicate their more pronounced adaptation to a terrestrial lifestyle and a complete or almost complete renunciation of flight. The latter was probably the reason for the extinction of these species: around 1280 AD, New Zealand was colonized by the Maori natives and their unwanted companions - the Polynesian small rats ( Rattus exulans). It is unlikely that tiny wrens aroused much gastronomic interest among people who preferred larger game, such as the flightless ostrich-like moa ( Dinornitiformes), exterminated over the next few centuries. But for rats, small birds and their nests have become desirable and easy prey, since over millions of years of evolution in isolation they have not developed any means of defense against land mammals. The first European colonists did not find either long-billed or great-legged wrens in New Zealand.

The last, seventh species of the family is the famous Stephen's bush wren ( Traversia lyalli), lived on the tiny island of Stephens (or Stephens) in Cook Strait between the North and South islands. The legend of the disappearance of this bird is widely known (see The cat that destroyed an entire species of birds). However, in reality this story is somewhat more complex, but, alas, no less tragic. Archaeological finds eloquently indicate that up to the time of Maori settlement the species was common in both large islands archipelago. The invasion of Polynesian rats led to the extinction of this bird everywhere except for the only island, which the harmful rodents were unable to penetrate. But with the appearance of the first colonists of European origin on Stevens, the island was populated by other predatory companions of humans - cats. The cat of the first keeper of the newly built lighthouse, David Lyell, began to bring “trophies” to the owner in the summer of 1894, in which he quickly recognized something interesting for science, after which he handed over the carcasses to local naturalist Walter Buller.

Unfortunately for a rare bird, Tibbles - that was the cat's name - did not act alone. Old documents from the first settlers of Stevens indicate that in February of the same 1894, at least one pregnant cat was released onto the island, which apparently managed to survive and successfully raise its offspring. A few years later, the island was literally swarming with alien predators: Robert Cathcart, the new lighthouse keeper, reported personally killing over a hundred feral cats in 1899 alone! However, a small bird, practically unable to fly, was able to cope with a smaller concentration of furry killers: the last information about an encounter with this wren dates back to August 1895. Subsequently, Stevens, by the way, lost both the cats, purposefully destroyed by local natural resource conservation services by 1925, and the last primary forests, cleared for the needs of local residents.

The bottom line is that we have the following picture. Over the course of two waves of settlement by humans and synanthropic species of mammals, a family of birds endemic to the island archipelago has been reduced to two species, one of which is in a vulnerable position. Their habitat in some cases has been destroyed, in others it has experienced significant anthropogenic transformations and cannot be restored to its original form without the investment of serious effort and material resources. The environmental legislation of modern New Zealand is one of the strictest in the world, but a significant share of the resources of the country's specialized organizations is spent on correcting the mistakes of previous generations. One of the most destructive of them is the introduction of numerous species that were previously not characteristic of the archipelago. The same problem is key for many other tropical and subtropical islands, which to this day harbor remnants of pristine flora and fauna, fighting for survival against hordes of foreign invaders.

Pictured is a New Zealand rock wren ( Xenicus gilviventris). Photo: © Robin Bush from nzgeo.com

Pavel Smirnov

Environmental disasters occur due to the negligence of people who work in industrial enterprises. One mistake can cost thousands human lives. Unfortunately, environmental disasters happen quite often: gas leaks, oil spills, etc. Now let's talk in more detail about each catastrophic event.

Water disasters

One of the environmental disasters is a significant loss of water from the Aral Sea, the level of which has dropped by 14 meters over 30 years. It split into two bodies of water, and most marine animals, fish and plants died out. Part of the Aral Sea has dried up and become covered with sand. There is a shortage in the area drinking water. And although attempts are being made to restore the water area, there is a high probability of the death of a huge ecosystem, which will be a loss on a planetary scale.

Another disaster occurred in 1999 at the Zelenchuk hydroelectric station. In this area, rivers changed, water was transferred, and the amount of humidity decreased significantly, which contributed to a decrease in the populations of flora and fauna; the Elburgan Nature Reserve was destroyed.

One of the most global disasters is the loss of molecular oxygen contained in water. Scientists have found that last half century This figure fell by more than 2%, which has an extremely negative impact on the state of the waters of the World Ocean. Due to anthropogenic impact on the hydrosphere, a decrease in oxygen levels in the near-surface water column has been observed.

Water pollution from plastic waste has a detrimental effect on water areas. Particles entering the water can change the natural environment of the ocean and have an extremely negative impact on sea ​​creatures(animals mistake plastic for food and mistakenly ingest chemical elements). Some particles are so small that they are impossible to notice. At the same time, they have a serious impact on the ecological state of waters, namely: they provoke changes in climatic conditions, accumulate in organisms sea ​​inhabitants(many of which are consumed by humans) reduce the resources of the ocean.

One of the global disasters is considered to be the rise in water levels in the Caspian Sea. Some scientists believe that in 2020 the water level may rise by another 4-5 meters. This will lead to irreversible consequences. Cities and industrial enterprises located near water will be flooded.

Oil spill

The largest oil spill occurred in 1994, known as the Usinsk disaster. Several breaks occurred in the oil pipeline, resulting in the spill of over 100,000 tons of oil products. In areas where the spill occurred, vegetation and animal world was practically destroyed. The area received the status of an environmental disaster zone.

Not far from Khanty-Mansiysk in 2003, an oil pipeline burst. More than 10,000 tons of oil leaked into the Mulymya River. Animals and plants became extinct, both in the river and on the land in the area.

Another disaster occurred in 2006 near Bryansk, when 5 tons of oil spilled on the ground over 10 square meters. km. Water resources in this radius have been polluted. An environmental disaster occurred due to a hole in the Druzhba oil pipeline.

There have already been two environmental disasters in 2016. Near Anapa, in the village of Utash, oil leaked from old wells that are no longer in use. The extent of soil and water contamination is about a thousand square meters, hundreds of waterfowl have died. On Sakhalin, more than 300 tons of oil spilled into Urqt Bay and the Gilyako-Abunan River from a non-working oil pipeline.

Other environmental disasters

Quite often accidents and explosions occur at industrial enterprises. So in 2005 there was an explosion at a Chinese factory. A large amount of benzene and toxic chemicals ended up in the river. Amur. In 2006, a release of 50 kg of chlorine occurred at the Khimprom enterprise. In 2011, at the Chelyabinsk railway station there was a leak of bromine, which was transported in one of the carriages of a freight train. In 2016, there was a fire of nitric acid at a chemical plant in Krasnouralsk. In 2005, there were many forest fires due to various reasons. The environment has suffered enormous losses.

Perhaps these are the main environmental disasters that have occurred in the Russian Federation over the past 25 years. The reason for them is inattention, negligence, and mistakes that people have made. Some disasters have occurred due to outdated equipment, the breakdown of which was not discovered at the time. All this led to the death of plants, animals, diseases of the population and human deaths.

Environmental disasters in Russia in 2016

In Russia in 2016, many major and minor disasters occurred, which further aggravated the condition environment in the country.

Water disasters

First of all, it is worth noting that at the end of spring 2016, an oil spill occurred in the Black Sea. This happened due to an oil leak into the water area. As a result of the formation of a fuel oil slick, several dozen dolphins, fish populations and other marine life died. Against the backdrop of this incident, a big scandal erupted, but experts say that the damage caused is not excessively huge, but damage to the Black Sea ecosystem was still caused and this is a fact.

Another problem occurred during the transfer of Siberian rivers to China. As environmentalists say, if you change the regime of rivers and direct their flow to China, this will affect the functioning of all surrounding ecosystems in the region. Not only will they change river basins, but many species of river flora and fauna will also die. Damage will be caused and nature located on land will be destroyed a large number of plants, animals and birds. Droughts will occur in some places, agricultural yields will drop, which will inevitably lead to a shortage of food for the population. In addition, there will be changes in climate and soil erosion may occur.

Smoke in cities

Plumes of smoke and smog are another problem for some Russian cities. It is, first of all, characteristic of Vladivostok. The source of the smoke here is a waste incineration plant. This literally prevents people from breathing and they develop various respiratory diseases.

In general, several major environmental disasters occurred in Russia in 2016. To eliminate their consequences and restore the state of the environment, large financial costs and the efforts of experienced specialists are required.

Environmental disasters of 2017

In Russia, 2017 has been declared the “Year of Ecology”, so various thematic events for scientists, public figures and the common population. It’s worth thinking about the state of the environment in 2017, since several environmental disasters have already occurred.

Oil pollution

One of the biggest environmental problems in Russia is pollution of the environment with petroleum products. This occurs as a result of violations of mining technology, but accidents most often occur during oil transportation. When it is transported by sea tankers, the threat of disaster increases significantly.

At the beginning of the year, in January, an environmental emergency occurred in the Golden Horn Bay of Vladivostok - an oil spill, the source of which was not identified. The oil stain spread over an area of ​​200 square meters. meters. As soon as the accident occurred, the Vladivostok rescue service began to eliminate it. Specialists cleared an area of ​​800 square meters, collecting approximately 100 liters of a mixture of oil and water.

At the beginning of February, a new disaster occurred due to an oil spill. This happened in the Komi Republic, namely in the city of Usinsk in one of the oil fields due to damage to the oil pipeline. The approximate damage to nature is the spread of 2.2 tons of petroleum products over 0.5 hectares of territory.

The third environmental disaster in Russia associated with an oil spill was an incident on the Amur River off the coast of Khabarovsk. Traces of the spill were discovered in early March by members of the All-Russian popular front. The “oil” trail comes from sewer pipes. As a result, the stain covered 400 square meters. meters of shore, and the river area is more than 100 square meters. meters. As soon as the oil slick was discovered, activists called the rescue service, as well as representatives of the city administration. The source of the oil spill was not discovered, but the incident was recorded in a timely manner, so the prompt elimination of the accident and the collection of the oil-water mixture allowed us to reduce the damage caused to the environment. An administrative case was initiated into the incident. Water and soil samples were also taken for further laboratory research.

Accidents at oil refineries

In addition to the danger of transporting petroleum products, emergencies can also occur at oil refineries. So at the end of January in the city of Volzhsky, an explosion and burning of petroleum products occurred at one of the enterprises. Experts have established that the cause of this disaster is a violation of safety rules. It was fortunate that there were no casualties in the fire, but considerable damage was caused to the environment.

In early February, a fire occurred at one of the plants specializing in oil refining in Ufa. Firefighters began to extinguish the fire immediately, which allowed them to contain the elements. The fire was extinguished within 2 hours.

In mid-March, a fire occurred at an oil products warehouse in St. Petersburg. As soon as the fire occurred, warehouse workers called rescuers, who arrived instantly and began to eliminate the accident. The number of employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations exceeded 200 people, who managed to put out the fire and prevent a major explosion. The fire covered an area of ​​1000 square meters. meters, and part of the building wall was destroyed.

Air pollution

In January, brown fog formed over Chelyabinsk. All this is a consequence of industrial emissions from city enterprises. The atmosphere is so polluted that people are suffocating. Of course, there are city authorities where the population can turn with complaints during smoke periods, but this has not brought tangible results. Some enterprises do not even use cleaning filters, and fines do not encourage owners of dirty industries to start taking care of the city’s environment. As city authorities say simple people, the amount of emissions has increased sharply recently, and the brown fog that shrouded the city in winter is proof of this.

In Krasnoyarsk in mid-March “ black sky" This phenomenon indicates that harmful impurities are dissipating in the atmosphere. As a result, a situation of first degree danger developed in the city. It is believed that in this case, the chemical elements affecting the body do not cause pathology or disease in people, but the damage caused to the environment is still significant.
The atmosphere is also polluted in Omsk. Recently there was a major release of harmful substances. Experts have found that the concentration of ethyl mercaptan is 400 times higher than normal indicators. There is an unpleasant smell in the air, which has even been noticed ordinary people who did not know about what had happened. In order to bring to justice those responsible for the accident, all factories that use this substance in production are being inspected. The release of ethyl mercaptan is very dangerous because it causes nausea, headaches and loss of coordination in people.

Significant air pollution with hydrogen sulfide was discovered in Moscow. So in January there was a large release of chemicals at an oil refinery. As a result, a criminal case was initiated because the release led to a change in the properties of the atmosphere. After this, the plant’s activities more or less returned to normal, and Muscovites began to complain less about air pollution. However, in early March, some excess concentrations of harmful substances in the atmosphere were again discovered.

Accidents at various enterprises

A major accident occurred at a research institute in Dmitrovgrad, namely, smoke from the reactor plant. The fire alarm went off instantly. The reactor was stopped to fix a problem - an oil leak. Several years ago, this device was examined by specialists, and it was found that the reactors could still be used for about 10 years, but emergencies regularly occur, which is why radioactive mixtures are released into the atmosphere.

In the first half of March, a fire occurred at a chemical industry plant in Togliatti. To eliminate it, 232 rescuers and special equipment were involved. The cause of this incident is most likely a leak of cyclohexane. Harmful substances have entered the air.

Environmental disasters of 2018

It’s scary when Nature is rampant and there is nothing to resist the elements. It’s sad when people bring a situation to a catastrophic level, and its consequences threaten the lives of not only humans, but also other living beings.

Garbage passions

In 2018, the confrontation between residents of environmentally disadvantaged regions and “garbage barons” continued in Russia. Federal and local authorities are building landfills for storing household waste, which poisons the environment and makes life in the surrounding areas impossible for citizens.

In Volokolamsk in 2018, people were poisoned by gases emanating from a garbage dump. After the people's meeting, the authorities decided to transport garbage to other regions of the Federation. Residents Arkhangelsk region discovered the construction of a garbage dump, and started similar protests.

The same problem occurred in Leningrad region, Republic of Dagestan, Mari-El, Tyva, Primorsky Krai, Kurgan, Tula, Tomsk regions, where in addition to official overcrowded landfills there are illegal garbage dumps.

Armenian disaster

Residents of the city of Armyansk experienced breathing difficulties in 2018. The problems arose not from garbage waste, but from the work of the Titan plant. Metal objects rusted. Children began to suffocate first, followed by elderly people; healthy adult residents of the North of Crimea lasted the longest, but they also could not withstand the effects of sulfur dioxide.

The situation reached the evacuation of the city residents, an event that has not happened in history since the Chernobyl disaster.

Sinking Russia

In 2018, some territories of the Russian Federation ended up at the bottom of rain rivers and lakes. In the cold autumn of 2018, part of the Krasnodar Territory went under water. A bridge collapsed on the Dzhubga-Sochi federal highway.

In the spring of the same year, there was a resonant flooding in the Altai Territory, rainfall and snow melting led to the overflow of the tributaries of the Ob River.

Burning cities of Russia

In the summer of 2018, forests burned in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk Region and Yakutia, and rising smoke and ash covered populated areas. The cities, villages and towns looked like film sets for a post-apocalyptic world. People did not go out into the streets unless absolutely necessary, and it was difficult to breathe in their houses.

This year, 3.2 million hectares burned in Russia in 10 thousand fires, which killed 7,296 people.

There's nothing to breathe here

Outdated factories and the reluctance of owners to install treatment facilities are the reasons that in 2018 in the Russian Federation there were 22 cities unsuitable for human life.

Large industrial centers are gradually killing their residents, who suffer from oncology, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and diabetes more often than in other regions.

The leaders of air pollution in cities are Sakhalin, Irkutsk and Kemerovo region, Buryatia, Tuva and Krasnoyarsk Territory.

And the shore is not clean, and the water will not wash away the dirt

Crimean beaches surprised vacationers in 2018 bad service, they were frightened by sewage and garbage dumps at popular vacation spots. In Yalta and Feodosia, city wastewater flowed directly near the Central Beaches into the Black Sea.

Environmental disasters of 2019

In 2019, many interesting events happened in the Russian Federation; man-made disasters and natural disasters also affected the country.

New Year was brought to Russia by avalanches, not Santa Claus

Three avalanches at once caused a lot of misfortune at the very beginning of the year. In the Khabarovsk Territory (people were injured), in the Crimea (they escaped with fright) and in the mountains of Sochi (two people died), the snow that fell blocked the roads, the melting of snow from the mountain peaks caused losses to the tourism industry, rescue forces were involved, which also cost a pretty penny to the local and federal budget.

Water in large quantities brings bad luck

This summer, the water element in Russia has been in earnest. Floods were severe in Irkutsk Tulun, where there were two waves of flooding and inundation. Thousands of people lost property, hundreds of houses were damaged, and enormous damage was caused. national economy. The rivers Iya, Oka, Uda, Belaya rose tens of meters.

All summer and autumn the full-flowing Amur River overflowed its banks. The autumn flood brought damage to the Khabarovsk Territory of almost 1 billion rubles. And the Irkutsk region “lost weight” by 35 billion rubles thanks to the water element. In the summer, in the resort of Sochi, another one was added to the usual tourist entertainment - taking photographs of drowned streets and posting them on social networks.

The hot summer was fueled by numerous fires

In the Irkutsk region, Buryatia, Yakutia, Transbaikalia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory, forest fires were extinguished, which became an event not only of an all-Russian, but also a global scale. Traces of burned taiga were found in the form of ash in Alaska and the Arctic regions of Russia. Large-scale fires affected thousands of square kilometers, the smog reached large cities and caused panic among local residents.

The earth shook, but there was no major damage

Throughout 2019, local movements of the earth’s crust occurred. As usual, Kamchatka shook, tremors occurred in the area of ​​Lake Baikal, and the long-suffering Irkutsk region also felt tremors in the fall of this year. In Tuva, the Altai Territory and the Novosibirsk Region, people did not sleep very peacefully and followed the messages of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

A typhoon is not just a strong wind

Typhoon "Linlin" caused the flooding of houses in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, because with it heavy downpours came to the Amur region, which, coupled with powerful gusts of wind, caused damage to individual farms and the infrastructure of the region. Besides Khabarovsk Territory Primorye and the Sakhalin region were affected, which were also left without electricity due to rain and wind.

Unpeaceful atom

While developed countries around the world are abandoning nuclear energy, tests related to this technology continue in Russia. This time the military miscalculated, and the unexpected happened - spontaneous combustion and detonation of a nuclear-powered rocket in Severodvinsk. Excessive radiation levels were reported even from Norway and Sweden. War vultures have left their mark on access to information about this incident; it is difficult to understand what was more, radiation or media noise.

Recently, a round table “Birds and People: Invisible Threats and Real Dangers” was held in Moscow, in which domestic and foreign ornithologists took part. Scientists have discussed the problem of the rapid decline in bird species diversity around the world. And their forecasts are not reassuring - the extinction of birds may lead to the death of humanity.

The extinction of various bird species has recently become global and has significantly accelerated the pace. In many ways, the blame for this lies with man and his interference in the life of nature. But there may be other factors at play. In any case, scientists have not solved the mystery of the death of red-winged trupials (which many mistakenly mistook for blackbirds) last December. But we are ready to predict how a sharp reduction in species diversity could turn out - an avalanche-like leap in evolution. And there’s nothing much to be happy about here. New species will adapt to to modern man. But scientists strongly doubt whether he will adapt to them.

Over the past 500 years, 154 species of birds have disappeared on the planet - every 65th. It doesn’t seem like much, except that in recent years the rate of extinction has only been accelerating. Today, 1,200 bird species are on the verge of extinction - already every eighth of those currently existing. And as it was stated at the round table “Birds and People: Invisible Threats and Real Dangers,” the closer you are to large cities, the worse the situation. If in the Moscow region every third species of bird is listed in the Red Book, then in Moscow itself - every second.

A similar situation is typical throughout the world. For example, in the Delhi region of India, until the early 90s, there were about three thousand pairs of birds of prey - kites, vultures, vultures. But suddenly their population began to decline sharply: in seven years it fell 20 times, amounting to only five percent of the previous number. Local ornithologists were literally amazed by the catastrophe. Moreover, it is typical for India careful attitude to all living things, and especially to birds. It turned out that the cows were to blame. More precisely, not they themselves, but the medicine diclofenac, which was used to treat livestock in India in the early 90s. It is difficult to say how effective the treatment was. But when the animals did die, they became prey for birds of prey and, unwittingly, the cause of their mass death.
Today, the use of such a drug is prohibited in India, but who knows what enterprising humanity will invent next, especially since pharmaceuticals are developing at a rapid pace. But even without toxic chemicals, people in one way or another “poison” the lives of birds. According to American scientists, every year up to 170 million (!) birds die due to collisions with electrical wires. True, good news has recently appeared: Russian ornithologists from Ulyanovsk have invented a fairly inexpensive device that allows them to protect birds from high-voltage damage. So perhaps this figure will soon become smaller.

Recently, in addition to wires, radar towers have also appeared for mobile communications. Scientists are not yet ready to say what exactly their appearance threatens the environment. But it has already been noticed that after the installation of such a tower, the birds stop making nests in this area, apparently moving to another place.

In general, the problem lies precisely in the decrease in species diversity, since the number of birds itself does not decrease, and some, on the contrary, increases. For example, pigeons. Residents of many cities have long been accustomed to this bird as part of the landscape. And some consider it almost their civic duty to regularly feed the birds. Dr. Kumar, a professor of zoology at the University of Delhi, is sure what should not be done under any circumstances: “By feeding pigeons, a person first of all feeds his ego. He doesn’t know what is necessary for a given environment, he doesn’t understand that he is interfering with the biological system and thereby planting a time bomb.”

In addition, Russian ornithologist Vladimir Galushin strongly advises against picking up chicks that have fallen from their nests. “Most of the birds in the Moscow region are sick with ornithosis, and these viral diseases can be transmitted to people, especially children,” he warns. Moreover, in captivity the chick will die anyway. So ill-considered human intervention in bird life, even with the best intentions, can be harmful for both one and the other party.

But the greatest concern of Russian scientists is precisely the decrease in species diversity. According to the head of the Russian Bird Conservation Union, Viktor Zubakin, such a trend may serve as one of the signals for the beginning of an avalanche-like evolution of species. “The point is that what more types birds or animals, the more stable the ecosystem. And with a stable ecosystem, evolutionary processes slow down. As soon as the balance is seriously disturbed, uncontrolled processes of the emergence of new species begin to occur,” says the scientist.
For the first time, the idea of ​​avalanche evolution was arrived at by domestic paleontologists Zherikhin, Rautian, Ponomarenko and Eskov, who studied the sharp changes in flora and fauna in the Mesozoic and more distant eras. Its meaning is this: when the leading groups of animals in an ecosystem die out (for a variety of reasons), rapid evolution immediately begins among representatives of those species that lived on the periphery of the community and previously occupied very narrow ecological niches. For example, the extinction of dinosaurs immediately opened up the opportunity for mammals to enter a large size class and form ecological forms of large herbivores and large predators. And the extinction of Mesozoic marine reptiles made possible the appearance of large marine mammals such as seals, cetaceans and sirenians.

If we talk about birds, then this is the case with them - this group appeared in the Jurassic period, but was quite highly specialized. Jurassic birds were mostly fish-eating divers, like modern cormorants and penguins (since this particular niche was not occupied by anyone at that time). And the path to insectivorous forms is for a long time was closed - this was done in the Jurassic by small pterosaurs (Pterosauria) like Rhamphorhynchus. However, as soon as at the end Jurassic period They became extinct, then insect eaters immediately appeared among birds, and the most diverse (after all, the diversity of insects themselves was already enormous). And the final extinction of pterosaurs in the mid-Cretaceous added new jobs for birds - predators, soaring fishers (like albatrosses and gulls) and scavengers.
Since such a rapid explosion of diversity of forms among a previously highly specialized group happened very quickly (by geological standards, of course, since it took place over millions of years), scientists called such an evolution avalanche-like. The role of the pebble that launched it was played by the extinction of rhamphorhynchus (according to paleontologists, birds had no direct connection with it - they were replaced by representatives of other groups of pterosaurs). However, whatever one may say, after their sudden disappearance most of the current species of birds appeared.

This suggests that the situation could, in principle, repeat itself. The extinction of some leading groups of birds in our time may well cause an avalanche-like evolution of some other species of flying creatures, for example, bats. Species will appear that will be able to fly during the day, because they will no longer have competitors among birds. And although bats now do not do this mainly not because of competition from birds, but because their leathery thin wing has no protection from sunburn, the complete absence of competitors can lead to advantages being gained mutant individuals with more “sun-resistant” wings. And instead of crows and swallows, red-headed nocturnal birds will sit on the wires (that is, hang upside down), and compassionate grandmothers will feed the plump and lazy fruit bats, imposingly crawling through city squares. But bats don’t know how to sing and are unlikely to learn to do so.
Such processes do not bode well for humanity, Victor Zubakin is sure: “The current animal world is much older than man, and the latter, in the process of its evolution, adapted specifically to him. And those species that may appear soon will already adapt to modern people. And it’s hard to say what we will get as a result, but most likely, nothing good.” To illustrate this with a hypothetical example of daily bats, then in their person people will receive a new, numerous carrier of rabies (there is such a sin behind them), with whom it will be difficult to fight. It is also possible that new species will emerge that are resistant to both chemical and radiation influences. Therefore, it is not surprising that the scientist has great doubts that humanity, in turn, will be able to adapt to its new neighbors on the planet.
In the meantime, people can maintain species diversity artificially - for example, in special reserves. By the way, important point: in the 90s, several specially protected natural zones arose annually in Russia. And in the 2000s, when it seemed financial situation The state has improved significantly; only two such reserves were opened. In reality, according to scientists, several dozen more are needed. In any case, the fate of birds directly concerns humans. According to scientists, humanity will not survive if birds begin to die out en masse. True, people as a species will disappear earlier in this case.

History has repeatedly demonstrated what damage people can cause to each other, but sometimes the strongest misfortunes fell on the human race from heaven. The following little-known natural and man-made disasters have caused the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Great Smog of 1952

If you want to know how a rapidly growing industry can harm the environment, you don't have to look far for an example. It's about the Great Smog of London in 1952. Soot particles and other pollutants accumulated over the city in calm weather, forming a dense curtain of black smoke, leading to serious pollution air for four whole days. Smog destroyed the livestock of large cattle, caused numerous health problems among local residents, including death. As a result, about four thousand people died from suffocation and pulmonary diseases before rising winds cleared the city of smog. What happened in London forced residents to rethink their attitude towards protecting the environment. So in 1956, to strengthen control over the environmental situation, the Clean Air Act was adopted.

Boston Molasses Flood

When you think of a flood, you probably don't think of giant waves of molasses—sticky black syrup—rushing to fill the streets, although that's exactly what happened in 1919 in Boston's North End. Filled to the brim, a huge cast-iron tank collapsed, unable to withstand the pressure, and two-story waves of sugar-containing liquid poured down onto the Irish and Italian quarters. The pressure was so strong that the train left the tracks. Black molasses swept away both pedestrians and people in carriages in its path, unable to get out of the viscous substance. As a result of the man-made disaster, 21 people were killed and 150 were injured. In addition, molasses caused significant damage to the city's architecture.

Empire State Building disaster

A US Army twin-engine B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the Empire State Building on a foggy July day in 1945. As a result of the incident, fourteen people were killed and about twenty were injured. Since the disaster happened on a Saturday, fortunately there were few people in the 103-story building. The plane's debris fell from a height of about 270 meters down onto the adjacent street and the roofs of neighboring buildings, causing a fire. In the Empire State Building itself, a fire started when part of an airplane engine fell into an elevator shaft, but the fire was extinguished forty minutes later. To everyone's surprise, the structural strength of the skyscraper was not damaged as a result of the incident; most of the offices in the building were reopened to the public this coming Monday.

Mass poisoning in Basra

In 1971, the Iraqi port of Basra in the southeast of the country received a large shipment of treated grain for planting, consisting mainly of American barley and Mexican wheat. To protect against pests and rot, the cargo not intended for human consumption was treated with methylmercury. The grain, which was deadly to humans, was colored bright orange-pink, and the bags had warning stickers in English and Spanish. However, local rebels stole the bags from the port and distributed them to the starving population. As a result, according to the most conservative estimates, more than six and a half thousand people were poisoned by mercury, and alarming symptoms such as deafness, loss of vision, and impaired coordination of movements were observed in many people for a long time.

Elephant stampede in India

In the summer of 1972, there was terrible heat and drought in the Chandka Elephant Nature Park in Orissa, eastern India. Local residents were afraid to leave their homes, as the heat and lack of water drove the unfortunate animals to madness. 24 people died on July 10, 1972, when elephants, driven by instinct, stampeded through five villages. Today the reserve is known as an elephant sanctuary, and its lush vegetation is, oddly enough, famous for its humidity.