Ecological catastrophe in 1895, the extinction of birds. Endangered New Zealand Wrens

“... It can, perhaps, be said that the purpose of a person, as it were, is to destroy his kind, having previously made Earth unfit for habitation…”
J. Lamarck

Is co-evolution possible?

Currently, there are two extreme opinions - some researchers believe that processes of co-evolution of man and ecosystem are possible, others conclude that man is such an aggressive species that he is able to exterminate (and actually exterminate) all life in his path, and the higher the level of development of civilization , the more intense the processes of technogenic impact on the ecosystem.

However, most scientists consider the processes of human impact on the environment (ecosystem, biogeocenoses) only for the last 100-200, at best 300 years.

But there is also quite informed opinion that in ancient times man was not a creator, and did not co-evolve in interaction with nature, but rather was a kind of “destroyer”, and we are now observing the consequences of the influence of ancient civilizations on the ecosystem in a number of regions of the Earth. The processes of ancient technogenic impact contributed to soil erosion and degradation, the impoverishment of the species composition of animals and plants, and lead to a complete change in the landscape.

About 10-12 thousand years ago, at the end of the last Valdai glaciation, man began to master agriculture and at the same time domesticate animals, which made it possible to create reserves and be less dependent on hunting chances. This probably first happened in the warm northern zone of the Eastern Hemisphere. At that time, a significant part of Europe and Asia was occupied by the taiga, still separated from the nival zone by the tundra-steppe.

The Apennine Peninsula, Greece, Asia Minor, South China, Indochina were covered with deciduous forests, while North Africa, the Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, where it is now desert or dry steppe, were occupied by wet savannah or forest-steppe. The forest-steppe and savannah regions were the most favorable for life. It was there that the cereals that people began to domesticate and grow grew - these are barley, sorghum and millet (Vavilov, 1987).

Cereals were sown in Palestine, Asia Minor, the west of the Iranian Highlands, in Egypt as early as the 10th-8th millennium BC, and in the Balkans and South Turkmenistan no later than the 6th millennium BC. Probably, at the same time, the goat and sheep were domesticated (more than 10 thousand years ago), donkey, cattle and pig (about 9 thousand years ago).

The horse was domesticated in the Southern Urals about 8 thousand years ago (the dog was the first animal domesticated by man in the Late Paleolithic). The period of human transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture is commonly referred to as neolithic revolution .

About 8-10 thousand years ago, the valleys of the great rivers of Africa and Asia - the Nile, the Tigris and the Euphrates, the Indus and the Ganges, the Yellow River - were mastered by farmers, and a little later by pastoralists. The transition to agriculture and cattle breeding, of course, did not occur suddenly, but took several millennia (meaning the entire period from the end of the Mesolithic to the “developed” Neolithic). The first objects of cultivation of farmers are single row wheat and barley, and the first domesticated animals are goats and sheep. Most likely, this happened for the first time around the 9th millennium BC. on the territory of modern Palestine, Israel, Lebanon.

With the departure of the glacier, a partial, often regional aridization of the climate took place and, in a number of areas, people gradually adapted to the changing landscape. Farming was no longer based on rainwater irrigation, but on the damming of streams and the diversion of water through a system of ditches and canals to the fields. With the growth of the agricultural population, part of it began to go deep into the steppes, and in their way of life, more and more greater value purchased livestock. However, the horse and camel had not yet been domesticated, cattle breeders could not yet make distant seasonal migrations, and to some extent still depended on agriculture. Grazing of livestock, especially sheep and goats, could greatly deplete the already dry steppe, and periods of drought could give impetus to the resettlement of groups and tribes previously engaged in agriculture.

For a number of regions of the zone of dry steppes and deserts (for example, Egypt and Mesopotamia), where grain crops cannot grow normally without artificial irrigation, and extensive annual floods swamp vast areas, the population of these landscapes, which are very unfavorable for life, has learned to block flooded fields with earthen ramparts, diverting water in special reservoirs.

Presumably, in Egypt and Sumer, by the end of the 4th millennium BC, they received 10-20-fold harvests. The abundance of grain made it possible to save grain in case of crop failure, and in a number of cases to free some of the community members from agricultural work. Crafts began to develop intensively - pottery, weaving, metallurgy, etc.

It should be noted that if in the Paleolithic the intensity and characteristics of the settlement of the territory were associated primarily with the productivity of hunting grounds, then in the future - not only with the possibility of agricultural development, but with the creation of certain production complexes (manufacturing of stone tools, mining of ore). An important factor in the development and maximum settlement of the territory is security, protection from natural and anthropogenic factors.

The ratio of man to the landscape is a constant value determined by adaptation. “... All the peoples of the Earth live in landscapes at the expense of nature, but how diverse the landscapes are, the peoples inhabiting them are also diverse, because no matter how much they change the landscape, by creating an anthropogenic relief, reconstructing flora and fauna, people have to feed only on those what the nature of this area can give. A person not only adapts to the landscape, but also adapts the landscape to his needs and requirements, and when the landscape changes - under the influence of anthropogenic or natural factors, people must either adapt, or leave, or die ... ”, wrote L.N. Gumilev.

During the Roman Empire, migrants (legionnaires, as well as former prisoners of war) sent to its remote parts (Syria, Britain, Gaul, Thrace) getting into an unfamiliar, “hostile” landscape for them, preferred life in cities where walls separated and protected them from a hostile nature and, accordingly, their attitude towards nature was consumerist, predatory. At that time, the landscape of Europe changed a lot, which was associated with the laying of roads and the construction of fortifications by the Romans, 2/3 of the forests of Gaul and the beech groves of the Apennine Peninsula were reduced, the valleys of the Atlas mountains were plowed up and provided, the landscapes of Africa and Asia were greatly affected - the Sumerians drained the swamps of the interfluve of the Tigris and Euphrates. The hills of Hellas and Phrygia, the islands of the Aegean, sung by Homer, were actually “eaten by goats” (in the truest sense of the word!) The hills of Hellas and Phrygia, the islands of the Aegean Sea, were turned into almost bare rocks by grazing goats, the landscapes of Fr. Tenerife.

Subsequently, on the territory of Europe, Germanic, proto-Slavic and Slavic tribes cut down huge areas of forest for fire-slash and slash agriculture, in the Middle Ages oak forests were cut down and landscapes were transformed in Europe. Now there are no relic forests left, if only in the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland.

The Tragedy of Easter Island

One of the clearest examples of the complete destruction of the ecosystem is Easter Island. Easter Island, covering an area of ​​​​only 165 square meters. km - one of the most secluded habitats: it is located in the Pacific Ocean at a distance of more than 3700 km from South America and 2600 km from the nearest inhabited island of Pitcairn.

When the island was settled around 400 AD. e. Polynesians, it was covered with forest, but in just 500-600 years the island's ecosystem was completely changed, after a few centuries all tree vegetation was destroyed, and the population of the once prosperous island decreased tenfold.

Before the arrival of people, and in the first years of their stay, the island was not at all as deserted as it is now. A subtropical forest of trees and undergrowth rose above shrubs, grasses, ferns and turf. The forest grew tree daisies, how-how trees that could be used to make ropes, and toromiro palms, which are good for fuel.

When Easter Island was discovered in 1722 by the expedition of Jacob Roggeven, it was already a devastated area covered with dried grass and scorched vegetation, neither a tree nor bushes were visible anywhere. Of the domestic animals, there were only chickens, and the population of the island was only about 2,000 people.

Paleontologist David Steadman conducted a study of Easter Island in order to find out what its flora and fauna were like before. As a result, data appeared for the tragic, and at the same time, instructive history of its settlers.

blooming island

Before the arrival of people, the island was an ideal place for birds, they did not have any enemies. Only 25 species of birds nested here - albatrosses, boobies, frigates, fulmars, and it was the largest bird market in the entire Pacific Ocean.

The islanders once grew bananas, taro, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, and mulberries on the island.

The relatively cold coastal waters supported fishing in only a few places, and dolphins and seals were the main marine prey.

The beginning of a tragedy.

But around the 800s, the disappearance of forests began - when scientists studied rocks, layers of charcoal from forest fires began to occur more and more often, there was less and less wood pollen and more and more pollen appeared from grasses that replaced the forest. Around 1400, palm trees disappeared completely, not only as a result of cutting down, but also because of the ubiquitous rats, which did not give them the opportunity to recover palm trees by eating nuts. Rats were brought to the island by the Polynesians.

A little later, not only palm trees disappeared, but the entire forest as a whole - it was destroyed by people who cleared land for gardens, cut down trees for building canoes, for making skating rinks for statues, for heating. Paradise, opened to the first settlers, 1600 years later became almost lifeless. Fertile soils, abundance of food, plenty of building materials, sufficient living space, all the possibilities for a comfortable existence were destroyed.

The ever-increasing population harassed the forests faster than they could regenerate, more and more space was taken up by vegetable gardens and soil devoid of forest, springs and streams dried up, and the trees that were used to transport and raise statues, as well as build canoes and dwellings, turned out to be insufficient even for cooking food.

Rats ate seeds, and birds died out due to polluted flowers and a decrease in fruit yields, and the fertility of arable land decreased due to wind and rain erosion. The same thing has happened that happens everywhere in the world where the forest is being destroyed: most of the inhabitants of the forest are disappearing.

All species of local birds and animals disappeared on the island, and all coastal fish were caught. By the 15th century, dolphins had disappeared from the diet of people: there was nothing to go to the sea on, and there was nothing to make harpoons from.

Chaos, hunger, cannibalism.

As birds and animals were destroyed, famine set in. Small snails went to food, it came to cannibalism. The surviving islanders told the first Europeans who visited them how the centralized system was replaced by chaos, and the warlike class defeated the hereditary chiefs. Images of spears and daggers made by the warring parties in the 1600s and 1700s appeared on the stones, and they are now scattered throughout Easter Island.

By 1700 the population was between a quarter and a tenth of its former size. People moved to caves to hide from their enemies. Around 1770, opposing clans began to overturn each other's statues and cut off their heads. The last statue was overturned and desecrated in 1864.

As the picture of the decline of the Easter Island civilization emerged before the researchers, they asked themselves: “Why didn’t they look back, didn’t realize what was happening, didn’t stop before it was too late? What were the inhabitants of the island thinking about when they cut down the last palm tree?

The catastrophe did not happen suddenly, but dragged on for several decades, and the changes taking place in nature were not noticeable for one generation - the trees gradually became smaller, thinner and less significant. Once the last fruiting palm tree was cut, and the young shoots were destroyed along with the remnants of shrubs and undergrowth.

And no one noticed the death of the last palm tree ...

BUT. BUT. Kazdym
Doctor of Geology

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But the trouble is that birds fly away from us not only in autumn. In two years, the number of waterfowl in the capital region has halved, tits have almost disappeared, and a number of already rare "Red Book" birds are under the threat of complete extinction.
The result is a colossal increase in the number of insects, from which both people and plants especially suffered this summer. We are on the verge of an ecological catastrophe, the consequences of which may be irreversible. What can be done to remedy the situation, Vecherka was told by leading scientists and environmentalists.
CHICKENS COUNT IN AUTUMN. BIRDS - AFTER FIRE
In the spring, we, dear readers, counted the nightingales of the capital. It's funny to do this, but it turned out that the participants of the "Birds of Moscow and Moscow Region" project, who plan to release a special atlas of birds at the end of the year, are seriously engaged in counting birds in the city and in the region. Yes, just not for fun, scientists consider titmouse, finches and other birds. Fact: there are fewer and fewer birds in the forests and more and more pests that destroy the "green lungs" of the planet.
“Indeed, hard times have come for birds, and this is a global trend associated with urbanization and the spread of megacities,” explains Olga Voltsit, head of the Birds of Moscow and Moscow Region project at the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University. - There are fewer and fewer areas of wildlife, and birds are losing their usual living conditions.
But it's not just about urbanization. According to the Deputy Director of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after Severtsov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vyacheslav Rozhnov, the forest fires of the past and the year before last, which drove the birds from their usual habitats, pretty much harmed the birds.
FLEW OFF AND DID NOT PROMISE TO RETURN
that summer, while the heat did not scare us too much. Rather, it was raining. Scientists, however, state an increase in the number of a voracious and harmful insect tribe:
- This summer has become a record in terms of the number of various pests in Moscow and the Moscow region, - says Olga Voltsit. - The reason for this is not entirely clear. Apparently, several factors converged: the consequences of forest fires, which weakened the trees, decreased the number of birds capable of giving them a worthy rebuff, optimal conditions in terms of humidity and temperature fell out.
What did the insects manage to do to harm, is the harm they brought so great? Great. In Bronnitsy, caterpillars of the chocolate butterfly ate willows. Bare oaks stand in many areas of the Moscow region. Ecologists estimate that up to 35 percent of Russia's forest resources may be in danger of destruction due to the invasion of gypsy moth caterpillars. The cost of wood loss due to insect damage is comparable to the damage caused to forests by all other factors, including fires, environmentalists say.
By the way, silkworm caterpillars are easily carried by the wind to a distance of up to 20 km, it is almost impossible to track the distribution area of ​​​​the pest in Russia. In many regions of the Central part of Russia, a powerful outbreak of mass reproduction of needle- and leaf-eating pests, as well as xylophages - those who feed on wood, has been recorded. Foci of forest pests have spread throughout Russia - such as the red pine sawfly, winter moth, oak flea beetle, as well as stem pests - bark beetle-typographer and black spruce barbel.
At the same time, the main part of our forest plantations is located in water protection and forest park zones, which means that the use there chemicals protection is prohibited. To save the situation, foresters use a set of biological pest control measures: pheromone traps, tree ringing, sanitary felling and, most importantly, attracting insectivorous birds to the forests, without which, no matter how hard you try, nothing will work. Although it is extremely difficult: to "persuade" birds to return to abandoned habitats is a whole science, the secrets of which are not fully understood even by specialists.
PESTS ARE VERY USEFUL
It turns out that the biological balance is disturbed. What to do? To resort to various chemistry, with all the difficulties of its use? It turns out that this is not an option. And the pests of the forest also have their own defenders who defend their right to life. For example, Vladimir Boreyko, director of the ecological and cultural center, believes that pests ... are not so harmful.
- Aphids, leafhoppers, bedbugs, thrips live on earth for 400 million years, that is, 8 thousand times longer than a person. They coexisted for a long time with wild wheat and all this time sucked its juice. Apparently, there was some useful meaning in this. After all, nature does not create anything in vain. Even with the mass reproduction of plant pests, the result is not always negative. So, during the period of the simultaneous appearance of a huge number of caterpillars of the oak leafworm, oaks may be without leaves by the end of May. But these trees do not die and after a while give new foliage. Only the annual growth of wood is reduced. But the growth, languishing in the shade of powerful trees, when they are exposed, receives a little more light by the beginning of summer and begins to actively develop.
The conclusion is that even the fight against the so-called pests should be reasonable: after all, they also perform their important functions in the biosphere. This is when the balance is disturbed, insects begin to uncontrollably devour trees, the ecosystem falls into decay, and as a result, irreversible changes are possible.
HUMAN FACTOR
It turns out, nevertheless, that the observance of ecological balance is the task of birds? It looks like yes. But they are having a hard time right now. The real trouble for them is living in big cities, including in Moscow. The metropolis is actively transforming natural areas.
Huge shopping centers, various industries, collective gardens, cottages are being built in it.
Birds are forced to leave their lands. Their species diversity and abundance are drastically reduced. Recreational load on forests and parks is growing, especially in summer - constant noisy picnics, hayfields, cutting down undergrowth. This has a particularly negative effect on ground-nesting species, such as warblers, thrushes, buntings, nightingales, robins, warblers. There are almost no city swallows and starlings left.
The reason for the disappearance of birds from cities is the elimination of green spaces and, as a result, the lack of food supply for them.
- For example, before the reconstruction there were 45 nightingales in Tsaritsyno park, and now, as a result of the destruction of the remains of the broad-leaved forest, there are only 15 of them left, - complains Olga Voltsit. - Now even specially protected natural areas are being intensively built up - for example, Bitsevsky Park, Losiny Ostrov, they want to turn the unique Nagatinskaya floodplain, where six "Red Book" species nest, into an entertainment center. As a result, the nature reserve will simply disappear from the face of the earth along with the nests of goshawks and rare species of reeds.
Even sparrows are seen less and less in the city. It turns out that this bird, familiar to everyone with its impudent, impudent behavior, is on the verge of extinction. It was once believed that the sparrow did more harm than good. But it's not. It is estimated that a flock of sparrows (1000 birds) destroys 8 kilograms of weed seeds in one month. In addition, sparrows absorb many insects, and they themselves are eaten by birds of prey. Such is the cycle.
- Living in big cities, we are getting further and further from nature, - says Olga Voltsit. - For birds "prescribed" in urban conditions, hungry times are coming.
The ecological situation, no matter what anyone says, is disgusting in the capital. Artificial turf is easier to care for, but there are no insects, ants and butterflies disappear. From hunger, birds fly to garbage dumps and become carriers of infection. Pigeons and crows, whose numbers are growing, have adapted best of all to this way of life. They have become a real disaster for cities. There are so many of them that it's time to think about reducing their numbers. Ravens destroy the nests of other birds, pigeons carry infections and pollute monuments.
THEM AND US
In Europe, year-round monitoring of all birds living there, their behavior, nesting, and abundance is carried out. Graphs of their movements, tables of reduction or increase are constructed. This is being done by the European Council for the Census of Birds. Its employees are doing a great job of keeping populations at the same level. Not everything is going smoothly. In cities and forest parks there, it is possible not only to preserve, but even to increase the species diversity of birds. The main problem for Europe is the reduction in the number of field birds. Not all of them do well in well-groomed fields sown with monocultures. As a result, they almost nest there in tall grasses and swamps. For example, the corncrake, which loves wet tall grass meadows, has practically disappeared. But in Russia there are plenty of this bird. Lapwing or skylark, which thrives in mowed meadows, is found there in large numbers. We have fewer of these birds.
Unfortunately, no one has ever conducted such monitoring in our country. The project "Birds of Moscow and Moscow Region" is the first sign of this kind. He has been working for three years. By the end of 2012, an atlas of the birds living here will be published, and there are plans to publish an atlas of birds throughout the European territory of Russia.
This is a serious scientific work that requires time, equipment, and qualified employees.
- If a European observer has three square kilometers, then ours - three hundred, - says Olga Voltsit. - Therefore, when we say that in Europe there is an ornithologist behind every bush, we do not exaggerate too much.
There is an acute shortage of specialists of this kind in our country.
But there are still plenty of fans to kindle fires in the clearing, scatter garbage, break trees and destroy nests. Of course, we ourselves are primarily to blame for the fact that there are fewer birds in our forests and cities.
Some optimists believe that a person will be able to create conditions for himself in which life will be possible without the biosphere, and then we will not need birds, insects, or even trees. This is a rather risky approach: the biosphere existed for millions of years before man and did just fine without him. Is it not logical to assume that one day she will find a way to get rid of the aggressor who has become dangerous for her? Thus, feeling like the king of nature, who is allowed to do anything - drain peat bogs, burn fires, destroy nests, break green spaces, leave garbage behind - we simply deprive ourselves of the future.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
Scientists are developing programs to attract birds to the city. For example, owls, cute owls, were brought to Troparevo. At a private level, you can at least not destroy the nests and not scare away the birds, feed them with your favorite treats, hang birdhouses, feeders. Surprisingly, these "children's" fun leads to amazing results.
And the situation is such that it can only be overcome together.
BY THE WAY
At the end of 2011, an unexplained mass death of birds was recorded in various countries. For example, on December 31, about 3,000 dead birds. Later, similar cases were recorded in Sweden, Italy and Canada.
DIRECT SPEECH
VICTOR ZUBAKIN PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN BIRD CONSERVATION UNION, LEADING SCIENTIST OF THE LABORATORY FOR BIRD BEHAVIOR CONTROL, INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF THE RAS
The elements that raged in the summer of 2010 destroyed huge swamp areas. The result is a sharp decline in the number of golden eagles, ospreys and cranes. If the crane is slowly recovering, then large marsh predators are dying out before our eyes. To prevent this from happening, we install artificial platforms on large trees, plant birds on them so that they can build nests there.
One can imagine for a moment a terrible picture - all the birds have disappeared from the face of the earth. But it is difficult to imagine the consequences of this. The entire biosphere will go haywire. It will not necessarily disappear, but will be reborn into something completely different, and it is unlikely that there will be a place for a person.

The situation around the Great Barrier Reef continues to deteriorate and threatens to become the most large-scale catastrophe in the history of mankind. reCensor remembered when the ecology was still in a state of emergency due to human actions.

Scientists believe that, despite all the efforts of environmentalists, in the near future the world's largest coral reef is threatened with destruction. More recently, experts have noted that more than 50% of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is at the stage of death. According to updated data, the figure increased to 93%.

The formation of such a unique natural formation occurred about 10 thousand years ago. It includes almost 3 thousand different coral reefs. The length of the Great Barrier Reef is 2.5 thousand kilometers with an area of ​​344 thousand square kilometers. The coral reef is home to billions of diverse living organisms.

In 1981, UNESCO recognized the Great Barrier Reef as a protected natural wonder. However, in 2014, environmentalists began to notice that many corals had lost their color. It should be noted that similar changes have occurred in many coral reefs around the world, so scientists initially thought that this was a standard anomaly. But after a few months, it became clear that the number of bleached corals was growing exponentially.

Terry Hughes, head of the James Cook University Center for Excellence in Coral Reef Research, said coral bleaching almost always leads to coral death. “Corals can be saved if the bleaching rate does not reach 50% percent. More than half of the Great Barrier Reef's corals currently have bleaching rates between 60% and 100%.

Environmentalists have been sounding the alarm for several years now, as the death of corals will lead to the disappearance of the entire ecosystem. Coral bleaching occurred in several stages. In 2015, there was the largest wave of bleaching, but scientists believe that the largest extinction is yet to come. “The reason for this is climate change associated with global warming. The temperature of the waters in the oceans has risen greatly, as a result of which the corals began to die. The saddest thing is that we do not know how to counter this problem, so the extinction of the Great Barrier Reef will continue further, ”the scientists state.


Also, one of the reasons for the extinction of corals is the catastrophe of a large industrial tanker that occurred in 2010. As a result of the collapse of the tanker, more than 65 tons of coal and 975 tons of oil fell into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Experts are confident that this incident has become an irreparable environmental disaster. "AT modern world a trend has formed that leads to the fact that due to extremely careless human activity, almost all animals inhabiting our planet will die. Even the death of the Aral Sea cannot be compared with the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef,” notes Professor Terry Hughes.

Most of the largest environmental tragedies occurred in the XX-XXI centuries. Below is a list of the 10 largest environmental disasters in history, information about which was collected by reCensor correspondents.

One of the largest incidents that caused serious damage to the environment is the crash of the Prestige oil tanker. The incident happened on November 19, 2002 on the coast of Europe. The ship got into a strong storm, because of which a huge hole was formed in its hull, more than 30 meters long. Every day, the tanker carries at least 1,000 tons of oil, which is thrown into the waters of the Atlantic. In the end, the tanker broke into two parts, sinking with all the cargo stored on it. The total amount of oil that entered the Atlantic Ocean was 20 million gallons.

2 Bhopal Leak methyl isocyanate


In 1984, the largest toxic fumes leak in history occurred. methyl isocyanate in the city of Bhopal. The tragedy caused the death of more than 3 thousand people. In addition, another 15,000 people later died as a result of exposure to the poison. According to experts, the volume of lethal vapors that ended up in the atmosphere amounted to about 42 tons. It is still unknown what caused the accident.

3. Explosion at the Nipro plant


In 1974, at the Nipro plant, located in the UK, there was a powerful explosion, followed by a fire. According to experts, the explosion was so powerful that it could only be repeated by collecting 45 tons of TNT. 130 people became victims of the incident. However, the biggest problem was the release of ammonium, resulting in thousands of people admitted to hospitals with vision and respiratory diseases.

4. The largest pollution of the North Sea


In 1988, the largest accident in the history of oil production occurred on the Piper Alpha oil platform. Damage from the accident amounted to US$4 billion. The accident caused a powerful explosion that completely destroyed the oil platform. Almost all the personnel of the enterprise died during the accident. Over the following days, oil continued to flow into the North Sea, which is now one of the most polluted waters in the world.

5. The largest nuclear disaster


The largest environmental disaster in the history of mankind is an explosion on Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which occurred in 1986 on the territory of Ukraine. The cause of the explosion was an accident in the fourth power unit of the nuclear power plant. The explosion caused the death of more than 30 people.

However, the most terrible consequence is the release of huge amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. At the moment, the number of people who died as a result of radiation contamination in subsequent years has exceeded several thousand. Their number continues to grow, despite the galvanized sarcophagus that sealed the exploded reactor.

In 1989, a major environmental disaster occurred on the coast of Alaska. The oil tanker "Exxon Valdez" hit the reef and received a serious hole. As a result, the entire contents of 9 million gallons of oil ended up in the water. Almost 2.5 thousand kilometers of the coast of Alaska were covered with oil. This accident caused the death of tens of thousands of living organisms living both in water and on land.

In 1986, as a result of the tragedy at the Swiss factory chemical industry the river Rhine is no longer safe for swimming. The chemical plant burned for several days. During this time, more than 30 tons of toxic substances spilled into the water, destroying millions of living organisms, and polluting all drinking sources.

In 1952, a terrible disaster occurred in London, the causes of which are still not known. On December 5, the capital of Great Britain plunged into caustic smog. At first, the townspeople took it for ordinary fog, but after a few days it did not dissipate. People began to arrive at hospitals with symptoms of lung diseases. In just 4 days, about 4 thousand people died, most of them children and the elderly.

9. Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico


In 1979, another oil disaster occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. The accident happened at the Istok-1 drilling rig. As a result of malfunctions, almost 500 thousand tons of oil spilled into the water. The well was closed only a year later.

10. The crash of the oil tanker "Amoco Cadiz"


In 1978, the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz sank in the Atlantic Ocean. The cause of the crash was the underwater rocks, which the captain of the ship did not notice. As a result of the disaster, the coast of France was flooded with 650 million liters of oil. Due to the crash of an oil tanker, tens of thousands of fish and birds that lived in the coastal region died.

TOP 10 largest environmental disasters in history updated: July 7, 2016 by: EDITION

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

1. Leakage of oil products from the tanker "Prestige"

The Bahamian-flagged single-hull tanker Prestige was built by the Japanese shipyard Hitachi to carry crude oil and launched in 1976. In November 2002, while passing through the Bay of Biscay, the tanker got into 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 flow out per day.
The Spanish coast guards 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 fix the breakdown and pump out oil products, more than 70,000 cubic meters of oil got into the ocean. On the surface along coastline a spot more than a thousand kilometers long was formed, which caused enormous damage to the local fauna and flora.
For Europe, this case was the most catastrophic oil spill in history. The damage from it was estimated at 4 billion euros, 300,000 volunteers worked to eliminate its consequences.

2. The collapse of the tanker "Exxon Valdez"

On March 23, 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker, fully loaded with oil, sailed from the 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 was already “drunk” by that time. There were icebergs in the sea, so the captain was forced to deviate from the course, notifying the coast guard about this. Having received permission from the latter, he changed course, and at 23 o'clock left the wheelhouse, leaving the control of the ship to the third mate and the sailor, who had already defended their watches 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 assistant that two minutes after passing the traverse of the island, you need 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 midnight on 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 contaminated, making this accident one of the most significant environmental disasters in the world.

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3. Chernobyl disaster

Everyone has probably heard about the largest accident at a nuclear power plant in the history of mankind, which occurred in Chernobyl. Its consequences are visible now, and will remind of themselves for many years to come. On April 26, 1986, an explosion occurred at the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, completely destroying 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 victims of this accident.
About 200 people who directly took part in its liquidation are officially considered dead from the accident, their lives were claimed by radiation sickness. The nature of all Eastern Europe suffered enormous damage. Dozens of tons of radioactive uranium, plutonium, strontium and cesium were sprayed into the atmosphere and began to slowly settle to the ground, carried by the wind. The desire of the authorities not to give wide publicity to what happened, so that panic would not start among the population, made its share in the tragedy of the unfolding events around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Therefore, many thousands of residents of cities and villages who did not fall into the alienated 30-kilometer zone, carelessly remained in their places.
In subsequent years, there was a surge of cancer among them, mothers gave birth to thousands of freaks, and this is still observed. Just because of the spread radioactive contamination local 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 liquidation of this accident and its protracted consequences, and colossal funds were spent. The territory immediately adjacent to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is still a restricted area, since it is unsuitable for habitation.

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4. Accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant

The crash happened on March 11, 2011. It all started with a strong earthquake and a powerful tsunami, they put out of action the backup diesel generators and the power supply system of the nuclear power plant. This led to the dysfunction of the reactor cooling system, the 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 leakage of radioactive substances, the level of radiation quickly began to grow, because the depressurization of the shells of the fuel elements caused the leakage of radioactive cesium. Water samples were taken 30 kilometers from the station in the ocean on March 23, which showed an excess of the norms for iodine-131 and cesium-137, but the radioactivity of the water kept increasing and by March 31 exceeded the normal level by almost 4400 times, because even after the accident the water contaminated with radiation continued to seep into the ocean. It is clear that after some time, animals with outlandish genetic and physiological changes began to come across in local waters.
The spread of radiation contributed to 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 be carried out here for a long time.

5. Bhopal disaster

The catastrophe in Indian Bhopal turned out to be truly terrible, not only because it caused great damage to the nature of the state, but also because it claimed the lives of 18,000 inhabitants. A subsidiary of the Union Carbide Corporation was building a chemical plant in Bhopal that was originally designed to produce pesticides used in agriculture.
But in order for the plant to become competitive, it was decided to change the production technology towards a more dangerous and complex one, which would not require more expensive imported raw materials. But a series of crop failures led to the fact that the demand for the plant's products decreased, so its owners decided to sell the plant in the summer of 1984. The financing of the operating enterprise was curtailed, the equipment gradually wore out and ceased to meet safety standards. In the end, liquid methyl isocyanate overheated in one of the reactors, there was a sharp release of its vapors, which ruptured the emergency valve. In a matter of seconds, 42 tons of poisonous vapors entered the atmosphere, which formed a deadly cloud with a diameter of 4 kilometers over the plant and the surrounding area.
Residential areas and the railway station fell into the affected area. The authorities did not have time to inform the population about the danger in time, and there was a critical shortage of medical staff, so on the first day, 5,000 people died after inhaling poisonous gas. But even for a number of years after that, poisoned people continued to die, and the total number of victims of that accident is estimated at 30,000 people.

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6Sandoz Chemical Disaster

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

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 irrigation of 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 have calculated 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, and now there are only 38 of them.
For decades, agricultural waste was dumped into the Aral and settled at the bottom. Now they have turned into poisonous sand, which the wind carries fifty kilometers around, polluting the surroundings and destroying vegetation. The island of Vozrozhdenie has long since become part of the mainland, and once upon a time there was a testing ground for bacteriological weapons on it. There are burials with such deadly diseases as typhus, plague, smallpox, anthrax. Some pathogens are still alive, so they can spread to habitable zones thanks to rodents.

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8 Flixboro Chemical Plant Accident

In the British city of Flixborough, there was a Nipro plant that produced ammonium nitrate, and 4,000 tons of caprolactam, 3,000 tons of cyclohexanone, 2,500 tons of phenol, 2,000 tons of cyclohexane and many other chemicals were stored on its territory. But the various process tanks and spherical tanks were underfilled, which increased the danger of an explosion. In addition, various flammable materials were kept under high pressure and high temperature in the plant's reactors.
The administration sought to increase the productivity of the plant, but this reduced the effectiveness of fire extinguishing equipment. The company's engineers were often forced to turn a blind eye to deviations from the technological regulations, to neglect safety standards - a familiar picture. Finally, on June 1, 1974, the plant was shaken by a powerful explosion. Instantly, the production facilities were engulfed in flames, and the shock wave from the explosion swept through the surrounding settlements, shattering windows, ripping off roofs from houses and maiming people. Then 55 people died. 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, because of which the authorities had to urgently evacuate the inhabitants of some neighboring settlements.
The damage from this man-made disaster was estimated at 36 million pounds - it was the most expensive emergency for British industry.

9 Piper Alpha Oil Rig Fire

In July 1988, a major disaster occurred on the Piper Alpha platform, which was used for oil and gas production. Its consequences were exacerbated by the indecisive and ill-considered actions of the personnel, due to which 167 out of 226 people working on the platform 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 catastrophe ended not only with human casualties, but also with great damage to the environment.

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10. The explosion of an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico

On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deep Water Horizon oil platform, owned by British Petroleum and located in the Gulf of Mexico, which caused a huge amount of oil to be thrown out of an uncontrolled well into the sea for a long time. The platform itself plunged 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 catastrophe has become one of the most terrible for the biosphere, not only the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, but also the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Oil poured into the water for 152 days, 75,000 sq. km of the waters of the bay were covered with a thick oil film. All the states whose coast goes to the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi) suffered from pollution, but Alabama got the most.
About 400 species of rare animals were endangered, and thousands of seabirds and amphibians died on the oil-filled shores. The Office of Specially Protected Resources reported that there was an outbreak of mortality among cetaceans in the bay following the oil spill.

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Some accidents entail not only human casualties and great material damage, but also strong changes in climate, flora and fauna. In this article, we will talk about the ten largest environmental disasters in the world, which led not only to great human losses, but also to monstrous consequences for nature.

Ecological catastrophes are called, which not only take the lives of people, but also lead to rather deplorable consequences for the environment. As a rule, such catastrophes are the result of human activity. After all, development modern technologies, in particular in the energy sector, provides not only tangible material benefits, but also, if used ineptly, can lead to monstrous consequences.

Oil release due to the accident on the tanker "Prestige"

The monohull tanker Prestige, which sailed under the Bahamian flag and was originally designed to transport crude oil, was built at the Hitachi shipyard and commissioned on March 1, 1976.

When the tanker was passing through the Bay of Biscay on November 13, 2002, it got into a severe storm off the coast of Galicia. Due to the damage received, a crack appeared thirty-five meters long, which led to the leakage of fuel oil in the amount of 1000 tons per day.

The situation was aggravated by the fact that the Spanish coastal authorities refused to call the ship to the nearest port. Instead, an attempt was made to tow the tanker to one of the ports of Portugal, but the local authorities also refused. As a result, the ship was towed out to sea.

The final sinking of the ship occurred on 19 November. It simply split into two parts and its remains sank to the bottom, to a depth of about 3700 meters. Due to the fact that the damage could not be repaired and the oil could not be pumped, more than 70 million liters of oil spilled into the sea. The resulting spot stretched for thousands of kilometers along the coastline, causing irreparable damage to flora and fauna.

This oil spill was the most serious environmental disaster on the coast of Europe. The damage from the incident was estimated at four billion euros, and three hundred thousand volunteers had to be involved to eliminate its consequences.

Wreck of the tanker Exxon Valdez

The oil tanker Exxon Valdez left the terminal at Valdez, Alaska on March 23, 1989 at 9:12 pm, bound for Long Beach, California, through the Prince Wilhelm Sound. The tanker was fully loaded with oil. The pilot led him through the Valdez, and after that he handed over control of the ship to the captain, who had been drinking alcohol that evening.

In order to avoid a collision with icebergs, Captain Joseph Jeffrey Hayzvuld deviated from the chosen course, which he notified the coast guard. Having received the appropriate permission, the captain changed course and left the cabin at 23 o'clock, transferring control of the ship to his third mate and sailor, who had already defended one watch without receiving the six hours of rest due to it. At that time, the ship was directly controlled by an autopilot, which led the ship through the navigation system.

Before leaving the wheelhouse, the captain left instructions to his assistant to turn at the moment when the ship was abeam the island two minutes above. Despite the fact that the assistant gave the appropriate order to the helmsman, it was either voiced late,

or done with delay. This resulted in the ship colliding with Blythe Reef on 24 March 00:28.

This resulted in 40 million liters of oil leaking into the sea, although some environmentalists claim the actual leak was much higher. 2400 kilometers of the coast were affected, which makes this incident one of the worst environmental disasters.

Bhopal disaster

The Bhopal incident is considered one of the worst environmental disasters in the world due to the fact that it led to the death of eighteen thousand people and huge damage to the environment.

The Bhopal chemical plant was built by a subsidiary of the Union Carbide Corporation. Initially, the enterprise was intended for the production of pesticides to be used in agriculture. It was planned that the plant would import part of the chemicals, however, in order to compete with similar enterprises, it was decided to move to a more complex and dangerous production, which made it possible to do without foreign raw materials.

In July 1984, it was planned to sell the company, because due to crop failures, the demand for its products has seriously decreased. Due to insufficient funding, work continued on equipment that did not meet safety standards.

At the time of the disaster, the plant was producing Sevin insecticide, popular at that time, which appears as a result of the reaction of methyl isocyanate with alpha-naphthol in carbon tetrachloride. Methyl isocyanate was stored in three tanks with a total capacity of approximately 180,000 liters of liquid, which were partially dug into the ground.

The cause of the accident was a sharp release of methyl isocyanate vapor, which heated up above the boiling point, which caused a rupture emergency valve. Because of this, forty-two tons of toxic fumes were released, forming a cloud that covered an area with a radius of two kilometers from the plant, and in particular covered the railway station and residential areas.

Due to untimely informing the population and lack of medical staff, about five thousand people died on the first day. Another thirteen thousand died within a few years, due to the consequences of the release of toxic fumes into the atmosphere.

Accident and fire at the chemical factory "SANDOZ"

On November 1, 1986, one of the worst environmental disasters in the world occurred, which led to monstrous consequences for wildlife. The chemical plant, located near the Swiss city of Basel, on the banks of the Rhine River, was engaged in the production of various agricultural chemicals. Because of the fire, about thirty tons of mercury and pesticides were dumped into the river.

As a result of chemicals entering the water, the Rhine turned red, and people living on the coast were forbidden to leave their homes. In some German cities, water pipes had to be closed and only the water that was brought in tanks was used. In addition, about half a million fish and representatives of the river fauna died, and some species also completely died out. The program aimed at making the waters of the Rhine suitable for bathing runs until 2020.

London smog 1952

In early December 1952, a cold fog descended on London, which is why the townspeople began to actively use coal for space heating. Because in Britain

after the war, low-quality coal was used, which contained a lot of sulfur; during combustion, a lot of smoke was formed, which included sulfur dioxide. Also, a certain contribution to air pollution was made by motor vehicles, which only recently began to be actively used in London, as well as the work of several coal-fired power plants. Also, polluted air from the industrial regions of Europe was brought by the wind that blew from the English Channel.

Since fogs are not uncommon in London, the reaction of the townspeople to what was happening was quite calm. But the consequences of this incident were quite sad. According to statistics, more than one hundred thousand people received respiratory diseases, of which about twelve thousand died.

This incident is considered one of the worst cases of air pollution and led to major changes in attitudes towards environmental research, the impact of clean air on human health. To date, this incident is considered one of the most major disasters in England.

Flixborough chemical plant disaster

The Nipro plant, located in the city of Flixboro, was engaged in the production of ammonium. Its storage facilities contained up to two thousand tons of cyclohexane, more than three thousand tons of cyclohexanone, about four thousand tons of caprolactam, two and a half thousand tons of phenol and other chemicals.

Ball tanks and other technological containers were not filled enough, which seriously increased the risk of explosion. In addition, many flammable materials were in factory settings at elevated temperatures and pressures. In particular, the production plant for the oxidation of cyclohexane contained approximately five hundred tons of flammable liquid.

In addition, due to the rapid growth in production, the fire protection system quickly lost its effectiveness. Production engineers partly deviated from the technological regulations and began to ignore safety standards under pressure from management.

On June 1, 1974 at 16:53 a powerful explosion rocked the plant. The flames engulfed the production facilities, and the shock wave passed through the surrounding villages and towns, tearing roofs off houses, breaking windows, injuring people, which led to the death of 55 people. The power of the explosion was approximately equal to the action of a 45-ton charge of TNT.

In addition, a large cloud of poisonous gases appeared due to the explosion, which led to the need to evacuate residents of settlements located near the plant.

The total damage from the disaster amounted to 36 million pounds sterling, which is the heaviest blow to the English industry.

The death of the Aral Sea

The drying up of the Aral Sea is one of the most famous environmental disasters that occurred on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Initially, this reservoir was considered the fourth largest lake in the world.

Due to improper design of agricultural canals that have taken water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers that have fed the Aral Sea since the 1960s, the lake has receded from the shore, exposing the bottom covered with pesticides, chemicals and salt. This led to the rapid evaporation of water. In particular, between 1960 and 2007, the Aral Sea lost a thousand cubic kilometers of water, and its size is less than 10% of its original size.

Of the 178 species of vertebrates that lived in the Aral Sea, only 38 survived.

Piper Alpha oil platform fire

The disaster that occurred on July 6, 1988 on the Piper Alpha platform, which was used to extract oil and gas, is considered the largest in the history of mining. Due to the fact that the actions of the personnel were insufficiently thought out and indecisive, 167 people out of 226 who were on the platform at that moment died in the fire. In addition, due to the fact that the supply of hydrocarbons through the pipes could not be stopped immediately, the fire was maintained for a long time and only became stronger.

The insured loss due to this disaster is $3.4 billion, and this does not take into account a number of environmental problems caused by this incident.

The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

The tragedy that occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is known to any person living in the territory of the countries of the former USSR. The consequences of this incident still make themselves felt, and, without any doubt, this is one of the biggest environmental disasters in the world.

On April 26, 1986, an explosion occurred in the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as a result of which the reactor was completely destroyed, and a powerful release of radioactive substances was produced into the environment. In the first three months after the accident, 31 people died. Over the next fifteen years, between 60 and 80 people died due to the effects of radiation exposure.

Due to the release of radioactive substances, more than one hundred and fifteen thousand people had to be evacuated from the thirty-kilometer zone around the station. More than 600,000 people took part in the liquidation of the consequences and significant resources were expended. Part of the territory around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is still considered unsuitable for permanent residence.

Accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant

On March 11, 2011, the world's largest environmental disaster occurred. The strongest earthquake and tsunami damaged the power supply system and backup diesel generators of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, which disabled the cooling systems and caused the melting of the reactor core in power units 1, 2 and 3. As a result, due to the formation of hydrogen, an explosion occurred that did not damage the reactor vessel, but its outer shell was destroyed.

The radiation level quickly began to rise, and due to the leakage of the shell of some fuel rods, radioactive cesium leaked.

In sea water in the thirty-kilometer zone of the station on March 23, an excess of the norm of iodine-131 and the amount of cesium-137, which was significantly below the permissible norm, were found. Over time, the radioactivity of the water increased and on March 31 it exceeded the norm by 4385 times. And this is not surprising, because during the accident, tons of contaminated water were thrown into the sea.