Environmental quality

Overview of environmental quality

Environmental quality is considered by scientists and environmentalists as the properties and attributes of the environment, generalized or on a small scale, as they affect human beings and other organisms. It is a measure of the condition of an environment concerning the requirements of species and their needs or demands.

Environmental quality includes the natural and built environments, such as air, water purity or pollution, and the potential effects of such characteristics on physical and mental health.

Different scientists view the term differently. In general, there are two main meanings. The first is the idea of the physical characteristics and their stages in the environment. The other is how good or bad something compares to a standard. Environmental quality can be measured qualitatively or quantitatively. Generally, environmental quality is measured quantitatively.

The Environmental Quality Index (EQI) quantitatively measures and displays an overview of the area's environmental quality by looking at the water, land, air, built, and sociodemographic features. Established in 2000–2005, researchers and environmentalists use the EQI to find ways in which environmental quality affects the population's health. Economists also utilize the EQI to find information. The EQI provides a snapshot of the relationship between the environment's quality and the population's health by measuring environmental features. The EQI helps find potential areas of concern like water scarcity, famine, drought, or natural disasters.

Multiple countries measure environmental quality. The United States and the United Kingdom are just a couple.

United States

In the United States, environmental quality is applied as a body of federal and state standards and regulations monitored by regulatory agencies. All states in the US have a form of department or commission that is responsible for a variety of activities, such as monitoring quality, responding to citizen complaints, and enforcing environmental regulations. The agency with the lead implementation responsibility for most major federal environmental laws (e.g. Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act) is the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Other federal agencies with significant oversight roles include the Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of the Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Environmental Protection Agency is a United States agency ensuring the safety and upkeep of the environment and human health. To meet their purpose, the EPA develops regulations. The EPA donates money and gives grants to federal programs that aid the environment. The money then goes towards environmental studies, cleanups, research, and nonprofits. The EPA has many labs in the US used to study, identify, and solve environmental issues. Some of these labs include the Office of Air and Radiation, Chicago Regional Laboratory, Manchester's Environmental Laboratory, and National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory.

Logo of the EPA on a flag

US environmental footprint

Scientists have predicted the US population will increase to 404 million by 2060. To visualize the impacts this population boom will have on the environment, if all people continue to consume at the same pace and amount the average American does, humanity will need five Earths to continue at their pace. There has been a substantial increase in the consumption of the American diet, including fats, sugars, total calories, and sodium over the past 40 years. With this, there has also been an increase in food waste; on average, Americans waste up to 50% more food than the average American in 1970.

The US's water intake has decreased by 9% compared to 2010. The most common uses of water are seen in thermoelectric power, irrigation, and public supply.

As of 2000, the average material consumption was 52% more than Europeans: 23.7 tons. Since 1900, this average has increased by 21.7 tons per person. The average American produced 4.9 pounds of waste daily in 2018, only 1.6 pounds were composted or recycled. The same year, 94 million tons of waste were placed in incinerators or landfills.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the environment has been the primary responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Predecessor bodies were merged in 2001 to create this department with a broader remit to link rural activities to the natural environment. Some responsibilities are devolved to the Scottish Government and are exercised by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the National Assembly for Wales, while delivery of environmental initiatives often use partners, including British Waterways, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, and Natural England. DEFRA also has a remit to oversee the impacts of activities within the built environment and the United Kingdom Climate Change Programme.

The UK implemented the UK Environment Act in 2021. The act is the UK's basis for improved environmental protection and regulation. The act acts as a "watchdog" for the Office of Environmental Protection, holding the government and other agencies accountable.

England

England's number one health risk is air pollution. It has been found that the level of air pollution in England has decreased the life expectancy of many people. A decline in mental health is seen to be affected by air pollution, climate change, and flooding. Distribution to green spaces across England is not equal. The population with areas of low green space have poorer quality environments, increased healthcare bills, and higher economic activity than those with high areas of green space.

2020 EPI Environmental Health Objective – Air Quality (50638287888)

England introduced regulations to increase green and blue space in areas with high urbanization and industrialization. By doing this, it will improve the economy by giving people the opportunity to hire into new jobs, while also benefiting the people of that area's health.

Policy and regulation

Governments have set regulations and policies on the environment; however, there are often two reasons for doing so. When producers or company owners set policies and regulations on their environment, it is to help their company. Oftentimes, regulations will be set to benefit the producers and, in turn, harm the environment. The other reason for setting regulations or policies on the environment is to help conserve environmental quality and prevent climate change from worsening. Environmentalists will push for regulations and policies to be implemented to benefit the environment. However, this will often hurt the economy that benefits from extracting from the environment. Finding ways to compromise is difficult but not impossible.

The relationship between environmental quality and population

Human health and lifestyle are primarily affected by a population's environment. Typically, areas with poverty or poor lifestyles correlate with poor environmental quality. According to a research study done by Fothergill, Peek, and Greenberg, families living in poverty or low-income areas are more vulnerable than high-income families to waste or toxic materials, leading to health and lifestyle issues. There is more exposure to pollution, and no intent to reverse the environmental damage in these areas. Because these areas are impoverished, they do not have the means to work on helping the environment. Because environmental quality is not prioritized, the environmental quality grows worse.

People living in poor environmental quality are more susceptible to environmental disasters. Once affected, rebuilding can be difficult if an area is short of the financial means to repair the damage. Factors such as poor air quality, poor water quality, water scarcity, poor waste management, and vulnerability to disasters lead these areas into poverty and further harm the environment.

With the increase in world population, the environment is struggling to keep up with the production of natural resources that sustain human life. The more a population demands from the environment, the poorer the quality of the environment will be. Population growth has many environmental effects, including deforestation, pollution (air, water, and solid waste), and water scarcity.

Urbanization has been a large part of the environment's degrading quality. Urbanization has led to habitat loss, deforestation, local extinctions, and higher ambient temperatures, also known as the urban heat island effect. These effects can be avoided with proper urban planning and sustainable efforts.

Urban environmental quality

Urbanization leads to many environmental issues, including: air pollution from road traffic, deforestation, water contamination from aged pipes and litter, and unsustainable habits. All these effects lead to a decrease in environmental quality. However, solving the problem of poor environmental quality due to urbanization is difficult. Many factors cause poor environmental quality, and being able to stop or even prevent them is difficult. With these numerous factors, no one stands out, and preventing this specific factor from happening would not completely solve the issue of poor environmental quality.

Urbanization by region

Population growth and urbanization pressure natural resources and systems. When more of a resource is used than is replenished, it will decline in amount and become limited. Limited resources are most commonly found in areas with high population and low supply.

Urbanization is not possible without help from technology.

Technology

Areas with advanced technology are found to recover quicker from natural disasters, prevent disastrous harm to the environment, and find ways to avoid the effects of degrading environmental quality before they begin. If technology develops at any population density, there will be an increased quality of the environment.

Technology has positive and negative effects on the environment. Technology took off with the Industrial Revolution, revolutionizing the way America produced certain goods; however, this technological revolution led to an increase in the amount of damage done to the environment. Today, there is still technology that harms the environment. For example, gasoline-powered vehicles emit carbon dioxide, which worsens the greenhouse effect in Earth's atmosphere. Coal-powered factories create pollution and use high amounts of energy to create a product.

However, there are technological advances that have not negatively impacted the environment as much. For example, the development of electric vehicles has decreased the use of gasoline. Communication technology such as video calling allows people to work from home and limit vehicle transportation.

Technology that does not leave an effect, or a minimal effect, on the environment can be expensive and difficult to implement in large quantities, which is why this technology is minimally implemented.

The effects of economic development on environmental quality

There are multiple factors taking effect on the relationship between environmental quality and income, making it difficult to predict and read. For example, factors like technology, different economic structures, and the intent for change can vary the outcome. Different

2017 Kermanshah earthquake by Alireza Vasigh Ansari – Sarpol-e Zahab (15)

types of areas with high income, and what they do with the area, greatly affect the environment. Some areas may pay to build factories that emit large amounts of pollution. Some high-income areas account for environmental quality and use their economic standing to help create a better environment. Some areas with high income already begin with a higher level of forestation, leading to a slower deforestation rate compared to low-income areas starting with low forestation.

Some income is so low that there is no room to industrialize or create machinery that will pollute the environment. On the other hand, low-income areas may not have the means to prepare or rebuild after a natural disaster. With the rise of climate change, natural disasters are becoming worse and causing more damage.

See also

• Environmental impact assessment
• Environmental law
• Council on Environmental Quality
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
• United States Department of the Interior

References

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External links

• "The UK Environment Act - what's happening now?". ClientEarth. April 2022.
• "State of the environment: health, people and the environment". 26 January 2023.
• "Environmental quality". Urban Institute Upward Mobility Initiative.
• "environmental quality". European Environment Agency.
• "Population and Environment". exaly.com.
• Carter, Jacob (11 June 2024). "EPA Union Incorporates Scientific Integrity into Contract". SciLight.
• "B. Effects Of Technology On The Natural World". National Assessment Governing Board.
• "U.S. Environmental Footprint Factsheet". Center for Sustainable Systems.
• US Army Corps of Engineers – Civil Works/Regulatory Program
• UK Defra's official website
• English Nature's website