Land disturbance is any man-made change to the land surface that may result in soil erosion from wind or water and the moving of sediments into our waterways and neighboring lands according to a Chapter 104 of the Fairfax County Code, the Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance. Vegetation, such as groundcover, turf and plants, protects and stabilizes our soil, preventing sediment from leaving a site. Removing vegetation, including trees, is also considered land disturbance and is further defined by the Ordinance as clearing.

Pollution, in whatever form, whether it is air, water, land or noise is harmful to the environment. Air pollution pollutes the air that we breathe, which causes health issues. Water pollution degrades the quality of water that we use for drinking purposes. Land pollution results in the degradation of the earth’s surface as a result of human activities. Noise pollution can cause irreparable damage to our ears when exposed to continuous large sounds like honking of vehicles on a busy road or machines producing large noise in a factory or a mill.

Rapid population growth puts strain on natural resources, which results in the degradation of our environment. Mortality rate has gone down due to better medical facilities, which has resulted in an increased lifespan. More population simply means more demand for food, clothes and shelter. You need more space to grow food and provide homes to millions of people. This results in deforestation, which is another factor in environmental degradation.

Climate change is a great concern in today’s scenario. This problem has surfaced in the last few decades. Greenhouse gases are the major cause of climate change. Environmental changes have several destructive impacts such as the melting of glaciers, change in seasons, epidemics, etc.

Deforestation is the cutting down of trees to make way for more homes and industries. Rapid growth in population and urban sprawl are two of the major causes of deforestation. Apart from that, the use of forest land for agriculture, animal grazing, harvest for fuelwood and logging are some of the other causes of deforestation. Deforestation contributes to global warming as decreased forest size puts carbon back into the environment.