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Environmental Issues in Canada
Canada is a country littered with forests, unique wildlife, bountiful lakes and rivers, along with modern urban and industrial development. The combination of these varying settings make Canada a very diverse country, but it also opens up the potential for a variety of environmental problems. Similar to the rest of the modernized world, Canada faces issues with varying forms of pollution and the environmental consequences of natural resource exploitation.
As an industrialized nation, Canada faces a great deal of pollution. A combination of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and the widespread presence of coal burning factories have created a great deal of air pollution in Canada. This pollution has brought about one of the more serious problems that the country faces; acid rain. Acidic rain is not only a health concern for the human population, but it also leads to another environmental problem; acidification. This involves an unhealthy change in pH in soil, which has the ability to affect the health of plants, trees and Canada's vast water resources. As a result of the acidic conditions created by pollution, the great lakes, and subsequently the animals and fish that surround the lake have been negatively affected. The great lakes and other bodies of water are also subject to more direct forms of water pollution. As of 2010, many coastal cities in Canada still followed the seemingly archaic practice of dumping raw sewage into the ocean. Dumping raw sewage into the ocean causes a wide range of environmental concern, including detrimental affects to marine ecosystems and increase in water-borne diseases. A great deal of solid and sometimes toxic waste is also leaked into Canada's lakes and rivers by various factories and other industrial fixtures. The presence of toxic chemicals is the main cause of reduce health and quality of life for fish and other organisms.
Many of Canada's environmental issues stem from exploitation of forests and other natural resources. Deforestation is one of Canada's most prevalent environmental concerns. The thriving timber industry engages in the common practice of clear cutting, which involves removing all of the trees in a given area. This practice creates many environmental concerns. Many fear that forest destruction will be nearly impossible to recover from. The loss of forests also means greater likelihood of erosion and as a result, increased loss of habit and ecosystems. The heavy equipment used by the timber industry compact forest floors, which further upsets the environment's natural capabilities of restoration and increases soil degradation. It has been noted that deforestation and soil erosion have led to the common problem of siltation, which involves silt and mud clogging water channels and reservoirs. Mining corporations also cause a great deal of environmental concerns. Mining processes release a variety of harmful chemicals that affect that air, water and surrounding environment.
Canada's main environmental concerns are caused by pollution and exploitation of natural resources. These problems have created a host of problems which included: poor air quality, poor water quality, damage to ecosystems, along with lower health for animal and plant life. Though these are the most pressing concerns for Canada, they are but a few of the environmental issues. In recent years, the Canadian government has invested a great deal of money trying to alleviate these issues.
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