Geographical envelope, basic properties and patterns. The influence of nature on humans

Department of Social Sciences

in the academic subject of geography.

Yekaterinburg city

2014

"Nature of the Earth and Man"

Explanatory note

The explanatory note reflects the main content of the block, its brief description, goals and objectives, the planned result, preparing students for state certification (OGE and Unified State Exam), problems that arise when passing the exam and methodological recommendations for studying the topics of this block “Nature of the Earth and Man”.

This block “Nature of the Earth and Man” in geography includes several sections, subject topics and a recommended list of practical work.

Main content

Block. Nature of the Earth and man (30 hours)

Earth is a planet in the solar system.

Development of human geographical knowledge about the Earth.

Earth's crust and lithosphere.

Relief of the Earth.

Mineral resources of the lithosphere.

Hydrosphere is the watery shell of the Earth.

Sources of fresh water on Earth.

The atmosphere is the air envelope of the Earth.

Biosphere of the Earth.

Soil as a special natural formation.

Geographical envelope of the Earth.

Practical work

1. Drawing up and explaining diagrams: a)« Position of the Earth in the Solar System"; b) " The movement of the Earth around the Sun (at key positions on the days of the equinoxes and solstices)»;

V) " Relief of the ocean floor», « The structure of the atmosphere"; d) “Parts of the river”; d) " Differences between mountains and plains in height» .

2. Study of the properties of minerals, rocks and minerals (composition, color, hardness, density.).

3. Description on the map of the geographical location (GP) of mountains and plains, seas, rivers, natural areas, as well as a description of landforms, water bodies, weather and climate, plants, soils and the impact of human economic activity on them; measures for their conservation and restoration.

4. Determination from the map of the height of mountains and plains, depths of seas and oceans, directions of sea currents, river currents, other objects, phenomena and processes necessary to explain educational material.

5. Drawing on a contour map of the main zones of earthquakes and volcanism, geographical objects necessary for the study of relevant topics, as well as a number of mineral deposits and natural monuments

litho-, hydro- and biosphere.

6. Organization of weather observations; measuring weather elements using instruments (thermometer, barometer, weather vane, hygrometer, precipitation gauge).

7. Plotting a graph of temperature and cloudiness, wind roses; identification of the prevailing weather types during the observation period. Solving practical problems to determine changes in temperature and air pressure with altitude and humidity.

2. General characteristics of the block

The block fully implements the ideas of the standard, is included in the work program and is compiled taking into account the new Concept of Geographical Education.

The content of the block reflects an integrated approach to the study of the geographic environment as a whole. This approach allows us to consider the components of the Earth’s nature in their equal interaction. This is the most effective way to form in students a holistic picture of the world, values, and relationships of students not only on an emotional, but also on a rational level.

Thus, the content of the educational subject is based on the study of the geographical environment for the life and activities of man and society.

The content of this block clearly introduces students to the main shells of the Earth, the significance of their interaction, which allows students to develop knowledge of the basics of geographical space at the local, regional and global levels, as well as the ability to correctly navigate in space.

3. Goals of studying the block “Nature of the Earth and Man”

The study of the block “Nature of the Earth and Man” in basic school geography is aimed at achieving the following goals:

mastering knowledge about basic geographical concepts, geographical features of nature, about the environment, ways of its conservation and rational use, about the elements of weather, about the shells of the Earth;

mastery of skills navigate the terrain; use one of"languages" international communication - a geographical map, apply geographical knowledge to explain and evaluate various phenomena and processes;

development cognitive interests, intellectual and creative abilities in the process of observing the state of the environment, solving geographical problems, independent acquisition of new knowledge;

upbringing love for one’s locality, one’s region, one’s country, mutual understanding with other peoples; ecological culture, positive attitude towards the environment;

formation abilities and readiness to the use of geographical knowledge and skills in everyday life, conservation of the environment and socially responsible behavior in it; adaptation to living conditions in a certain territory; independent assessment of the level of environmental safety as an area of ​​life.

4. Place of the block “Nature of the Earth and Man” in the curriculum.

The federal basic curriculum for educational institutions of the Russian Federation allocates 245 hours for compulsory study of an academic subject"Geography" at the stage of basic general education. Including: in grade VI - 35 hours, based on 1 academic hour per week.

5. General educational abilities, skills and methods of activity.

When organizing the educational process in geography in primary school, it is necessary to pay special attention to the general educational significance of the subject. The study of geography forms not only a certain system of subject knowledge and a whole range of special geographical skills, but also a set of general educational skills necessary for:

knowledge and study of the environment; identifying cause-and-effect relationships;

comparison of objects, processes and phenomena; modeling and design;

orientation on the ground, plan, map; in INTERNET resources, statistical materials;

compliance with environmental standards; evaluating their activities from the point of view of moral, legal norms, and aesthetic values.

6. Planned learning outcomes.

The results of studying the block fully comply with the standard. The requirements are aimed at:

implementation of activity-based, practice-oriented and person-oriented approaches;

students' mastery of intellectual and practical activities;

mastering knowledge and skills that are in demand in everyday life, allowing one to navigate the world around them, and that are significant for preserving the environment and one’s own health.

preparing graduates for state certification.

Based on the above, we can conclude that almost all the material in the 6th grade geography course falls into the assignments of KIMs.

To prepare for the state final certification in geography in the form of the OGE and the Unified State Exam, especially carefully repeat the 6th grade course, since the tasks testing knowledge are based on the material of this block.

In the first topic of the block « Earth is a planet of the solar system" needs to be given special attention to the concepts of “sphericity” and “convexity” when talking about the shape of planet Earth. Students also forget the location of the planets by distance from the Sun, the division of planets into terrestrial planets and giant planets. Important questions in this topic are “Movements of the Earth. The rotation of the Earth around its axis. The change of night and day. The movement of the Earth around the Sun. Change of seasons in both hemispheres”, which are difficult to master in the 6th grade and require repeated repetition. You can use training tasks from KIMs of previous years for the length of daylight hours, which often requires knowledge of the concepts of geographic latitude and geographic longitude.

In the second topic“Development of human geographical knowledge about the Earth” Students need to navigate the chronology of geographical research, which requires memorization while studying.

On topic "Earth's crust and lithosphere" attention should be paid to the repetition of questions related to the structure of the earth's crust and rocks of different origins. You can include training tasks on predicting and protecting against natural hazards.

Subject"Relief of the Earth" presupposes that students have knowledge of the basic forms of relief and the bottom of the World Ocean. What colors indicate landforms on the map and determine the heights of various objects on a scale of heights and depths. Graduates also have problems with these questions in exams.

Topic: “Mineral resources of the lithosphere” . In this topic, you need to pay attention to the types of minerals, their names and symbols used in maps, and be able to mark them in contour maps.

Topic: “Hydrosphere - the water shell of the Earth” . The topic requires students to know parts of the hydrosphere (the World Ocean, glaciers, land waters), concepts, names of rivers, oceans, currents in the oceans, and determining the depths of the oceans from a map.

On topic "Sources of fresh water on Earth" Errors may be made related to the location of layers, the origin of groundwater, the dependence of groundwater levels on the amount of precipitation, the nature of the rocks, and proximity to lakes. Students should be able to characterize the geographical location of rivers, operate with the concepts of river system, nutrition and regime of rivers, beds, tributaries, and be able to find them on a map.

In the topic "Atmosphere - the air envelope of the Earth There are questions that require the student not only to memorize the elements of weather, but also to be able to draw graphs, wind roses, and determine the climate of a certain object from graphs.

On topic « Biosphere of the Earth" Students should know the diversity of the flora and fauna of the Earth, the distribution of living organisms on land and in the oceans, the boundaries of the biosphere and the interaction of the components of nature. Here you can offer problem-based assignments and matching assignments to prepare students for exams.

In the topic "Soil as a special natural formation" graduates may make mistakes in the location of the layers of the soil profile. It is necessary to pay more attention to studying the composition of soils.

Mistakes made intopic " Geographical envelope of the Earth » graduates, are partly due to ignorance of the location of natural zones, latitudinal zonality and altitudinal zones, therefore, to remember the location of natural zones it is necessary to work with physical and contour maps. But graduates do not know how to apply the skills of working with them to obtain the necessary information. For example, when determining the characteristics of a natural area by description.

Some of the errors are due to the fact that when determining geographic coordinates and the absolute height of points on a topographic map, graduates find it difficult to accurately determine the indicators if the point is not on the designated parallel, meridian or horizontal line. When preparing for the final certification, it is necessary to use maps of different cartographic projections to practice this skill. Some difficulties arise for graduates when determining distances on a map. When developing and consolidating this skill, you should use maps of different scales.

Schoolchildren also have difficulty extracting information from statistical materials: tables, graphs. Therefore, it is advisable to pay special attention to developing the ability to extract correct information from graphs.

In addition, in order to successfully prepare for the final certification, we recommend paying more attention to such complex topics in the content of school geography courses as the biosphere (paying attention to soils), climate, hydrosphere, annual and daily movements of the Earth.

In conclusion, it should be recalled that in order to successfully complete test materials, graduates must be able to carefully read the instructions for assignments, read assignments to the end, and also pay attention to writing down answers in the required sequence.

2.1. Earth as a planet, the modern appearance of planet Earth. Shape, size, movement of the Earth. The relationship between land and ocean on Earth

Planetary features of the Earth

Earth is a planet in the solar system with a natural satellite, the Moon.
Arctic Circles (Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle) - parallels of northern and southern latitude, respectively - 66.5°.
The Earth's daily rotation occurs around an imaginary axis, counterclockwise. Its consequence is the compression of the Earth at the poles, as well as the deviation of the direction of movement of winds, sea currents, etc.
Tropics - (North and South) - parallels of northern and southern latitude 23.5°, respectively. At all latitudes between the tropics, the Sun is at its zenith twice a year. In the tropics themselves, once each - on the day of the summer (June 22) and winter (December 22) solstice, respectively. The Northern Tropic is the Tropic of Cancer. The Southern Tropic is the Tropic of Capricorn.

General information about the Earth

Axial rotation of the Earth

Movement around its axis. The earth rotates from west to east, counterclockwise, while the angular velocity of rotation, i.e. The angle through which any point on the Earth's surface rotates is the same and amounts to 15 degrees. Linear speed depends on the latitude of the area: at the equator it is maximum and amounts to 464 m/s, at the poles the speed drops to zero. Our planet makes a full revolution around its axis in 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds. (day). The earth's axis is taken to be an imaginary straight line passing through the poles, around which the earth rotates. The equator is located perpendicular to the axis - this is a large circle formed by the intersection of the Earth, perpendicular to the axis of rotation at a distance equal to both poles. If you mentally intersect planes parallel to the equator next to each other, lines called parallels will appear on the earth's surface. They have a west-east direction. The length of the parallels from the equator to the poles decreases, and the speed of rotation of the points decreases accordingly. If you cross the Earth with planes passing through the axis of rotation, then lines appear on the surface, which are called meridians. They have a north-south direction, the linear speed of rotation of points on the meridians is different and decreases from the equator to the poles.

Consequences of the Earth's motion around its axis:
1. When the Earth rotates, a centrifugal force arises, which plays an important role in the formation of the planet’s figure and thereby reduces the force of gravity.
2. There is a change of day and night.
3. A deviation of bodies from the direction of their movement appears; this process was called the Coriolis force (in honor of the French scientist who discovered this phenomenon in 1835). All bodies, by inertia, tend to maintain the direction of their movement. If the movement occurs relative to a moving surface, this body deviates slightly to the side. All bodies moving in the northern hemisphere are deflected to the right, in the southern hemisphere - to the left. This force manifests itself in many processes: it changes the movement of air masses and sea currents. For this reason, the right banks in the northern hemisphere and the left banks in the southern hemisphere are being eroded.
4. The phenomena of circadian rhythm and biorhythms are associated with axial movement. The circadian rhythm is associated with light and temperature conditions. Biorhythms are an important process in the development and existence of life. Without them, photosynthesis, the life activity of day and night animals and plants, and, of course, the life of man himself (people are owls, people are larks) are impossible.

The significance of the astronomical position of the Earth for its nature:
1. Due to the axial and orbital rotation of the Earth, all natural processes have their own rhythms.
2. The temperature regime of the Earth is favorable.
3. Earth's satellite - The Moon causes the ebb and flow of the tides.

The only unit of measurement of time associated with the rotation of the Earth is the day, as well as the change of day and night. The concept of time is associated with this process. Time can be local, zone, maternity, summer and winter. Local time is usually called time on one meridian. The difference between adjacent meridians is 4 minutes, therefore, after one degree, time changes to 4 minutes. The presence of different times at different points lying on different meridians led to various inconveniences, so at the International Astronomical Congress in 1884, zone time was adopted. To do this, the entire surface of the Earth was divided into 24 time zones of 15 degrees each. It is customary to take the average time of the meridian of each zone as standard time. The counting is made from the Prime or Greenwich meridian, passing through the observatory of the city of Greenwich, located near London. The time of the prime meridian is taken as universal time. Time is counted from west to east. For convenience, the boundaries of time zones on land are drawn not strictly along meridians, but along natural boundaries (mountains, rivers, administrative boundaries). The 180 degree meridian is taken as the international date line. This is a conventional line on the surface of the globe, on both sides of which the hours and minutes coincide, and the calendar dates differ by one day. For example, the New Year west of this line begins on January 1, and to the east on December 31. When crossing a date border from west to east, the count of calendar days goes back one day, and from east to west, one day is skipped in the count.

Movement of the Earth around the Sun

The Earth makes a complete revolution in an elliptical orbit around the Sun in 365.24 solar days. During this movement, the Sun passes a visible path across the sky among the stars through the zodiacal constellations, making a full circle in a year. The plane of the orbit is called the plane of the ecliptic.
The earth's axis is inclined to it at an angle of 66.5° and moves in space parallel to itself throughout the year. Therefore, the northern and then the southern polar regions of the Earth are illuminated, which leads to the change of seasons and the inequality of day and night throughout the year at all latitudes except the equator. The seasonal rhythm of nature is associated with the change of seasons. We can observe it in fluctuations in temperature, air humidity and other meteorological elements, in precipitation patterns and fluctuations in water levels. All these changes lead to changes in the life of plants, animals and humans.
The beginning of astronomical spring and autumn are considered to be the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes (when the sun's rays fall at an angle of 90° on the equator and touch the poles - March 21 and September 23). And the beginning of summer and winter are the days of the corresponding solstices (when the height of the Sun above the horizon at noon is greatest - June 22 and December 22).
On the day of the summer solstice (position 1, Fig. 17) - June 22, the earth's axis with its northern end faces the Sun - the sun's rays at noon fall vertically at 23.5° parallel to northern latitude - the so-called northern tropic (Tropic of Cancer). All parallels are north of the equator up to 66.5° N. w. Most of the day is illuminated; at these latitudes, the day is longer than the night. Parallel 66.5° N. w. is the border from which the polar day begins - this is the Arctic Circle. On the same day, at all parallels south of the equator to 66.5° S. w. the day is shorter than the night. South of 66.5° S. w. - the area is not illuminated at all - it is polar night there. Parallel 66.5° S. w. - the southern polar circle.
On the day of the winter solstice (position 3, Fig. 17) - December 22, the earth's axis with its southern end faces the Sun, and the sun's rays at noon fall vertically at 23.5° parallel to the southern latitude - the so-called southern tropic (Tropic of Capricorn). On all parallels south of the equator up to 66.5° S. w. the day is longer than the night. Starting from the southern polar circle, the Sun does not set below the horizon - polar day is established. Beyond the Arctic Circle, everything is immersed in darkness - the polar night reigns.
September 23 (position 2, Fig. 17) and March 21 (position 4, Fig. 17) are the days of the autumn and spring equinox. The sun illuminates both hemispheres of the Earth equally. Day is equal to night in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Rice. 17. The movement of the Earth around the sun

The inclination of the Earth's rotation axis to the orbital plane and its movement around the Sun lead to the formation of five lighting belts on the Earth, which are the basis for the zonal differentiation of the geographic envelope. They differ in the height of the midday position of the Sun above the horizon, the length of the day and, accordingly, thermal conditions and are limited to the tropics and polar circles.
About 40% of the Earth's surface is occupied by the hot zone lying between the tropics. Day and night here differ little in duration, and the sun is at its zenith twice a year.
52% of the Earth's territory is located in temperate zones located between the tropics and the polar circles, where the sun is never at its zenith. The length of day and night depends on latitude and time of year. Near the polar circles (from 60° to 66.5°) in summer, the Sun briefly and shallowly goes below the horizon, the evening and morning dawns merge and the so-called white nights are observed.
Cold belts occupy only 8% of the earth's surface north and south of the polar circles. In winter, polar nights are observed here, when the Sun does not appear over the horizon, and in summer there are polar days, when the Sun does not set beyond the horizon. Their duration increases from one day - in the polar circles to six months - at the poles.

Formulas for solving problems

The height of the midday Sun at any point on the planet is determined by the formula:
h = 90° - φ + δ, where:
h is the height of the Sun above the horizon at noon,
φ - latitude of the observation site,
δ is solar declination, an astronomical value measured in degrees and equal to the latitude where the Sun is currently located.
For equinox days (the Sun is at its zenith at the equator), this formula is transformed as follows:
h = 90° - φ
For solstice days the formula becomes:
h = 90° - φ ± 23.5°
On equinox days, δ is taken with a positive sign if the desired point is in the same hemisphere as the latitude where the Sun is at its zenith, and with a negative sign if the desired point is in the opposite hemisphere.

Geographical models. Geographic map, area plan. Their main parameters and elements (scale, symbols, methods of cartographic representation, degree network).

Earth as a planet; modern appearance of planet Earth. Shape, dimensions , movement of the Earth. The relationship between land and ocean on Earth.

Earth's crust and lithosphere. Composition and structure. Relief of the earth's surface. Tectonics of lithospheric plates.

Stages of the geological history of the earth's crust. Geological chronology.

Hydrosphere. Composition, structure of the hydrosphere. The world ocean and its parts. Surface and underground waters of land. Glaciers and permafrost.

Atmosphere. Composition, structure, circulation. Distribution of heat and moisture on Earth. Weather and climate.

Biosphere. Diversity of plants and animals. Soil cover. Soil as a special natural formation, conditions for the formation of soils of various types.

Geographical envelope of the Earth. Latitudinal zonality and altitudinal zonality, cyclicity and rhythmicity of processes. Natural and natural-anthropogenic complexes.

Peculiarities of the nature of continents and oceans.
WORLD POPULATION

Geographical features of population distribution. Uneven distribution of the world's population: main features and factors.

Geography of world religions.

Dynamics of the Earth's population. Demographic transition concept. Geographical features of world population reproduction. Constant growth of the Earth's population, its causes and consequences. Demographic policy.

Sex and age composition of the population.

Urban and rural populations of the world. Urbanization as a worldwide process.

Migration. Main directions and types of migrations in the world.

Level and quality of life of the population.

Employment structure of the population.

WORLD ECONOMY

Sectoral structure of the economy. Geography of the main branches of production and non-production spheres.

Leading countries exporting major types of industrial products. Factors of production location.

Leading countries exporting major types of agricultural products.

Main international highways and transport hubs.

International economic relations. World market of goods and services. Geography of international economic relations. World trade and tourism.

Integration sectoral and regional unions.
NATURE MANAGEMENT AND GEOECOLOGY

Natural resources. Main types of natural resources, their location

Rational and irrational use of natural resources. Features of the environmental impact of various spheres and sectors of the economy.
REGIONS AND COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

Diversity of countries of the world. Main types of countries.

Modern political map of the world.

Capitals and large cities.

Features of the natural resource potential, population, economy, culture of large countries of the world.
GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIA

Features of the geographical location of Russia

Territory and water area, sea and land borders.

Time Zones.

Administrative-territorial structure of Russia.

Features of the geological structure, distribution of large relief forms of Russia.

Types of climate, factors of their formation, climatic zones of Russia. Climate and economic activities of people.

Inland waters and water resources, features of their location on the territory of Russia.

Soils and soil resources, location of the main soil types in Russia

Natural and economic differences of the seas.

Flora and fauna of Russia. Natural areas. Altitudinal zone.
Population of Russia

Number, natural population movement.

Sex and age composition of the population.

Accommodation. The main settlement zone.

Direction and types of migration.

Peoples and main religions of Russia.

Urban and rural population. Cities.
Economy of Russia

Features of the sectoral and territorial structure of the Russian economy.

Natural resource potential and the most important territorial combinations of natural resources.

Geography of industries.

Geography of agriculture.

Geography of the most important types of transport.

Features of geographical location, nature, population, economy.

and the history of the development of large geographical regions: the North and North-West of Russia, Central Russia, the Volga region, the South of the European part

countries, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.

Man appeared on a unique planet, where there was plenty of clean water and clean air - everything that is so necessary for life. Centuries passed, and it seemed to people that it would always be this way, that the gifts of nature were inexhaustible. But lately we have noticed more and more that the air has become completely different from what it was before - it is becoming difficult for them to breathe. What have our water sources - rivers and lakes - become? They have become shallow, overgrown with mud and become so dirty that even “purified” water has to be drunk with caution...

What did we enter the 21st century with? What awaits us?

The environmental forecast based on facts is extremely disappointing. Scientists believe that humanity has reached such a level of technical development, at... in which his unbridled economic activity is capable of irreversibly changing the natural environment on Earth, as a result of which an ecological apocalypse will occur, that is, the death of all life on our still blue and green planet.

Formally, here in Russia, and in other countries, measures are being taken to protect the natural environment, international symposia are held, and agreements are signed between countries. For example, in 1972, agreements were signed between the USSR and the USA on cooperation in the field of environmental protection. But there are no visible improvements. On the contrary, the severity of the environmental problem is increasing every year: the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing, and the amount of free oxygen is decreasing; Before our eyes, tropical forests are being destroyed, rare species of animals and plants are disappearing, fertile lands are declining, and supplies of clean fresh water are declining. In a word, nature is degenerating. And if nature deteriorates, people begin to suffer from diseases...

One of the most important components of the natural environment is the atmosphere. According to researchers, industrial enterprises and thermal power plants annually emit many billions of tons (!) of harmful chemical compounds, ash and dust into the earth’s atmosphere. In countries with a high level of industrial development, pollution emissions approximately double every 12 years. Over 40% of all pollution comes from road transport.

Atmospheric pollution has no boundaries. Today, within the troposphere, air is polluted throughout the entire Earth. Compared to 1965, pollution has approximately tripled. According to geochemists, more than 300 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere every year from the burning of oil, coal, gas and wood! With an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide, the thermal balance of the planet changes: the Earth absorbs more infrared (thermal) radiation, the outflow of heat into space decreases, and the average temperature of the surface air layer increases. Consequently, “thermal” pollution causes climate change on a planetary scale.

Some of the warming that is currently observed is causing the melting of ice in Antarctica and Greenland, which inevitably leads to a rise in sea levels. In the future, this process may become irreversible, and then a rise in ocean level by 5-6 m (due to increased melting of continental glaciers) will pose a serious threat to the population living in low-lying coastal regions of the Earth.

In cities, pollution is usually 5-10 times greater than in rural areas. This is facilitated by industrial and household waste dumps that form around cities. Such landfills have become a real disaster for the surrounding nature and people. They are a source of pollution not only of the atmosphere, but also of the soil, water basins, and even groundwater.

Recently, the danger has begun to come even from rural areas and is associated with the widespread use in agriculture of so-called pesticides - highly toxic chemicals that are used to control crop pests. Air currents and waterways distribute these substances throughout the Earth. Suffice it to say that DDT has even been found in the stomachs of chinstrap penguins.

Pollution of water sources poses an equally serious danger to humanity. We are talking not only about the cleanliness of our rivers, lakes and reservoirs, but also about the cleanliness of salty sea water. For some reason, it is considered normal to release spent fuel oil directly over the side of the ship. Every year, its waste from all ships amounts to tens of thousands of tons (this is in addition to the 10 million tons of oil leaking into the World Ocean as a result of oil tanker accidents). You can imagine what this leads to if every ton of fuel oil or oil spreads on the water surface as a thin film over an area of ​​12 km2, and yet the ocean is the main supplier of oxygen! Space images taken from orbital stations show: many thousands of square kilometers of the coastal waters of the World Ocean and seas are covered with a dark oil film...

The famous French aquanaut scientist Jacques Yves Cousteau (1910-1997) was concerned about the results of his research into the deep sea: due to the constant pollution of the World Ocean, there was a real threat of the complete destruction of many of its inhabitants. Over the past 50 years alone, more than a thousand species of marine fauna have disappeared.

If pollutants are present in the atmosphere, iodine and soil, they will inevitably accumulate in plants and animals. A person eats plant and animal foods. Consequently, many harmful substances such as lead and mercury enter the human body through food.

Currently, it is very difficult to find a place on Earth that is not exposed to human influence. But when changing natural conditions, a person often does not take into account how this will affect his own health. In an effort to obtain immediate economic benefits, people do not think at all about the irreparable harm they cause not only to themselves, but also to future generations.

Thus, thoughtless human economic activity leads to negative changes in the entire environment and ultimately to the complete devastation of nature. In turn, a polluted environment—a dying nature—becomes the cause of mass diseases of people with chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, and disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

All living beings on Earth have always been exposed to ionizing radiation, the source of which is natural radioactive isotopes. They create the natural radioactive background of the planet, to which humans have adapted quite well.

But in 1945, in connection with the first tests of nuclear weapons, radioactive substances created by people themselves appeared in the atmosphere. And along with air and water, the man began to swallow them. Radioactive isotopes of strontium and uranium turned out to be especially dangerous for living organisms. Over the years, they accumulate in human bone tissue, which becomes a source of ionizing radiation, causing leukemia - a serious incurable disease.

Currently, there are about 500 nuclear power units operating at nuclear power plants around the world. And if disasters like the Chernobyl one on April 26, 1986 are repeated, then the possibility of contamination of the entire Earth with the most dangerous strontium-90 cannot be ruled out...

As we see, the problem of nature conservation has acquired global significance these days. To cope with the looming threat, people around the Earth must look at their planet as one. Therefore, to successfully solve a global environmental problem, it is impossible to do without space sensing. For timely detection of sources of pollution, their localization and neutralization, special patrol observations of the Earth from space are needed. Such observations are already being established.

Space methods for operational monitoring of the state of the natural environment are very effective. And only because of this, the further development of space research should be recognized as an absolutely necessary matter. But to completely solve the environmental problem, it will be necessary to launch an offensive along the “entire front.”

First of all, it is necessary to take urgent measures to reduce environmental pollution. A promising way is to establish a waste-free technological process at industrial enterprises. But even if we create a waste-free land-based industry, it will still not bring the desired result: the pollution of the planet will continue to some extent. There is only one way out: to relocate all our industrial production to space.

Some supporters of the environmental movement, the so-called “greens,” believe that space technology has a detrimental effect on the natural environment: it pollutes the earth’s atmosphere with harmful combustion products of rocket fuel and destroys the ozone layer. Of course, this happens to some extent. But a complete rejection of further space research will not save the nature of our planet from destruction. The most favorable development strategy should be based on a reasonable combination of conflicting demands: on the one hand, to preserve the earth’s nature, on the other, to ensure not only human survival, but also his further progress.

Russian scientist-philosopher Arkady Dmitrievich Ursul put forward a hypothesis about the division and future of social production into terrestrial and cosmic ones. The first should be predominantly agricultural, the second - industrial. If it is not possible to create closed technological cycles completely, then it is important to develop such an option so that space production waste does not pollute nearby space - near-Earth space, and does not affect the Earth’s atmosphere and its nature.

Currently, on our planet there is an intensive accumulation of radioactive waste that is generated at nuclear energy enterprises. This waste poses a mortal threat to humans and the earth's biosphere. Burying containers with radioactive isotopes in deep exhausted mines and on the ocean floor is not the best option. All this for the time being. Trouble can strike at any time and will be worse than Chernobyl!

A solution has long been asking: the place of nuclear energy is space! And while it continues to operate on Earth, we should better think: where to put radioactive waste? There are projects for space disposal of this very dangerous waste. For example, moving with the help of rockets beyond the solar system - into interstellar space. But from an environmental point of view, the best option is to burn radioactive waste in the plasma shell of the Sun.

Removing industrial production beyond the Earth and creating orbital industrial complexes in space is a task that humanity must begin to solve in the second half of the 21st century. Only from the standpoint of space exploration can we solve the environmental disaster that is approaching us and save the nature of the Earth. There is no other way.

“All wealth begins from the earth, and the earth loves care,” says a Russian folk proverb. The wise meaning of these words is clear to everyone: a person must, in a fatherly way, take care and protect nature - our priceless wealth, the source of all our earthly blessings.