In accordance with the ethics of Bentham in the line of utilitarianism, my moral argument against water pollution is thus:
1 Right actions are those that result in the most beneficial balance of good over bad consequences.
2 The Great Lakes water pollution’s bad consequences outweighs its good consequences.
3 Therefore, pollution is not a right action.
Water pollution is defined as “a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity” (1). Over the past 50 years, pollution in the Great Lakes has been a rising concern. Pollution in the Great Lakes includes the disposal of sewage, heavy metals, invasive species, and pesticides that come from factory dumping, runoff of agriculture, nautical transportation, and air pollution. According to an article published by the US Department of Commerce, roughly 40 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, sport, power (electricity), and transportation (McCartney). The negative consequences of water pollution include, but are not limited to, the killing off of vital organisms, an increase in birth defects, infertility, malfunctioning nervous systems, and learning disabilities (McCartney).
The pros of water pollution in the Great Lakes can be boiled down to the single idea that we can continue living on the way we currently are. We get foods that are preserved well and in abundance because of pesticides used in agriculture, even though they don’t have to take into consideration
The polluted water supply that results can become harmful to humans. Aquatic life quickly suffers the effects of watershed pollution.
In 1972 The United States and Canada signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to try to control pollution in there waterways. Since then very little has improved. Scientists in Ohio studying the pollution
When was the last time you swam in the Great Lakes? Could you say that it was clean, could you say that the organisms were all healthy and doing great? Well, unfortunately, there are many things harming our Great Lakes, like chemicals, pollution, and invasive species.
The Great Lakes have been under threat for the last two centuries, but the situation is the far worse today. It use to be believed that dumping sewage or chemicals into rivers and lakes was a great way to dilute and disperse it. As it turns out, it's not a good idea since those are the very rivers and lakes that we get our drinking water from. In recent decades, a lot has been done to stop that practice, but the sources and amount of pollution keeps skyrocketing each year. This pollution in the lakes must be stop at once or else bad consequences will be appond us because of it
More than 35 million people in the United States and Canada depend on the Great Lakes for their water. Wastewater, development, air pollution, pesticide runoff , chemicals, metals, plastic and paint manufacturing, the food and agriculture industry, tech companies, aerospace and automotive sectors are some of the sources of pollution of the Great Lakes in Canada. Pollution in the Saint John River, the threat level is very high, the reasons are: pulp and paper industry, oil industry, food and agriculture, forestry. And, pollution in the Skeena River: Threat Level is Low, and some Pollution sources are forestry and wood related manufacturing, municipalities and local
Just a few miles away, our Great Lakes are being ravaged by plastic particles being released throughout. Issues around the world regarding water have always been prevalent. Dehydration kills about 2.2 million children every year. We can not stand idle by as a possible solution degrades daily right next to us. Lake Erie is known as the most polluted of the Great Lakes however, Lake Michigan is close behind. Due to the boom in industry in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas during the Industrial Revolution, and the disregard of the environmental impact, Michigan has already absorbed a large amount of pollutants. Only one percent of the water in the Great Lakes leave the
The first problem the Great Lakes are facing is pollution. When factories have waste they immediately see any lake, river, or forest as a dumping ground when in reality these places are home to a bunch of wildlife. The chemicals can cause deformities, cancer, and weaken the eggshells of birds. An even worst form of pollution is non point source pollution, which has all the same effects, but comes from multiple sources and therefore is more difficult to control.
While rain does help replenish and dilute polluted fresh water, it also can contaminate it just as fast. Sewage waste and runoff fills the waters with pathogenic microorganisms and chemicals that reduce the dissolved oxygen levels. A loss in oxygen kills off fish and leaves their habitat murky and dark. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from runoff cause growth of algae and other harmful aquatic life. In an article on water pollution, it is stated that “many fish species require a minimum of 4–5 mg of dissolved oxygen per liter of water” (Scholz, Nathaniel). Scholz is saying that fish in the areas that become over polluted die off or are forced to leave their natural environment due to a lack of oxygen. The article continues to explain that the fish living in these poor conditions are consumed as food and the levels of toxins can multiply as it goes up the food chain, potentially leading to illnesses for humans. As more water is demanded, more water filtration plants are put into place to get consumable water to all in need. One gallon of contamination can make one thousand gallons of water undrinkable. In 1993, Michigan received heavy amounts of rainfall which affected Lake Michigan and the drinking water. The study of this incident is included in John Gary’s book, Can We Cope?, and is stated that:
Water quality in the Great Lakes is something that has been a criticall issue in the Great Lakes Region for a number of years. Water quality can be anything that affects the benefits humans derives from water. It can include drinking water, food, recreation, and any other use of water that is possible. Many invasive species including zebra mussels and Asian carp pose a great threat to the water quality of the Great Lakes. The ecosystem and industry relying on the Great Lakes are also affected by this invasion. I feel that the best way to stop invasive species from coming into the Great Lakes is to prevent the problem from happening before it already has.
Pollution in the Great Lakes is a big problem and it is very serious. Water pollution affects health of the living organisms in the lake, and soon it can affect the health of us human too. Water Pollution occurs when, people dump their stuff into the water, and factories dump their stuff into the water etc. This is an example of non-point pollutionm. Firstly, it affects the organisms life because all or trash gets into the fish environment and trappes the fish,
River pollution is a major problem and it has serious consequences, for example, because of pollution there are now 34 species of fish that live in the Missouri river that are rare or endangered. Also pollution is contaminating fish that come from the river, fish have been found with potentially deadly chemicals in them. This can be extremely dangerous, “According to a study by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, just a small drop of mercury is enough to contaminate a 20-acre lake, making fish unsafe to eat.” (Community Members Say Missouri River At Risk From Coal’s Mercury Pollution, 1). And 3 Million habitats have been changed because of pollution and this has affected the health of the wildlife and the ecology of the
Keeping the pollution to a minimal isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. The major water pollutants are chemical, biological, or physical materials that
Actions are to be judged right or wrong mainly by their own consequences. Nothing else matters. Right actions are those that have the best consequences.
Water pollution has had devastating effects on the environment, which include irreversible effects to the ocean's ecosystem, health problems and abnormal conditions.
Water pollution is a serious environmental issue worldwide. 1 Water is one of the most valuable resources on our planet; having clean water is vitally important for our survival. Here in the United States, the Clean Water Act of 1972 was very successful in reducing point sources of water pollution; however, it has been ineffective in reducing nonpoint sources of water pollution (Manuel, 2014). Nitrogen and phosphorous that originate from agricultural sources, such as manure and inorganic fertilizer, are contributing to nonpoint source pollution of our waterways. Also referred to as nutrient pollution, this issue is created by the runoff of excess nutrients into waterways and the effects of this can reach hundreds or even thousands of miles