Text 4. Rational use of land resources

The rational use of land resources includes not only the conservation measures but also actual use of the land. It is very important that ploughland be protected against inefficient use for civil and industrial construction, against dumping with refuse, and urban and village dumps. Nearly half of the new land assigned for urban development, airports, roads, etc, is assigned at the expense of ploughed land and pastures.

The World Strategy for Conservation of Nature published in 1980 points out that every year as much as 3 000 square kilometres of agricultural land are involved in construction work. In the last ten years Japan lost 7,3 per cent of its agricultural land as a result of road and residential construction, the Netherlands – 4,3 per cent, Norway – 1,5 per cent.

If land continues to be degraded at the current rate a third of ploughland will be lost or degraded in 20 years. That is why the law strictly protects ploughland from incorrect use.

Text 5. Fightihg atmospheric pollution

Article 12 of the Law of the Conservation of Nature reads: "The content of harmful substances in emissions into the atmosphere, water, and soil shall not exceed maximum permissible concentrations established with due regard tо the economic increases and hygienic standards."

The limits were determined by a study of the influence of atmospheric pollutants on the environment and the conditions of life and health of the population.

Industrial wastes, heating systems are of greater concern in certain cities, areas and individual factories. In such cases, purification plants may be built with different methods of purification (mechanical, chemical, electric and complex). The degree of purification obtained is extremely varied as it depends on the physiochemical properties of the pollutant and the efficiency of the method and equipment. There are rough purification methods which are 70 to 85 per cent effective, medium purification – 95 to 98 per cent and fine purification – over 99 percent. The purification of industrial wastes not only protects the air from pollution but also saves raw materials and provides the enterprise with additional profit. Trapping and recuperation of useful products in smoke emissions have not only sanitary but also national economic importance.

However, a purification plant is not enough in itself. The most promising way to solve the problem of clean air is to improve technology: reduce emissions into the atmosphere and make maximum use of waste. It is cheaper and easier to find a way of eliminating the possibility of waste formation than to build a purification plant which may cost more than the production technology itself. For example, it is very difficult and very costly to purify every hour hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of air containing compounds of lead and mercury. The process requires a purification plant costing more than the enterprise itself. But on the other hand, it is quite possible to design a process whereby the refinement of lead would exclude the possibility of vapour and aerosols being freely discharged into the atmosphere and causing giant streams of air and surrounding territory to be polluted by lead.

A similar situation exists with motor transportation: it is not enough to reduce the noise and soot in exhaust fumes, the design of the engine must be improved, the automobile modernized. Considerable improvements should be introduced into motor transportations operation to reduce air pollution by exhaust fumes and eventually eliminate it completely. The following measures are important to make exhaust fumes less toxic:

1. To introduce improved carburetors, reducing emission of toxic substances.

2. A particularly interesting method to reduce atmospheric pollution would be to switch cars to gaseous fuel (liquefied gas).

3. By adding agents to the fuel it is possible to change the course of oxidation of hydrocarbons, to reduce the formation of some toxic components - carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, soot and others.

4. Neutralization of exhaust gases by installing neutralіzers. Of all the devices proposed, the best known are flame and catalytic neutralizes.

5. In addition to improving existing automobile engine, a search is being conducted in Ukraine and abroad for fundamentally different power units.

The most promising seems to be the electric automobiles.

The major advantages of the electric automobile are quiet running and absence of exhaust fumes, i.e., protection of the environment.

Improvement in city planning is of great importance in keeping the air clean. Factories are now usually built beyond city limits. Special zones must be established between housing estates and industrial enterprises protecting the population from smoke, gases, dust, noise and unpleasant odours.

Plant life cleans the air in cities of harmful components. Trees play the role of biological filters absorbing gas contaminants from the air while particles of dust settle on their leaves and branches.