The Rio Grande Valley is a frontline community threatened by the worst ills of climate disruption—coastal flooding due to sea level rise and stronger tropical storms, as well as record-setting heat waves and extreme drought.
What is the most serious environmental problem in the RGV?
The World Wildlife Fund calls it one of the top ten most endangered rivers in the world. The Rio Grande is currently facing bacteria, pollution, water mismanagement, invasive plant species and many other issues.
What environmental issues does Rio de Janeiro have?
Environmental issues, such as air pollution, wastewater pollution, and trash pollution all pose a major threat to the safety of Rio de Janeiro’s citizens.
- NOT ENOUGH HOUSES!
- THE FATAL AIR POLLUTION.
- DEADLY TOXINS IN THE WATER.
- A LAND FULL OF TRASH.
What is polluting the Rio Grande?
For many years the Rio Grande has been polluted with municipal, industrial, agricultural and farming contaminants from both sides of the border. This pollution has led to the extinction or reduction of certain wildlife species as well as affecting the health of the residences along the border.
Why is the Rio Grande river in danger?
Perhaps the greatest threat to the river’s overall health is its reduced and/or regulated flow. In recent decades, the construction of dams and the tremendous growth of cities, industry and agriculture along the Rio Grande have diverted huge amounts of water.
How do maquiladoras affect the environment?
Plants tend to fail to dispose of their waste properly, instead dumping it into the rivers or nearby colonias where most maquiladora workers live. The massive pollution created by maquiladoras over the years has made the water nearby undrinkable, the skies clouded with brown smog, and the people nearby sick.
What environmental problems does Brazil face?
Environmental issues in Brazil include deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, illegal poaching, air, land degradation, and water pollution caused by mining activities, wetland degradation, pesticide use and severe oil spills, among others.
Why is air pollution a problem in Rio?
But there has been no talk of Rio’s air pollution, three-quarters of which is caused by exhaust fumes from the 2.7 million vehicles on its roads, according to Rio state’s environmental protection agency, Inea.
What are the main causes of water pollution in Rio?
The three main causes of water pollution in Brazil are the leaking landfills, industrial waste and sewage. At the beginning of the 20th century, Brazilian cities had adopted a separate system for the sanitary sewers and the storm water runoff.
What are the environmental issues in Mexico?
The top three environmental issues in Mexico are air pollution, lack of clean water, and deforestation.
Why does the Rio Grande stink?
LAREDO — When the Rio Grande is swollen with rain, as it was recently in Laredo, it’s hard to tell that more than 5 million gallons of raw sewage spill into its waters every day. But kayak through the little creeks on the side of the river bordering Mexico, and the odor is unmistakable.
Is the Rio Grande water dirty?
Kayakers head out on the Rio Grande toward one of the international bridges that connect Laredo, Texas, and the town of Nuevo Laredo in Mexico. Raw sewage and animal carcasses float in the water.
Why is the Rio Grande drying up?
In 2018, the Rio Grande dried in early April. Typically, over the past two decades, it has dried at the start of irrigation season, when its waters are diverted into ditches and canals. Two years ago, though, that early spring drying happened right when the river should have been ripping with spring snowmelt.
What happened to the Rio Grande?
After traversing the length of New Mexico, the Rio Grande becomes the Mexico–United States border, between the U.S. state of Texas and the northern Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas; a short segment of the Rio Grande is a partial state-boundary between the U.S. states of New Mexico and
Does the Rio Grande ever flood?
From the 1850s to the 1890s, the Rio Grande flooded almost every spring. Particularly large floods occurred in 1864 and again in 1897.
What is Mexico City doing to reduce air pollution?
By installing renewable energy units like solar panels and solar heaters across the city in private and public buildings over five years, the city aims to slash carbon emissions by 2 million tons to improve air quality in Mexico City.
What are the problems of maquiladoras in Mexico?
Although maquiladoras create needed employment and income in Mexico, they also contribute to many infrastructure and waste pollution problems as well as disruption of traditional Mexican family structure and values systems.
What is a maquiladora in Mexico?
Key Takeaways. A maquiladora is a low-cost factory in Mexico that is owned by a foreign corporation. Facilities are usually located near the U.S.-Mexico border. These plants assemble products and export them back to the United States and other countries.
What are the major problems in Brazil?
Most important problems affecting Brazil according to public opinion in 2018
| Characteristic | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Health | 20.7% |
| Corruption | 15.8% |
| Unemployment | 12.6% |
| Political situation | 11% |
What is the main cause of pollution in Brazil?
Air Pollution Air pollution in Brazil is mainly due to rapid urbanization in several cities that lacked the infrastructure to support rapid population growth. A recent World Bank study ranked the Brazilian cities Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Curitiba as the four most polluted cities in the country.
What natural disasters occur in Brazil?
Here in Brazil, about 85% of disasters are caused by three types of events: flash floods, landslides and prolonged drought. These phenomena are relatively frequent in tropical areas, and their effects can be largely attenuated by government policies aimed at damage mitigation.
