work of environmental pressure groups in europe
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The work of environmental pressure groups in Europe
The French camargue, the Austrian Tyrol and the Finnish forests are only a few areas in Europe that are under serious environmental pressure. The Camargue, a delta of the River Rhone is a working, living environment and so has many pressures from tourism, industry and agriculture. Farming is taking over the wetlands and this causes the use of pesticides and fertilizers. When these chemicals are dissolved by rain, they seep into the soil or rock and if the pesticides build up in water, they become toxic and start to kill the tiny water life at the base of the food chain. Fertilisers help tiny plants to grow, called algae and this can suffocate fish as it uses more oxygen in the water. Also, air pollution comes from the many industries and power stations because when they burn fossil fuels (coal,oil,gas) carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide are released into the atmosphere which contributes to global warming.
In Finland the forests are under threat as acid rain is common in Europe. In the UK and Germany, many fossil fuels are being burned and the waste gases are being blown northwards once they have dissolved in rainwater in the clouds to Sweden and Finland where they fall as acid rain. This rain then seeps into the soil in the forests and dissolves important plant foods like calcium and potassium so the soil becomes less fertile as its food is taken from it. Acid rain can also poison tree roots by releasing aluminium...