Most of the anthropogenic environmental problems depict the succession of problems, or expressly, when we try to solve one man-made environmental issue, the result would be a different man-made environmental problem, and this flow of varying man-made environmental crises continues inevitably. E.g., to solve pest outbreak agrochemicals are used. Agrochemicals cause water, soil, and air pollution. Here, one man-made environmental problem is replaced by another. And in some cases, this chain of problems continues as a succession. This is due to most of the anthropogenic solutions to the man-made environmental problem accompanied with another man-made environmental problem, which prevents finding a permanent or sustainable solution to the crises. Thus, it is clear there is a need for mapping of man-made environmental crises based on cause-and-effect relationship. When a complete map or concept diagram of all man-made environmental problems and their effects is revealed, that map can be used to prevent the occurrence of continuous succession of anthropogenic environmental crises. This is because, choosing the safe alternative solution by checking with the concept map the emergence of another man-made environmental problem could be prevented.
Records reveal that attempting to correct one environmental problem unknowingly created or exacerbated other environmental problems. For instance, after EPA has reduced the emission of particles larger than 2 mm by 78% (1) as cited in (2), the air became clearer but it caused another problem of acid deposition in the region of north-eastern United States. This is because the larger particles in the emission were alkaline and it neutralizes the acidity caused by smaller sulphur oxide particles. And in the absence of alkaline large particles, smaller acid sulphur oxide accumulated in the air and leads to acid deposition. Mitigation to SOx also reduced the concentration of acid aerosol. This created another unexpected problem that the sulphuric acid aerosol also served as nuclei for the formation of clouds. More nuclei, smaller droplets were present. These droplets scatter incoming solar radiation before reaching the earth’s surface resulting in dimming or global cooling effect. Absence of aerosol in the air intensified the impact of global warming (3) as cited in (2). In addition, aerosol particles are normally found in combustion emission along with manmade CO2, however, unlike CO2, aerosol particles have harmful effects on the human health. Due to this global mitigation of aerosol emission, China in particular has reduced the aerosol pollution by 2006, as it peaked in the same year and caused severe respiratory health issues, and the global warming was accelerated (4).
Similarly, in early 1950s, Dayak people suffered from malaria. WHO had permitted to spray huge amount of DDT to kill mosquitoes. The attempt was a success and vector borne disease malaria was mitigated, however, their houses began to fall down on their heads. This is because application of DDT also killed the parasitic wasp that had previously controlled thatch eating caterpillars. In this scenario the worst event is DDT poisoned insects were eaten by geckos, which were eaten by cats, the cats died and the rat population increased. The people were affected by sylvatic plague and typhus. To find solution to this WHO was obliged to parachute 14,000 live cats into Borneo (5).
Similarly, invasive species of zebra mussel colonization was observed in the Lake Erie, which caused fouling and occupied all the pipelines, water intakes and outfalls. Control of these invasive species later became a success. However, it has been found that mussels increased the concentration of chemical contaminants through the entire aquatic food web in the lake and the associated waterways. It has been proved during the past industrial age many chemical effluents were disposed at Erie Lake, and the muscles consumes those sediments and recirculated the contaminants through the biological food chain. However, solutions to the first environmental problem are not mitigating the second. Similarly, in early 1980s selenium (heavy metal) toxicity caused biodiversity loss (death of cattails, algal blooms and decline in water fowl use) in Kesterson National wildlife refuge (6) as cited in (2).
Today water scarcity is an increasing global threat. To solve this there are more than 1600 desalination plants function all-over the world, and they produce more briny toxic sludge. A study revealed that for every litre of fresh water extracted, a litre and a half of salty chemical laden sludge (brine) is dumped into the ocean. When we consider the total brine emission of all present-day desalinisation plants that is enough to cover the state of Florida in a one food (30 cm) layer of slime (7). Thus, solution to one anthropogenic crisis leads to another crisis. Today energy crisis is an increasing problem worldwide. Thus, energy efficient technologies are being implemented, such as substitution of LED bulbs instead of high energy consuming incandescent light bulb. Because LED bulb is 90% more energy efficient than the low-cost incandescent bulb. But LED bulbs has created another environmental problem while solving energy crisis. E-waste from LED bulbs contain toxic hazardous heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and other metallic salts that contaminate the soil and water environment when it is not recycled safely.
According to Gerard Wynn (2014) (8), after the banning of Chlorofluorocarbon in 1987 Montreal Protocol, hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) are being used. Now the ozone depletion issue is getting solved, but the HFC has created another problem. HFC is 1000 times more potent greenhouse gas than the equivalent CO2. UN data on atmospheric HFC levels shown that annual HFC levels has grown rapidly by 10–15% annually from 2006–2010. Study further revealed that early phase-out of super climate gases such as HFC could stop release of 146 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent by 2050.
According to Hood (2019) (9) energy crisis leads to rise in oil prices in 1970s, this has boosted the production of biofuels from corn, sugar cane, and palm oil. Earlier use of biofuels believed as a solution to climate change because CO2 generated during the burning of biofuels would be partially offset by the CO2 absorbed by photosynthesis when the plants were growing. However, intensive farming of palm trees for biofuel causes severe deforestation in Indonesia and threatens the wildlife, such as deforestation encroached the habitats of orangutan. Scientists now estimated that twice the size of India would be needed to cultivate the biofuel plants to meet the global biofuel needs. This form of deforestation may severely intensify climate change and may occupies the remaining land allocated for food crops.
According to Hood (2019) (9), green solution for global energy crisis is wind farms. Globally more than 350,000 wind turbines generate more than 500kW of emission free electricity. However, windfarms kill birds. Annually, 328, 000 birds (mostly nocturnal) killed or injured by fast spinning blades. It has been revealed in a study that wind farms in Western Ghats, India (UNESCO listed mountain range and forest) caused severe decline in predatory raptor bird population. In that region the predatory raptor birds found four times rarer than the adjacent areas. This has affected the food chain, where the population of prey fan throated lizard has been increased in the region, thus, this has become a crisis causing loss of biodiversity.
According to “www.scdhec.gov” (n.d.) (10), it has been estimated that globally 500,000 solar panels are installed every day. Report further stated that although solar panels provide a solution for global warming and providing a clean energy source, it has created hazardous heavy metal waste. Following data is given in the website, “Cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar panels may be a hazardous due to cadmium, gallium arsenide (GaAs) panels may be hazardous due to arsenic, some older silicon solar panels may be hazardous waste for hexavalent chromium coatings, newer, thin-film solar panels contain copper indium selenium (CIS) and copper indium gallium selenium (CIGS) and may be hazardous due to the presence of copper and selenium.” Thus, solar panels have created heavy metal toxicity issue due to its hazardous waste while it is solving global energy crisis and global warming due to its clean energy. Author Guillaume Pitron in his book “Rare metals war” (published in 2018) has mentioned that toxic lakes in Mongolia is due to toxic leachate from these heavy metals of solar panels (9). A study on thin film solar panels (TFSPs) (11) revealed that corroded and degraded thin-film solar panels released toxic heavy metals pollutants such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), gallium (Ga), lead (Pb), indium (In) and chromium (Cr) in to the soil and water. Besides, study also stated that release of metallic pollutants in soil can be increased in the acidic conditions.