Environmental Degradation
EN0002

Air Pollution (Point Source)

A point source of air pollution is an identifiable stationary location or fixed facility from which air pollutants are released, which may be manmade or natural in origin (adapted from Kibble and Harrison, 2005 and Dunne et al., 2014).
Environmental Degradation
EN0016

Wetland Loss/Degradation

Wetland loss/degradation is a negative trend in wetland condition, caused by physical or direct/indirect human-induced processes expressed as long-term reduction or loss of at least one of the following: biological productivity, ecological role or value to humans (Craig et al., 1979; Olsson et al., 2019).
Environmental Degradation
EN0003

Ambient (Outdoor) Air Pollution

Ambient (outdoor) air pollution is a leading environmental risk factor affecting urban and rural populations around the world, resulting in an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths in 2016 (WHO, 2018).
Environmental Degradation
EN0017

Coral Bleaching

Corals are subject to ‘bleaching’ when the seawater temperature is too high: they lose the symbiotic algae that give coral its colour and part of its nutrients. Severe, prolonged or repeated bleaching can lead to the death of coral colonies (United Nations, 2017).
Environmental Degradation
EN0004

Land Degradation

Land degradation means reduction or loss, in arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid areas, of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland or range, pasture, forest and woodlands resulting from land uses or from a process or combination of processes, including processes arising from human activities and habitation patterns such as: soil erosion caused by wind and/or water; deterioration of the physical, chemical and biological or economic properties of soil; and long-term loss of natural vegetation (UNCCD, 1993).

Environmental Degradation
EN0018

Compressive Soils

Compressible soils include both compressive and collapsible soils. Compressive soils are soils that are prone to volumetric change when subject to mechanical loading (USDA, 1990:30). Collapsible soils are metastable in that they are prone to volumetric change (collapse) on wetting and loading (Rogers, 1995).
Environmental Degradation
EN0005

Soil Degradation

Soil degradation is defined as a change in soil health status resulting in a diminished capacity of the ecosystem to provide goods and services for its beneficiaries (FAO, 2020).
Environmental Degradation
EN0019

Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is defined as the accelerated removal of topsoil from the land surface through water, wind and tillage (FAO, 2020).
Environmental Degradation
EN0006

Runoff / Nonpoint Source Pollution

Nonpoint sources of pollution refer to pollution sources that are diffused and without a single point of origin or not introduced into a receiving freshwater or maritime environment from a specific outlet. The pollutants are generally carried off the land by storm-water run-off. The commonly used categories for nonpoint sources are agriculture, forestry, urban areas, mining, construction, dams and channels, land disposal and saltwater intrusion (UN data, no date).
Environmental Degradation
EN0020

Coastal Erosion and Shoreline Change

Coastal erosion is the physical reduction of land mass at the coast that results from the interfacing of marine, fluvial and landsliding (driven by the interactions between groundwater and the soil or rock) processes with the coast (Mentaschi et al., 2018).

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