The main environmental problems Montana is currently facing and had their roots in the past are toxic waters, logging, burning of forests and climate change; soils, water and, in some cases, air; biodiversity losses and the introduction of weeds. If it was not for some human activities in the past, we would not be talking about these issues. Firstly, toxic waters are due to mining, something that was very demanding some years ago, and, consequently, current enterprises do not feel the obligation to clean those mines. Therefore, these waters are contaminated by these residues. Secondly, the clearing of trees during the World War II housing boom provoked some environmental problems, such as the rise of water temperatures, what made impossible for fishes to live there. In addition, there are many fires derived from the climate change as well as from human activity, such as the accumulation of kindling, whose results could follow a worse air quality. Moreover, climate change is also present in water matters. The reason for this is that Montana is becoming a dried and hotter place, where rainfalls are worryingly decreasing. Thirdly, soils have different problems, which are related to apple orchards and its absorption of soil’s nitrogen, the erosion or even the salinization, resulting from the accumulation of salt in soil and groundwater. Finally, the loss of animals like deer or elk, along with the introduction of dangerous weeds finish this list.
As far as I can tell, these environmental problems, as mentioned in the reading, can affect some other countries, perhaps not as much as in Montana, but they are still visible in these places. If we consider my country, Spain, scarce rainfalls can be found in the south. One reason for this would be, as stated before, due to climate change. In addition, icebergs are also melting over the years due to climate problems. In conclusion, we can easily show that every country has its own environmental concern.