Human Impact On The Environment

There are a myriad of effects that humans have on the planet. From the great structures erected at Giza and the monuments of ingenuity at the Eiffel Tower and Empire state building, mankind has made his presence known. This expansion, or progress as it is called, has sadly had a devastating effect on the surrounding ecosystems.

Thesis statement: However, today we can see very huge environmental changes all over the world as a result of human activities such as using nature resources that will convert into poison gases and damage the nature resulting with huge climate changes, air and water pollutions with rising number of deaths.

There have been various changes taking place on the earth. Some of the changes have been positive while others have been negative. Man has been associated with various activities that have contributed to significant destruction of earth and species or animals that occur in these areas. However, sometimes natural causes are associated with the destruction of the environment. There are various ways in which man have been associated with destruction of the environment. Some of the common ways in which destruction has taken place is through pollution such as release of harmful gases and overuse of resources. Others include destruction of habitat such as clearing of forests and alteration of climate associated with human activities. However, there are also ways that have been outlined as possible in averting changes that have taken place on earth. Such changes may include the use of alternative energy such as the biogas. A focus on how man has been involved in the destruction of the planet at an alarming rate will help in highlighting ways to overcome such effects.

The world’s oceans make up 71% of the Earth’s surface (NOAA-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and is home to over 1 million known species of plants and animals, and scientist say there may be as many as 9 million species we haven’t discovered yet (school.discoveryeducation.com) Humans effect the ecosystem by agricultural, industrial, and household waste. ("Ecosystems." BBC News. BBC,). In turn this pollutes the waters of our oceans and all forms of life ranging from giant humpback whales, to the tuna that is commercially fished for, the coral reefs that home thousands of species of fish, and the tiny plankton that exist under the surface. Mankind has created a vicious cycle in which allows our waste to be ingested, trapped around living beings, and pollute the water quality that all marine life depends on.

Deforestation, mining, urbanization and over-population are the tip of the iceberg. Below two major issues are highlighted that have a worse effect on our environment than others.

Climate change is one of the biggest problems the whole world is collectively facing. Even though climate change is partially caused by the natural cycles of Earth, humans I think are still a major part of it and I think that we can do more to protect the environment that we live in. Climate change happens when temperatures increase dramatically. When climate change causes temperature rises many environmental problems can occur here on earth . Temperatures rising can result in more floods, droughts, or flooding rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves which can cause wildfires. Oceans and the Antarctic Ice Glaciers have also experienced changes in oceans that are rising temperatures and are becoming more acidic. The Antarctic ice glaciers are melting and sea levels are rising destroying many habitats along the ice glaciers such as penguins and polar bears. As these changes frequently occur in future decades, they will likely present challenges to our society and environment.

Humans are clearing forests (deforestation) to occupy more land to urbanise more areas. Thus, as humans continue to exploit the habitat of animals and plants for their own selfish needs, they harm the entire environment of the earth. The deforestation has resulted in a variety of animals, which dwell in that area, to leave the habitat. This is quite alarming as it could result in the loss of those species diversity in the future.

The different environmental issues that are brought up with human activity are intense and sometimes the effects are not seen immediately but they do have an effect on the surrounding environment. First, I will elaborate one the different issues and explain what they include. The first being Biodiversity, which is known as the “The variety of life, typically expressed in terms of species richness.” (Bolen 2010). This includes both biotic and abiotic factors in the natural world that thrive. The second issue present is that of deforestation which is the action of clearing an area of trees, which could range anywhere from a small piece of land to a large area. Another

The negative impact of the human activities on the natural habitats had caused the loss of the biodiversity. It is a fact that with the pass of the time humans have begin altered natural habits, transforming the forests, rainforest, grasslands and mangroves in an urbanized territory. Likewise, the problem of the urbanization has finished with the natural habits and the species are forced to find a way to adapt in the new conditions. As urbanization expands, species are threatened by the reduction of their ecosystem so the species that usually are in forests or oceans are the most affected by habitat reduction (Godani, 2014). When a natural habitat is

The increase of pollution and its effect, economically, is big-huge even. Environmental degradation is the destruction of the ecosystem of the Earth through consumption of environmental assets such as fossil fuels and minerals, or through pollution, of the air, water, and soil. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines it as “the lessening of the limit of the earth to meet social and environmental destination, and needs”. Any change in an environment that is proven to be undesirable to wildlife, including plants, insects, animals, and nature’s cycles characterize destruction. This loss of habitat is at a rapid growth, with the expansion of human population, comprised with excessive exhaustion of polluting technologies, such as cars, power plants, without excluding polluting factors like abundance of unrecyclable garbage. Being one the largest threats to mankind as it has led to global warming, environmental degradation is a greater threat to civilization than other materialistic issues, like the economy, as degradation can impact human health, lead to a loss biodiversity, and can lead to economic issues.

Human life puts a massive strain on natural resources. Consider food production, alone. The agriculture needed to support the current 7.1 billion people on earth requires about 500,000 gallons of freshwater per acre and enormous amounts of fossil fuel for inputs such as fertilizer and machinery

As more humans inhabit the earth, more waste will be created. The planet earth is facing the pressure to accommodate the increasing amount of waste, much of which is non-biodegradable. Some of the waste is directly harmful to living organisms including humans. Overpopulation has caused a higher demand for water, land, trees, and fossil fuels. The number of people living on the planet is growing at a very fast pace, and resources are not expanding. Overpopulation has made it impossible for humans to live on the planet without depleting its resources and degrading the environment. Human food supply will decrease as the population increases. Eventually, there will be a shortage of fish to eat. The changes in the ecosystem are causing the extinction of many species. The increased demands for building homes, factories, and roads are causing the farmlands used for crops to diminish (Donatelle, 2010).

We live in a time where most environments on earth have been impacted by anthropogenic activities. According to Napton et al (2010), “Human activities have become the dominant force shaping the surface of the earth, increasingly overriding natural changes by altering the topography, modifying the quality and quantity of surface water and groundwater, reducing biodiversity, and changing biogeochemical systems” (para. 1). These anthropogenic activities can have detrimental effects on the environment: mass amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, deforestation, groundwater pollution and depletion, draining of wetlands, increased stormwater runoff, surface runoff, and so forth. Anthropogenic activities indeed influence most environments on earth, but it is still possible to identify healthy, natural characteristics to encourage restoration, remediation, and mitigation efforts.

 There are two types of damage that humans cause to the environment. One is long-term, even permanent destruction, such as the extinction of a species or the

The environment is rapidly undergoing major transformations because of anthropogenic causes which has not only impacted us humans but also other species on this planet negatively. The changing lifestyles and consumption pattern of human beings especially after the industrial revolution has put tremendous pressure on our ecosystems which in many cases are suffering tremendous loss and degradation.