Https interestingengineering com 10 ways humans impact the environment

Sandro Reyes 1

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Human Impact on the Environment

Every day, I see the harmful impacts of humans on the environment. Just 13 percent of the globe’s oceans remain unsoiled by humanity’s damaging impacts (Carrington, 2018). In the remotest poles and Pacific areas, most of the ocean has no natural marine wildlife. Pollution, huge fishing fleets, and global shipping along with climate change are all degrading the oceans. The vehicles we drive every day, industrial wastes, overpopulation, and fossil fuels, all have negative effects on the environment. Human activities are negatively affecting the environment by degrading it and sooner or later, the earth will not be able to sustain humans.

Overpopulation is now an epidemic with decreased mortality rates, improved medicine, and food sustainability. We are living longer, which is increasing population. The impact of overpopulation includes environmental degradation due to cutting down of trees to create space. With less trees to filter the air, an increase in carbon dioxide levels is damaging every single organism (Interesting Engineering, 2019). Another effect of overpopulation is overdependence on fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which emit plentiful carbon oxide into the air. With increased population, humans need more space, which damage ecosystems and augment carbon dioxide emissions.

Pollution is another impact of human activities on the environment. From trash, industrial wastes to carbon dioxide emissions into the air, pollutions is inevitable. Over 2.4 billion individuals have no access to sources of clean water. Human activities continue to deplete indispensable resources such as soil, water, and air. United States, for example, produces 147 million metric tons of air pollution annually (Interesting Engineering, 2019). Air quality in developing nations continues to plummet as well. This means that we are engaging in activities that are hurting the environment.

Global warming is one of the greatest causes of environmental degradation contributed by human activities. Some people do not believe that global warming is real. However, that is not true, and its major contributors include carbon dioxide emissions from respiration, deforestation, and burning fossil fuels. Each year, we continue to contribute to levels of carbon dioxide globally. Current levels exceed 400 PPM, and the rise in carbon dioxide emissions are attributed to an increase in global temperatures (Interesting Engineering, 2019). The result is the melting of arctic glaciers and land ice, which will increase sea levels, and have negative effects on oceanic life.

Climate change is another impact on the environment that is being caused by us. It is linked to historical technology and industrial development. With increased global temperatures, weather patterns seem to change (Interesting Engineering, 2019). The effects of this include longer growing seasons, barren wastelands, and floral regions becoming deserts. These days the world is experiencing intense hurricanes in frequency and size, prolonged deserts, and heat waves.

Our activities are also contributing to water pollution as each year more 8 millions of waste and garbage are dumped into rivers, lakes, ocean, and seas. Excessive fertilizer, for example, is washed into oceans through floods, winds, rains, or dumped. Industrial fertilizer contains nitrogen, which causes excessive growth of algae, which poisons water bodies by depleting them oxygen (Carrington, 2018). This affects birds and fish. The garbage dumped in oceans also contains plastic, which sea animals suffocate on or cause them to starve.

Lastly, deforestation is another human activity, which is depleting the environment. Humans cut down trees to create space (Interesting Engineering, 2019). Trees are major oxygen producers; thus, deforestation poses a major conservation and survival issue because its effects include greenhouse gasses emissions and global warming.

`We should all engage in environmentally-friendly activities that will ensure earth’s sustainability. Humans are depleting earth’s resources and their activities are having immense and adverse effects on the environment and eco-systems. Humans have the capacity to create a world that is safe for all living beings.

References

Carrington, D. (2018, July 26). Almost all world's oceans damaged by human impact, study finds. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/26/just-13-of-global-oceans-undamaged-by-humanity-research-reveals

Interesting Engineering. (2019, February 26). 10 Ways Humans Impact the Environment. Retrieved from https://interestingengineering.com/10-ways-humans-impact-the-environment