Impacts of Human Activities on the Environmental Quality - Research Paper Example

Impacts of Human Activities on the Environmental Quality Introduction Human impacts, otherwise knownas anthropogenic impacts, lead to significant damage to the environment thereby compromising its quality. According to Kropp, (1) a recent analysis by Trucost had estimated that the cost of environmental damage resulting from human activities in 2008 amounted to about $ 6.6 trillion, which translates to about 11 percent of the annual global Domestic product. The main activities leading to environmental damage include: urbanization, industrialization and clearance of more land for settlement. Moreover, agriculture and use of non-renewable energy sources are also to be blamed for environmental damage. Human activities lead to different impacts on various components of the ecosystem such as land, biodiversity, and aquatic, terrestrial, marine and the atmosphere. Humans are inherently selfish and want the best for themselves without caring about the impacts of their activities to other members of the ecosystem. Human Activities and Global Warming Global warming is the most critical problem facing the globe today. Global warming is described as the rise in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and the oceans. This increase was noted to have started in the 19th century and is anticipated to continue rising. Goudie (22) notes that since the beginning of the 20th century, global temperatures have risen by about 0.8o C with approximately two thirds of this increase happening since 1980. Global warming is attributed to increased concentration of greenhouse gases which include carbon dioxide, methane and ozone. However, carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases lead to global warming by trapping infrared radiations emitted from the earth’s surface in the lower atmosphere thereby causing the temperatures to become warmer. These gases, however, allow radiations from the sun to get to the earth surface but absorb them as they absorb short wave radiations when re-emitted coming from the land. Greenhouse gases are important to maintain warm temperatures with the earth surface, but increased concentration of these gases can lead to devastating impacts on the environment, as explained by Goudie (22). Human activities are the most significant causes of increased carbon dioxide levels. Goudie (23) observes that since industrial revolution, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased significantly. He notes that carbon dioxide and methane concentration has risen by 36 and 148 percent respectively from 1750 levels. Burning of fossil fuels is attributed for more than three-quarters of the carbon dioxide increase over the past three decades. Fossil fuels are used as the major source of energy in most industries, automobiles and in domestic use. When combusted, these fuels release emissions with high levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into the environment. Increased human population leads to higher levels of carbon emissions since more energy is required to supply rising number of industries and in the transport sector. Carbon dioxide released from different sources should be absorbed by forests and oceans to aid in the photosynthetic process which in turn releases oxygen into the atmosphere. Forests are the major carbon sink although they are cleared in search for more land for settlement and agriculture. Moreover, forests are cleared to supply raw materials to the industries, thereby reducing the forest cover. According to Hansen et al (1), a total of 1,011,000 km2 of forest was lost from 2000 to 2005, which represents 0.6 percent loss per annum from the total forest cover of 32,688,000 km2 in 2000. The loss in forest cover leads to lower carbon sink despite increasing carbon dioxide emissions. Global warming has various impacts upon the humans, including rise in sea level due to melting of ice in the tropics and increased frequency of drought and famine. In addition, global warming also leads to increased occurrence of floods and heat waves. Furthermore, global warming has direct impacts on the health of humans since disease vectors will get optimum conditions to thrive in areas where they previously would not survive. Consequently, these impacts will have social and economic impacts on the population. Global warming will also lead to loss of habitats for living organisms thereby endangering their lives. The most unfortunate fact about environmental impacts is that they are trans-boundary in that they go beyond national borders of the countries most responsible for them. The greatest producers of greenhouse gases are the USA and China, but the impacts of global warming will have profound impacts on the poor population in the developing countries. International organizations have held several conferences to come up with agreements that will help curb global warming. In 1997, countries agreed to cut their carbon emissions to below the 1990 level under the Kyoto protocol. However, the major producers of these emissions have never ratified this agreement since the feel that this would lead to slowed industrial growth. Human Activities and Pollution Pollution is defined by Greenstudent (1) as the introduction of a contaminant into the environment. He notes that pollution is mostly attributed to human activities although natural disasters may cause pollution too. Pollution leads of the damage of various components of the environment, including air, water and land. Greenstudent (1) observes that US factories release more than 3 million tons of noxious chemicals annually into the water, land and air. This toxic waste leads to respiratory complications and health problems, as well as loss of over 15 million acres of land annually. In addition, these toxic wastes lead to pollution of the aquatic environment thereby making them unable to sustain the lives of the organisms that live in them. Greenstudent (1) asserts that factories are not the only ones to blame for pollution but industrial and commercial wastes lead to pollution. Moreover, agricultural practices and different modes of transportation contribute significantly to pollution. There are three main types of pollution: land, air and water pollution. Land pollution is the introduction of contaminants on the earth’s surface through industrial, domestic, commercial and agricultural activities. The main sources of land pollutants are chemical and nuclear plants, industrial facilities and oil refineries. In addition, human sewerage, construction and deforestation contribute to land pollution. Chemicals used in agriculture, mining, landfills and littering lead to land pollution. All these factors result from human activities and negatively impacts the productive of the land and the micro-organisms living in soil despite their crucial role in soil aeration and decomposition. Excessive use of chemicals in the agriculture leads to changes in the soil Ph which affects the productive of land. Chemical from industries and oil refineries that get onto the earth’s surface may lead to leaching of nutrients and changes in Ph levels. Waste getting to the landfills may contain heavy metals and other chemicals that contaminate land. The continued littering and landfills on the earth surface and makes the land unsuitable for use in agriculture since plants grown from such sites contain chemicals that are a health risk to humans. Greenstudent (1) explains that to prevent land pollution, we should recycle wastes. Further, humans should adopt use of biodegradable products and store chemicals and waste in containers that cannot allow spillage. We should also cut down the use of chemicals in agriculture and adopt the use of organic fertilizers rather than the convectional inorganic fertilizers. Industries need to implement cleaner production strategies that will ensure that they do not spill chemicals and oils on the earth’s surface. Air pollution is the buildup of toxic substances in the atmosphere which endanger the lives of humans and other living organisms. Air pollution results from human activities, such as emissions from automobiles, combustion from coal and emissions from industrial facilities. Aerosol sprays, nuclear weapons, paint fumes, wildfires and acid rain contribute to air pollution as described by (Greenstudent 1). They observe that in the US, approximately 232 million different motor vehicles are driven daily. They argue that US vehicles emissions contribute to 45 percent of the global warming. Greenstudent (1) notes that on average, an adult consumes 3000 gallons of air containing pollutants. They report that 335,000 Americans die annually of lung cancer resulting directly from pollution. This is a shocking statistics indicating extent of damage that human activities results in. Tobacco smoke leads to indoor pollution and second hand smoking which is blamed for different forms of cancer even among nonsmokers. Studies have shown that second hand smokers are exposed to more smoke than smokers. Some industries, such as oil refineries and paper mills, emit into the environment gases that are able to form acid rain which has severe impact upon humans and other living organisms. In addition, acid rain corrodes historical artifacts and roofing materials. Increasing the number of these industries has led to devastating impacts upon the ecosystem. To curb air pollution, humans should cut down on reliance of fossil fuels by using of bikes or walking. In addition, we need to install gas filters in industries that will ensure that the emissions are free from pollutants. Car maintenance should be regularly done and limit the use of aerosol sprays. Industries should be located far from human settlement and indoor smoking should be stopped. Moreover, smoking should only be done in designated areas. Human activities have lead to the accumulation of pollutants in the water sources. Greenstudent (1) notes that more than 67 percent of the estuaries and bays in the US are severely degraded due to accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorous. Almost 25 percent of the beaches in the US are closed at least once annually due to water pollution. Pollutants used in agriculture find themselves in the groundwater with Greenstudent (1) recording that over 73 different types of pesticides have been found in these sources. They further describe that every year, 1.2 trillion gallons of industrial water, sewage and storm water gets into the natural water courses. According to Greenstudent (1), 40 percent of all rivers in the US are too polluted to provide optimum conditions for aquatic life to survive. Water pollution leads to different health conditions to humans and other living organisms. The most significant contributors of water pollution include pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides. As humans strive to intensify agriculture to produce adequate foods for the huge population, use of chemical has increased over the years but these chemicals are washed down into water bodies by runoff causing eutrophication. In addition, farming practices that leave the land cover bare expose soil to erosive forces such as wind and water where they end in water bodies increasing turbidity and negatively impacting aquatic organisms. Untreated sewage and industrial waste water containing organic chemicals released into water bodies lead to a rise in the biological oxygen demand (BOD) consequently limiting the amount of oxygen for the aquatic organisms. This is because these wastes demand a lot of oxygen for aerobic respiration. Effluents from factories and refineries when released to water bodies can change the Ph of the water and introduce heavy metals which can lead to health complications when such water is consumed. Further, these effluents are at times immiscible with water and limit free mixing of oxygen from the atmosphere with the water consequently limiting oxygen concentration in that water. The recent accident in the Atlantic that led to oil spillage in the sea resulted in deaths of so many birds and fish since the oil formed a blanket on the water surface that limited oxygen mixing. The birds had their wings covered with oil which limited their ability to fly and most of them died. This accident reveals the great damage that human activities can cause to the environment and the cleaning of the ocean will require intensive resources. Human Activities and Loss of Diversity It is still debatable whether we focus on development at the expense of loss of some natural resources. It is evident that development leads to loss of biodiversity and the natural habitats. Hansen et al (2) argue that about fourteen acres of rain forest are lost every minute which leads to reduced natural habitats for most of our biodiversity. Biodiversity is described as the number of different species of plants and living organisms on earth. Biodiversity is important for the aesthetic value in addition to other economic and other unexploited potential uses of different species. Some plants have medicinal value and their conservation is crucial. The value of other organisms has not yet been identified but deserves to be conserved for the future generations. Moreover, it is ethical to provide optimum conditions for all organisms to live. Human activities are blamed for the loss of some species while others have become endangered. Humans have endangered the rhino since it is hunted for its horn while the number of elephants has substantially come down due to being hunted for their tusk. In the quest for urbanization, different countries have lost a lot of biodiversity and rainforest to provide resources for their development. Furthermore, during development of urban centers and transport networks, issues of whether to protect the rights of wildlife or the rights of developers have always elicited debate among environmentalists and economists. Humans are intrinsically selfish and since they are only talking partners in the ecosystem, they override the rights of wildlife. Roads are constructed across wildlife paths while urban centers have pushed wildlife away from their natural habitats restricting them to game parks. The proposal to drill oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge reveals the extent that humans are selfish in the ecosystem. The debate revolves around carrying out a cost benefit analysis on the harm upon wildlife to the amount of oil that can be recovered from the exploration. The area identified for oil drilling is the calving site for the Porcupine caribou. Drilling of oil from this site would definitely have numerous impacts on the porcupine which is already endangered and, therefore, any drilling would lead to loss of this species. Conclusion Human development should strive to strike a balance between protecting the environment and providing the services required by the population. This is because human activities in the disguise of development result to numerous damages to the environment. The activities that have lead to significant damage to the environment include urbanization, transportation, industrialization and agricultural practices. The impacts of these activities affect humans and other living organisms within the surrounding or away from the site where the activity is undertaken. Some of the damages that result from anthropogenic causes include global warming which leads to famine or drought and affects the health of the population. In addition, human activities cause various types of pollution which comprise the quality of the environment we live in and exposing humans to health risks. Humans are also blamed for the loss of rain forests and natural habitats for the wildlife. Natural forests are cleared to provide space for settlement and agricultural land. Moreover, rain forests are destroyed as humans search for superior materials for their industries. This reduces the carbon sink thereby leading to global warming. Humans have resulted in the loss of biodiversity. Work cited Goudie, Andrew. The human impact on the natural environment: past, present, and future. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006. Print. Greenstudent. Pollution. Web. 12th February, 2012 < http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution Hansen, M., Stehman, S., and Potapov, P. Quantification of global gross forest cover loss 2010. Web. 12th February, 2012 http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/04/07/0912668107 Kropp, Robert. “Humans Caused $ 6.6 Trillion in Environmental Damage in 2008”. GreenBiz.com. 5th October, 2010. Web. 16th February, 2012 http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/10/05/humans-caused-66-trillion-environmental-damage-2008 Read More