Ecologies and Environments - Report Example

Ecologies and Environments My house is located aside the road. The weather is generally windy, which is why the interior of my home gets dusty very frequently. Drains have been provided on either side of the road to allow the rain water to escape. The natural profile of the ground has not been altered to construct the houses because of which, different houses in the surroundings of my home are at different levels. This lends the place a more natural look. The electricity wires run at considerable distance up from the roof level which reduces the risk of electrocution accidents. It is mostly concreted or tiled outside my home which leaves little room for plantation, though every house has some uncovered area, which people have painted green with natural grass, plants, and trees. I have a large Oak Tree right in front of the window of my bedroom, and the view is mostly covered by its leaves. Every house has a large dustbin placed beside the main gate, where people dump the trash and garbage. A truck empties the dustbins and takes the garbage to be processed in the factory. There is supply of clean water from the tube-well located at few yards from my home. Some factors that distinguish my local ecology and environment are listed below: Houses constructed at natural ground profile. Provision of drains aside the road. Supply of clean tubewell-water for drinking. The trend of in-house plantation. Efficient garbage-disposal system. Human activities have conventionally had a large impact on my local ecosystems. Despite the fact that there are dustbins located at every few yards outside my home, many people throw the wrappers of chocolates, polythene bags, and ice-cream sticks on the road, which destroys the look of the area and adds to the pollution. There is a lot of noise pollution. As my house is located aside the main road, there is heavy traffic, and a lot of noise pours in through the window of my room, which is usually very disturbing. Diesel spills from the vehicles can occasionally be noticed on the road. The smoke emitting from the vehicles adds to the carbon content of the atmosphere. The water distribution system is a little disorganized. Although tubewells have been provided for the supply of clean water, there is generally a shortage of water, and people have to wait long until their turn to fill up their containers. Sometimes, the beggars steal the steel taps, and the security and check system is not that efficient. The system of disposal of waste water is poor. The load coming from the houses is more than what the drainage system has been designed for, because of which, the manholes frequently get filled up and sometimes start oozing the waste water out. Since the houses do not have high boundary walls, children frequently jump across the boundary walls to pluck the flowers off the plants from the gardens and green patches in the open areas of the houses. There are some lime plants and orange trees in my garden. I often find stones in front of my main door as people use stones in their attempts to take the fruits off the trees. Global warming might affect my local ecosystems in some ways. The place where I live is at a distance of less than a kilometer from the beach. If global warming increases, there is risk of flooding in the area. The overall temperature of the atmosphere may rise as a result of global warming. Already, I have observed a slight increase in the air temperature over the years. The winter season nowadays is not quite as cold as it used to be in my childhood while the summers are getting increasingly hotter with every passing year. The species of birds found in a certain area depend a lot upon the environment of the area, and thus vary from one region to another. “While some species may be found naturally in both areas, the species that live in the forest ecosystem are usually very different from those that inhabit the meadow, even though the two environments are right next to each other” (UBC, 2012). Many species of birds that were readily seen in the surroundings of my home in my childhood have flown away to colder regions, and they cannot be seen as often as they once did. “The planet is warming to a degree beyond what many species can handle, altering or eliminating habitat” (Siegel, n.d.). If the global warming continues to increase at the present rate, it would have many adverse impacts on the environment in general and the ecosystems in particular (ThinkQuest, 2000). However, the effect of global warming upon the ecosystem would be more noticeable in uncongested rural areas as compared to the densely populated urban areas like the one in which I live. The reason behind this is that the crowded cities are already devoid of the green and organic lifestyle. There are not as many trees as they are in the rural areas where there are large open spaces and fields. The natural paths of lakes have been altered in order to construct buildings and residential areas. Most of the people rely on ready-made food from the restaurants or purchase packaged foods from the local glossary stores. Unlike the urban areas, people in villages still feed on their own animals and birds, cattle and livestock. They milk the cows and goats and use it in their drinks and foods. They also obtain fresh butter and cream from this milk. The villagers grow their own vegetables and fruits and the local production suffices the needs of individual families and tribes. One way in which the cities would be more affected than villages is air pollution and the diseases associated with it. “Pollution that some scientists blame for global warming also causes elevated rates of cancer as well as asthma and other breathing difficulties” (Waters, 2007). Taking the difference between the lifestyle of people living in the cities and the villages, and the impact of environment upon their activities, it can be concluded that my local ecosystem i.e. the ecosystem in a developed city would be less affected by the increase of global warming than the ecosystem in the rural areas. References: Siegel, K. (n.d.). Global warming and life on earth. Retrieved from http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/global_warming_and_life_on_earth/index.html. ThinkQuest. (2000). Will it effect you? Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/. UBC. (2012). What is an Ecosystem? UBC Botanical Garden and Center for Plant Research. Retrieved from http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/kids/ecosystem.php. Waters, W. (2007, Mar. 16). Cities, Pollution, Quality of Life and the Global Warming Debate. Retrieved from http://allaboutcities.ca/cities-pollution-quality-of-life-and-the-global-warming-debate/. Read More