Human Activities Affecting The Environment
The age of modernization has brought a plethora of changes with it which have been beneficial for mankind. But when you flip the coin, you realize that it has been harmful to the environment.
Humans consider natural resources as earth's free gifts to us but we need to understand that resources are finite and can get exhausted soon. Using them with sustainability means ensuring that they are not being overused and there is no compromise for the future generations’ needs.
Day by day humans have become irresponsible, consequences for which we are facing already and might get worse in the future.
What are some examples of human activities that affect the environment?
Some of the major reasons behind the degradation of environment are:
Deforestation
Deforestation is the act of cutting trees on a large scale to satisfy human needs.
It has been a major issue for a long time and there is no alternative solution found for it either. It can be in the form of wildfires, overgrazing of cattle or clearing forests to make more space for agriculture and homes.
It leads to ecological imbalance, which can have severe consequences on nature. Large lands of trees are getting cut in order to set up heavy industries meant for manufacturing and production.
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rise in earth’s temperature because of numerous factors.
In the last few decades the average temperature has risen by 2.1 F and is expected to rise soon to triggering levels which is a severe challenge to be faced by the environment soon. It is mainly caused due to the greenhouse effect i.e. trapping of noxious gases in the earth's atmosphere.
Global warming has numerous effects, from melting of ice caps to triggering unexpected weather phenomena. It is caused due to the toxic gases released in the atmosphere leaving carbon footprints and due to which the layer of atmosphere also gets affected.
Manufacturing industries
Today, the manufacturing industry involves all kinds of production like food, paper, rubber materials, plastic, equipment, furniture and so many more. Due to the increase in the population, the demand for each and every good has risen significantly.
At the same time, the world is moving towards a better standard of living, this also means that the production will increase over time.
All the industries inside the manufacturing sector cause pollution in one form or the other. Manufacturing sectors have started to set up in large units to maximize economic benefits.
It is necessary that we limit consumption if we really want to save the earth.
Water Pollution
There is tons of plastic in the ocean. Sharks, whales, sea turtles and sea animals are having a huge problem due to the increasing plastic pollution.
Many animals have died because of the plastic waste. Not only plastic but also oil spills have been another reason. Heavy industries release untreated sewage with chemicals like zinc, cadmium and mercury which can prove to be detrimental for the environment.
This affects the aquatic wildlife which has resulted in the rapid decline of species. Some are on the verge of extinction.
Air pollution
It has become one of the major issues to be addressed. Human activities are the major cause of pollution.
Manufacturing industries release pollutants during production of goods and services, which contain toxic chemicals. This further leads to acid rain and many more unexpected phenomena. The marble-made Taj Mahal is turning yellow due to acid rain.
Pollution is one of the major factors behind climate change. It also causes ozone layer depletion thus exposing us more to the harmful ultraviolet rays.
Energy industry
There are so many countries actively involved in the extraction, production and sale of energy.
Among these, the most harmful one is the petroleum industry. Not only does it cause harm during its production but it also has equal impact during its transportation.
Similarly, using such fuels is another way of destroying the environment. Toxic fuels as well as nuclear fuels like hydrogen sulfide and uranium respectively are harmful to the environment if not handled with care; negligence can cause major disasters like the Chernobyl.
We cannot totally keep this rapid pace of modernization advancing because sooner there will be a time we will be exhausted of resources. The moment the environment will start showing its consequences of our greediness and selfish needs, we will cease to exist.
We still have time to make a change!
What can you do, on an individual scale?
Make everyone around you aware of these catastrophic consequences of human activities affecting the environment.
Be a part of initiatives undertaken by organizations, such as beach clean-ups and many more.
Demonstrations can be conducted in the form of protests, signature campaigns, rallies and this growing problem can be addressed among the people.
Modern day methods like spreading awareness about it on social media could work a lot; the electronic media can be used for a change too, people can get impacted by such new-age methods.
As it is said “modern problems require modern solutions.”
We need to brace ourselves to find solutions to minimize all these effects on the environment.
This is the time to step up as a responsible citizen to make a change for the world; the change is now, the change is us.
Arham Shah
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