When we talk about matters of the environment, the human factor just can’t be left out. The environment is not stagnant but man has been responsible for changing his surroundings too much, too soon - to such an extent that its effects can’t be reversed. This article is too small to discuss all the ways in which the environment has been affected by human activities, but let’s try to grasp the main issues which are highly talked about today. Climate change & global warming- This is the most urgent crisis facing the world right now and no matter how strong skeptics sound off on this matter, we all feel climate change through natural disasters that seem to have increased over time. Animals living in the poles feel it more than we do - they are slowly losing their habitats as the ice sheets melt. The earth is heating up due to the growing population and industrialization around the world. By burning fossil fuels and discharging toxic waste into the environment, we are creating a layer of gases that absorb sun’s rays and reflect it back to earth. Certain gas emissions deplete the ozone layer, which acts as a natural barrier to harmful rays of the sun. So in effect, we are not only causing slow destruction of the environment, we are also harming earth’s protective devices. Global warming has already raised sea levels and now it threatens some small islands with drowning. Pollution- Although we discuss this second, pollution (especially air pollution) is in fact a main contributor to climate change and global warming. The consumer society we live in uses up many resources and leaves a lot of waste behind. Pollution affects land, air and water. It affects natural cycles. It causes health problems. Pollution isn’t as simple as it used to be. With the advent of new technologies, now there are radioactive pollutants and even nano-pollutants. Finding a way to dispose of such waste will pose a challenge to the next generations. Depletion of natural resources – Here, we mainly focus on water and petroleum. With over 70% of the earth‘s surface covered by water, it’s hard to imagine that water can pose any problems. But the truth of the matter is, only a small amount of this water can actually be used by man as it is. Some predict that a water crisis is not so unusual in the future, especially due to the many natural disasters (such as hurricanes and tsunami) that spoil otherwise clean water. In some regions of the world, prolonged droughts leave people without water for weeks and this has led to civil tension and unrest. Some lakes and freshwater tanks are polluted by human activity. We are all too familiar with the concern about using up non renewable energy sources. Petroleum is in high demand as countries advance and look towards prosperity and a comfortable lifestyle, but the supply is limited. The question is whether to drill for more oil or to seek alternative energy sources. The second seems more environmentally friendly but needs considerable investment to really make a difference. Loss of biodiversity and species extinction – As humans spread out far and wide, taking up as much land space as possible, it limits the scope of wildlife. Both agricultural and industrial practices contribute to the loss of natural habitats. Not only are animals killed, they fail to reproduce in the normal manner. As we are all inevitably linked, the loss of one species affects the survival of another. Whole ecosystems can be affected this way; for instance, harming corals can reduce the number of fish that frequent shallow waters. Extinction doesn’t happen in one step. It takes a cumulative process which is triggered by an action of ignorance or insensitivity to the environment.
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This article covers some of the major environmental issues facing the world today, such as climate change and global warming, pollution of air, water and land, depletion of natural resources and loss of biodiversity. It attempts to link the issues to show how human activity can affect the delicate b
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