Essay Sample for Students: Human Impact on the Environment

These are the effects that are caused by human beings in their surroundings. The impact comprises of either positive or negative effect on living organisms, non-living things, and natural forces which provide conducive conditions for a human being to survive on earth. Most of the impacts are as a result of human activities that aim at modifying the environment so as to fit and satisfy the needs of the society. The most common impacts include water pollution, air pollution, climate change, global warming, ozone depletion, acidic rain, mass extinction, and ecological crisis. This paper briefly discusses various human impacts on the environment.

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Climate Change and Global Warming.

Human activities are mainly responsible for climate change in the world. Recent research shows that the extraction and consumption of fossil fuel plus the emissions of carbon monoxide contributes greatly to the deterioration of the ozone layer, and hence causing global climate change. The fossil fuel is as a result of combustion in vehicles whereas carbon monoxide is released from industries and power plants. Methane and CO2 are greenhouse gases believed to lead to global warming. Chlorofluorocarbons that are used in refrigeration destroys the ozone layer that covers the earth from ultraviolet rays. Air pollution causes a rise in global temperature and results in intensified prolonged droughts and dangerous heat waves as experienced in the U.S. Southwest. The rise in temperature may also cause hurricanes due to warm ocean surface temperature. Ocean levels are predicted to rise from 1 to 4 by 2100 due to the rise in temperatures.

Pollution

Human beings pollute water, air, and soil through their daily activities. The aquatic system has highly been affected due to excess nutrients in-put of phosphorus and nitrogen that comes from overuse of fertilizers. These nutrients endanger the health and survival of aquatic plants and animals. However, some industries and households dispose of their waste products such as sewage into water sources and thus making it impossible for billions of people to access clean water and also causes diseases. Air pollution is also common where carbon monoxide, greenhouse emissions, and nitrous oxide are disposed into the atmosphere. The United States is said to produce 147 metric tons of air pollution. Use of insecticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers in order to increase agricultural production also pollutes the air, soil, and water. The pollution consequently causes public health problems and also harms plant and animal life. It has been identified that most of the cancer has been attributed to this environmental pollution.

Deforestation and Desertification.

Deforestation refers to the cutting down of trees or clearing of a forest and replacing it with something else. Due to the increase in population, there has been a high demand for building materials and also demand for building space. It is estimated that about 18 million acres of trees are cut down every year either to be used in building or to create space for development. Deforestation has many effects, including desertification, soil erosion, decreasing oxygen and also the destruction of wild animals and bird habitats. Despite the negative impact of the deforestation caused by humans, some humans are also involved in reforestation that aims at recovering back as much forest as possible.

Conclusion.

Ultimately, human impact on the environment has also caused positive effects. The use of genetically modified organisms has played a vital role in increasing crop yields so as to satisfy the population demand. In addition, these modified plants are able to resist diseases and also tolerate harsh temperatures. Conclusively it's clear that most of the human impact on the environment is negative, despite having positive solutions to the problems at their hands.