10 Evidence: How Human Activities are Affecting the Earth and its Environment

Earth is the only liveable planet in our galaxy for people, animals, birds, and other species. It could be possible because of a balanced atmosphere – water, plants, energy flow, and biogeochemical cycles. Scientists’ thoughts on earth were made 4.6 billion years ago. Approximately 7.6 billion world population is living on the earth. Humans impact the natural environment and are responsible for climate change worldwide. We all want to become economically strong in the race of life but is economic development more important than the protection of the natural atmosphere?

How Human Activities are Affecting the Earth’s Environment

Human activities are destroying the natural ecosystem in the name of economic development. Take a look at 10 environmental changes that we are facing in this century:

Glaciers are melting faster than expected:

10% of the land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice and is a lifeline for billions of people and animals because these big Icelands keep flowing our rivers all the year, reservoirs for water, help in electric power generation and keep maintaining our weather temperature. But Glaciers are melting very quickly due to global warming. It is claimed that Earth’s average yearly temperature is raised by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius which is the cause of the melting of glaciers. Some more reasons are the indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels, the impact of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide, and Deforestation.

Excess Deforestation:

Forests are the lungs of the earth. I think we have forgotten “Life is on the earth only because of the trees”. Do you know “A tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year”? These trees reduce the carbon dioxide level in our air, provide oxygen, combat climate change, keep our environment clean, cool the atmosphere, conserve energy, save water, and bring rain but we are cutting the tree to fulfill the demands of wood. This wood is used to build our homes, furniture, interior designing, and paper, burned in the kitchen and also requires land for agriculture & urbanization as a result our forests are being stretched day by day, wildlife extinction, climate imbalance, soil erosion, and flood

Extinction of Animals and Birds:

When I was a child, I always saw many birds flying in the sky, sitting on the trees, and making sounds surrounding my house like Butterflies, Edwards, Parrot, and Vulture but now it seems they all have left my house and city. I think it is the extinction of animals and birds. The human population is rising day by day but animals falling, who cares about it? Few common Extinct Bird – Carolina Parakeet, Dodo, Bachman’s Warbler, Kangaroo Island emu, Labrador duck, Great auk Laughing owl. Animals that are now extinct – West African Black Rhinoceros, Pyrenean Ibex, Passenger Pigeon, Quagga, Caribbean Monk Seal, Irish Elk, Pinta Island Tortoise, Tasmanian Tiger. Photo Ark is a nice place to watch the species before they disappear.

Poor Air Quality :

We can also call it air pollution. Oxygen is the main source that keeps us alive for lifelong which is available almost everywhere on the earth but nowadays air quality is very low, especially in the big cities. WHO Says, “92% Of The World’s Population Breathes Substandard Air”. The main causes that pollute our air are greenhouse gas emissions, the burning of fossil fuels, an increment in the numbers of vehicles, factories, and industries smoke, construction dust, Agricultural activities waste, and garbage smell.

Polluted River and Sea Water :

Even our rivers and seawater purity have gone down. Sewage, plastic, chemicals from fertilizers, acid rain, and industrial wastewater are polluting our rivers and water inside the earth. Every year oils spill into the ocean water kills many sea animals.

Desert Expedition :

A desert is a barren area of the landscape that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain. A study says Earth will start becoming a desert by 2050 if global warming is not stopped. Rainshadow and its continentality, high temperature, cutting down forests, and less moisturize in the air are the main reasons for making the desert on the earth.

Imbalanced Nature Mood :

I hope we all noticed this thing – The summer’s time is getting super hot while the winter season is getting very chill. Sometimes summers stay for a long time and are too hot. Another hand winter comes late and too much chill in the ending months. Same with rain, The rainy season also comes late for the last few years in many countries and low rain from the average calculation. We also faced some big natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes which alert us that the natural mood is changing due to our too much interference.

Decreasing Groundwater Level :

However 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is water-covered but still, groundwater is going down. Humans and other species need ground or 100% pure water in order to survive. Mostly groundwater depletion occurs when the frequent pumping of water from the ground. Possible causes for falling groundwater levels are water wastage, less rainfall, salinity de-watering, and groundwater extractions for irrigation and industry. There are very few countries that are using or recycling rivers and seawater for drinking and commercial use.

Deadly Diseases:

The environment affects human health in different ways – Physically, Chemically, and Biologically. My grandpa is 85 years old and still fit and fine. They told me they were sick rarely and never heard about new modern diseases like heart attack, cancer, diabetes, brain stroke, tuberculosis, etc. But nowadays these diseases have become common and uncured if not detected early. All new modern diseases are due to our lifestyle and climate changes.

Ozone Layer Depletion :

The ozone layer absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation and is about 15 to 30 km above the Earth’s surface. Scientists believe that Global Warming may also affect our Ozone layer. Currently, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), deforestation, oil and petrol engines, and fossil fuels are the main causes of the Ozone Layer Hole.

Very few people take care of nature and the rest of the people are busy with their daily dose work, earning and collecting money. We all think money and things can make our lives better but this is our illusion. We need to save nature so that our upcoming generations live a better life, need to adopt new technology and development without harming nature.

I hope this article will force you to think about how we can save nature and save the future. Please share your suggestions and comments below.