Fresh water is a large issue and determination of our future. We need to be protecting the water and us using it wisely to protect the wild life and the environment. Although we have not been doing a very good job or protecting the fresh water, or investing our time into prevention of polluting the water. Therefore we are seeing the results of our actions as the pollution spreads through our fresh water resources which cause much pollution in the water ways. This seems to happen from sources such as coal fired plants, sewage pipes, waste incinerators and other industry spews, mercury dioxins and the PCB’s that are lifted into the air and scared by rain and snow falls that land directly into our water ways. Approximately 1,500,000 000 people do not have clean water which leads them to drink polluted water. The World Health Organization estimates that every year about 2, 300, 000, 000 people will suffer from diseases due to polluted water. With the population and pollution increasing there is no way to keep up with the demands for fresh water. We are also destroying the aquatic habitat by urban development and construction of things such as dams that threaten the natural systems, and wild life who like humans depend on water.
Humans are the main reason for the destruction of forests and rain forests; this causes many affects to the forests which are irreversible within our time. We have made extensive damage by doing many activities such as oil removal, logging, mining, fires, war, commercial, agriculture, cattle ranching, hydroelectric projects, pollution, hunting and poaching, the collection of fuel and wood and road construction. All of these factors have a large impact. Each of these activities ether harms or depletes the environment. This is so because every activity has to do with cutting down many or a limited amount of trees to carry or create space for their work and contributes to the green house gasses. Another thing we are doing that is causing the destruction of forests are creating short booms encourage permanent settlement. It can attract a large number of people looking for a better life therefore they clear the surrounding and for agriculture and livestock. In the meanwhile the natural resource is being quickly being drained with little consideration that creates long term consequences’. When the resource is gone they move on abandoning and moving on to the next area of the forest. This is a large problem because they are exhausting the forests of its resources as well as taking more than the forests can reproduce or replace. Population growth is one of the other reasons for deforestation because we all depend on product made from the forest. This includes paper, pencils, books and pictures.
Green house gasses have quite a large affect on the earth’s ecosystems. Human actions have added to the global warming creating a green house effect, using sunlight, gasses and particles in the atmosphere. The main activities that contribute to global warming are coil, oil, natural gas and clearing of land. Most of the burning happens when we drive our cars, use electrical power plants that provide electricity and in factories. By burning these fossil fuels we burn CO2 which slows the escape of heat into space. The green house gasses have very hurtful affects on the surface water as the oceans become warmer. This increases stress on the ecosystems including the coral reefs. The warming of the water creates water bleaching which kills algae and spreads diseases. Other side effects of green house gasses are extreme weather conditions and the melting of glaciers. With these affects come consequences’ such as extreme conditions could come as changing rainfall patterns that could make drought or flooding in areas. As well as hurricanes and other tropical storms the increase in size and strength. For melting of glaciers and ice green house gasses will cause large amount fog ass to melt from Antarctica which could lead to the rising of the sea level throughout the world. This would create flooding, erosion, loss of wetlands and entry of sea water into fresh water areas. It could also lead to sinking of some coastal cities and small island nations. All these situations could possibly displace a lot of people which could lead to overcrowding in certain countries.
The rise in population is affecting our ecosystems and natural resources tremendously. Considering this it means the all our resources and natural resources are under pressure and is affecting the health and development of the people. All the problems we are causing are growing each and every day. These problems include many things we need and live off of but are in danger are overuse of natural resources, public health, food supply, fresh water, coastline and oceans, forests, biodiversity and global climate change . Humans are prone to take more then they need which leads to the over use of natural resources. This includes toys, clothes even food when its on sale people seem to take more than they can actually consume. Therefore leading to the situation we are in today when we consume more than the factories, companies and natural resources can regenerate. Public health is a big issue as unclean water caused by pollution kills 12 million people each year in most developing countries. With the increase of population this number goes up every day. There is also the factor of clean air which can be contaminated by things such as gasses. Due to this it is estimated over 3 million people die from air pollution each year. As well many heavy metals released into the air can cause dieses such as multiple sclerosis that can be deadly. Food supply is another issue it is said that in 64 of 105 developing countries the population has been growing faster than the food supplies available. Population pressures have degraded about 2 billion hectares of land to grow food and produce. Therefore creating more carbon and contributing to another problem of global climate change. Freshwater is another problem as the demand for water is growing but the amount of fresh water is decreasing. By 2025 the population is estimated to be about 8 billion in 48 countries containing about 3 billion that will face shortages. Another issue we have is coat lines and oceans that are starting to become pressured by the high population density. The tide of population is raising the world’s seas and over exploiting fish catches are down. Forests are a huge problem we have created and affecting the natural resources in the forests. Half of the worlds forests have been lost each year another 16 million hectors is being cut, bulldozed or burned each year. The demand for the trees has excited the limit by 25%. Biodiversity is another thing humans have been contaminating as well. Human activities are pushing thousands of plants and animals to extinction. Two out of every 3 animals or plants have been declined in numbers and extinct about 27,000 species per year. Global change is caused by all humans as it is the warming of the earth due to all these factors combined. The more we consume is the more waste we put into the earth whether it is sewage, carbon or extinction.
Humans are the only species with a choice to save or keep diminishing this planet. We can easily positively or negatively affect the world’s ecosystems. Through the problems with fresh water, deforestation, green house gasses, overuse of natural resources and the population rise we can find a solution in all. This will lead through ether continuation of increasing our irreversible impacts are for once reversing them. You future is in your hands.
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