Human Impact on the Planet
Though much progress has been made on the scientific, technological, and cultural side of humanity, the natural environment has suffered greatly from a more materialized growth.
Climate change is the most serious problem due to the emission of carbon by human activity. Burning fossil fuels to fuel our energy, transport, and industrial needs injects lots of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and so on, plus increased extreme weather such as hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires, add up to the effects of global warming.
Further, deforestation is a major result of human activity. Its tropical rainforest is at risk for its 'lungs of Earth,' the Amazon.
Ultimately, microplastics showed up in the food chain, putting animals at risk as well as humans. Vehicle and factory air pollution causes respiratory diseases and harms ecosystems.
A loss of biodiversity is another huge impact. Not only do these lost species disrupt ecosystems, but they directly threaten the survival of humanity through a dependence on biodiversity to pollinate, secure food, and regulate disease.
This straining of the planet’s resources is caused by overconsumption and waste. Humans are mining minerals, surviving on fossil fuels and water at unsustainable rates, and depleting…
