Is Mankind Harming the Environment? Essay

This paper will discuss whether mankind has played a role in harming the environment. It will talk in detail about the various human activities that have had an impact on our natural habitat and will also give specific examples of what we should expect in the future as a result of our activities and how we should deal with them. Mankind has several natural resources at his disposal. These include the oceans, atmosphere, forests etc. Any misuse or overuse of these resources will eventually destroy the sustainability of these resources. The fish population may become extinct, climate changes may result in an increase in natural disasters, forests may not be replaceable etc. In short, abuse or improper use of the environmental resources may result in long term consequences for the entire mankind. (Ostrom, Elinor et al: 2002) There is significant evidence to prove that mankind has indeed played a major role in harming the environment. Most the earth’s fisheries have already been destroyed and the Amazon rain forest is also near destruction. â€Å"Humans have destroyed more than 30 per cent of the natural world since 1970 with serious depletion of the forest, freshwater and marine systems on which life depend. † (Guardian: 1998) This combined with the persistent increase in greenhouse gas emissions have resulted in a massive increase in ozone layer depletion and global warming. This in turn has resulted in climate change all over the world causing an increase in the frequency of floods, droughts, hurricanes, extremities of weather, coastal erosion, melting glaciers etc. No doubt global warming is the result of man’s own activities. Human activities which produce increasing amounts of greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel are causing global warming all across the world. Global warming has even caused the sea level to rise between four and eight inches during the last hundred years and every year seal level now rises one tenth of an inch. If mankind continues to emit greenhouse gases at the same rate it will result in serious environmental degradation as well as negative effects on human health. (Mank, Bradford: 2005) As Athanasiou and Baer put it, â€Å"Even if we move quickly to cap the emission of greenhouse pollutants [a politically and diplomatically impossible scenario at present], the consequences of global warming will soon become quite severe, and even murderous, particularly for the poor and the vulnerable. And in the more likely case where we move slowly, the impacts will verge on catastrophic. † Maximum contribution towards environmental degradation comes from industrialized countries as about one-half of all greenhouse gas emissions come from these regions. For example the United States produces about one quarter of the world’s greenhouse gases. (Harris, Paul: 2003) Climatologists suggest that average temperatures globally are expected to increase between three and ten degrees Fahrenheit by the next century. They also predict that climate change will also cause new problems because of a persistent degradation of our ecosystem. Rising sea levels, severe natural disasters such as hurricanes, drought, floods, air pollution, spread of diseases like malaria and cholera and other environmental disasters are all negative consequences of global warming. (Smith, Daniel S. : 2001) Some scientists have even predicted that human activities and increasing greenhouse gases will make the Earth so warm that the inhabitants will be unable to adapt to the changing climate. â€Å"The predicted results of this warming include melting of the polar ice caps, flooding of coastal cities, massive extinction of species, and the deterioration of civilization as we know it. † (Parsons, Michael L. :1995) Increasing globalization and man’s desire to accumulate more and more profit has also played a major role in harming the environment. Increased use of energy has resulted in a widespread increase in greenhouse gas emission from fossil fuel use and this has resulted in an increase in global warming. If humans don’t take any action, global warming will continue to increase. â€Å"The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that basic changes in personal consumption, mostly in the realms of electricity use, climate control, and transportation, can reduce the average American’s carbon emissions by roughly one-third, from 15,000 to 10,000 pounds per year. Further reductions can be achieved through changing consumption patterns of food and consumer goods, neither of which is included in those calculations. If combined with more efficient technology, this sort of realignment of priorities would substantially reduce the threat of global warming, as well as variety of other environmental problems. † (Smith, Daniel S. : 2001) Mankind’s level of water consumption is also constantly on the rise and it is predicted that water shortage may become mankind’s biggest problem in the twenty first century. It is estimated that up two thirds of the world’s countries will face moderate to high water shortages by 2025. This accompanied with increasing air, water and waste pollution due to extensive industrial development has further deteriorated our environment. Greater use of fossil fuel and biomass burning and land clearing have led to a increase in nitrogen that has in turn, diminished the absorptive capacity of natural system. While the above evidence demonstrates mankind’s contribution to environmental deterioration, there are supporters who insist that man has played such a negative role. They feel that there hasn’t been such a major impact on the environment to begin with and that the consequences have been exaggerated to a large extent. Those who support globalization and deny its negative impact on the environment feel that economic progress is closely linked to environmental performance but in a positive manner. They feel that it is in fact economic prosperity that may lead to a cleaner environment. The logic behind this argument is that by adopting new and improved technologies, industries will have a less harmful impact on the environment and economic progress would enable countries to bring changes into their mode of operation and save the environment from harm. (John, Detlef). On the other hand a report by by the Working Group on Development and Environment in the Americas (U.S, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and El-Salvador) shows that industrial development and globalization has caused severe damage to the environment and highlights that the Americas now have growing problems with air, soil and water contamination as a result of globalization, urbanization and modernization. (Schalatek, Liane: 2004) Human activities have destroyed our natural habitat, have resulted in accelerating global warming and have contributed to air and water pollution. The amount of greenhouse gases being emitted today is sufficient to cause considerable damage to the environment. The ozone layer is being depleted continuously, a number of pesticides and other organic pollutants have been spread globally endangering hormonal balances and the immune system in man and animals. Increasing dependence on natural resources has resulted in a rapid depletion of tropical forests and fisheries. Many regions are facing problems of water shortage, resource depletion, climate change; risks from biological agents etc. (Dahl, Lynn: 1998) There has been a decline in plants, animals, insects and birds. According to the UN, the current extinction rate is up to 1000 times faster than in the past. It is estimated that around 844 animals and plants have disappeared in the last 500 years. â€Å"The global demand for biological resources now exceeds the planet’s capacity to renew them by 20%†. (Adam, David: 2006).