The Effect of Human Population on the Environment

Increasing level of population growth today is a major issue for sustainable development. As population booms, a great pressure is placed on a study of sustainability of natural resources as well as on the improvement of living standards without destroying and depleting the unity of the environment. This issue however, has proven to be very challenging since it is almost impossible to improve the quality of life, while preserving the ability of future generation to meet their needs. Viewed in this light, economic progress towards higher standards of living inevitably causes environmental damages due to great pressure placed on croplands, climate, water, and biological resources by abundant population world wide. As human population rapidly expands, there is a great concern about the growing imbalance between the worlds population and scarcity of the resources that support life on earth. Evidently, enlarged population size demands more land for crops, natural resources for industrial and domestic use, and more water supply for supporting life and agriculture. As a result, damage to the environment in terms of climate, water shortage, deforestation, soil erosion, and decline in the level of biodiversity and slowness of economy becomes an inevitable fact. Many scientists underscore the rising danger of global warming from the ongoing greenhouse emission, mainly from burning fossil fuels and timber. According to most estimates, over the last few decades, a rise in global temperature of four degrees Celsius is most likely to occur during the 21st century. The current rise in the global temperature threatens not only the lives of human beings, but also the lives of many animals and plants. In fact, the higher temperature is the basis for the massive melt-offs of the Arctic caps, which in turn causes the sea level to rise by as much as few feet. Even more startling however, is the fact that the rise in the sea level also [leads to] intense major storms, more rain followed by longer and drier droughts, changes in the ranges in which plants and animals can live [as well as] loss of water supplies that have historically come from glaciers (Global Warming Effects Information). Moreover, the glacier melt-offs along with increase in the temperature endangers the natural habitat of polar bears, penguins, fish and puts them under the risk of extinction. The second major atmospheric problem caused by greenhouse gases is the depletion of ozone layer. The ozone layer is the coat of reactive gas that forms a protective layer covering the Earth's upper atmosphere. Hence, the main function of the ozone layer is the protection of Earth from the ultraviolet rays sent down by the sun. Certain chemicals expelled by industrial activities float to the top of the atmosphere and interact with ozone in a way that breaks it down. Accordingly, the main cause of ozone depletion is the increase in the level of free radicals such as hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxide radicals and atomic chlorine and bromine. Another important cause of the ozone depletion is destruction of the forests. Since the trees are no longer there, they cannot act as a store for carbon dioxide, removing it from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Moreover, the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in refrigeration, in aerosol sprays, and cleansing fluids in the electronics industry accounts for almost 80 per cent of the total depletion of ozone in the stratosphere. Thus, if the ozone layer splintering occurs, more ultraviolet radiation reaches the earths surface and the increased radiation could eventually kill off vegetation, reduce agricultural yields, cause skin disease, and disrupt ecosystem.

Of all the worries about the impact of mankind on the environment, the biodiversity loss is the major one that generates much concern on the global level. Biodiversitythe tremendous mixture of plant and animal species making up the earths ecosystem, is an important part of an environment that is experiencing several threats from diverse activities taking place in modern society. The level of such threats has become even more intense due to the transformation, industrialization, and technological advancements. Unfortunately, mankind is occupied with daily desire for better way of life and fails to understand that ecosystem is based on complex interrelationship among the species. The extinction of few species can cause greater changes in the environment. For instance, the loss of the native microorganisms can lead to chronic pollution of rivers or to the transformation of arable land into deserts. Currently, more than 99% of the worlds food supply comes from the land, while less than 1% is from oceans and other aquatic habitats.Accordingly, production of a sufficient food supply is directly dependent on fertile croplands, water, and climate. Since the croplands are considered to be a major supplier of food, there is a great pressure on them. As human population grows, the requirements for these resources also grow. Moreover, the desperate poverty, and the global market for timber and other natural resources are powerful forces that continue to draw down biological wealth all over the globe. As a result, overharvesting leads to the loss of fertile croplands at an alarming rate. For example, nearly one-third of the worlds cropland, approximately 1.5 billion hectares, has been abandoned during the past 40 years due to constant erosion that has made it unproductive. Needless to say, the pressure for agricultural land accounts to the loss of 16 to 20 million hectares of tropical forests and woodlands Hence, if the current rate of destruction keeps rising, it is most likely that there would be no forests left at all in near future.Consequences of deforestation are not only the fact that the trees are being cut down, but also plants and animals that occupy the ecosystem, are either permanently or temporarily suffering. Another consequence of deforestation is logging, which increases land erosions and run-offs. The run-off from agriculture and pollution from septic systems dashes into the fresh water reservoirs, which leads to degradation of the quality of reservoir water. As a result, a lot of people suffer from such diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal parasites, and hepatitis. Taking under the consideration that the fresh water is limited resource, pollution of water resources adds up to its scarcity. Over the past fifty years the world population tripled and the water withdrawals increased by over six times. Thus, the more demand for water, the higher the possibilities are for the shortages. All aspects considered, the future strategies must be based on the conservation and careful management of water, land, biological resources, and human activities. Everyone should understand global scale damages made by economic activities and develop stewardship in order to achieve sustainable life. The only way to preserve this precious resource is to control the world wide population density. If local governments do not implement any actions to control birth rate, the scope of water shortage will keep rising. Indeed, growing number of agreements have been signed to prevent some areas of environmental degradation; however, the only benefit it brought was controlling the free riders. The actions must be taken today. I believe, every single human being should not merely listen or read proposals of environmentalists and politicians. Instead, one should start changes within his own family. We must think about our future and start making changes not only for the sake of our safety, but also for the well-being of our children. Therefore, to develop conservation aptitudes, it is essential to transform the attitude of people towards the environment through better education systems.