Our Treatment of the Environment

Our Treatment of the Environment

Introduction

Man has continuously exploited nature since ages without any thought of how their actions are affecting the environment and other living beings around them. Today, we can see the damaging consequences of our exploitation of nature. In our attempt to make our lives advanced and better, we have put ourselves, our planet and all the nature around us at stake. Now with more and more studies and researches about the human activities that are affecting the environment in a negative manner, increasing number of people now understand that the survival and the well being of the environment are interlinked.

Discussion

Effects of Our Treatment of the Environment on Nature

Climate Change

Rivers have always played an essential role in our survival and most of these rivers are fed by glaciers. But because of global warming, these glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. Global warming can be described as the rise in earth's temperature because of the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide from vehicles and industries. Due to this increase in the temperature, not only glaciers but icecaps also are melting at a rater faster than they can form. As a result, sea levels are rising, posing great danger to areas that are low lying. Some of the areas that including parts of Africa, cities like London and New York, Bangladesh are in the danger of going under the sea if the sea levels keep on rising at this rate.

Deforestation

Trees, which are an essential tool for absorbing carbon dioxide, are being cut off so that there is more clear area for urban development, human settlement and for the purpose of agriculture. The purpose of logging, mining, industrial development and collecting of fuel wood also have a huge impact. By removing such important assets that can actually help us in saving our environment, we are only speeding up the process of warming.

Biodiversity Loss

The loss of different species can affect the whole forest ecosystem of animals and plants. For example the animals that depended on a certain missing species as their prey, have now lost their source of food. Similarly, the animals that they feed on have now lost a predator and since these animals undergo population explosion, it is very devastating for other animals and plants. Some extinction is natural but a variety of vanishing species are because of human activities. The ...