The Impact of Human Activities on the Environment

The Impact of Human Activities on the Environment

Everything that humans do has some impact on the environment.

Pollution is a result of human activities in the environment. The main

sources of pollution are farming, water pollution and air pollution.

Farming is having an increased impact on the environment. This is

because there is increased pressure on farmers to produce a single

crop and to concentrate on one form of animal husbandry, such as,

dairy cattle or pig breeding. This is more economical because better

use can be made of equipment and organizations such as supermarkets

have fewer farmers to negotiate purchases with. Also transport is much

easier so produce can be easily moved to more distant markets.

Monocultures are produced from this, which are large areas of the same

crop grown on the same land year after year. To improve efficiency

hedges have been removed and this has reduced the amount of habitat

available for wildlife. It has also increased soil erosion. The

removal of hedges increases the area of land available for crops,

destroys the habitat of predators and keeps the number of pests down.

Monocultures are susceptible to pests and large amounts of pesticide

have to be used. Farm animals can produce large quantities of organic

effluent. When this organic effluent gets into aquatic ecosystems it

can cause a rapid growth of algae and plants, which leads to

eutrophication. Other sources of nitrate and phosphate ions such as

sewage and excess fertlilisers can also cause eutrophication. When the

excess algae and plants die the bacteria make them decay severely and

reduce the oxygen content of the water. This leads to ...

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...legislation and

international agreement to limit or ban toxic emissions, such as,

sulphur dioxide reduction. Cars could use low sulphur fuel and

catalytic converters to prevent too many toxic emissions. Methane gas

is produced from organic waste and is an excellent alternative to

fossil fuels. Also scrubbing of waste gases at coal-fired power

stations reduces SO2 emission.

In conclusion it is clear that humans are having a major impact on the

environment in terms of water, air and farming pollution. This is

mainly due to the fact that alternative strategies (i.e. pollution

controls and recycling) are not been put into practice as effectively

as they could be. It is certain that there needs to be government

legislation and national agreements if these strategies are to be

effective in reducing pollution over time.