Humans Can Damage the Environment

Posted by Laurence O'Sullivan Aug 8, 2008

It seems that mankind's ability to damage the environment continues unabated. As a species, we are unique in many ways, not least in our ability to change our environment. All species, both plant and animal, must adapt to the environment that they find themselves in or else face extinction. While we do have the ability to adapt to various different environments we also have the ability to change our environment to suit our needs.

Cynthia Rosenzweig, of the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies, in a report titled “Mankind is the Earth’s biggest threat” says “Humans are influencing climate through increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and the warming world is causing impacts on physical and biological systems”.

We are aware of the huge strides the Chinese economy has made over the past decades, but now as we watch the Beijing Olympics on our TV screens we can see the results of that “progress” in the hazy pictures of Beijing. Of course it is not only the air pollution that has suffered because of China’s rapid industrialization. Check out the article on the iconic Baiji River Dolphin to see what can happen when we indiscriminately change the natural environment.

We know of the rising cost of gasoline and the damaging effect it has on our environment, but in our rush to compensate by using biofuels we are in danger of further damage to the ecosystem. Although definitely a part of the solution to global warming, there are problems with biofuels.

Carbon Dioxide and climate change is the headline grabbing topic of the day, but it is not the only problem. Intensive farming, the growth in legal and illegal logging, rising water pollution levels and more and more waste production all pose serious threats to our environment.