Some activities in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors that affect the environment the most on a global scale, either directly or indirectly, include excessive consumption, overexploitation, industrial pollution and deforestation, among others.
Anthropogenic impacts on the environment are human-generated changes in biophysical environments and in ecosystems, biodiversity and natural resources. The term anthropogenic applies to all significant human impacts on the environment.
The modification of the environment to adapt it to the needs of society is causing serious effects that worsen as the problem of human activities continues in the different sectors of production..
Some of the most serious problems are global warming, environmental degradation (such as ocean acidification), mass extinction of species or ecological collapse..
The activities that most affect the environment in each sector are explained below:
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The environmental impact includes erosion, sink formation, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by chemicals from mining processes..
In some cases, logging is carried out near the mines to increase the space available for storing rubble..
Environmental impact involves a variety of factors, from soil to water, air, animal and soil diversity, plants and food itself..
As the world's population continues to grow, so does the amount of farmland needed to provide enough food.
Deforestation causes habitat loss for millions of species and is also a driver of climate change. Tree removal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and leaves fewer trees to absorb the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the air..
When trees are removed from forests, soils tend to dry out because there is no longer shade. Without trees, landscapes that were once forests can potentially turn into arid deserts.
Humans introduce large amounts of nutrients to the water, mainly with the excessive use of fertilizers.
Too many nutrients can quickly reduce water quality by causing an overgrowth of certain bacteria and algae, which use the oxygen necessary for other species to survive..
Even more problematic is that these nutrients can be transported downstream to other streams, rivers and bays..
Pesticides contaminate land and water when they escape from production sites and storage tanks, when they leave fields, when they are disposed of, when they are sprayed aerially, and when they are sprayed into water to kill algae..
The manufacturing industry is one of the main causes of air pollution. The operation of the factories produces emissions of pollutants, such as organic solvents, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
These pollutants can damage the environment, by contributing to global phenomena such as climate change, the greenhouse effect, the ozone hole, and increased desertification..
To produce the energy that powers the world economy, countries depend on carbon-rich fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
By burning these materials, humans have added nearly 400 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere between 1870 and 2013..
Part of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans, which has increased its acidity by 30% in the last 100 years. This change has great effects on ocean ecosystems.
Human activities are largely responsible for a rise in temperature around the world. This is mainly due to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions..
This rise in temperature is leading to changes in places where crops can grow and where certain fish or animals can be found, all vital to feeding a growing human population..
Technological development has led to the invention of new materials, such as plastics, which were previously unknown to the planet.
Many of these new materials are made of chemical compounds, which can remain active in the environment for thousands of years. Therefore, they have a lasting impact on delicate regulatory cycles and ecosystems..
Today, the world produces approximately 300 million tons of plastics each year. About 20-40% of that ends up in landfills, and 10-20 million tons make it to the oceans, disrupting marine life.
Oil is closely linked to practically every aspect of today's society. Especially for transportation, heating for homes and for commercial activities.
The environmental impact of electricity generation is significant, because modern society uses large amounts of electrical energy.
This energy is generated in power plants, which convert some other type of energy into electricity. Therefore, each of these systems pose environmental problems.
Life is highly dependent on the supply of fresh water that exists in rivers, lakes, and aquifers. It is estimated that a quarter of the Earth's river basins dry up before reaching the ocean.
This is the result of reduced rainfall, caused by deforestation and the construction of dams, which divert the flow of water inefficiently..
The environmental impact of transportation is significant. It is a major energy user, burning most of the world's oil.
This creates air pollution, which contributes to global warming through the emission of carbon dioxide. Transport is the sector with the highest growth of these emissions.
Other environmental impacts are traffic congestion and car-oriented urban sprawl. This can consume natural habitats and agricultural land.
Environmental impact includes local effects, such as noise, light pollution, water pollution, habitat disturbance, and air quality. Also broader effects, such as climate change from vehicle emissions.
The environmental impact occurs because aircraft engines emit noise, particles and gases that contribute to climate change.
The rapid growth of air travel in recent years thus contributes to an increase in total pollution attributable to aviation.
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