Unit 9.3 (Impact on the Environment)

Intro

In comparison to all other species on Earth, Humans are the most intelligent and the most capable of manipulating the world around them. Humans have the capacity to have a major impact on the environment around them and even globally. Nations that have an understanding of their impact on the environment and the technological means to mitigate it have created laws and policies meant to protect the environments of their respective nations. By ensuring the environment and ecosystems are moderately protected or preserved we can ensure that these natural resources will be around for the enjoyment of future generations.

Human effects on the Environment

Humans can effect the environment both directly and indirectly. Humans can kill organisms for their animal products, or meat to meet their food or commercial needs. The absence of these organisms at various trophic levels of an ecosystem could disrupt the stability of the ecosystem. Some of these organisms physically modify the environment, like alligators making burrows or beavers constructing dams. Humans can also produce and deposit chemical pollutants into the environment. These pollutants can have a variety of effects such as killing plants, animals, or microbes thereby disrupting the ecological stability or biodiversity. Some pollutants that we have previously mentioned “DDT” and “mercury” in our article here. Solid wastes like plastics can also accumulate in our oceans, killing organisms like sea turtles who may mistakenly ingest it.

Consumption of Resources

We can consume resources to serve the needs of human beings, needs such as food production, energy production, or the production of goods and services. We can utilize materials from our environment to grow crops such as fruits, vegetables, or animal products. These resources can range from minerals, stone, gasses, plants and animals and many other examples. Some of the resources that we consume can easily and continually replenished by nature, we call those “Renewable” resources.

Renewable and Non Renewable Resources

A “renewable resource” is a resource that is replaced faster than it can be consumed. Some examples of renewable resources can be sunlight, certain sources of biomass, geothermal energy, hydrothermal, or even wind energy. Hydrothermal energy is the usage of the movement of water and creation of steam to turn a “turbine” and create electricity. A “turbine” is a mechanical device that uses movement to produce mechanical energy, the energy captured by a turbine can be sent to a “generator” to generate electricity.

“Non-renewable resources” are resources that are consumed faster than they are replenished. Some examples of nonrenewable resources are; fossil fuels, coal, natural gas, and radioactive elements. Carbon rich fuel sources like coal, fossil fuels can be burned to release energy and power engines. Fossil fuels are made from ancient decomposed organisms. Fossil fuels are extracted from the earth and processed to produce gasoline.

“Natural gas” describes any gaseous fuel source like “methane”. It can be used to power grill, stoves, furnaces, and entire home heating systems.

Natural gas can be obtained by using “Fracking” otherwise known as “Hydraulic Fracturing“. Fracking sends high pressure liquids deep beneath the surface of the Earth to crack layers of rock containing natural gas. The natural gas is then collected and used for various applications. For more information on “Fracking” check out our article “here“.

Nuclear Power is also another non-renewable resource that is very controversial. To simplify the process, nuclear power is generated by using a radioactive element to excite nearby molecules of water in a reactor. The water from the nuclear reactor generates steam, which is used to rotate a turbine. The mechanical force from the turbine is sent to a generator to create electricity. A popular element used in nuclear reactors is “Uranium” or element 92 on the periodic table. A major drawback of nuclear power is that it generates “nuclear waste”. Nuclear waste from uranium can take up to 24,000,000 million years to no longer be radioactive!

Solutions for human effects on the environment

Nation’s who have met the basic needs of their people and have enough surplus resources tend to shift towards being more responsible stewards of their environment. Because of this many nations have implemented various laws and environmental policies meant to preserve the environment or minimize the negative effects humans may have on their environment. One of the ways humans can minimize their negative effects on the environment is to recycle or repurpose some of the waste products and materials. “Recycling” is when materials such as; paper, plastic, glass, or aluminum are changed into new materials to make new products. For more information on recycling check out our article on “recycling” here.

Another strategy people use to mitigate some of the negative effects of human development is “conservation”. Conservation is when the usage of natural resources is restricted, reduced or made illegal. Our National Park and State Park system is an example of using laws to preserve the integrity of a few key environmental resources. John D. MacArthur Beach State Park is a state park located in North Palm Beach of Palm Beach County Florida. Macarthur Beach Park is home to majestic mangrove trees, miles of water to kayak through and beautiful beaches that have remained virtually untouched for decades. For more information on Macarthur Beach Park you can read our blog post “here“. You can also check out the park’s website here. Through public policy and increased education/awareness efforts we can protect our environment.