Essay on the Impact of Human Activities on Environment!
In order to meet the basic needs of increases population, the present society has under taken a series of steps like rapid industrialization, unplanned urbanisation, deforestation, overexploitation of natural sources, etc.
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The outcomes of the above human activities have contributed significantly to the degradation of environment around us.
Some important impacts of human activities on environment are outlined below:
1. Deforestation:
In order to provide timber and farm land to increased population, large number of forest trees are cut and forest area is converting to farm lands. The rate of deforestation is so faster that around 1.5 million hectare of forest cover is lost every year is India alone. The process of deforestation results in decreasing rainfall, increasing global temperature, loss of top soil, modification of climatic conditions etc.
2. Industrialization:
Although the industrial activities of man provide basic need of the society, simultaneously the same release a lot of pollutants to the environment. The pollutants in environment cause loss of raw materials, health hazards, increase in death rate, damage to crop, making environment unfit for living organisms etc.
3. Loss of ecological balance:
The excessive use, misuse and mis-management of biosphere resources results in disturbance in ecosystem or ecological imbalance.
4. Air pollution:
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The anthropogenic release of various air pollutants to the environment causes a number of dreaded phenomena like green house effect, ozone layer depletion, acid rain and smog formation etc.
5. Water pollution:
Human activities in respect of disposal of sewage wastes, solid wastes, municipal wastes, agricultural and industrial wastes cause the environment unfit for day to day use. Besides, polluted water spreads or leads to different diseases.
6. Increased consumption of natural resources:
Since the starting of industrial era, the natural resources are constantly utilised for the production of one or more products for the day to day use of society.
7. Production of waste:
Rapid industrialization and unplanned urbanization release a lot of toxic waste material either in solid or liquid or gaseous state which induces a number of serious environmental hazards.
8. Extinction of Wildlife:
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Since forests are natural habitats of wild life (both plants and animals) deforestation leads to the extinction of valuable wild life and loss of biodiversity.
9. Habitual destruction:
The commercial and industrial activities associated with mining, construction of dams, fishing, agriculture etc. cause habitat destruction which is a pathway to pollution.
10. Noise pollution:
The man-made noise due to mechanized automobile, industries, trains, aero planes, social functions etc. causes noise pollution which has impact on both biotic and a biotic components of environment.
11. Radiation pollution:
The radiations from radioactive substances used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons can have significant impact on genetic materials of body (DMA, RHA etc.)
12. Soil erosion:
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The anthropogenic processes like deforestation and overgrazing induce soil erosion which causes soil moisture reduction, lowering of productivity, decline in soil fertility etc.