How Do Humans Affect the Environment | 6 Negative Ways

Humans are the only living beings responsible for the destruction of the environment on the earth.

This is due to the ability to exploit natural resources beyond the limits of safety.

The vigorous population growth, unlimited desire for luxury, and heavy dependence on technology cause a heavy toll on the environment.

He is solely responsible for the dangerous climate change, leading humans and other animals to extinction.

How do humans affect the environment?

  1. Cauing Pollution
  2. Reliance on Non-Veg diet
  3. Non-essential use of Technology
  4. Excess Deforestation
  5. Excess usage of commodities
  6. Wastage of resources: water, power, petroleum, etc.

Pollution

  • Humans pollute a lot and contribute to different sorts of pollution like air, water , sound, radiation, light, and even soil pollution.
How Do Humans Affect the Environment
  • This happends due to many human activities like travel, power generation, industrial dumping into rivers, polyethylene waste, artificial chemicals in agriculture, cell phones, wifi, etc.
  • Burning of fossil fuels contributes to carbon dioxide emissions leading pollution and global warming.
  • This pollution is harmful not only to humans but also to animals and plants around. This pollution decreases a healthy lifespan.
  • Hence we can see that there is an extinction of many types of birds, plant species, marine animals, etc.
  • We can even notice that many animals die from consuming polyethylene covers.
  • This polyethylene cover pollution is the result of litter by human use of polythene bags.

Non-Veg diet

  • The human digestive tract is 5 to 6 times more than the body’s length.
  • The gut of the herbivorous animal is equally longer with many folds.
  • While that of the gut of carnivorous animals is small & less unfolded. This indicates that humans are suitable for a vegetable diet.
  • Even evolution theory says humans are from monkeys which are herbivores. But interestingly, most of the human population relies on a non-veg diet.
  • This reliance on the non-veg diet is expensive in terms of the environment. Because to grow a hen of I kilo weight we need many kilos of wheat.
  • Instead, a kilo of wheat is sufficient for a diet of more than two individuals.
  • So we grow animals for food at the cost of many kilos of herbal diet.
  • This requires growing cereals on many acres of land by use of manures, pesticides, etc., which is again polluting nature.
food based pollution stats
  • Similarly, we kill many birds, deer, and other wild animals from the forest for the sake of a diet.

This decreases their population drastically and is a cause of extinction.

Technology

  • Though technology is making the lives of humans easier and more comfortable.
  • It poses a great threat to the environment. The threat is due to pollution, radiation hazards, the exploitation of natural resources, etc.
  • The radiation hazard is increasing day by day due to the use of mobile phones and Wi-Fi around us.
  • Hence we can notice that many small birds and insects like honey bees are not found around these days.
  • Even governments are promising to give free Wi-Fi without realizing its harmful effects.
  • If you wish to know the harsh effects, sit in a library or conference room with Wi-Fi enabled inside.
  • You will notice to be having stomach acidity or a headache there. Wi-Fi reduces the use of wired internet connectivity.

Still, wi-fi has untoward effects on humans and environments.

fossil fuel pollution

Deforestation

  • Even we can see that some companies are building resorts as a holiday trip into the deepest woods in the world.
  • Thus we are exploiting nature and the environment beyond the safe limits. Hence we can see wild animals getting into villages and attacking humans.
  • Deforestation is decreasing the forest area, endangering the lives of wild animals, and increasing greenhouse gases.
  • They have no place to hide, no proper lakes or ponds for drinking water, etc. Hence animals die due to dehydration, starvation, and even accidents.

See more details on why we need trees for survival.

Excess usage of commodities

  • We use many commodities out of fantasy than they are really needed.
  • We tend to own a hundred pairs of leather shoes, purses, belts, etc.
  • All of them are made of skin and hides of animals.
  • Many animals like cows, buffaloes, ox, and pigs are killed for their skin, though not for food.
  • This way, the unlimited desire for commodities is, in fact, causing great pain and suffering to normal animals.
  • Even the tigers, and elephants are killed in large numbers for their hide, nails, and tusks in the name of decorative items.
  • Thus, human’s greed for more is causing them to be extinct in a few more years.
  • Besides, there is the rampant use of plastic everywhere.
  • The plastic can be recycled, but most of it is left in the oceans. This has led to contamination of the ocean’s floors.
plastic pollution
Plastic pollution by different sectors
  • Many marine animals like whales die due to this plastic waste.
  • Whenever we shop, we get some sort of plastic in it.
  • Be it the actual item purchased or the cover which is used to enclose the item is plastic.
  • Besides, when we buy some eatables, we get some sort of disposable plastic. Like the spoon, bottle, or cover.

Since we do buy something daily, it adds up to plastic pollution.

Wastage of resources

  • We have been exploiting coal and petroleum for our needs by digging the earth’s crest for decades.
  • Most petroleum extraction is done in the name of storage for future needs.
  • In the future, if technology reverts to hydrogen fuels, this petroleum stored might go to waste.
  • Also, instead of natural methods, we use coal for power generation.
  • This coal, once dug, leaves cavities on the earth’s surface.
  • These cavities can be troublesome in times of floods and also cause earthquakes.
  • Also, we have been wasting many resources, including soil, and water, without following methods to restore them back.

References:

Leave a comment

  1. First we have to stop car industries for producing gasoline or petrol vehicles and start making electric vehicles..

    Reply
  2. Thanks, this has helped so much with my homework.
    Save the Earth!
    Be amazing and not damage our home!

    Reply
  3. I really liked this article. It’s very concise and straight to the point, its helped me with my presentation. Thank you

    Reply
  4. All is because we wish to make our lives better, but actually we move towards contrary doing that. The human animal has lost the social essence. Its the cause of too much brain. innovate rather discover and explore…. feel good with the new technology for a while and then destroy the mother nature and again cry for newer technology to barge on. See I am working on it better than others to make things better. this is the bad game of human civilization. we will never care for future. Even if we want to.
    Lest working on GMs and anti aging.
    Forgetting the essence of Life which is like a bubble and to be enjoyed as a perishable bubble.

    Reply
    • My hero Charles Eisenstein addresses all these issues and more, but unfortunately the complexity of our modern world makes it near to impossible to fix.

      Reply
  5. Why does it look to me like this was written by a triggered vegan speaking for animal right ?Not saying that she is not half right tho.

    Reply
  6. why the man killed the nature?
    plzzzzzz take care to are nature the mother earth need as to protect the nature….
    do not kill nature plzzz the nature is the god made plzz take care….

    Reply
  7. In my opinion, people should be sensitized about the dangers of mobile phone despite they ease communication

    Reply
  8. non veg diet?! WTF! just because we aren’t vegan or vegetarian doesn’t mean we are destroying the environment. We just like the extra protein it gives us JEEZ

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    • @Kathy! It is not about vegans, but how changing priorities can minimize harm to environment. By the way the actual source of proteins is plants. Even animals feed on them and make proteins in their body. By the way plant are no where less source of proteins than animals. One can get better quality proteins from nuts and pulses.

      Reply
    • It kind of does because we are killing animals when we eat meat and if you just want protein eat eggs and beans

      Reply
  9. Am worried of yours comments here… we should take care of the environment because its where all of us dwell. God has given us the task of environmental stewardship so lets all participate in making it better and better.

    Reply
  10. I think, destroying the environment and using all natural resources is for the development and survival of us humans since the population is increasing rapidly. Thus, the only way to minimize the impacts is to lessen the growth of population.

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        • The real question is,How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
          Once we figure this out, we will be able to find the solution to world peace and to the loss of trees. ;-)

          Reply
  11. realy helpful ideas from every comments. The point is now we know what impact we have on the environment so we start practising ideas like recycling, consume enough not too much, use more renewable resources and less non renewable resources and many more ideas that helps both us and the environment.

    Reply
  12. I don’t like people who have the mentality of destroying the environment and not helping to surviving the earth.

    Reply
  13. Nobody cares about the future. Its all about right now. There are Lots of different energy sources we could explore as a society but it seems as long as it doesn’t effect us much now people don’t care. I don’t have any kids and I’m concerned for the future. If I did have kids I would be terrified of the world they will inherit.

    Reply
    • What about other people, you are so self-centered and only care about yourself you need to change your mindset or I’ll change it for you!!

      Reply
  14. You clearly don’t really know what you are talking about. Humans did not evolve from Monkeys. Humans and Monkeys evolved from a common ancestor.

    Reply
    • When we humans try to take some responsiblity towards nature and environment. And also give up some excess greed.

      Reply

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