Man is resourceful and he has found solutions to many problems, but his nature militates against the existing order and, in the process creates more problems. The struggle between man and nature continues unabated as we are destroying our forests, poisoning our land and water, polluting the air we breathe and disrupting the very functioning of our planet. As population increases, usable land becomes rare and unsustainable agriculture is turning more lands into desert. While extinction is a natural process (dinosaur extinction sixty-five million years ago), human interference has accelerated the rate of species extinction and species are now becoming extinct at rates one thousand to ten thousand times above normal. Destruction of ecosystems contributes to the loss of biodiversity one of which is of great concern --- the tropical rainforest. This is the home to a significant percentage to the world’s plants and animals and it also provides sources of nutrition, health care, raw materials, and cash income. Also, traditional medicine is based on tropical plants and rainforest plants provide key ingredients in pharmaceuticals. Even though we are now starting to take measures to reduce the adverse effects on the planet, a lot of harm has already been done.
Desertification: -
Humans are guilty of turning land into desert. Natural deserts sustain a complex and rich ecosystem of their own while man made deserts are anything but beautiful as they lack diverse planta and animals. By cutting down trees thus exposing topsoil and letting animals remove vegetation by grazing, we encourage desertification. Poor irrigation techniques and the use of chemical fertilizers combine to make roots of plants waterlogged and they wither. Global warming also reinforces desertification by reducing rainfall. With all this, we are said to be guilty of desertification at the rate of 40 square miles (about the area of Manhattan) a day in this world. However, we can still reclaim this lost land through proper irrigation and reforestation and by restraints in population growth.
Destruction of tropical forests: -
The tropical rainforests that encircle the globe is one of the most remarkable ecosystems as it is a home to a variety of insects, plants, and animals. Slash-and-burn farming has caused 70% of deforestation in Africa and 50% in Asia whereby land is cleared by slashing trees and burning then for farming and then left unattended. When vast forest areas are destroyed, it accelerates global warming by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Deforestation also hinders the life of Indigenous people who have adapted to the forests. It is said that these forests are diminishing at a rate of 1.5 acres every second but there is still hope that there is still time to save what remains.
Global Warming: -
This continues to be a controversial topic as some may argue that the average temperature rise has been exaggerated. There is a prediction that by 2050, the temperature would rise to dangerous levels. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuels, methane produced by cattle and coal and ozone formed by photochemical fog and chlorofluorocarbons from refrigerants and foam. These gases trap the sun’s heat reflected from sunlight striking the earth. While a certain amount is necessary to keep the earth warm, an excess of it leads to global warming. This heat causes the melting of ice caps causing a rise in sea levels, flooding coastal cities, and contaminating fresh water near the coast with salt.
Extinction of species: -
Extinction of species has always occurred, with or without human interference but human assault has increased the rate of extinction, thus creating an imbalance in nature. It has been found that one-fifth of the species of birds worldwide have been eliminated in the past two millennia and it is said that 20% of the world’s freshwater fish species are extinct or in danger of decline. Extinction may either occur by destruction of habitat or the entire species may be erased and their ecosystem left intact. Deforestation and other disasters caused by the rapid growth of human population has become a threat to plants and animals and has triggered the disappearance of various species. Extinction decreases biodiversity which endangers our lives, for plants are major source of drugs (medicinal) and an estimated 30% of cancer fighting medicines rely on plant extracts.
Curbing dangerous climate change requires very deep cuts in emissions, as well as the use of alternatives to fossil fuels worldwide. The good news is that countries around the globe have formally committed (as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement) to lower their emissions but this is not working fast enough. This is because too much damage has already been done and to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need to reduce carbon emissions as much as 40% by 2030. For that to happen, the global community must take immediate concrete steps.
THE CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU!
By SONOO Rohan
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