IMPACTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND HOW THESE IMPACT AFFECT SOCIETY

BY GEORGIA JARMOLKIEWICZ

HOW HUMAN ACTIVITY CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming is mainly due to rising levels of greenhouse gases:

-Carbon Dioxide: caused by humans burning fossil fuels for energy (eg: electricity) C02 expected to reach 2x the level present before Industrial Revolution, by 2080.

64% contribution to greenhouse effect // remains in atmosphere for 200yrs+

-Methane: caused by deforestation (often for land to develop), decomposition of waste (a somewhat inevitable effect of humans), rotting vegetation (waste of resources by humans)

18% contribution to greenhouse effect // remains in atmosphere for 12yrs

-CFCs: created by aerosol use and disposal (eg body sprays, food spray products, pepper spray) as well as fridges (used in excess, with many homes having 2 fridges)

14% contribution to greenhouse effect // remains in atmosphere for 1000yrs+

-Nitrogen Oxides: present in atmosphere due to the use of chemical fertilizers in farming (unnecessary and produces crops that are less healthy for consumption), motor transport (used in excess, made cheaply available to public), burning fuels (often for electricity, and often used in excess without consideration for environment), deforestation, and burning plants.

64% contribution to greenhouse effect // remains in atmosphere for 120yrs

THE environmental EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Damage to polar regions, sheets of ice breaking off and glaciers melting
- Artic ice cap thinning by 10cm per year
Damage to polar biome, ecosystem becomes unbalanced (eg due to fish migration, no food for polar bears and penguins)
Rising sea levels, causing flooding to low level costal areas
- 18cm rise in sea level in the past 100 years
Breaching of sea defences, making many areas wetlands or completely flooded, uninhabitable areas
Extreme weather events: flooding, drought, increase in cyclones and tsunamis, and heatwaves.
- These leave many dead, eg 4000 left dead after Indian heatwave, 66% of Bangladesh flooded leaving 30million homeless and costing $5bil in repairs
Unpredictable animal migration and temperature changes
Enhanced effects of El Nino and La Nina

Huge costs to government, due to destruction of government property during extreme weather events or acid rain
damage to fishing industry = fish migration due to changing water levels
damage to tourism industry = extreme weather events causing extreme damage to tourist attractions
rising poverty levels due to unreliable and expensive crop yields
after being damaged by weather events, many areas become depleted and dominated by poverty
because certain industries can't function, certain areas suffer job loss, and loss of local business
reliance on welfare due to poverty rise leads to increased government spending on welfare

THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

communities damaged, many forced to move due to
- lack of clean water, or damage done by weather events
- in drought, cost of water and food increases due to poor crop yields
social conflicts over food or water become common, often causing war
gases causing global warming can have serious effects on respiratory health