The Human Effect on Earth: Reasons Behind This

Earth's climate has changed throughout history, and now with the advancement of technology, including apps, we have more tools to understand and track these changes. Just in the last 800,000 years, there have been eight cycles of ice ages and warmer periods, with the end of the last ice age about 11,700 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet.

Deforestation and Reforestation

Growing populations have to be housed, which means they seek more space to build homes and cities. This often involves clearing forests to make room for urban and suburban development, as well as to provide building materials. Currently, it is estimated that 18 million acres of trees are clear-cut every year to create space for development and to be used in wood products.

Pollution: Most Solvable of Earth's 21st-Century Environmental Challenges

This problem largely rests with us (human beings) in our pursuit to create useful products and different ways to power our machines. Focusing our efforts on limiting and eliminating the production of harmful pollutants will go a long way in cleaning up the pollutants already affecting Earth’s biosphere. Learn about the causes and effects of different types of pollution and about some of the strategies and solutions.

Overpopulation

Humans require space and lots of it whether it is for farmland or industries which also takes up tons of space. An increased population results in more clear-cutting, resulting in severely damaged ecosystems. Without enough trees to filter the air, CO₂ levels increase which carries the potential to damage every single organism on Earth.

Global Warming and Life on Earth

Global warming presents the gravest threat to life on Earth in all of human history. The planet is warming to a degree beyond what many species can handle, altering or eliminating habitat, reducing food sources, causing drought and other species-harming severe weather events, and even directly killing species that simply can’t stand the heat.

Climate Change

Global climate change is not a future problem. Changes to Earth’s climate driven by increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are already having widespread effects on the environment: glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, plant and animal geographic ranges are shifting, and plants and trees are blooming sooner.