Deck 17: The Human Disconnection

Question 1

What effects have recent population growth caused in the city or area in which you live? What do you think will happen in your local area, to the country, and to the planet if population growth continues?

Answer 1

The growth in human population results in more and more clearing of the land for growing crops, purpose of constructing building or habitats for the humans so as to meet the requirements for food and shelter respectively. This results in destruction of habitats or shelters of other non-human species. The plants are cut down for obtaining wood and this has its impact on various environmental factors.
Taking the case of a city, the increased population requires relatively more food as well as shelter to sustain life. The area of city would expand and the forests or plants on large scales around the city would be cut down for constructing houses for the humans.
In contrast, the other species living in forests or that large scale region would either migrate to some other regions or begin to disappear from that region leading to a complete loss of biodiversity.
For the country as a whole, the growing population would be contributing to variety of environmental problems. Each individual plays a significant role as the daily activities like burning of fossil fuels in automobiles, using electrical appliances or machines, etc contribute to the emissions of certain harmful chemical substances including greenhouse gases.
As the activities increase with increased number of individuals in a population of the city, the rate of emission of pollutants will increase drastically. The quality of air will be affected resulting in various diseases.
If this trend of population continues to grow significantly, then the conditions will get worse as food and shelter for the population will become insufficient. The level of environment pollution will rise to a greater extent. Oxygen levels will decline whereas that of carbon dioxide will rise and thus leading to more drastic changes in climatic conditions of the Earth. The average temperature of the Earth will rise as well.

Question 2

Why do most scientists support the conclusion that CO₂ emissions are the primary cause of global climate change? If you think this conclusion is not correct, can you point to a body of scientific evi­dence that supports your view?

Answer 2

Climate is defined as the average weather conditions and it changes periodically due to various factors including natural or human activities. Climate change is though the result of interactions of thousands of factors, and consequences of these interactions aren't predictable with a complete accuracy.
Greenhouse gases are responsible for the drastic changes in climatic conditions of Earth. Before industrialization, about one-third of the solar radiations striking the Earth's atmosphere is reflected back by the clouds, dusts, etc. into the outer space and rest of it is absorbed by the land, water, air, living as well as non living organisms.
After industrialization, the generation of harmful chemical substances and greenhouse gases became too high that the natural sources find it very difficult to degrade them. This has led to global warming and in turn the climatic conditions are affected adversely. The large scale forests are cut down for urbanization and this contributes to increase in the levels of carbon dioxide as plants can only use carbon dioxide in photosynthesis.
Since, plants are the only source of production of oxygen and still the plants are cleared off the lands, thus there won't be the oxygen on Earth available for animals to sustain life. The biological diversity would be affected and it may lead to vanishing of many living species from the planet.
Observing the damages caused to the nature by the greenhouse gases, it is concluded that being one of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is the major contributor to the global climate change.

Question 3

What do you personally think individuals, large corporations, and world leaders should do to address the world's environmental problems?

Answer 3

The environmental problems such as pollution, climate change, ozone depletion and loss of biodiversity are not limited to a particular region on Earth but had affected the entire planet and its organisms.
The causes of these problems, being uncountable in numbers, are majorly activities of humans. Thus, the humans are said to be the world's greatest evolutionary force as no other species before humans have had a profound effect on the evolutionary history of almost all life forms on the planet.
Each individual contribute to majority of the environmental problems. In daily life, there are several activities performed by individuals, organizations, industries and others which result in emission of pollutants or agents that are responsible for ozone depletion, climate change and biodiversity losses.
The solutions to almost all the problems fall within plants. Plants have the potential to utilize the emitted carbon dioxide, which can increase the average temperature of Earth. So, individuals should take an initiative to grow more and more trees in addition to reduce their activities that contributes its part in the evolution of pollutants or any of the environmental problems.
The large corporations can do the following things:
1. Large corporations must object whenever a large scale forest is being cut down by the industries or people for purposes.
2. These corporations must ensure that if they are unable to eliminate the problems, then they should atleast try to lessen the impacts caused due to the problems.
3. In collaboration with other organizations, these corporations can take a step towards eco-friendly activities.
4. World leaders can put into action various laws and policies that ensures to reduce or eliminate the harmful substances.
5. Emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the industries and other human sources should be completely banned.
6. Some international organizations must keep a check on the emissions of harmful substances and take necessary steps to conserve the biodiversity.

Question 4

Do you think that it's important to preserve biodi­versity? Why or why not?