Study of Human Bearing on Environment: A Review of Causes and Resolutions | Report

Study of Human Bearing on Environment: A Review of Causes and
Resolutions
Changes in climatic patterns and conducts of animal forms have been observed from time to
time. These changes have become more prominent in the recent past. In the current paper, a
study of environmental impacts of human activities has been done to identify the various
issues arising out of such impacts. After identifying major issues, their resolution and
mitigation methods are suggested which need to be incorporated on individual and
organisational levels.
Introduction
Human activities have profoundly impacted the environment in many ways which
include decreased water quality, depletion of natural resources, increased pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions, and contribution to global climate change [1]. These changes have
been made either by direct intervention of human activities or by indirectly. Few concerning
factors like growing human population densities, intensified land-use, invasive species,
often linked to changes in habitat heterogeneity, increasing habitat fragmentation and limited
dispersal capacities are threatening ecosystems world-wide. According to the findings of the
report by [2], humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively over the last
few dacades than in any comparable periods of time largely to meet rapidly growing demands
for food, fresh water, timber, fiber, and fuel. Growth in human populations and prosperity
has not only resulted into increased conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural,
industrial, or residential use, but also into increased demand for ecosystem inputs, as
well as increased pressure on the capacity of natural ecosystems to assimilate our waste,
including air and water pollution as well as solid waste[3]. More recently, two other

factors have proven devastating to populations and ecosystems: pathogen pollution, and
global environmental change linked to climate. Even though the human populace have
traversed major economic feats but these gains have been achieved at growing costs in the
form of the degradation of many ecosystem services, increased risks of nonlinear changes,
and the aggravation of poverty for some groups of people.
Major Environmental Issues
Two major areas of concern that have caught the attention of public health and
conservation arenas are deforestation and climate change. It has been noted that
environmental instabilities affect the ecological balances of hosts of diseases and pathogens.
One such cause is the deforestation. The World Health Organization has recorded over 36
new emerging infectious diseases since 1976, many of which, particularly malaria and
dengue, are the direct result of landscape influencing the ecology of disease[4]. In case of
mosquito borne diseases like malaria and dengue, deforestation reduces the diversity of the
mosquitos. Yet the surviving species are found to transmit diseases more effectively. This
has been observed in all areas of high malaria risk – the Thailand, East Africa, Amazon and
Indonesia. There are other prominent ways in which deforestation has affected the spread of
human infectious diseases. One example is the outbreak of Nipah virus infections in
Malaysia, 1998-99. Here it was found that, loss of forest cover made bats move to mango
trees surrounding large pig farms at the edge of forests. Pigs consumed bat feces and fallen
fruits infected with bat saliva and contracted Nipah virus for which fruit bat is a vector. This
was passed onto humans resulting in fatalities [4].
A second major environmental impact is the climate change. According to the US
Environmental Protection agency, the increase in temperature around the globe can largely be
2