How do human activities affect the natural environment?

Answer 1

Several centuries ago, Native Americans of the Hohokam tribe were able to create a civilization in the desert by building extensive irrigation canals. In the last two centuries, humans have found more and more efficient ways of making the desert livable for an increasing number of people. Technological advances, in the form of enormous dams, miles of water canals, and millions of air-conditioning units, have resulted in the desert becoming an extremely comfortable environment for cities, as well as for agriculture and grazing industries. However, these advances have had negative effects on the desert ecosystem. Increased grazing has degraded riparian zones and altered the desert plant community and agriculture and irrigation has altered streams, rivers, and canyons. Exotic and sometimes invasive species have been introduced that can quickly colonize and dominate the landscape. Increased visitors to parks and natural areas have effected the biotic soil crusts of even the most preserved areas. Finally, the growth of cities and ensuing suburban sprawl is replacing the once desert landscape with concrete, lawns, homes and picket fences. Source: http://www.earlham.edu/~biol/desert/impacts.htm

Answer 2

Human and natural activity can affect the earth and its environment in many different ways here are some of them:

· Plastic is not decomposable and making plastics and other decomposable wastes causes landfill which can cause pollution of the local environment such as contamination of groundwater.

· Radioactive waste produced by nuclear power stations can be dangerous in cases of radioactive contamination of a human body through ingestion, inhalation, absorption, or injection. Sea-based burial has caused damage such as it could leak and cause widespread damage. Dumping of radioactive waste from ships has also caused contamination of islands in the Pacific.

· Deforestation, the destroying of forests, results from the removal of trees without replacing them. Deforestation could result in the depletion of the renewable resource wood and various organisms' habitats. The photograph to the right is a NASA satellite observation of deforestation near Rio Branco in Brazil. About half of the mature tropical forests, between 750 to 800 million hectares of the original 1.5 to 1.6 billion hectares that once covered the planet have fallen. Throughout most of history, humans have considered forest clearing as necessary for most activities.

· Overfishing is another activity that could cause the depletion of a natural resource. Most of the problems associated with overfishing have been caused in the last 50 years by the rapid advances in fishing technology. Overfishing can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans. Deliberately underfishing to increase long term fish stocks has been proposed as a way fisherman can maximize their yields in the long run.

· Large amounts of greenhouse gases being produced, such as carbon dioxide, are causing our planet to get warmer. These gases allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely. When sunlight strikes the Earth's surface, some of it is reflected back towards space as infrared radiation but greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere causing global warming. Global warming is melting the ice caps causing the ocean level of our planet to increase, this causes flooding in many different areas of our planet.

Answer 3

Human activities can either have a negative or positive impact to the environment. Deforestation is an example of human activities that cause harm to the environment. Afforestation on the other hand ensures natural habitats are restored and that the atmosphere is well balanced.

Answer 4

human affects the development of environment by not giving consideration and without taking care of the environment and because they also abuse the environment. by:yves lester t. aquino
people affect the environment by polluting it by rubbish and litter it also affects the

ozone layer. people's industries can affect the air bu polluting it with smoke

Answer 5

Yes. Man covers rivers with cement and roads and divert rivers. Dams are built and ski runs put in. All of these things affect nature and can result in floods and landslides. Housing tracts are built on flood plains and at some point will flood. We do this all the time in California and the results are catastrophic. Million dollar houses slide off of cliffs, and game that normally lived in the mountain areas now seek food in backyards with the family pets in the housing tracts that were built on their natural hunting lands. Man changes the environment in the name of progress.

Answer 6

i don't think anyone knows, but i also think we were never needed. we just formed into peaces of meat with legs roaming around earth without purpose.

Answer 7

bc humans are dumping waste into it and they are polluting the hell out of it !!

Answer 8

1. Deforestation

2. Overpopulation

3. Urbanization

3. Acid rain

5. Wildlife destruction

6. Forest fire