Anthropogenic activities and their impact on environment UGC NET Notes
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Anthropogenic activities and their impact on environment UGC NET Notes
The term “Anthropogenic” means environmental changes caused by human activitieswhether intentionally or unintentionally. The impact on nature influenced by people and their activities is called anthropogenic activities
Types of Anthropogenic Activities and their Impact
1). Population
Population is becoming a serious concern globally right now with the overall world population being 8 billion. India has now overtaken China to become the highest populated country in the world as of April, 2023.
Impact
• Higher the population, greater is the use of natural resources which are limited on earth.
• Restrains economic growth.
• Increases poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
2). Pollution
Pollution is caused excessively by humans whether directly or indirectly through daily human activities. Land, air, water, noise, and soil pollution are the various forms of pollution caused by humans. Pollution is severely harmful not only for the environment but our own health and well being.
Impact
• Can cause several diseases in humans.
• Damaging of crops, and wildfire.
• Harmful for animals.
3). Deforestation
Deforestation means cutting down trees of our natural forest. It is the removal of trees for using that land for some other human purpose.
Impact
Deforestation is a serious concern as it leads to numerous environmental issues such as:
• Destruction of natural forest.
• Loss of biodiversity
• Desertification.
• Soil erosion.
4). Global Warming
Global warming is becoming a dangerous threat with every passing year. Global warming is the long-term rise of the temperatures on the Earth’s surface. It is caused by human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, and industrial release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
Impact
• Global warming leads to uneven weather patterns.
• Early maturing of crops.
• Rise of sea level and melting of glaciers.
5). Climate Change
Climate change is another huge impact on the environment by human activities. Climate change is caused by the increase of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The increasing amount of release of these gases has lead to high heating from the sun. The impact of climate change are the same as global warming.
6). Exploitation
Humans are exploiting animals in large number whether it be land animals or sea animals.The overexploitation of these animals is leading to the extinct of many species which is a global concern.
