1. Many think that the humankind is in the midst of an environmental crisis. Do you believe this? If so, why?

What evidence do you have to support this assertion? Do you agree with this assertion? Humankind is indeed in the midst of an environmental crisis.To define an environmental crisis , we can say that it is the accelerating degradation occurring in natural systems that is undermining their ability to reproduce themselves at a sustainable level. It is caused in large part by human ignorance, greed, use of destructive technologies and economic practices, population pressures, and a lack of knowledge of how to live in a sustainable ways. The immediate and most visible aspects of the ecological crisis include global warming, the depletion of potable water, fisheries, and the loss of topsoil; widespread toxic contamination of the environment is contributing to the acceleration of the loss of species and to an increase number of human diseases. Humans are having a major contribution towards the environmental crisis as human activities of any kind such as deforestation and industrialization are taking place so rapidly that have led to non-equilibrium in the environment. We are part of the earths eco-system; therefore, the imbalance of ecosystem will affect our well-being. This environmental crisis has affected our well being in the term of damage to our health, damage to buildings and structures, and high economic cost. Years of thoughtless exploitation of nature by man has been a major cause of environmental crisis. The truth, that in the bid to improve our lives, we have put our own survival to stake, has finally hit us hard. The various Effects of Human Activities on Environment are :Climate Change Global warming refers to the increase in the temperatures of the earth due to release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane from industries and vehicles. This phenomenon is causing the glaciers to melt at an alarming rate. Not just the Gangotri, but even the polar ice caps are melting at a faster rate than they can form. The result is increase in the sea level, and it poses a danger of drowning the low-lying areas. Some of the areas that may go under the sea if the sea levels kept increasing include Bangladesh, parts of Africa and even major cities like London and New York! Depletion of Ozone Layer The stratosphere has a layer of ozone that protects us from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun. Exposure to these rays cause skin cancer and cataracts. However, the ozone layer filters out the dangerous UV rays from sunlight as it enters the earth's atmosphere. The cholofluorocarbons (CFCs) that are man-made chemicals are released in the atmosphere through CFC containing aerosols, refrigeration equipment, foam and as by products of certain industrial processes. As these chemicals are released, they rise into the atmosphere and break down the ozone molecules that form the ozone layer. There is an ozone hole in the Antarctic stratosphere that is causing great concern to environmentalists all over the world. Because of the ozone holes in the upper atmosphere, the Earth receives excessive ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This is harmful for trees and plants (and for animals and human beings who depend on plants). The UV rays can destroy a certain type of bacteria known as Cyanobacteria that are important for a

number of economically important crops. Researchers are even predicting that excess level of UV rays could lead to the death of the phytoplanktons, that are an important component of the food web of the oceans. Pollution Industrialization has been the hallmark of human progress. However, with industries have come a host of toxic gases that are being released into the atmosphere. Industries release gallons of liquid waste into the seas and rivers. Some of the effluents percolate down and reach the ground water and pollute it to the extent that it can't be used by human beings for drinking or cooking. Intensive agriculture and excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides are destroying the natural land and driving animals away. Besides adding to air pollution, the innumerable vehicles running on the roads add to noise pollution that has led to an increase in stress, anxiety and problems related to hearing. Water pollution has led to a decrease in the number of various aquatic animals. Several aquatic life forms are on the verge of extinction. Migratory birds are known to change their course due to pollution or change in weather. Respiratory diseases in human beings is another price that we are paying for polluting the environment. Acid rains can kill trees, destroy crops and fish life in lakes and streams. Ingestion or inhalation of toxic substances increases the chances of having life-threatening diseases like cancer. Deforestation Increasing population, industrialization and need of land for development of expanding cities has led man to cut down forests selfishly. Not only are the forests home to a large number of animals, trees are also an important component of the water cycle. The roots of plants hold the soil together and prevent soil erosion. The global forest cover has shrunk to half its area in the last 11,000 years. During the period between 1990 and 2000 itself, the yearly loss of natural forests was 16 million hectares. Deforestation at such alarming rate has been a cause of constant worry for environmentalists the world over. 'Biodiversity' plays an extremely important role when it comes to maintaining the life on Earth. Extinction of Species The variety and interdependence of all living things has led to the evolution of world. Man has been killing animals right since the time he acquired the skill of hunting. Although in those times, hunting was the means for survival, human beings continued to kill animals even after they had learned to cultivate crops. The relentless hunting by human beings, sometimes for the hide of a cheetah or the tusks of the elephants, or simply to cook the tasty shark fin soup, has wiped out the existence of a large number of animals in just a century. Besides hunting, human activities like environmental pollution and deforestation has led to the extinction of a large number of animals and plants due to loss of habitat. Recent studies have shown that in North America, 37 animal species have become extinct in the last 50 years due to human activities. Loss of habitat led to the extinction of the Bali subspecies of tiger in 1937. According to the 2008 annual IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) report, there were 16,928 animal and plant species that are threatened of extinction and the list keeps increasing every year.
Energy Crisis The impact of energy on human life is probably only second to agriculture and forestry. That having been said, the negative impact that energy, as a source, has on the environment is quite far-reaching. Energy of any kind, may it be thermal, hydro, nuclear or electric has led to several environmental concerns.

Where earlier the concerns were restricted to the local arena, the issues have now become global. Energy and the activities related to energy production lead to hazards of some form or the other. Extraction of raw material for production (emission of carbon dioxide), transportation, and the conversion to usable forms of resources have a harmful effect. Along with that, it has also led to concerns like acid rain, the greenhouse effect as well as global warming. Loss of Biodiversity Biodiversity refers to the combination of a diverse range of species on earth. The varied plants, animals and microorganisms, the different ecosystems (coral reefs, deserts, rain forests, etc.) all have a unique role to play in the cycle of earth. These diverse species lead to the boost of varied ecosystems, which thus enables them to prevent, as well as recover from several disasters. However, due to varied human activities like deforestation, and hunting, the natural habitats as well as the survival of several species are being threatened. Several plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction, while others have already become extinct. The extinction of animals and plants can lead to varied effects, some of which are - increase in sea levels (leading to floods), droughts, wildfires, forest destruction and more. Nuclear Problems Nuclear energy is generated from the splitting of uranium atoms. This energy is used to create steam, which in turn is used to produce electricity. While there are definite advantages of generating nuclear power, what stands equally true is the fact that the process of producing the same harms the environment in many ways. The process of converting uranium into usable energy produces radioactive waste (2000 metric tons of radioactive waste is generated in a year in the USA alone) which is extremely harmful for human, animal and plant health at many levels. Along with that, the storage of nuclear power at a plant, as well as the fact that most other equipment in the plant will also convert into radioactive material over time and remain radioactive for several years is a major threat. While decaying, radioactive material releases certain particles which leads to damaging effects on health, like cancer. Along with these health concerns, production of nuclear energy also leads to several other harmful effects like emission of carbon dioxide (during mining, transport, waste management and other processes of producing nuclear energy), usage of excessive water and water discharge. This will, in turn, affect the environment at many levels. Loss of Natural Resources With the alarming rate of increase in population, the loss of natural resources has become one of the major concerns. Issues like deforestation, animal extinction, shortage of water, lack of space and food are only some of the concerns brought on by the lack of resources. There are many reasons that lead to the loss of natural resources (increasing demands brought on by population explosion, disregard for nature, human greed). This, in turn, affects the varied ecosystems. Activities such as overfishing and hunting have even led many species of fish and animals respectively to the brink of extinction. Forests are being cleared to meet the rising demands for the need of paper, wood and land. Mining and burning of fossil fuels have led to further depletion of resources. Then again, this is merely scratching the surface.

Despite the indiscriminate exploitation of nature by some people, there are a handful of those that are relentlessly working to reverse the detrimental effects of human activities on the environment. The World Wildlife Fund, European Environment Agency and the National Geographic are some organizations that run programs for the preservation of nature and educate and inspire people to conserve all life forms be it flora or fauna

Carbon emissions have greatly increased over the past 200 years, as humanity discovered coal and factories and motor vehicles. Human population has also increased from one billion to almost six billion, and all these people want to live with refrigerators, televisions and motor vehicles with air conditioning. This puts tremendous pressure on governments all over the world to provide more and more electricity. Most electricity is produced by burning coal and other fossil fuels. The other cause is the destruction of the forests, which can no longer keep up with the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is when the gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and other gases build up in the atmosphere and absorb that heat that used to be reflected out into space. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_cause_of_the_global_environmental_crisis#ixzz24YVz Fr4b