HUMANS AND OTHER

SPECIES
Myint Myat Naing@ Junide /
IGCSE Global Perspectives / Individual Report
 How can individuals and
nations reduce their impact on
habitat destruction?
INTRODUCTION

Earth, a planet which is home to a variety of life, offers us humans and other species with a range of
resources but only in limited quantities. This quantity gradually decreases as the planet rapidly fills with the
endless demands of the growing human population for food, water, shelter and clothing. This has an impact
on global challenges like water scarcity, food insecurity, and global warming. What about the seemingly
endless desires for things such as fur clothing, pollution and hunting ? I have seen how human activities like
tree-cutting, excessive constructions and the production of toxic air by the increasing number of factories
that provides fundamental human needs on all of the social media sites I use. Though there are not many
social media sites that effectively show how we are causing some of the world’s problems through the
interaction with other species, whom we share the same home with. However, I have found out that how
excessive pollutions, hunting and fur clothing can really effect the spieces and their habitat. Therefore, I
have decided to research about how individuals and nation reduce their impact on habitat destruction.

Pollution

Over the years, pollution has caused major problems and negative impact on the society as well as the
species in our planet. The word pollution refers to the action of putting harmful substances in the
environment. Pollution can also refer to as anything that is considered as unhealthy or dirty. So how might
the pollution effect the species in the environment? Well, to answer this I have researched a bunch of facts to
show how pollution might be a serious issue towards the species. There are many pollutions such air, water,
and land pollutions all effecting the species at the same time no matter the pollutions. The most effected
pollution towards species are the land pollution. Land pollution focuses on destroying the habitat and causes
deforestation too! While it may seem like land pollution could go away, or might disappear, it might not.
Because when the land pollution has started, it slowly lead to water and air pollutions as well. How might it
be affected? Let me explain. When the land pollutions is filled with disgusting and dirty things, people may

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have an idea of burning the wastes to turn it into gasses. This leads to producing chemical compounds that
directly effects the species . Water pollution on the other hand, can be caused by the dirt from the wastes that
have been thrown away. These dirts dissolve in the water and therefore slowly hurting the organs of the
creatures that live underwater . Furthermore, the quality of the water will be supplemental too! In my
opinion, I would like to suggest that too much pollution is really harmful for both the humans and the
species. Pollution tends to cause problems like health destruction, loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction
and many more.
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 Fur Clothing Upon Species

Fur clothing are clothing made from the skins of mammals. Fur clothing is frequently made from animals like
foxes, minks, lynxes, rabbits, chinchillas and raccoon dogs. These animals are raised in fur farms where they
are cooped up in small wire cages, exposed to harsh weather conditions, fed poorly and are electrocuted,
poisoned, have their necks broken, gassed or even skinned alive to make fur clothing.

Fur clothing dates back to the prehistoric times, where early humans used it as a form of clothing and shelter.
Though nowadays it is viewed as a form of showing social status. Higher the quality of the fur, the richer you
are and thus more respected by society.
These animals lose their lives despite only being used for their fur due to the conditions the had to endure prior
to being skinned. Their deaths are brought on by the extreme heat or cold, lack of food, the distress they
experience from being confined in crowded cages and the brutal treatment of being crushed, beaten and
strangled by the trappers in order to preserve the fur’s quality.

Some may argue that clothing made of fur such as coats should be produced because it provides high quality
warmth and comfort unlike other clothing materials for those living in extremely cold climates. Others may
believe it should be stopped as the process of producing fur clothing is extremely bad for the environment.

More than fifty million animals are killed for the use of the fur industry and humans’ desire for such ‘luxury
item’. Such fur clothing is leathered then dyed and bleached using various chemicals. Factories then discard
these chemicals into the soil or water, which contributes to land and water pollution.

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Hunting is the act of killing wild animals, usually for food or entertainment. Hunting pre-dates to about two
million years ago where early humans began to hunt large animals for food by making wooden spears. However,
toward the end of the 19th century, people started to view it as a means of income and social status. Human
society as a whole started to perceive animals such as lions, elephants, leopards, buffalos and rhinoceros as the
most difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot. Therefore, having the heads of these animals in one’s home is a
huge sign of honor. This is why numerous practices of ‘trophy hunting’ rose to popularity. Many hunters would
pay a significant sum of money to participate in this competition.
Some people claim that trophy hunting helped to benefit animal conservation. It is said that governments
generate revenue from the trophy hunting’s fees for the funding in conservation efforts. Although there is no
solid proof of whether the money was used or not.

Others claim that because animals with large tusks and the darkest manes are always the targets, it prevents the
further development of the animal population. These genes show the challenge of hunting them down so the
owner of these animal heads with such genes are highly respected. But these are also the genes that will help the
species’ family branch diverge more.

If we look at the graph above, we can see the number of businesses in the hunting and trapping sector in the
USA. We can observe how the hunting industry experienced a boom from 2018 to 2019, fell and then began to
gradually increase again. As of right now, in 2023 we can see how there are about 14.39 thousand hunting
businesses, which means many animals are being killed. The result could be a mass extinction. For example,
lions’ prey on foxes, foxes’ prey on rabbits and rabbit eat carrots. If the lion species were to decline because the
fox species increased, the rabbit population would decrease. Therefore, there would be less chance of seed
dispersal; affecting the source of food for other animals. The ecosystem will be impacted by this as all living
things depend on each other.

WHAT PROBLEMS HAS IT CAUSED?

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 Mass extinction
Water pollution
Land pollution
Contribution to global warming
Ecosystem loss
Disruption to different habitat’s food web
High carbon emissions

What’s my personal perspective?

There are many different views on how individuals and nations reduce their impact may contribute to some of
the world’s problems. For instance, some people may personally believe that hunting, fur clothing and pollution
should all be outlawed because it is a form of animal cruelty. It can also result in mass extinctions, collapse of
different habitat’s food webs and can harm the ecosystem of our planet.

On the other hand, because people enjoy using the goods and services provided by these acts, these activities
would be seen from a national perspective as making a positive impact to the economy’s growth.

Although it would be viewed negatively from a global standpoint because it is quickly depleting the resources of
planet Earth. Additionally, it is also causing extinction, land pollution and water pollution and because of the
high levels of carbon emitted during the manufacture of fur and cosmetics, it has contributed to global warming.

Prior to the beginning of my research, I had anticipated a certain level of impact our interactions with other
species would have on the planet but the actual outcome was startling. I had previously believed that such acts
were acceptable as they provided a significant source of income for economies to develop and grow but after
doing some research, I have begun to see a glimpse of the harsh reality. We humans have been using and
treating animals cruelly, solely for the purpose of the fulfillment of our desires. With the help of my research, I
was able to see how animals are tormented in conditions like the harsh weather, overcrowded in tiny cages or
the torture of chemicals and machineries just to provide the goods and services we want. I realized that I needed
to view different point of views from various angles. I now believe that such acts, along with others, are ought
to be banned because from a global perspective they are mostly destroying plant Earth. After all, this planet is
home to many different species not just for us humans.
SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION
As the human population is growing quickly, I believe it is crucial to preserve the resources our planet Earth has
provided for our future generations to prosper. Well first of all, I think it’s important for scientists to look into
the issue further and determine how it has significantly impacted our planet. Then to identify the causes,
consequences and more sustainable, efficient alternatives. The next step is to inform government officials about
the state of the issue, much like the ozone layer case. I believe that only governments will be able to make much
more of an impactful change rather than just individuals protesting. Governments can then start enforcing laws
against animal cosmetic testing, fur products, hunting and many others.

CONCLUSION
How can individuals and nations reduce their impact on habitat destruction? Well, sources that have the sole
purpose of satisfying a desire succeed in doing so. pollution, manufacturing of fur products and hunting are
now merely ways for people to satisfy their desires and help them show their social status. However, these
activities reduce the number of animals and the carbon emissions and chemicals produced by the factories where
these activities are carried out contributes to global warming and pollution. If these activities were to pick up
speed, the planet Earth would suffer more. Therefore, as responsible global citizens we must act now to preserve
Earth’s gift to all species.

Word counts for the report...

1807 words
REFERENCES

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sca_esv=6df0982588bcee2b&sxsrf=ACQVn0_8nfYFaZ9tQ_mn0d1szVDADg0CcQ:1708437416136&q
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UijGMGHd4fCsQQ0pQJegQIDRAB&biw=1440&bih=711&dpr=2#imgrc=o7B-p9qYL-gpZM
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