Anthropocene: Human vs Nature and Environment

- ALLENOV JHON A. BATION -

Nature or Environment?

• Nature is often used to • Environment is often used

mean the non-human when we mix in human
world relationships to the non-
human world
• Anthropocene:
(an·thra·puh·seen)
– “an informal term
used to mark when
human actions begin
to have a global
impact on Earth’s
environment”
How Humans Impact the Environment & Nature: The
Bad and the Good

• Nowadays, humans cannot live without basic elements

like a home, means of transportation, or maybe even
gadgets.
The Human Impact on the Environment
Bad Effects on the Environment

• 1. Pollution
– The main cause of human activity on the environment is, of
course, pollution. In fact, most anything we do can produce
pollutants which have a terrible effect on nature. Pollution starts
small, with a few pieces of waste we leave behind, but it gets
more serious as we move on a bigger scale.
2. Overpopulation

• the human population kept growing until it almost reached

the maximum capacity our planet can sustain. Over time,
we saw a lot of progress both in terms of medicine and
technology. This made our life better, reduced mortality
rates, and helped us develop more urban areas.
3. Deforestation

• Humans perform a lot of activities that require wood. We

need it for fuel and buildings, while we also need to make
room for more places we can occupy. Either way, we end
up cutting forests, which has a huge impact on the
environment from several points of view.
4. Genetically Modified Organisms

• These types of organisms, also known as MGOs, have

contributed to our prosperity. These organisms are usually
genetically enhanced to grow more rapidly, look better, or
maybe require fewer resources. Those manmade
organisms aren’t usually so bad, but it can happen that
similar ones start evolving on their own. Of course, these
can gradually turn invasive and prevent the growth of
natural plants and animals.
5. Ocean Acidification

• This is also an effect of the high levels of carbon dioxide

found in the air. Whenever the gas comes into contact
with water, a chemical reaction occurs which produces
carbonic acid. This acid basically affects the pH of water,
which has a huge impact on all marine life. The
phenomenon adds up to the recent increases in water
temperature that damage all kinds of creatures.
Good Effects on the Environment

• 1. Afforestation
– Humans might cut forests, but we do a lot of planting as well. In
some cases, we manage to create a balance between
deforestation and afforestation. This way, we can contribute to
a better air quality and make efforts to reduce the levels of
carbon dioxide.
2. Conservation

• There are many campaigns that seek the conservation of

all kinds of resources. Their main purpose is to reduce the
consumption of water and land, but also to protect all the
living creatures on Earth. These same campaigns also
promote the use of green sources of energy to avoid their
consumption.
Therefore knowing how humans impact the environment is
essential if you want to make a difference. Most of our
actions are actually damaging for nature, as they destroy
the quality of air and of natural habitats and threaten the
creatures that live there. However, we can also have a
positive impact on the environment and create some sort of
balance between the two. The first step is to be aware of
the damage we inflict on nature, and then we can make
small steps to change this.