Question

What is the most interesting or surprising thing you learned about how human population growth affects the environment?

Answer 1

Numerous effects of human population growth on the Earth system include: Increasing energy production from the ecosystem. These resources include minerals, plants, water, and fauna, particularly in the oceans, as well as fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal).

- Human population affects the environment in the following ways :

1. Deforestation -

- Deforestation exacerbates the greenhouse gas issue by reducing the ability to collect CO₂. Loss of habitat and extinctions are also closely correlated with deforestation. As was already mentioned, over 80% of worldwide deforestation is caused by agriculture. A further 14% is linked to logging, 5% to the collection of firewood, and the other 14% results from various reasons.

- All of these pressures on deforestation are tied to the growth of the human population. We require more food, wood products, and firewood as the population grows.

2. Climate change -

- Climate change and human population increase have been growing concurrently as fossil fuel use has exploded to maintain industrialized nations. The need for oil, coal, gas, and other energy resources mined from below the Earth's surface that release carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere when burned and trap warm air within like a greenhouse increases as the world's population rises.

- The majority of fossil fuel consumption is in developed nations. It is alarming to consider that most developing countries strive to have industrial economies similar to ours as they experience economic expansion, which increases atmospheric CO₂ emissions.

- Another significant factor in greenhouse gas emissions is deforestation. On a worldwide scale, forests absorb more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the atmosphere does. An estimated 13% of all greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the burning and clearing of forests, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

3. Freshwater loss -

- Even though there is a lot of water on the world, it is a highly limited resource. Fresh water makes up only 2.5% of the world's water resources, and only a tiny portion of it is accessible as clean drinking water.

- Stress on freshwater resources has been a result of population increase. When demand outpaces supply of appropriate water, it is said to be "water stressed." According to one research, water scarcity affects almost 40% of the world's population. By 2030, it is expected that this percentage would climb as a result of a 50% increase in worldwide water consumption. Another analyst predicts that by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population would be experiencing water shortages, which he blames on population expansion.

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