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Ecological Problems: Global Warming, Pollution, Overpopulation Extinction And Soil Erosion
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Published: October 16, 2007
Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth," sounded the alarm regarding the ecological problems faced by all citizens of the planet Earth. His efforts have done a great deal to raise awareness about global ecological problems, such as; global warming, soil erosion, overpopulation and the premature extinction of species, by presenting the science on the subject in a manor that was digestible for the masses.
Scientists have struggled to get the attention of world leaders for decades; attempting to warn them of the consequences of numerous ecological problems, but until recently their warnings had fallen on deaf ears. Scientists, who are now near consensus on the matter, and Gore, among others, have finally forced the leaders and citizens of the world to take notice; that the present rate of human consumption and pollution is not sustainable.
The consumption of fossil fuels to produce energy and facilitate transportation has served to degrade the vital resources necessary for life on Earth. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, modern nations have pumped ever-increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide pollution into the Earth's atmosphere. Referring to a new U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, a recent Time article reported, "that human activities since 1750 have played a significant role by overloading the atmosphere with carbon dioxide hence retaining solar heat that would otherwise radiate away." Critics of this theory are fond of proclaiming the Earth's temperature fluctuates naturally, and humans could not possibly affect worldwide ecological problems. However, scientists now hold the near-universal opinion that: while the climate does maintain temperature cycles, the impact of humans and their pollution has accelerated what may have been an ordinary warming trend.
The ecological problems of global warming will accelerate as more and more of the Earth's ice caps melt away. Arctic ice reflects a percentage of the Sun's energy back into space. As the ice melts due to global warming, the percentage of the Sun's energy that remains in the atmosphere increases, contributing to faster melting ice, and to the extinction of species that live on the ice. According to greenfacts.org, which also draws from the IPCC report, "The last time that the Polar Regions remained significantly warmer than now for a very extended period (125,000 years ago), the sea level rose by 4 to 6 meters." Today, such increases would be catastrophic for coastal and low-lying areas of the Earth, which are already prone to ecological problems.
In addition is the fact the human population of the planet continues to grow, exacerbating the above-mentioned ecological problems. As stated in a 2000 Johns Hopkins report on overpopulation, "World population surpassed 6 billion in 1999 and is projected to rise to over 8 billion by 2025." The report lists climate change, pollution, soil erosion and the premature extinction of numerous species, among the ecological problems caused by overpopulation. While the developed nations of the planet are largely in the process of population decline, the developing nations are incurring population explosions, placing increasing pressure on the limited resources of the globe.
As the world's population grows, it is only natural that its ecological problems will also grow. Developing nations will incur soil erosion in an effort to produce enough food for their growing populations. This, while the present population, according to the Johns Hopkins report, has already "degraded some 2 billion hectares of arable land – an area the size of Canada and the U.S." Factor in the ecological problems resultant of global warming; the rising sea level, increasing soil erosion, forcing millions of people inland, and it is easy to recognize the world's present ecological problems can not be allowed to continue.
Should the above ecological problems continue at their present pace, it is the developed nations of the world that have the most to lose. Consider the United States, whose population consumes approximately 25% of the world's resources, of which many are imported. That state of abundance has contributed to a prolonged myopic attitude among Americans when it comes ecological problems.
Hopefully the efforts of Al Gore and the scientific community will succeed in raising awareness regarding the world's ecological problems, because awareness is merely the first step in finding a remedy for the ecological problems of the planet. And, a remedy must be found; if for no other reason than, at present, the human race has no place else to go.
Sources:
Hinrichsen, Don & Robey, Bryant. "Population and the Environment: The Global Challenge." 2000. Environment. Actionbioscience.org. 15 Oct. 2007. http://www.actionbioscience.org/environment/hinric hsen_robey.html.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "What Now For Our Feverish Planet?" 29 March 2007. Time.com. 15 Oct. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1 604908,00.html.
"Scientific Facts on Climate Change – 2007 Update." Digests. Greenfacts.org. 15 Oct. 2007. http://www.greenfacts.org/en/climate-change-ar4/.
Related Articles
The consumption of fossil fuels to produce energy and facilitate transportation has served to degrade the vital resources necessary for life on Earth. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, modern nations have pumped ever-increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide pollution into the Earth's atmosphere. Referring to a new U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, a recent Time article reported, "that human activities since 1750 have played a significant role by overloading the atmosphere with carbon dioxide hence retaining solar heat that would otherwise radiate away." Critics of this theory are fond of proclaiming the Earth's temperature fluctuates naturally, and humans could not possibly affect worldwide ecological problems. However, scientists now hold the near-universal opinion that: while the climate does maintain temperature cycles, the impact of humans and their pollution has accelerated what may have been an ordinary warming trend.
The ecological problems of global warming will accelerate as more and more of the Earth's ice caps melt away. Arctic ice reflects a percentage of the Sun's energy back into space. As the ice melts due to global warming, the percentage of the Sun's energy that remains in the atmosphere increases, contributing to faster melting ice, and to the extinction of species that live on the ice. According to greenfacts.org, which also draws from the IPCC report, "The last time that the Polar Regions remained significantly warmer than now for a very extended period (125,000 years ago), the sea level rose by 4 to 6 meters." Today, such increases would be catastrophic for coastal and low-lying areas of the Earth, which are already prone to ecological problems.
In addition is the fact the human population of the planet continues to grow, exacerbating the above-mentioned ecological problems. As stated in a 2000 Johns Hopkins report on overpopulation, "World population surpassed 6 billion in 1999 and is projected to rise to over 8 billion by 2025." The report lists climate change, pollution, soil erosion and the premature extinction of numerous species, among the ecological problems caused by overpopulation. While the developed nations of the planet are largely in the process of population decline, the developing nations are incurring population explosions, placing increasing pressure on the limited resources of the globe.
As the world's population grows, it is only natural that its ecological problems will also grow. Developing nations will incur soil erosion in an effort to produce enough food for their growing populations. This, while the present population, according to the Johns Hopkins report, has already "degraded some 2 billion hectares of arable land – an area the size of Canada and the U.S." Factor in the ecological problems resultant of global warming; the rising sea level, increasing soil erosion, forcing millions of people inland, and it is easy to recognize the world's present ecological problems can not be allowed to continue.
Should the above ecological problems continue at their present pace, it is the developed nations of the world that have the most to lose. Consider the United States, whose population consumes approximately 25% of the world's resources, of which many are imported. That state of abundance has contributed to a prolonged myopic attitude among Americans when it comes ecological problems.
Hopefully the efforts of Al Gore and the scientific community will succeed in raising awareness regarding the world's ecological problems, because awareness is merely the first step in finding a remedy for the ecological problems of the planet. And, a remedy must be found; if for no other reason than, at present, the human race has no place else to go.
Sources:
Hinrichsen, Don & Robey, Bryant. "Population and the Environment: The Global Challenge." 2000. Environment. Actionbioscience.org. 15 Oct. 2007. http://www.actionbioscience.org/environment/hinric hsen_robey.html.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "What Now For Our Feverish Planet?" 29 March 2007. Time.com. 15 Oct. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1 604908,00.html.
"Scientific Facts on Climate Change – 2007 Update." Digests. Greenfacts.org. 15 Oct. 2007. http://www.greenfacts.org/en/climate-change-ar4/.
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