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People are loud, lively and numerous. As we expand to every corner of the planet, we impact every corner, and sometimes in unexpected ways. Although climate change and habitat destruction are outdated phenomena due to their impact on the environment, there are many other things we do that impact nature as well.
Noise pollution
Human noise is everywhere. Even places that should be quiet have become incredibly loud. The ocean that we always thought of as a calm and serene place, filled with the clicking of dolphins and the singing of whales, is now filled with the roar of humans. Marine life still makes noise, but now it has to compete with shipping lanes, seismic surveys, oil production and sonars, not to mention military experiments and submarines. These shipping lanes alone have doubled their noise every decade since 1960. All that noise affects the ability of underwater creatures to function and has even contributed to whale strandings. Humans have also achieved “superpredator” status. This makes all other animals afraid of us. A wild animal you have just killed, perhaps for the first time in weeks, usually leaves you as soon as it hears a human voice. Many times the animal is never killed again and is left to rot. When animals live in an area with constant noise, they can suffer from hearing loss, which reduces their ability to respond to environmental influences and causes them to experience the same effects as humans under chronic stress.
Human arrogance
Living spaces are not simply destroyed because they are new homes or slash-and-burn farms in the tropics. It is a constant in all nations. With a human population of over 7 billion, we are constantly using space for ourselves. We need food, shelter, and recreation, and we enjoy all of these things away from others. This has serious consequences for wildlife. In addition to using land for agriculture and deforestation, people also use wilderness areas to extract resources for their own needs. Industrial activities such as mining, logging, road construction, and oil and gas development are decimating wilderness areas where wildlife lives. Wilderness areas now cover less than a quarter of the Earth's total surface area. This reduction in surface area, amplified by climate change and the modification of natural habitats, is leading to the extinction of species and the loss of biodiversity on a global scale.
Light pollution
Light pollution is something that most people have heard about it, but we tend to listen This is why we can't see the stars from the city at night. It might be a little uncomfortable, but nothing too harmful to the environment. But this is the case, especially in the case of animals guided by moonlight. An animal species that has not yet managed to adapt to this light pollution is the sea turtle. All species of sea turtles are affected by light pollution, but loggerhead sea turtles, leatherback sea turtles and green sea turtles are the most affected. When nesting females come ashore, they do so at night, lay their eggs and then return to the sea. Baby sea turtles are said to follow the moonlight to find the sea above the sand. But the lights of nearby cities often create confusion and make you drive in the wrong direction. They are hit by cars, attacked by predators, fall into storm grates or simply die from exhaustion, further decimating already endangered species.
Climate change
This list would not be complete without considering man's global impact . had in our climate. Climate change is affecting every ecosystem on the planet, from coral reefs and frozen tundra to expanding deserts and disappearing monsoons. The effects of climate change are not yet fully understood, but the outlook is bleak. As the world works to find solutions to these problems, it is vital that every person on the planet works to improve their understanding of how their actions affect other species. who share this land.
