3/3
Among the most critically impactful ways that humans have affected the environment is
our extraction and consumption of fossil fuels and their attendant CO2 emissions.
Recent
studies indicate that CO2 emissions contribute to the deterioration of the earth’s ozone
layer, which may, in turn, contribute
to global climate change; this is especially true when
emissions are combined with the loss of the carbon-sink effect of forest lands (due to
deforestation) and existing particulate matter in the air. Though
the scale and impact of
such climate change are up for debate, the scientific community
has reached a consensus
that human activity does have some degree of impact on the global climate.
Human Impact on the Environment is a Double-edged Sword
The expansion of human population and the requirements
of our growing human family
place strenuous demands on our environment. Through human intervention, we have
altered our ecosystem forever. However, though some of
these changes may be negative,
humans also have the power to correct our mistakes and change our environment for the
better.
10
