Alecea Nelson

Human Impact
Humans have had a significant effect on the environment. Since the industrial
revolution, we have been burning fossil fuels as an energy source. The burning of fossil
fuels releases excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, this excess carbon dioxide as
well as other factors has led to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The
greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon. It is the trapping of heat in the
atmosphere by the gases know as greenhouse gases. These gases include such as water
vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous, oxide and ozone. However, with the excess
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, more heat is being trapped in than necessary. This is
causing the temperature of the Earth to rise over the last decade, this is whats also
known as global warming.
If we as humans do not make a change in the way we live, the earth will continue
to deteriorate and could potentially become uninhabitable. While this wont happen in our
lifetime it could happen much sooner than most would think. Along with global warming,
we face many other problems, such as deforestation, ozone depletion, and excess waste.
We are cutting down trees at a rapid rate, and while some companies do replant
the trees they destroy, they trees cannot be replaced at the same rate they are being cut
down. The argument for trees is very obvious; we need them to give off oxygen so that
we can live. If we continue to cut down trees, there wont be enough oxygen. To save
trees, as an individual you can recycle, and of course plant trees.

The ozone layer is a layer of gas that is approximately 19-30 kilometers above
Earths surface. The ozone layer shields us from the suns harmful ultraviolet rays, with

out it humans would not be able to survive on earth. Ozone depletion has occurred due to
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) being released into the air. CFCs are can be found in aerosol
cans and refrigerants, the excess use of these has led to a hole forming in the ozone layer.
We need to make sure that we do not increase the size of the hole, to do so humans need
to reduce the use of CFCs or the hole could continue to grow.
Humans produce millions of tons of waste every year, of that, only about 32% is
recycled, while approximately 55% is in landfills and 12.5% is burned. With the growing
population, waste disposal could be a serious issue in the near future. Landfills are not
very sanitary and they also release excess greenhouse gases. While waste disposal is
controlled in more developed countries such as the United States, in less developed
countries excess waste often begins pilling up in city streets. The excess waste can lead to
the spread of disease and poor living conditions. We need to stop producing so much
waste, and the best thing you can do is reduce, reuse and recycle.
It is more important than ever that we start making environment conscious
decisions. Whether it be riding your bike to school instead of driving or recycling all that
you can, each person on Earth can make an impact no matter how small. The future of the
Earth depends on what we do now. While a lot of the impacts humans have on the Earth
are is negative, we can certainly begin making positive impacts.

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/ozone-hole-andgw-faq.html#.VVJ4J9pViko
http://center.sustainability.duke.edu/resources/green-facts-consumers/how-muchdo-we-waste-daily
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/human-footprint/trash-talk.html