Human Impact on Environment—Climate Change.
Nowadays, we talk a lot about climate change that the planet is having and how it affects us. However, we must also think about the reasons that are contributing to this change. In order to raise awareness. In this essay, I will talk about the impact we have on our planet, how it affects us and how we can help to counteract these negative effects. My goal is to bring a clear idea about the human impact on the environment. The articles I will analyze inform about climate change. In others, the purpose is to inform and spread awareness about this topic. The articles I will analyze are the following: “Climate Justice Uniting Struggles across Latin America” by Cory Fischer-Hoffman; “Grieving for the Environment, Without Saying ‘Climate Change;” “Society: Environment: Home truths: How we can all help to clean up the environment;” and “Maps show Humans Growing Impact on the Planet” by Betsy Mason.
To achieve this goal, I have organized my essay into 3 main sections: The first section talks about the human impact in the climate change. The second section is dedicated to show how the climate change affects humans’ life. The third one, is about how we can have a positive impact and help our planet.
The purpose of the article “Maps show Humans Growing Impact on the Planet” is to inform and alert about the change that has taken place in the environment over the years due to human impact. To achieve this, the author uses images to give credibility to what he presents. Using formal language, it gives us knowledge that “while the population increased by 23 percent, the average human footprint score increased by only 9 percent.” Although, the author’s purpose is to spread awareness, it also shows us that the increase in human footprint is not as serious as we think. However, at the end of the essay the author uses pathos, with appeals to emotions, where he reveals that the places with the intense pressure and human impact are among the most biodiverse places on Earth. This causes the animal species that live there to run the risk of extinction, “and once they’re gone, they’re really gone, “This causes the reader to empathize with something they can see — animals dying out. This leads us to think about the causes of why animals are more likely to become extinct when there is greater human concentration in that area. Which is “human activity” such as deforestation, oil drilling, and movement of refuge, these are “some of the most devastating impacts of contamination due to oil explosion” (Fischer-Hoffman, 20) this clearly shows us that climate change is caused for ourselves, the humans.
We have a great impact on climate change, so it has on us. Many people refuse to believe that “global warming” is true, they think it is normal that happens over time. In the article “Grieving for the Environment, Without Saying ‘Climate Change.” The author gives us information about natural disasters that have occurred around the world, which are indirectly related to climate change. Her purpose is to provide alternatives to deal with Climate Change, but also how this is affecting us to the point of feeling “ecological grief” a deep sadness for natural disasters that occur. Over time, the more technology advances, the more oil drilling there is and more industries are formed in places where they end up destroying the ecosystem and putting animals at risk of extinction, the “weather patterns and natural disasters are becoming more intense” (Miller). Throughout the article we can see a clear example of how climate change affects us: “Alberta is home to two of Canada’s most famous national parks, Banff and Jasper. But a warming planet is having an effect on one of its biggest draws: the glaciers, which are shrinking.” These glaciers have begun to melt, due to the increase in global warming, causing flooding in that area, which has destroyed the homes of people residing in that area. “When you lose your special place, it’s a deep feeling … It’s not necessarily a house, but a rock or a tree or a valley that somehow you’re connected to.”(Miller). In this example, the author uses pathos, this leads the reader to put in the place of this person and feels empathy for the loss of this person, which was caused by climate change.
Helping the environment requires active involvement of manufacturers and consumers. People should choose a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle to help counteract climate change. One of the causes of climate change, especially global warming, as I name it in the first section, is deforestation. Livestock industries are the ones which most negative impact have on the environment. They need space for the animals they raise, which create greenhouse gases, these are bad for the environment. Since these types of industries have grown over time, because their demand is higher, deforestation has also increased due to the reason they cut down trees in places full of biodiversity, to place their industries there. In this quote, we can see the fear that exists in people who know, global warming is real and is caused by the human.
“there’s a sense you might be judged, because if [they] say I’m experiencing eco-grief, people assume I’m really saying is that I am not supportive of the industries that gave me my high quality-of-life” (Miller). However, they do nothing for fear of being judged, since many companies, the ones that pollute the most, are the ones that provide us with food, such as meat.
In this case, the help depends more on consumers. They can stop buying meat of some brands since some of these companies are the ones who are less careful with the environment when making their products. When we stop shopping, companies will be forced to change their way of production to be more environmentally-friendly. In the article, “Society: Environment: Home truths: How we can all help to clean up the environment” the author show us another way to help our planet, and requires, like the previous one, consumer pressure over companies. Thus having the purpose of inform the reader and also spread awareness. Many products requires very high amounts of energy, which causes pollution and this at the same time impacts climate change. However, places like Europe “has forced manufacturers to raise minimum energy efficiency standards, and so use less electricity and cause less pollution.” This shows us that we can help our planet, buying electronic products that consume less energy.
From examining these four articles, I can say that human impact on environment is much greater than I thought, human impact is the only thing that affects climate change. While the population has been growing, the greater the increase in pollution and global warming.
Nowadays, the poles are melting, animals are dying and many natural disasters occur because of climate change. Although our planet can no longer be the same as thousands of years ago, we can keep it from destroying through small acts that will make a difference such as, pressing companies to be more environmental friendly, saving electricity, buying products that do not harm the planet, etc. We must remember that our planet is our home, and if we destroy it, we are destroying ourselves.
Works cited
“Grieving for the Environment, Without Saying ‘Climate Change.” Sara Miller Llana,
August 21, 2019.
www.go-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ps/pdfGenerator/html
“Maps show Humans Growing Impact on the Planet” Betsy Mason, 2016. www.google.com/amp/s/relay.nationalgeographic.com/proxy/distribution/public/amp/news/2016/08/human-footprint-map-ecological-impact
“Climate Justice Uniting Struggles across Latin America” Cory Fischer-Hoffman. September 22, 2015.
callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastPDF/UBER1/RangeFetch=contentSet=UBER1=prefix=PI-9ACN-2015-FAL00-IDSI-=startPage=19=suffix==npages=4=dl=Climate_justice_uniting_strugg=PDF.pdf?dl=Climate_justice_uniting_strugg.PDF “
“Society: Environment: Home truths: How we can all help to clean up the environment” Guardian Newspapers, Nov. 15, 2000
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