From the industrial revolution changing our world to one of the biggest mass extinctions,
here are 8 times when human interference with nature has gone wrong.
8.
The Equilibrium of the World In the movie "The Matrix", the antagonist
known as Agent Smith gave a speech to one of the main characters where he tried to "classify
their species" (For the record, Agent Smith was a computer program avatar).
His speech went something like this: "I realized that your species aren't actually
mammals.
Mammals will go to an area and create a natural equilibrium with the environment...you humans
do not.
You go to an area and you multiply...and multiply until there are virtually no natural resources
left.
Then, the only way for you to survive is to spread to another area..."
The intent here was to show the character that humans are a "virus" because of how we
infect the world.
We seem to have no natural balance.
Do you agree?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!!
The world always leans toward a natural balance.
And if you go somewhere that has been untouched by humanity, like the deep jungle or hidden
lake or something, you'll see that the balance works.
The plants, the animals, the waters of the area all balance out so that everyone can
live in a balanced cycle.
Humans disrupt that cycle emphatically.
We literally affect every aspect of nature in a large or small way just with our presence.
We affect the food chain, we affect how and where natural resources are used and grown
or destroyed.
We touch the air, the water, and ground with our machinations.
At a fundamental level, humanity has upset the balance of the world, which is why many
claim it's 'dying', because we've upset that balance too much, to the point where it apparently
can't be reversed.
And we use too much and need too much.
To use another Matrix quote, "you balance the equation, I unbalance it".
And that's exactly what humans do.
7.
Expansion What country do you live in?
It's an honest question, no wrong answers here.
Now, here's another question, how did your country come to be in the area that you live
in now?
No doubt your people started out as a tribe or faction, and settled in an area.
Then, they slowly started to grow bigger via natural births or the arrival of more people
to the area.
The reason is honestly immaterial, because the result is the same: expansion.
Everywhere that humans go, they leave their mark on the territory.
That's the very nature of humanity: “People have been modifying their environments
for tens of thousands of years,” added Jon Erlandson, an archeologist, professor and
director of the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History.
“Humans have literally impacted everything from mammoths to microbes.
Most people have no idea how heavily we’ve altered things — and for how long.”
Many people blame the recent generations of humanity for expanding too far into the wilderness
and "destroying" the world, but some feel that this has been happening for a lot longer
than that.
Humans have been around for thousands of years, and each new year brings new expansions, which
harms the environments in a negative way.
A great example is the "Manifest Destiny" of the United States.
Where they went from east to west in order to expand and "claim what was theirs".
This hurt not only the Native Americans of the land, but the forests, rivers, and more.
All because they felt it was their "destiny" to "own" the land they were on, and not respecting
the land they had "found".
That's not to say that expansion is the reason the world is messed up right now, far from
it, but in terms of affecting the world, the more people moved out into it, the less "natural"
things got.
Some even believe that there are no "natural areas" in the world anymore because of human
interference.
6.
Loss of Rainforests and Wildernesses Trees and forests provide much of the oxygen
we need in order to survive.
Despite this vital function, human interference has made it so that the natural born trees
and wildernesses of the world are slowly getting chopped down tree by tree to make room for
farming and to use them for all kinds of manufacturing.
And with each tree that falls, we're slowing dooming the human race.
But why do we interfere?
Simple, because trees and their bark are needed for all sorts of materials that we have in
our world.
From the paper we use, to the tools we wield, to the logs we burn in the fireplace, wood
is a very versatile material, and that makes it valuable.
And that makes trees something we "need" to chop down in large numbers, also because in
many places, we also need the space.
What might surprise you though is just how thoroughly we're doing this "job".
In the last 25 years alone, 10% of forests were chopped down.
If this rate continues, it's very possible that there will be no rainforests or wildernesses
left by the end of the century.
Granted, there are preserves where trees are "protected", but as more trees fall, and don't
grow back in time, the "need" for more trees will grow.
And they'll look to the protected areas.
Even the Amazon Rainforest isn't safe from this kind of interference, as there are multiple
people and companies coming for its trees, and they're chopping them down at an alarming
rate.
All of these events are leading to a world where we won’t have any trees at all!
Basically turning our planet into Mars!!
5.
Extinction Humans require food, and for many, that means
meat, and so, since the Ice Age (or close to it), we've hunted animals for food, clothing,
and more.
BUT, when we hunt to excess, that's when things start going topsy-turvy.
For proof of this, look no further than the elephants, mankind has hunted many species
of elephants to near extinction or full extinction.
Mainly because of the ivory in the elephants tusks.
Other times it's just "for sport".
Poaching is illegal, but people still get away with it.
Another example is habitat destruction, humans come in, mess with the balance of an area,
and when they do, it can result in species dying out because their lands aren't what
they need them to be to survive.
Whether intentional or not, we're causing a lot of creatures to die out permanently,
and that will affect us in the end.
Since 1900, nearly 500 species of animal have gone extinct, according to a 2015 study.
And it’s pretty scary to think that there are many that we probably never even knew
about.
4.
Pollution Without a doubt, one of the biggest things
that humans do in terms of affecting nature is pollute.
From simple trash that isn't thrown away properly, to chemicals that we pour into the air, land,
and water, pollution is easily one of the biggest problems in our world today.
And it's all our fault.
Animals don't pollute outside of the release of gasses and certain other bodily functions.
But humans?
We are experts when it comes to pollution.
Pollution in the oceans has never been worse, there's literally an entire "island" of trash
in the Pacific Ocean, and it's miles long and wide.
A fraction of that waste can be harmful to animals in the ocean, so now imagine it over
that area.
The beaches of our world are filthy too when not maintained, the landfills are literally
filling up with more and more garbage, much of which can't be recycled.
And most importantly of all, the garbage is taking up more and more space.
So where do we put it all...when there's no place left to put it?
3.
Food Growth All life needs food to survive, and humans
are no different.
However, recent advances in technology has created genetically altered plants and crops
that are meant to help inspire growth, but in truth, they're causing all sorts of harm,
and not just to nature, but to humans too.
Many of these "advancements" have been exposed to just be ways to ensure that people keep
buying the products.
Such as the "Terminator Seeds", which will grow once for a certain season, then die and
ensure that they can't grow back no matter what.
These seeds can go and spread to certain areas because of animals and wind.
Thus affecting other life in the area, and hurting the environment.
This is saying nothing of our feelings on bugs, which are instrumental in regards to
how crops and other plants survive.
Yet, human interference has caused major harm to the bee population of the world, and without
bees, many species of plant won't get pollinated like they're used to.
In our quest to make food more efficiently, we're actually hurting our chances of long-term
survival.
We actually have no idea how certain pesticides, fertilizers, and genetic mofidifications will
affect us in the long term.
2.
Damage to Rivers and Oceans Even on a basic level, humans have gone and
done a lot of harm to the rivers, lakes, and oceans of the world.
But when you dive even deeper, you see how things are changing more and more.
For example, because of the CO2 emissions caused by various things, including boats
in the water, the oceans of the world are now highly acidic, and it hasn't been that
way in millions of years.
This kind of acidity actually hurts the growth of various underwater lifeforms, like sharks
and crustaceans.
Plus, the acidity, mixed with the warming of the waters due to Global Warming, are causing
the coral reefs of the world to be damaged beyond what can be repaired both naturally
and artificially.
Heading onto the mainland, humans build dams of all sizes in order to channel water to
their needs or in some cases, use the water to make energy for a low cost.
But, because of this, the natural chemicals and materials that flow through these rivers
and streams don't always make it to their destination.
This can set off a chain of events that will hurt many ecosystems.
On the other end of the spectrum, dangerous chemicals are drained into the ocean causing
irreparable damage, for example the Red Algae crisis in Florida that killed tons of marine
wildlife and destroyed the economy of many fishing communities and cities and towns that
live off tourism.
1.
Greenhouse Gases One of the ironic things about human interference
is that it's something that has evolved over time, just like us.
One of the best ways to observe this is through the Greenhouse Gases that we are pumping into
the environment right now.
The invention of the internal combustion engine and factories during the Industrial Revolution
created by-products like Carbon Dioxide and Monoxide and other pollutants being put into
the atmosphere at alarming levels.
The atmosphere already has a certain level of Greenhouse Gases in it, but, because of
the overload, it's absorbing more than it can disperse in a good amount of time.
This has raised the temperature of the Earth, which has had a massive effect on its equilibrium.
Easily one of the most obvious effects of this is the melting of the polar ice caps
and glaciers.
This in turn is raising the water levels of the world.
To humanity's credit, there are steps being taken to lessen the impact, but not all countries
are able, or willing, to do this.
And so as long as fossil fuels are the main source of our energy, we're interfering with
the atmosphere and slowly destroying the planet.
Thanks for watching!
Just remember, be the change you want to see in the world and every little thing you do
counts!
Be sure to subscribe and see you next time!