[Physical]
With over seven billion people currently living on our precious planet, the impact of the human population on the earth’s resources is hard to avoid! Today we are going to explore the human impact on the planet, and how we can all work to reduce the problems caused by our presence! Doing so is essential if we are to continue living here!
Population
The population of our planet continues to increase at an alarming rate. The current estimate of over seven billion people is a dramatic increase from the approximate one billion people that inhabited the planet just 200 years ago*.
As the amount of people increases, so too does the demand on our natural resources increase. We need to produce more food, more energy, more housing – and all of these things require additional resources, and therefore place an additional strain upon the planet.
Farming
Humans have been farming on this planet for more than 10,000 years! Although this is obviously necessary in order to cultivate food, this also involves transforming landscapes and disrupting natural areas. For example, forests are completely destroyed in order to create land that is suitable for planting crops or raising animals for food.
Farming at the massive scale in which we do poses a problem because of the damage caused to the land, especially when deforestation is taking place. A huge amount of water is also required for farming which can lead to water shortages in other areas.
Industrial Development
Since the age of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700’s, the prominence of factory manufacturing processes has boomed. The problem with the majority of factories is that they use excessive amounts of natural resources and require massive amounts of energy to run effectively.
The waste that is created by these factories around the world contributes massively to global warming, as well as the pollution of our air and water.
Pollution
Pollution is one of the biggest issues when it comes to how humans are causing ongoing damage to the planet. The environment is being harmed by countless chemicals and other substances.
The main causes of pollution that we can identify are the aforementioned waste from industrial sources, as well as sewage and the use of pesticides on the crops that we grow. Our use of automobiles also massively contributes to pollution.
It has been suggested that there could be as many as two billion cars on the roads by 2035*! Automobiles are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to air pollution, emitting dangerous levels of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and other chemicals.
It is true that certain types of pollution can be tackled and the effects therefore relieved to some degree. However, other types of pollution can remain toxic for many thousands of years, thereby having a seriously detrimental impact on the planet and its inhabitants.
What Can We Do?!
In order to lower the human impact on the planet, to combat pollution and to better prepare the earth for some of the unavoidable problems caused by over-population, we all have to make conscientious decisions when it comes to affecting the planet.
At PAMA London we advocate making ethical choices when it comes to your clothing and fashion choices, such as with the use of charcoal bamboo in our clothing.
In addition to making sustainable choices when it comes to your clothing, there are other ways that you can lower or limit your carbon footprint. You can try to use transportation less by walking more, always recycle your rubbish and try to use less energy in your home.