Bryan ZingmarkBIO-205-I012/05/09
Assignment 5 Week 4 (Unit 2)
A. Discuss how the ever increasing "World's population" effects the environment.

The exponential growth rate of the last 2 centuries was literally incredible. The population of the world has grown by 6 billion people in just 179 years. Since the year I was born the population has increased by 3 billion. That is an increase of over 1 billion people every 10 years. These numbers are startling, and it really makes you think about how the rate of change began growing so much in the 1900’s.

I think it is safe to assume that the industrialization of countries and benefiting economies is the link to this growth. In fact it isn’t an assumption at all the developing and industrialization of countries is directly linked to population growth and the lowering of mortality rates around the world.How does population growth affect our world’s environments? Well the list of ways that people affect or damage the environments around them could go on forever. Multiply that list by the number of people and the projected population increase and it is easy to see the negative effects the “world’s population” has on the environment. I will attempt to examine a few of the environmental issues that I feel are important to me.

As the population grows so does the strain put on the worlds natural resources. The people demand sources to of power to satisfy their daily needs. To provide these sources of power companies must deplete and refine natural resources and fossil fuels. Countries allow and even encourage the gathering of these resources ensuring growth and prosperity for these nations. When resources are depleted it put a huge strain on the environment surrounding these industries. Pollution is a guaranteed side affect, to both the air, and ground water and fresh water systems.

As the population grows, so does the need for the clearing of land; for new housing developments, and agricultural purposes. This puts a horrible strain on local ecosystems and again is directly related to the polluting fresh water systems.Unclean water, along with poor sanitation, kills over 12 million people each year, most in developing countries. Air pollution kills nearly 3 million more. Heavy metals and other contaminants also cause widespread health problems. (http://actionbioscience.org/) If we use this example to project the long term effects pollution has on the life of humans on Earth, it is obvious that the death rates will increase as the population grows. Basically as the population grows so will the number of deaths related to pollution. At the current rates we are polluting our Earth we our setting up the future generations to suffer terribly. It is up to us as individuals and societies, to figure out possible solutions for the strains our growing populations puts on our environment. We can start with recycling and getting involved with world stewardship organizations. Every one of us leaves a carbon footprint which shows our individual consumption history. We need to learn what our individual carbon foot print is and find ways to lessen our impact on the

world.http://www.actionbioscience.org/environment/hinrichsen_robey.html

Which world view do you support and why, Cornucopianism or Environmentalism

Deciding which world view I support is a no-brainer for me. I am aware of many of the environmental concerns facing our world today. I believe that caring for the environment, and making an effort to familiarize myself with environmental issues is a good start to supporting environmentalism.

We as humans are contributing to the rapid altering of the Earths environment. Population growth is one of the major factors contributing to environmental problems. With so many people to support, the Earths natural resources are being depleted. Pollution of the Earths atmosphere is likely contributing to changes in climate. Climate change is very real, and is changing the Earths temperature. “Anthropogenic greenhouse gasses (those due to human activities) have contributed substantially to the observed warming over the past 50 years.”(Wright, pg.7) The temperature rise is attributed to the melting of the Earths polar ice caps. With so much fresh water being added to the worlds oceans, the earths weather patterns are beginning to be disrupted, thereby affecting ecosystems throughout the world. The warming of the worlds oceans adds to the carbon dioxide levels in the world’s oceans, and the Earths atmosphere. This contributes to changes in the alkalinity of the oceans which has a detrimental effect on the Earths coral reefs. Changes in the alkalinity also, “decreases the thickness and integrity of the skeletal structures of plankton organisms that are key to the marine food web and are also responsible for the removal of carbon dioxide from the marine environment.” (http://environment.gov.au/) When our oceans suffer the worlds largest natural food source is endangered. Another issue related to climate change is the growth of the Earth’s desserts and dry places. We can see first hand the affects that drought has on our local lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams.

It is important for us as humans to be aware of our environment. For thousands of years the world’s populations lived in harmony with the Earths abundant resources. It is only over the past 300 years or so that we have contributed to such a transformation of our environment. I dare not speculate that we as humans are the only source contributing to climate change. Furthermore I do not argue that the climate as we know it is only way the earth should be. The earth has been changing for as long as it has been created. There are forces at work behind the changing of the Earth well beyond the scope of my comprehension. However, if we as a human race wish to continue living here on the Earth, we must learn again how to live in harmony with the Earth.We definitely need to stop the abuses of Cornucopianism. The depletion of the Earths resources and use of fossil fuels is destroying the environment we all take for granted. We as societies need to start working together to make changes that will help the environments we live in. We as individuals need to learn what we can do to help the environment; then we need to take action to defend the vital ecosystems we depend so heavily upon.

Works Cited:Wright, Richard T., Environmental Sciencehttp://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/drs/indicator/490/index.html