Week 3 Essay

Every living thing has an impact on its environment. Therefore, a human impact on the

environment is inevitable. By simply existing, all species-including humans-will imprint their

mark on the world around them. As the population grows, humans are taking the worlds natural

resources. Humans positively affect the Earth by planting trees they cut down, but they also

negatively affect the Earth by pollution and deforestation.

Humans help the environment by planting trees. Trees not only remove harmful chemicals

from the soil, but also help reduce the greenhouses leading to global warming. Arbor Day is a

worldwide holiday that gets people motivated to plant trees. This is a very important holiday

because with more people planting trees the more it helps the environment. Even though humans

help the environment by planting trees, they also harm the environment with pollution.

Pollution is a serious problem in the environment. People burn fossil fuels to run cars,

industrial factories, and power plants. This releases carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrous

oxides, into the atmosphere (Martonas). Releasing lead-based compounds into the air can lead

to serious health effects like cancer, or other types of reproductive effects and birth defects

(Martonas). Humans also put too many nutrients into the soil, which can reduce water quality as

well as causes bacteria and algae to grow too much. This results in the use of oxygen that is

necessary for other species to survive. Humans are slowing poisoning the Earth and the

creatures on it.

Deforestation is another problem that is caused by humans. It causes severe

environmental changes to the landscape. Erosion can change the types of sediments flowing

into the water systems and could even change the shape of rivers and streams (Harvey).

Erosion happens when trees are uprooted and the dirt the trees were holding down, is now loose
and free to drift around. Deforestation can also make the microclimate of an environment drier

as well as increase surface runoff overall in an environment. In recent studies, it is show that

high historical rates of deforestation...were associated with higher rates of infection (Harvey).

Deforestation is causes mosquitos to come closer to humans than before, which, in turn, is

making malaria rates increase. Deforestation is detrimental to an environment.

The human population tends to have an impact on the environment. Sometimes it can be

good, like planting trees, but other times it can be tragic, like pollution or deforestation. As time

goes on hi,and will continue to have an impact on the world, like every other living species.

Maybe someday the human population will find a way to do more good impact than bad, if it is

even possible.
 Works Cited

Harvey, Chelsea. "By cutting down forests, humans may be giving themselves malaria." Newsela

5 January 2016. Document.

. "Why saving the Amazon means saving more than just trees." Newsela 11 January 2016.

Document.

Writer, Leaf Group. "Effect of Human Activities on the Environment." Effect of Human

Activities on the Environment | Education - Seattle PI. Seattle PI, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 05 May

2017.