3 Ecological Problems Caused by Humans
An environmental problem ariseswhe never there is a change in the quality or quantity of any environmental factor which directly or indirectly affects the health and well-being of man in an adverse manner. Environmental problems can be studied from two different viewpoints. One is simply to look for adverse effects without regard to their origin in order to detect trends that call for further investigation; the other is to try to understand the cause and effect relationships,which make better prediction and proper management possible.
Some of the environmental problems which are critical at the present time are fairly widely known because of the growing awareness of all levels of society, including governments, general public and the scientific community. However, our present information on the structure and function of the biosphere is not sufficient to allow an accurate evaluation of the total situation, expect to indicate some broad problem areas.There may be serious potential problems of which we are as yet unaware; other known problems may be less serious than we think.
The following criteria were used in an attempt to assessthe criticalnature of the problems to be solvedin the near future:
a) Number of people and nations involved
b) Geographicaldistribution of the problem
c) Temporal distribution of the problem (temporary or long-term effects)
d) Degreeof irreversibilityof the effects
e) Degree of impact on health, standard of living, social structure and economy
f) Degree of international significanceof the problem
3 Ecological Problems Caused By Humans
1. The problem of global warming
Experts predict that the impact of global warming will be greatly improved when the sustainability and integrity of the forest is not maintained. There are some consequences that will arise due to global warming is, among others, the occurrence of climate change. This will accelerate the evaporation of the water so that the effect on rainfall and its distribution. The result is the occurrence of floods and erosion in certain areas.
2. The problem of land degradation in uncontrolled
Deforestation must also lead to soil degradation and depletion of soil fertility. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics said that the productive land has been cultivated in Indonesia as much as 17,665,000 acres. Amounting to 70% of the land that is the dry land. The rest was wetlands. Due to the illegal logging that occurs a lot of dry land that is not under cultivation. As a result of erosion become easy and reduced soil fertility.
3. The problem of the extinction of biodiversity
This issue enough attention it is important at this time. Based research experts, said that the number of animal species or a species of birds on the wane, particularly in West Kalimantan. Due to deforestation is done continuously, many animals who step aside and look for new habitats. For example, the Borneo Tiger getting pinched because of his increasingly narrow and continues on the tripe. It is not impossible that the coming years will become extinct Tiger species. Experts predict that by the year 2015 with the deforestation of tropical forests in Borneo would cause the extinction of species and 17.35% 4-8% in 2040.
Although these criteria overlap and may not be exhaustive, they fonn a useful basis for judgement. The consensus of the Commission's survey was that a fairly restricted number of problems were found to recur time and again.The major critical problem may be summarized as, "the adverse effects of a changed environment on human health and well-being"; Le., the possibility that a changing environment may lead to increased mortality, increased frequency of diseases,lowered nutritional status via decreased agricultural productivity, or lowered psychological value of the environment.
Concern has been widely expressed that these possible effects on man may be causedby direct input of toxic substances into the environment or improper land use. Climatic changes as a result of human activity may also adversely affect the standard of living through, for example reduced crop productivity, and increased energy consumption, etc.