Awareness Flyer
HEI Impacts
Human Environment Impacts on Land
The need to provide space for growing crops and grazing livestock results into cutting down trees. The clearing of trees on a massive scale is called deforestation. After they cut down the trees, they burn them. This process is called the slash and burn technique.
consequences of deforestation
- Destroys millions of species and their habitats
- The cutting of trees removes the forest canopy which blocks sun during the day and keeps heat in at night. This causes climate change, and is disruptive to the plants and animals.
- The slash and burn technique releases carbon into the air which contributes to the greenhouse affect and global warming, and can also harm ecosystems.
Human Environment Impacts on Water
Runoff from farms whisk away pesticides, fertilizers, ammonia, livestock waste, soil, and sediment which pollutes the Earth's water supply. This results in high nitrogen levels and depletes the water's oxygen. nitrates also soak into the ground affecting the ground water.
Consequences of Water Pollution
- Harmful to aquatic life and contributes to creating dead zones.
- Can soak into the ground and pollute drinking water, and can cause illness or disease.
How They Fit Together
Deforestation and water pollution fit together because they both are caused by agriculture. Deforestation is caused by the need for space to grow crops while water pollution is caused by the waste from agriculture. Both of these problems also affect habitats and the species that live in them.
Impact on the Future
Deforestation adds more to global warming than cars . When they are cut down and burned, they release all the carbon they've been storing into the air. Cutting down forests can also wipes out biodiversity because more than half of the plant and animal species live in tropical forest.
Water is an important element for survival, and it also decides the diversity of life in an area. Pollution from pesticides and fertilizers can change the temperature of water, and can harm organisms living in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Drinking water contaminated with chemicals can also lead to serious health problems.
Questions
What is deforestation?
Why is deforestation a negative HEI impact?