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Did You Know?
All living things (as well as nonliving things) make up the
environment, also known as the natural environment. Humans enjoy many benefits
that the environment has to offer. It is our home, and it supports us through
its atmosphere (the air we breathe), its water, and its land.
For many years, humans lived mostly in harmony with the
environment, taking only what was needed for survival; however, in the last few
centuries, humans have taken more and more. In the last century in particular,
the effects of human consumption, or use of these resources, has begun to be
devastating. Today’s average person consumes more than twice as much as he did
just 50 years ago.
Human use has reduced the amount of land on Earth. The United States
alone has less than 4% of its forests left, and 80% of the forests worldwide
are gone. Much of the land has become desert due to poor land use, and every
minute, thousands of trees are cut down in the Amazon alone. Pollution has also
caused harm to Earth’s waters, land, and air. Approximately 40% of our waterways are not drinkable. In Cairo, for example,
breathing in the air pollution is as harmful as smoking 20 cigarettes a
day!
Overuse has led to the loss of species across the globe.
The average rate of loss of species is 1,000 to 10,000 times the rate it has
been for millions of years, and it is estimated that within the next
200 to 300 years, half of all bird and mammal species will be gone.
Overfishing has already led to 75% of global fisheries being used
beyond capacity.
And global warming, arguably increased by humans, is causing harm by
higher temperatures, ice caps melting, sea levels rising, and many
other
problems.
The effects of these environmental issues have, and can
continue to, greatly harm humankind. Land for farming and water for drinking are
becoming less and less available. Pollution harms humans by causing disease,
birth defects, and death. It affects animals the same way, resulting in a loss
of life and biodiversity, or the variation of life forms. Each species lost
affects another, and another, until complete populations are wiped out by extinction;
this can continue until every species on Earth, including humans, is affected.
Lesser Known Facts
All of facts listed below are certainly cause for alarm, but they
are not cause for loss of hope! We can reverse many of the harmful effects that
consumption has caused, and we can also reduce global warming. But we have to
truly make an effort, together, as citizens of the Earth.
The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old.
The average American creates over 4 pounds of garbage a day.
Motor oil seeps into the soil and contaminates water; 1
quart of oil will contaminate 250,000 gallons of water.
Though 70% of the Earth is water, only 1% is drinkable.
One in every four pharmaceutical purchases comes from a
rain forest.
Deserts are taking over the land in many places; in just 20
years, the desert has taken over 220 miles in Mali.
It takes nearly a million years for glass to decompose! That
means that glass can actually be recycled an unlimited number of times.
The human population on Earth is expected to triple by the
year 2100.
Though 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, they
only recycle 28% of it.
Today, rain forests only cover 6% of the earth; they used to
cover 14%.
Over a billion people do not have access to clean, safe
drinking water; and 12% of the world’s population uses 85% of the world’s
water.
40% of trash is made up of paper.
Disposable diapers take 500 years to decompose.
The recycling business creates six times as many jobs as
working in landfills.
Every day, the world loses 50 to 100 species of animals and
plants to extinction.
More than 100 pesticide ingredients cause cancer, birth defects, and gene mutations.
More than 900 million trees are cut down each year for
American paper and pulp mills — and only 45% is recovered for recycling.
A sink faucet that drips can waste up to 50 gallons of water
a day.
A single tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from
the air every year.
Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 4,100 kilowatts of energy, 2
barrels of oil, 60 pounds of air pollution, over 3 cubic yards of landfill
space, and 17 trees!
Magnetic train systems produce minimal pollution and
transport many people at once.
Energy saved from recycling a single aluminum can will power
a television for 3 hours!
A computer can be powered for 25 minutes just from the
energy saved by recycling a single bottle.
Air pollutants can be natural or man-made, as well as gases,
liquids or solids; 2.4 million deaths each year are attributed to air
pollution.
Though the United States makes up only 5% of the world’s
population, it consumes 25% of its natural resources.
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