From the very time that Homo Sapiens arose on Earth as a species, people have voluntarily or involuntarily transformed the planet. Especially today, when these changes are destructive, this problem becomes very urgent. After all, sometimes the fate of other inhabitants of the Earth directly depends on people's decisions, albeit even less reasonable (which can often be greatly doubted). What is the effect of human activity on the nature of the native land? What are its positive and negative sides? How to avoid rash acts associated with the gradual dying of our environment and the disappearance of certain species of plants and animals?
A bit of history
The influence of human activity on the nature of the native land did not happen suddenly and immediately. On the contrary, the impact of people on their environment took more than one century, and even not one thousand years! Of course, in previous eras, the influence of human activity on the nature of the native land was not as obvious as it is now, but was directly dependent on technological progress, the development of science and production, the practice of agriculture and animal husbandry. Not always everything was transformed as fast as it is today.
Primitive man
In about the fiftieth millennium BC, according to historians, people who lived in our area mastered hunting and gathering, learned to use the benefits that the environment generously provided them. At that time, the influence of human activity on the nature of the native land took place slowly and gradually: natural materials were little processed, and the extracted animal and plant food had little effect on the populations of then widespread animal species.
Farmer and herder
Agriculture, according to scientists, arose about 12 millennia ago. In those years, the influence of human activity on nature is most pronounced in the cultivation of cereals, the cultivation of some other plant species. People master livestock farming - domesticate certain types of animals, using them as food or as vehicles, as a draft force for cultivating land. The taming of horses and camels, for example, had a significant impact on the expansion of trade. In this way, Homo Sapiens changed the world around him, but for the better?
Material handling
Over the years, civilizations and states began to appear in different parts of the world - the result of human social and cultural activities. People learned to process natural materials: rock, wood. After - smelting copper, iron, gold. As a result of the activity: the mass development of cities that were connected by trade routes. After that, new manufacturing industries appeared. Minerals begin to be mined. Egypt, India and China, the culture of the Sumerians and Mayans are vivid examples of human influence on the nature of that distant time. At the same time, the very first industrial emissions into the atmosphere of the planet begin to appear, though not as significant as today.
The harmful effects of human activity on the nature of the native land
Starting from about the 19th century, when mass production capacities appeared, and the development of science progressed by leaps and bounds, the attitude of people to the environment radically changed. Man is perceived by the Creator, and Nature herself begins to be perceived as a raw material base from which one can and should draw from without stopping. Uncontrolled mining, deforestation, the extermination of certain species of animals - this is how human activity affects the nature of the native land! We tirelessly come up with technical means that require more and more new arrivals from the bowels of the earth: oil, gasoline, gas. And in production, natural materials are increasingly being used: wood, for example.
The negative consequences of the activities of people on the planet
- Large-scale pollution of the atmosphere and the environment arose at the peak of industrial production. Wastes that are uncontrollably discharged into rivers and seas, exhausts from unprocessed engine fuels, synthetic materials that are not disposed of, and general landfill are all the main milestones of human intervention.
- Global warming, according to ecologists, arises for many reasons. But one of the main ones is human activity. Who knows what the further abuse of power over nature can lead to? Scientists' forecasts fluctuate, but today no one doubts their negativity.
- Changing the natural landscape is one of the main “gifts” of people to nature. And it can also lead to very negative consequences in the foreseeable future. For example, the disappearance of forests - the lungs of the Earth - leads to large-scale environmental disasters, the extinction of animals living there, and the disruption of the natural balance in ecosystems.
With these and many other problems, humanity entered the 21st century.
Does human activity affect the nature of the native land today?
Of course! But in terms of attitude to the environment, people's views on nature are still being revised. New environmental standards are introduced for industries and vehicles. To domesticated for eating and to wild animals - a more humane attitude. The cultivation of plants and, most importantly, the introduction of fertilizers into the soil that kill it, is strictly regulated. In some countries, the extraction of resources is under the strict control of the state and society. In general, steps are being taken to regulate and control the activities of people, and a person gradually turns from an irresponsible consumer into a real owner of his native Earth!