Question

Name the two human activities that affect earth's resources.

Answer 1

1. Farming: Since farming began 10,000 years ago, many wild landscapes have been transformed to create fields for crops and raising animals. Swamps and coastal marshes have been drained. Forests have been felled and grasslands have been ploughed. Removing tree and plant roots that help to bind the soil can make the soil loose and crumble. High winds may then blow it away, or heavy rain may wash it into rivers. In some areas, soil erosion has turned fertile farmland into barren wastes. Mechanisation of agriculture has damaged the habitats of many organisms in soil. It not only has a bad impact on soil fertility but also is the cause of desertification.
2. Industry: In the 1700s, the dawn of the industrial age revolutionized methods of manufacturing and made them more efficient. Since then, factories have been built all over the world. Factories consume huge amounts of natural resources and energy, and many give off chemical waste, which creates problems such as air and water pollution, and global warming.
3. Hunting and Poaching: Indiscriminate hunting and poaching causes a major threat to wildlife. Hunting is the practice of pursuing animals for food, recreation, or trade. Poaching is the illegal hunting, killing, or capturing of animals. Animal products, such as Jiide, ivory, horn, teeth, and bone, are sold to dealers who make clothes, jewellery, and other materials from them. Destruction of wildlife disturbs the balance in nature. Hunting and poaching have caused many animals to be designated as threatened and endangered species.