People And Their Environment

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People and their environment For thousands of years the human population on the Earth was a few hundred million. The effects of human activity were small and so, could easily be by the environment. Due to the improvement in the standard of living, health care, food and drink the world population has grown very quickly. Human population at the end of the 20th century was over 6 billion and continues to grow rapidly. The growth in the human population has lead to a reduction in available land for plants and other animals, this results to the extinction of certain species, as they may not be able to adapt to a new habitat or limited food. Humans compete for resources and space, spreading out or moving to another area and building on clear land. This is very easy for humans to do, because unlike other animals humans can adapt to and survive in almost all habitats and climates. The growth in the human population and the increased standard of living is damaging the global environment. This is happening because the demand for non-renewable sources, land is growing, more water is being produced and the higher levels of greenhouse gases and pollutants. Most rubbish is buried in landfill sites and not all of it consists of safe materials. Regular household items can contain toxic chemicals . Industrial waste is also discharged onto the land. Many farmers add pesticides to improve their crops, but these can damage living things, for example if poisonous or toxic materials enter seas or lakes the can easily enter the food chain, eventually effecting humans. Almost all invertebrates are unable to survive in polluted water so their presence or absence shows the amount of pollution in the water. The most common source of air pollution is caused by fossil fuels. They are used widely as sources of energy to create heat or light. This is usually used in vehicles and power

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