Ecological Problems

Ecological systems such as the systems of plants, animals and micro-organisms and the non-living components of their environment like forests and estuaries are almost irreversibly impaired by man, thereby impeding  the ecological processes production of oxygen, soil formation and protection, the recycling of nutrients and the cleansing of air and water. Our planet’s life-support systems are threatened. Human activities are making our planet, the only place we can inhabit, less suitable for life.

Land is being improvised. Erosion is rampant almost everywhere. The fertile soils of valleys are washed to the sea. Deserts are marching at the rate of almost 60,000 square kilometers a year. Disappearance of arable land is accelerated by the spread of concrete and tarmac. In the developing countries, villagers strip trees and shrubs for fuel and make land barren. Tropical forests contract and their resources shrink. There is over-fishing and the resultant loss of seafood. Environmental destruction threatens thousands of species of flora and fauna. Urban development destroys prime farm lands. The impact of denudation of forests in the climate is a matter of grave concern. Forests today do not absorb carbon dioxide, but they release carbon dioxide by wood and fossil fuel combustion can raise air temperatures, and the consequence of the ‘greenhouse effect’ could be staggering.

The effects of these human activities are there for all to see. Hunger and misery affect a large number of people. We have to face the problem of sharing the resources of our planet among ourselves. It is also necessary to share between ourselves and the coming generations and also between mankind and animals. We have to make our planet habitable.