GIS@SU

The global environment has been significantly affected by humans due to the increase in population. The atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by a whopping 25%. The high demand of natural resources by humans has degraded our global environment. Land is most often used based on social and economic forces. Another factor is whether the land is fertile or not. Learning people’s response to changes in the environment lead to predictions about human adaptability to environmental change on a much bigger scale. Social, political, and economic perspectives determine how quickly a person will be able to adapt.

In certain areas of farming, some farmers change their crop depending on how the climate changes. In North America, some farmers now use more drought-resistant strains of wheat to maximize their yield. Humans have contributed to ozone depleting gases such as carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbon. The introduction to these gases to the earth on a large scale is tilting the natural balance of the Earths ecosystem. Temperate forests, grasslands, and even tropical rainforests have all been converted to croplands to sustain our population and provide a sufficient amount of food. The increase of human population has put stress on the ecosystems and resources such as food, fuel, and water. Some regions will benefit from the change in population while others will suffer. For example, the large population has caused global warming so in northern countries like Russia, Canada, and Scandinavia the growing season is prolonged due to warmer weather. These countries can now grow more food on their own and not need as much land to supply adequate food for their residents.

Ojima, D., Galvin, K., & Turner II, B. (2012). The Global Impact of Land-use Change. University of California Press.