7 Harmful Changes in the Living World Caused by Human Activities

Our planet is one living organism that can only be observed as a whole. These 7 harmful changes in the living world described below are only a drop in the sea of the whole ocean of detrimental processes that are lethal to us – humans. (We are most important to ourselves, aren’t we?)

A deer holds a rubbish coffee pot in its mouth.

This innocent creature doesn't know anything about harmful changes in the living world.
Innocent creature – Image by Joe Murphy from Pixabay 

So, 7 key changes in nature that have unforeseeable consequences include the following:

  1. Soil degradation
  2. Deforestation
  3. The nitrogen cycle disorder
  4. Overfishing
  5. Habitat destruction
  6. Direct killing of animals & poaching
  7. Causing biodiversity disability

1. Soil degradation

Between the barren parent rock and the lush (or less lush) greenery lies a thin, calm, but dynamic layer of the Earth’s surface, without which there would be no LIFE on the land. This is a good reason to keep this Earth’s organ healthy and alive, since, like any other part of the planet’s surface, soils are affected by all possible pollutants and destructive processes.

Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, air, and other gases, liquids, and organisms that together enable and empower land life. Scientifically known as a pedosphere, this part of the Earth’s surface has several important functions, with the major feature being called – fertility.

Two human hands with palms touching the fresh brown soil between the young plants.
Quality soil is crucial for growing food – Image by Alex Fox from Pixabay

It is a storehouse for nutrients (food for plants), an ecosystem of living creatures (earthworms and other tenants), which diligently prepare the conditions for the growth and development of plants and animals that can, thus, enjoy life above the surface. Furthermore, it is also freshwater storage, supply, and purification plant for terrestrial living organisms, including humans.

As a transitional zone between the “living” and “non-living” worlds, soils absorb various pollutants that remain inside them for a long time, changing the quality and quantity of crops. The situation is further complicated by the occurrence of inadequate mechanical cultivation, which worsens erosive processes on many soils.

2. Deforestation – One of the fastest harmful changes in the living world

What we haven’t heard about forests by now? Before 600.000 million years, the first organisms on the land were plants. Yes, we derive from sea creatures (just compare our skeletons), but without forests and other plants, we would not be here discussing this topic. We depend on forests for our survival, and this dependency will go extinct with us.  

Deforestation involves the removal of green cover for agricultural, residential, industrial, or other commercial and noncommercial purposes. We don’t need to emphasize that this process is accelerating.

The consequences imply temperature changes in ecosystems, reduction of green mass and biodiversity, destruction of habitats, changes in oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide cycles, desertification, and intensified erosive processes. Not to mention the psychological deprivation of the healthy green color.

A sunny day in a park full of greenery consisting of grass and trees.
May in my town – Green Town park – Image by the author – May 2021

3. The nitrogen cycle disorder

The nitrogen cycle is (a little) harder to explain. But the following article (The nitrogen cycle) described it nicely. In short, the point is that humans have changed that, as have many other planetary processes. Nitrogen is one of the crucial components of life. Problems occur when this cycle is not balanced.

In agriculture, nitrogen’s main role is to increase so-called green mass in crops in order to magnify crop yields, and thus earnings. When nitrogen (as fertilizer) is used more than plants need, it leaches from soils into waterways and contributes to eutrophication. Eutrophication represents excessive aquatic greenery growth. It also applies to phosphorus and other plant nutrients.

Beautiful sunny day with lush greenery along the shore of a small lake (actually a swamp) overgrown with aquatic green vegetation.
Lush green pond rich in phytonutrients – Image by yoni lenberger from Pixabay 

Excess nitrogen in water degrades aquatic ecosystem stability by stimulating the growth of plants, phytoplankton, and algae. This initiates other processes in ecosystems, none of which are beneficial in the long run for stable life inside them. 

Of course, there are many other cycles (carbon, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron …) within ecosystem processes whose stability is crucial for the normal course of life on Earth.

4. Overfishing

Overfishing implies catching too many fish at once, so the breeding population becomes too depleted for its recovery ability. There are also wasteful types of commercial fishing that extract large quantities of unwanted species, which are then thrown away.

The consequences include a wide range of imbalances within food chains, the migrations of marine life, the coastal economies, and speeding up extinctions of many species.

Smaller fish pulled by a net to the sandy shore.
Image by Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay

5. Habitat destruction – Home sweet demolished home

The accelerating process of destroying everything involves, among other things, the reduction of habitable areas of species. Many of these species have become endangered, in front of, or in the midst of extinction.

The heron is fleeing because someone has disturbed the peace in its habitat.
No one wants to be disturbed in their home – Image by đź‘€ Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay

In order to avoid any unnecessary detailing at this point, just think and answer the following question. What would we say if someone comes with an excavator, unannounced and grumpy (because he or she doesn’t like their job), and demolishes homes we have been building for decades?

6. Direct killing of animals & poaching

For someone, this is a sport. For others, it’s part of the attempt forced to provide food and bare survival. For the meat industry, this is a way of earning an income and engaging a large volume of the workforce. In the pharmaceutical industry, killing animals is for our own good… It seems like we are not capable of avoiding various forms of killing.

Among the other sorts of criminals, poaching poses a wildlife crime and a huge underground (or “black”) business area, where killing includes both animals and humans.

Sad reality or a quite ordinary process on the Earth – it depends on our point of view. (I am not a vegetarian.) Perhaps we could understand those who are starving. But, what about those who are killing animals for pleasure, endorsing the efforts to desperately fulfill their already “rich” lives? This phenomenon is pretty hard to understand. Not to mention consequences.  

Dead rabbits hanging upside down.
Too many deaths in one spot – Image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay 

7. Causing biodiversity disability

Let’s remember once and for all – each species has its own biological and environmental purpose and role on planet Earth! It is something like the individual in our humanity. The biological term for that purpose area is niche.

In addition to the already mentioned multiple causes of changes in ecosystems, wildfires also make huge problems, as well as the introduction of invasive species where they have no natural ecosystem role. As with any other serious illness, recovery in these cases can be very long and uncertain.

A former surface mine in the basin of which a small dark brown lake was formed.

This dead lake and its environment illustrate anotherharmful changes in the living world.
Life diversity ruined for many years – Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Ecosystems, which took millions of years to evolve and perfect, are in danger when any species population is decimating or extremely changing. Everyone who contributes to destroying any species in any niche, causing an ecosystem’s illness or even death – is the culprit. Problem is that nature will judge us all.

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