Environmental Essay

Resources, humans, and the environment are linked. In order for

humans to survive and create wealth, they use the Earths resources to
create energy and raw materials. With the increase in human
population, the more resources are being used up. While these
activities may have an economical benefit for humans, it also makes a
great impact on the environment. Over-consumption uses up or
severely depletes supplies of non-renewable resources, such as fossil
fuels, and also depletes renewable resources such as fisheries and
forests. Humans are using the resources faster than it can replenish. At
this pace of consumption, it will cause harmful impacts on wildlife and
biosphere. In addition to the depletion of resources, consumption
activities result in wastes such as air and water pollutants, toxic
materials, green house gases, and excess nutrients. These wastes not
only threaten human health, it disrupt natural ecosystem functions and
even contributes to global warming. The rapid consumption of
resources such fossil fuels in Canada increased green house gas
emissions by 13% during 1990 to 2004, from 285,884 kilotonnes to
321,727 kilotonnes. Although there has been energy efficiency
improvement in the production of goods and services by industry, the
increase of spending per capita offset most of the gains in efficiency.
Canadas environment is currently being impacted by the human
activity and it is every Canadians responsibility to keep Canadas
environment in good condition. Since it is impossible to stop the
consumption of resources and human activity, Canada must find ways
to carefully manage both types of resources (renewable and
nonrenewable) so the environment isnt damaged.
The biosphere is the area people and organisms live in. It is
made out of the earths surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere.
Harmful changes in the biosphere created serious issues with land,
water, and air. Forest in Canada is an important piece for Canadians to
survive. Vast forest cover up to 50% of the land in Canada and
Canadians has made this natural resource a crucial part of their
economy. Forests also play an important role in environment of
Canada. Not only do animals and plants depend on the habitat to live,
they also provide oxygen to breathe and they absorb carbon dioxide.
Deforestation due to logging industry will reduce the benefits of forest.
Clear cutting is when timber companies cut down all the trees in an
area. This causes a chain reaction. Soil erosion will happen due to the
lack of nutrients and trees to stable the soil. Due to the fact that the
soil is poor, land will cease to reforest, resulting in large treeless gaps
in the forest. The results of clear-cutting also include reduced water
quality and the loss of wildlife. People can reduce the impact of logging
by recycling and reducing the use of paper. Companies should promote
the use of recycled paper. Limber companies should replant trees
where forests have been cut down. This will lower the demand for

Environmental Essay
paper and replenish the resource of trees. Another major issue
damaged and ruined environment due to mining. The Canadian Shield
is a large area with lots of valuable minerals beneath the soil. Mining is
a very important industry for Canadians; about 1.5 million people make
a living off of mining. Although the mining industry is very important
for Canada, the mining process creates several land spaces beneath
the surface, causing some land to cave in. It also spew sulfur dioxide
into the air, as a result, producing acid rain. Acid rain is very harmful to
the environment. It can kill vegetation, damage or kill forests, pollute
lakes and rivers, and kill fish. Chemicals from mining are often dumped
directly into lakes and rivers, killing plants and animals and polluting
the water. Mining companies can reduce the impact of mining on the
environment by taking better care of mining waste. Improving
environmental performance at mines so that they produce less waste
or use less toxic chemicals. With theses solutions and strategies,
Canadians can protect their land and have less impact on the
environment.
The atmosphere is also a big part of the environment that gets
impacted. Air is essential for all living things to survive, which is why
people have to protect our air. The impact on atmosphere is the most
felt by people. Overconsumption of fossil fuels has caused Green house
gas emission to increase rapidly over the years. As a result, it has
caused the temperature to rise, causing global warming. Global
warming is a big issue that affects every single country. It is causing
violent storms, sea level to rise, and also melting of the permafrost. It
is also causing spring to arrive earlier in many parts of the world.
Survival rate of salmon in BC is also decreasing. Winter recreation and
skiing areas are also devastated by the warm weather. Global warming
is an issue Canada cannot solve by itself. A solution for Global warming
is for the government to get attention of the issue globally and work
with other countries to reduce Green house gas emission. However, in
order for this to be successful, the government has to take the issue
seriously and take action instead of just signing agreements.
Government should also rely on more sustainable energy. Factories
need to work to reduce green house gas emission. As citizens, people
need to reduce the consumption of fuel and energy. For example,
taking public transit and turning off the lights. For this to succeed,
everyone must cooperate.
Water is essential for life. All living things depend on water to
survive. Water also plays a major role in cultural and recreational
activities. It is a fundamental resource for food production and also
plays an important role in every modern industrial process. In Canada,
there is an abundant resource of fresh water. However, the impact on
the aquatic environment from the effects of human activities is now

Environmental Essay
getting awareness. One of the major issues of water in Canada is the
pollution of the Great Lakes. Humans have damaged the Great Lakes
through activities such as sewage disposal, toxic contamination,
overdevelopment of the waters edge, runoff from urbanization, and air
pollution such as acid rain. Factories are one of the major causes of
water pollution. Factories often use water to dilute substances and
dump it back into the water without treating the water. Factories have
used the Great Lake as a dumpsite. By 1970s, the Great Lakes were
becoming known for their pollution causing aquatic diseases and
deformities, human health issues, and algae bloom. Since the Great
Lake is shared between Canada and United States, it is crucial for them
to cooperate to keep lakes environment clean. Government needs to
regulate the amount of pollution going in to the lakes, reduce the
amount of phosphorus in the water. Canadian citizen can reduce the
negative impact on the environment by stop using lawn pesticides to
reduce the level of phosphorus, which causes algae bloom. Other
things people can do include dispose of oil and paint in a recycle
center, control soil erosion by replacing lawn with native plants, and
also keep litter and leaves out of street gutter and storm drains.
Industries must manage their waste properly and not just dump in the
lakes. With these strategies, people can reduce the impact on the
environment.
Environmental damage and economical activity is proven to be
associated, and since it is impossible to stop economical activity,
people must take action immediately to reduce the environmental
impact it has caused or else resources will deplete and the lives of
people will also be affected. People must take action now or else the
issue will get worse. People often underestimate the issue of
environmental damage, which is why people need to spread the word.
A few people taking action wont make much of a difference. These
solutions and strategies require every single person to participate in
order to be effective.