9 Ways the Community of Scarborough Affects the Environment
The ice caps in the Arctic are melting, massive wildfires are raging, and every year is hotter than the last. You might've read those headlines in the news and wondered how else humans can affect the environment.
When you look around in Scarborough, Ontario, you can see the impacts of human activities everywhere.
1. Air pollution can be caused by factories emitting vast amounts of carbon dioxide and other chemicals. Additionally, the cars we drive produce carbon monoxide that is released into the air we breathe.
2. Urbanization is the process when the percentage of people living in urban areas increases. It often results in the massive destruction of ecosystems and not being able to replace resources used right away.
3. Global warming/climate change is caused by humans when the outcome of our activities emit large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. You probably experienced the impact of climate change when you notice how every year gets hotter and dryer.
4. Light pollution is happening throughout Scarborough, Ontario and is affecting animals and the behavior of other organisms. There is so much light pollution in our area that we can barely see the stars in the sky at night.
5. Meanwhile, water and soil pollution, caused by littering and improper waste disposal are polluting bodies of water such as Lake Ontario and affects our water supply. Soil pollution can have an effect on the plants we grow when we garden!
6. Other effects that human activities have on the environment include deforestation, loss of arable land, and loss of habitats.
These effects caused by humans are harmful to the environment. The byproduct of our activities then can result in the environment affecting our health and the way we live. There are many benefits to living sustainably. Living sustainably improves living conditions, reduces the loss of forests, decreases the use of fossil fuels, provides clean water and air, minimizes our ecological footprint, and creates a green economy. In the context of gardening, living sustainably will make use of every piece of land and give us the ability to garden with cleaner water and richer soil. It will not only benefit the critters and plants in the garden but additionally, it nourishes and strengthens the community. Becoming a sustainable community is not easy and takes time and effort.
