Negative Impacts of Human Activities on the Environment

Human needs are indeed unlimited. Humans always try to meet that need. In nature has available a variety of human needs materials called natural resources. Renewable natural resources are natural resources that are always available even if used continuously. Examples include plants, animals, water, sunlight, and air. But there are also natural resources that can not be renewed, ie natural resources that will run out if used continuously. These natural resources include mineral and non-mineral mining materials. Mineral mining materials such as aluminum, gold, silver, copper, nickel, and iron. Non-mineral mining materials such as coal and petroleum.
Natural resources are created by God to be utilized by humans to meet their needs. However, it is unfortunate, sometimes humans to destroy nature to meet their needs. It is this human act that can change the surface of the earth. Now, you will learn some human activities that can change the surface of the earth.

1. Forest Burning
   Lately humans are doing a lot of forest burning for agriculture, settlement, and for industry. Forest areas used as agricultural land usually turn into barren and arid land. This is because after the harvest this field usually will be abandoned. This shifting cultivation system is called shifting cultivation. Eventually the once green forest became barren and arid.
   The shifting cultivation does not actually damage the environment, although there is but not as the main cause of forest destruction, because when burning the land is always maintained and they have the wisdom to keep the environment as a place to make a living. Human activities that pose much greater harm to forests are illegal logging or logging.

2. Illegal Logging

In addition to forest burning, humans also do illegal logging. These trees were taken by wood as building materials. Illegal logging of trees in the forest can also change the surface of the earth.
Illegal logging in Indonesia began in Kalimantan in the early 1960s. Finally this illegal logging extends to Sumatra and Sulawesi. This illegal logging makes forests in Indonesia damaged. The process of illegal logging is called deforestation.
Trees are very important for life on Earth. Thus, tree felling should be done carefully and accompanied by conservation efforts. Deforestation must be accompanied by replanting of seedlings that have been felled. These seeds will grow and can replace the trees that have been felled. Through this way forest preservation is maintained. Deforestation can lead to changes in the earth's surface.
This forest will turn into barren and arid land. In addition, deforestation also affects the lives of living things. Deforestation has killed hundreds of thousands of plant and animal species. The large number of trees cut down causes the forest animals to lose their food and shelter.

1. Mining

Environmental damage caused by mining activities
Mining activities can also change the surface of the earth. Most of the minerals are in the ground. Retrieval of mined materials by means of dug or mined. There are two types of mining: open pit mining and underground mining.

Open pit mining is mining conducted on the surface of the earth. Some minerals such as copper, iron, coal, lime, and aluminum are often found on the earth's surface. Therefore, to take it does not need to dig. This activity changed the shape of the earth's surface into mining holes. Other mining materials are excavated from tunnels located hundreds of meters below the ground. This method is called underground mining. This mining is more difficult than surface mining. The miners dug a hole into the ground and picked up the ore. This ore collection uses drill or explosives before being transported to the surface. This activity gives rise to hollow ground. Hollow soil causes less soil to collapse.
In addition to open pit mining and underground mining, there is also another way of dredging. Dredging is another way of collecting metals deposited in rocks at the bottom of a river or other water source.
Some of the negative impacts of mining if uncontrolled include the following:
1). Damage to ex-mining land.
2). Destructive of plantation and agricultural land.
3). Opening forest areas into mining areas.

4). In the long term, mining is the largest contributor to a very critical land that is difficult to restore in its original function.

1. Settlement Development
   Have you ever heard the term census of the population? The population census was conducted to record the population. The activity was carried out by one of the government agencies namely the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).
   Based on population census data, the population in Indonesia from year to year continues to grow. In addition to food needs, the need for shelter was increased. The need for shelter is a basic human need. Man can not live without having a place to live. To fulfill their needs, people build houses.
   Construction of houses on the right land will have a positive impact. For example, the construction of houses on land that is less good for agriculture. However, if the dense hills by pepohanan are converted into residential land, it will have a negative impact on the environment. Try to discuss, what negative impact will happen?

2. Road Construction
   Proverb says, with the science and technology of life becomes easy. Technological advances have succeeded in making sophisticated tools. The tool is made to facilitate human work, for example motor vehicles. Motor vehicles are made as a means of transportation. An increase in the number of motor vehicles such as cars and motorcycles can cause congestion. Have you ever had a traffic jam while riding in a vehicle? How does it feel? To overcome the congestion carried out widening the road. Widening of roads or building new roads can cause agricultural land and forests to switch functions.

Remember you, what are the negative impacts of the following activities?
a. Burning forest
b. Logging
c. Mining
d. Agriculture, settlement development, and highways

How should our attitude in utilizing natural resources?

author: @abunajwa

#environmental impact