Usage of Water/Land by Humans

Written by: Caroline Kim

February 18, 2023

Based on the various uses of water and land by humans- it is clear that specific methods of extracting resources influences how the environment is impacted. The theory of the Trafedy of Commons captures the idea that resources are limited, and in the idea of self-interest, many humans end up depleting or nearly depleting resources. This might include overfishing, overgrazing, and pollution. These situations are allowed when there are no penalties for overuse and degrading these public resources, which is why many are in favor of setting limits on quantities of resources that can be used.

In terms of overfishing, we already covered some aspects in the JSEP series, concerning arctic fishers. However, in the larger picture, issues still arise. Considering fishing accounts for 3 billion people, overfishing easily stems from poor management of fisheries (populations of fish used for commercial fishing). This can cause a fishery collapse, in which 90% of the population declines in a fishery; the population may not recover, biodiversity is lost, and there can be economic collapse. These effects can be minimized or amplified depending on the method of fishing. Bottom trawling drags the net across the ocean floor, causing bycatch (unintended species caught) and stirs ocean sediment causing turbidity, destroying coral reefs, and decreasing biodiversity.

In terms of the land, timber operations also impact the environment through climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity. 73% of these operations are privately owned, and harvest is often conducted in exchange for revenue. Clearcutting involves removing most of the trees in a given area, is economically easiest to log, and is replanted for mere short term benefits; some consequences include erosion, sedimentation, flooding, increased temperatures, and loss of a carbon sink. Mining operations in an effort to extract ore (concentrated minerals) can have devastating impacts on the environment. Surface mining can include blowing up top portions of mountains, and causes overburden (soil/excess material removed). This results in dust, contamination soil removal, changed habitats, and a fragmented environment.

Agricultural practices are important as it is a source of food; methods like monocropping can causes soil erosion and are unsustainable for long term use. Other methods might include plowing, tilling, and slash/burn (burn trees and reuse for nutrients). Irrigation systems account for 42% of all freshwater in the U.S. and the four main methods include drip, flood, furrow, and spray. Meat production is similar in ideas including concentrated animal feeding operations and free range grazing.

In an effort to ease the impacts the Green Revolution comes into play: mechanization, fertilizer strategies, irrigation methods, and increased efficiency. Mechanization includes increased profit, but also increased fossil fuels. And while GMO’s can increase profit, due to their patented nature and genetic impact, the genetic diversity decreases in the organisms. Fertilizers/pesticides that are synthetic can increase yield, but lead to eutrophication, require fossil fuels, and allow for evolved pests. Irrigation methods like drawing methods from the ground to redistribute moisture can make agriculture viable in more places, but can also deplete necessary groundwater sources. As it would be unrealistic to eliminate all threats to the environment, as many are fundamental to our needs, effective and sustainable methods/technology are the key to safe and environmentally healthy ways of land and water use.

Sources:

College Board AP Environmental Science

Samuel Lee