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Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.
Modifying the environment to fit the needs of society (as in the built environment) is causing severe effects [3] [4] including global warming, [1] [5] [6] environmental degradation [1] (such as ocean acidification [1] [7]), mass extinction and biodiversity loss, [8] [9] [10] ecological crisis, and ecological collapse.
They are loosely divided into causes, effects and mitigation, noting that effects are interconnected and can cause new effects. ... Environmental degradation — Loss ...
The environment and all its inhabitants rely on biodiversity to recover from extreme environmental conditions. When too much biodiversity is lost, a catastrophic event such as an earthquake, flood, or volcanic eruption could cause an ecosystem to crash, and humans would obviously suffer from that. [ 55 ]
Water pollution is an environmental issue that affects many water bodies. This photograph shows foam on the New River as it enters the United States from Mexico. Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. [1] Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) [2] or they can be natural ...
Overgrazing by livestock can lead to land degradation. Land degradation is a process where land becomes less healthy and productive due to a combination of human activities or natural conditions. The causes for land degradation are numerous and complex. [1] Human activities are often the main cause, such as unsustainable land management practices.
From an environmental point of view, quantifying the damage and its possible consequences is a more important task, while conservation efforts are more focused on forested land protection and development of land-use alternatives to avoid continued deforestation. [130]
Habitat degradation is caused by the depletion of resources, in which human activities are the primary driving force. [48] [49] One major impact that the depletion of fish stocks causes is a dynamic change and erosion to marine food webs, which can ultimately lead to ecosystem collapse because of the imbalance created for other marine species.