Human Effects on the Environment
Week 1 Written Assignment
Bradley Harris
SCI 207 Dependence of Man on the Environment
Angela Thomas
August 22, 2011
One production habit humans have related to material resources is the production of new housing. Our text went into detail of the effects of “sprawl”, and how this sprawl is affecting the environment around us. Sprawl is basically the expansion of cities into non urban areas of the land surrounding these cities. With Sprawl we are seeing more types of land, water, and air pollutions due to the converting of porous lands, to more concrete type foundations that cover the land. Water becomes affected because this production of concrete foundations over previously porous lands causes water that would normally absorb into the ground and filter to streams and rivers slowly through to ground to “run-off” on the pavement more quickly to these streams and rivers. While it runs off the pavement it is picking up pollutants that would normally not be present if it were channeled through the ground, and dumping it all directly into our waterways. Another water problem caused by this is flooding. Being that the run-off water is making its way to the streams and rivers at a much higher rate, it is cause them to flood much more frequently. As far as land goes, we are losing much prime farmland to sprawl. Our book even goes so far to state that sprawl could even be affecting health of human beings negatively, as we tend to have lower blood pressure and other positive health affects while surrounded by farmland and vegetation, but being in city environments reverses these positive effects.
A consumption habit of humans related to city sprawl is our increased consumption of gas, and the affects it is having on our environment. Because people are driving greater distances as the cities expand outward, we are consuming more gas in our vehicles, and thus causing pollution levels from the emission of our vehicles to rise. Combine that with
Bradley Harris
SCI 207 Dependence of Man on the Environment
Angela Thomas
August 22, 2011
One production habit humans have related to material resources is the production of new housing. Our text went into detail of the effects of “sprawl”, and how this sprawl is affecting the environment around us. Sprawl is basically the expansion of cities into non urban areas of the land surrounding these cities. With Sprawl we are seeing more types of land, water, and air pollutions due to the converting of porous lands, to more concrete type foundations that cover the land. Water becomes affected because this production of concrete foundations over previously porous lands causes water that would normally absorb into the ground and filter to streams and rivers slowly through to ground to “run-off” on the pavement more quickly to these streams and rivers. While it runs off the pavement it is picking up pollutants that would normally not be present if it were channeled through the ground, and dumping it all directly into our waterways. Another water problem caused by this is flooding. Being that the run-off water is making its way to the streams and rivers at a much higher rate, it is cause them to flood much more frequently. As far as land goes, we are losing much prime farmland to sprawl. Our book even goes so far to state that sprawl could even be affecting health of human beings negatively, as we tend to have lower blood pressure and other positive health affects while surrounded by farmland and vegetation, but being in city environments reverses these positive effects.
A consumption habit of humans related to city sprawl is our increased consumption of gas, and the affects it is having on our environment. Because people are driving greater distances as the cities expand outward, we are consuming more gas in our vehicles, and thus causing pollution levels from the emission of our vehicles to rise. Combine that with
References: Turk, J., Bensel, T. (2011). Contemporary Environment Issues. Retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUSCI207