Overpopulation - The Great Acceleration
Despite the Earth being around 4.5 Billion years old, modern humans have only existed for the last 200,000 years. Throughout this time, human behaviours have increasingly impacted the physical, chemical and biological systems of our planet. It is only the last 60 years, however – a period sometimes referred to as ‘The Great Acceleration’ – where man’s collective behaviour has been so dramatic, damaging and (in many cases) irreversible.
The impact of CO2 emissions, temperature rises, habitat destruction, animal extinction and natural resource extraction are all indicators that humans have altered our planet in ways that may affect the survival of future generations. And The Great Acceleration is far from slowing!
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- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 9 months ago by
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Although modern humans have existed for the last 200,000 years, it is only the last 60 years – a period sometimes referred to as ‘The Great Acceleration’ – where man’s collective behaviour has been so dramatic, damaging and (in many cases) irreversible.
What has been the most damaging consequence of human overpopulation… CO2 emissions, habitat loss, water pollution?
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They are all linked, but for me the saddest is habitat loss. The complete disregard we have shown towards other animal species, simply because we want more space and raw materials in order to live ‘comfortable lives’. Well, climate change is going to get very uncomfortable for a lot of people very soon.
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I agree. The human race has shot itself in the foot big time and we are only now seeing the affects. Extreme weather patterns are a big sign of what is to come. Extreme temperatures, flooding, wildfires, storms, all increasingly becoming the norm! If the human population had levelled out at 4 or 5 billion, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be seeing these issues.
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