Planet Earth and its environment are affected and destroyed by the people living in it. One of the most important concepts that are raising concerns is ecological footprint. Ecological footprint gauges the resources that are extracted from the earth and from waste that is produced by the same resources. Ecological footprint identifies the quantity of land and utilities that are required to support our life (Schaller, 2001). UAE is one of the most consuming countries in the world alongside US which has also been ranked among the most consuming countries.
This is obviously not a good thing for people and the animals and plants. This excess consumption of natural resources is due to increase in human population which forces manufacturers to increase their products. In addition to that, industrialization and urbanization has led to global warming, which depletes the environment. As more manufacturers come on board the resources are overused unlike when there were only a few companies.
To begin with, global warming is the abnormal rise of average temperature on the surface of the earth. This has been caused by human advancement towards industrialization and modernization. The outcome of global warming has been exhibited by the melting of ice and snows in areas such as the Antarctic which has changed the average sea level of the whole world because the ice and snow has been converted into water. If this situation persists the animals that live in those areas will be eliminated because their dwelling place will be destroyed.
Green house gases have contributed to the process of global warming. Green house gases are gaseous compounds that occupy the atmosphere and when their concentration is not stable they cause temperatures on the lower level of the atmosphere to hike. The components of these gases include carbon dioxide and methane (Peel Data Centre, 2004). Global warming can be avoided by reducing emissions from cars or other electronics; governments should encourage people to share vehicles and use hybrid vehicles, hence reducing the effects of global warming as a factor in ecological footprint.
When humans exploit the earth’s resources they release the waste of the same resources into the environment which in return affects their lives and those of other living creatures. Most organizations and private entities are not concerned about the harm they cause to the environment. The wastes from factories pollute air and water, thus endangering living things. We can say that their ignorance is due to lack of knowledge because they think the natural resources will continue to exist as they are today.
This is one of the reasons why ecological footprint will continue to swell in some countries where the people are not aware of these latest findings (Global Footprint Network, 2010). In addition, the increase in automobile production enables people to extend their operations to rural areas. Most people are now using their personal cars to travel to work, and this in return speeds urban sprawl. As more people use cars, there is rise of congestion in urban places since going to work is more difficult when using bicycle or walking. This is considered to be ‘motorized urban sprawl’ which is one of the causes of environmental problems.
Environmental problems caused by this aspect include global warming and change in climate. This is because of the use of cars that emit dangerous gases to the environment. In addition, ecological issues raised by emission of dangerous gases such as carbon dioxide include loss of cultivation land and forest, loss of recreational space, and increase in public noise. Lack of land for cultivation may lead to reduced food supply thus resulting to increased food prices and social imbalance due to the fact that many people would consider migrating to urban areas (Gonzalez, 2005).
Today the development in technology has replaced human labor with machine labor. Again the machines such as those that are used in picking tea use fossil fuel which obviously emits green house gases. It’s not only the equipments that contribute to ecological footprint but also the chemicals that are sprayed on crops to control diseases and pests. According to Huber (2001), safeguarding these resources might sound expensive and is actually expensive but it helps to reserve the current resources for future use. Ecological footprint is directly related to sustainable development because both are in support of conservation of resources. Humans should use alternative resources that do not pollute the environment such as bio fuels which are eco-friendly.
In conclusion, every one can make positive contribution towards the conservation of our natural resources. We can use other sources of energy to power our electrical appliances such as bio-gas and solar power which can be tapped directly from the sun. Alternatively, people who don’t live far from their work places can walk instead of driving. Organizations are also being encouraged to recycle their products to ensure that the waste is not released into the environment.
All of these measures are important because the human population is increasing and will continue to swell hence these conservative measures will assist in preserving the natural resources. The internet and computers are playing a major role towards the conservation of natural resources. They are doing this by offering a platform where businesses can operate. In fact most transactions are paperless because of electronic transactions. If these measures are not implemented, manufacturers will continue to exploit the natural resources to meet the increased demand for goods and services.
References
Global Footprint Network. (2010). Footprint Basics. Web.
Gonzalez, G. A. (2005). Urban Sprawl, Global Warming and the Limits of Ecological Modernization. Environmental Politics. 14:3: 34-362.
Huber, P. (2001). American Wealth and Consumption Patterns Enhance the Environment. In W. Dudley, The Environment Opposing Viewpoints (pp.122-125). San Diego: Greenhaven.
Kirby, A. (2004). Pollution: A life and Death Issue. BBC News. Web.
Peel Data Centre (2004). Ecological Footprint. Web.
Schaller, D. (2001). American Wealth and Consumption Patterns Degrade the Environment. In W. Dudley, The environment opposing view points.(pp.118-121). San Diego: Greenhaven.