How construction and the built environment can both benefit and harm the natural environment

Authors Avatar

HOW CONSTRUCTION AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT CAN BOTH BENEFIT AND HARM THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Since it’s earliest days, the Human Race has sought to bend the natural environment to it’s will; since the first Man (or woman!) cut the first branch from a tree, a battle has been fought between mankind and Mother Nature.  Rivers have been dammed, forests cleared away and mountains levelled in our quest to mould the environment to our needs.  Our blinkered onslaught against the planet reached a terrible peak in the middle of the last century.  Since then we have begun to realise the damage that has been done in the name of progress and civilization, alas too late.  Countless species of flora and fauna have been wiped from the face of the planet never to be seen again. Vast areas of once lush vegetation have been turned to dust, some regions of our planet have been so poisoned by our machinations that they will be uninhabitable for thousands of years to come.

The Greenhouse Effect.  The surface of the earth is warmed by energy from the Sun.  The Earth then radiates energy through the atmosphere and into space.  Gases in the lower atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour are warmed by the radiation released by the Earth’s surface.  In turn, the atmosphere then radiates heat back towards the ground, adding to the heat the surface receives from the Sun.  This process is called the greenhouse effect.  Without this natural process, the surface of the planet would be about 34C colder than it is now and life as we know it would not be possible.

Global Warming.  The rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is increasing the amount of radiation trapped near the Earth’s surface.  It is this enhanced greenhouse effect, known as global warming, which most scientists believe is changing the planet’s climate.  This excess of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is due to the world’s growing population burning more fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas for energy, as well as expanding agriculture and increasing deforestation.

The Industrial Revolution.  Around 200 years ago, the Industrial Revolution ushered in an era in which humans rely on fossil fuels to run the many machines used in industry and everyday life.  The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Since the Industrial Revolution there has been a steady increase in the production of carbon dioxide, and an increase in global population.  Some of the carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees and plants or dissolved into the oceans; these are known as carbon sinks.  Unfortunately, human activities have been producing carbon dioxide faster than it can be absorbed naturally, while widespread forest clearance has reduced the carbon sinks.

Join now!

Scientists have been measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for about 40 years, over which time the concentration has risen by about 15%.  Older records of carbon dioxide, obtained from air bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice go back 300,000 years.  Scientists have found that carbon dioxide levels now are 32% higher than before the Industrial Revolution, higher than they have been for 160,000 years.  Other greenhouse gases have also increased:  methane levels have more than doubled and nitrous oxide levels have risen by 15%.  

Humans have also introduced greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that did ...

This is a preview of the whole essay