Shortcomingsand Humankind’s Progress
Shortcomingsand Humankind’s Progress
Theworld has experienced bad and good things in equal measures. Most ofthe negative things that have happened can be directly attributed tohuman activities. There are two major shortcomings that can beassociated with irresponsible human activities. First, pollution hasbecome a global phenomenon that affects human beings, plants, andanimals. For example, industrial activities and vehicles haveresulted in the emission of greenhouse gases. These gases areresponsible for the global warming that has disrupted thebiodiversity. It is estimated that occurrences (such as oil spills,air pollution, droughts, melting of ice, and climate change)associated with the environmental pollution kills 100 million peopleand 100,000 birds (Do Something Organization, 2016).
Secondly,overexploitation of the natural resources has resulted indeforestation and a significant decrease in arable land. This is acommon occurrence in regions where multinational companies have beendrilling oil and mining metals, such as copper. The process of mininginvolves groundbreaking where the topsoil is removed. The modernworld have blamed drought for the chronic food insecurity. However,it is evident that the destruction of arable land, coupled with theencroachment of forests has made a significant contribution towardsthe exponential decline in the quantity of the agricultural produce.The drought and famine can be partly attributed to the destruction offorests during the process of mining, which implies that drought andfood insecurity are products of human greed for wealth (Do SomethingOrganization, 2016).
Itis evident that most of the aforementioned shortcomings can beattributed to human activities, but a lot of positive achievementshave been made out of those activities. For example, the process ofmining has increased job opportunities and the supply of commodities(such as fuel) that are required to make life possible. For aninstant, it is estimated that the mining industry accounts for about2.1 % of the global workforce (Fraser Institute, 2012). In addition,technology advancement is one of the achievements that the modernworld has made. Technology has increased the quality of life and theease of doing business. Telecommunication, which is one of the fieldsof technology, has allowed people to share information from any partof the world without the need to travel physically.
Additionally,the world has managed to establish the most diverse and effectivetransport networks that make it possible to move from one part of theworld to another. Although the transport sector has been blamed forthe emission of greenhouse gases, the economic benefits achievedthrough effective movement of people and goods surpass the sector’sshortcomings. For example, the transportation-related products andservices contribute about one trillion dollars to the U.S. economyannually (U.S. Department of Transport, 2016). The rapid movement ofpeople and products has also contributed towards the establishment ofthe most industrialized economies (such as the U.S. and China) in thehistory of the world. It has become easier for people to access goods(such as vehicles) that improve the quality of life.
Inconclusion, human activities have damaged the human and disruptedbiodiversity in many ways. These human activities (including theoverexploitation of natural resources) are based on human desire tocreate more wealth or produce goods that are required to enhance thequality of life. This implies that human beings have made asignificant contribution towards calamities (including the climatechange) that the world is facing. However, it would be unfair tojudge the word on the basis of the shortcomings associated with humanactivities without considering the progress made by humankind.
References
DoSomething Organization (2016). Eleven facts about pollution. DoSomething Organization.Retrieved June 2, 2016, fromhttps://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-pollution
FraserInstitute (2012). How many jobs depend on the mining industry? FraserInstitute.Retrieved June 2, 2016, fromhttp://www.miningfacts.org/Economy/How-many-jobs-depend-on-the-mining-industry/
U.S.Department of Transport (2016). Economicimpact on transportation.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transport.