Humans and the environment
The environment includes everything around us such as the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we live on and all living things like plants and animals.
We change the environment by what we do and how we live.
Humans affect the environment in positive and negative ways.
Cutting down trees and creating litter has a negative effect on animals and plants.
Protecting endangered species and cleaning lakes/seas has a positive effect on the environment.
At home you can help the planet by recycling waste.
Watch: How do humans affect the environment?
All the creatures on planet earth affect each other. That's what we call ecosystems.
Usually they affect each other in quite small ways. But there's one creature who affects all the others in quite an extreme way.
It's called the human being.
Because there are so many of us, and because we've learnt to make very powerful tools, we can make huge changes, like cutting down all the trees in a forest.
Or sometimes we make changes that we hardly even notice, like throwing litter away.
When plastic ends up in the ocean it gets eaten by lots of creatures.
But it's not just them who get poisoned by the plastic, it's all the bigger creatures who eat these as well.
But because as humans we can think about these things and understand them, we can also change ecosystems in a positive way…
Like build marine parks to protect endangered species.
There are also many things that you can do that make a difference, like recycle or grow your own vegetables.
These things might seem small, but if enough people do it, it can have a huge impact on the planet's ecosystem.
Fascinating facts
Around 80% of the Earth's animal and plant species live in forests.
We lose between 10 and 14 million hectares of forest every single year globally, so much that it's difficult to replace.
In the UK we recycle around 80% of our paper.
At least 680 animal species have gone extinct since the 1500s because of human activity.
In the last 100 years, the Earth's population has grown from around 2 billion to around 8 billion people. This means we need more shelter, food and resources.
The UK has the largest offshore wind farm in the world. Dogger Bank Wind Farm is in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire.
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is like a big community of living things (plants, animals, and other organisms) that interact with each other and their physical environment.
Imagine it as a busy neighbourhood where plants and animals work together to survive.
Due to our growing population, we have been catching and eating more fish. This can have a negative impact on the ecosystem because we may be taking too many fish from the sea if they're not being replenished at the same speed.
Slideshow: Human impact on the environment
Image caption, Deforestation
Deforestation is the clearing, or cutting down, of forests. At the moment we are cutting down more trees than we plant. It takes some forests hundreds of years to grow and for animals and plants to adapt to living there.
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Did you know?
There are lots of small things you can do to help protect the Earth, including everyday things like trying to 'reduce, reuse and recycle'.
- Reduce the amount of waste you create.
- Reuse waste to turn it into something new
- Recycle your rubbish so it can be made into something new.
Important words
Ecosystem – An ecosystem is like a big community of living things (plants, animals, and other organisms) that interact with each other and their physical environment.
Endangered species – An animal species that is under threat of extinction, like the black rhino or the orangutan.
Environment – Everything around us, such as the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we live on, and all living things like plants and animals.
Litter – Rubbish that has been left by a human, like cans, bottles and empty packets.
Pollution – Things that are released into the environment that can harm it, from human made waste like carbon dioxide fumes from cars, to natural pollution like volcanic ash.
Population – The amount of animals that live in a particular area, whether it's humans in a city or fish in a coral reef.
Recycle – Changing waste materials back into new ones. We can do this at home with glass, aluminium tins and cans and paper.
Hectares - A hectare is a unit of measurement of area. It is equal to 10,000 square metres.
Activities
Activity 1 – Sort the positive and negatives
Activity 2 – Quiz
Activity 3 – Go on a nature walk
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