Global environmental crisis: what is it, causes, consequences and solutions

The global environmental crisis is multi-causal. However, all the causes that produce it have the same origin: human activity . Although it is true that speaking of human activity implies an extreme generalization, it is necessary to start from this base, since it leaves out of any doubt that the global environmental crisis is the result of an environmental problem of natural or purely climatic origin.

It is true that climate change is a constant throughout the history of life on Earth. However, except for specific cases of mass extinctions caused by external factors (the best known of all would be the mass extinction that took place after an asteroid hit the planet approximately 65 million years ago and put an end to the reign of the dinosaurs), climate change is a process that develops slowly enough for ecosystems to adaptto such changes. When this climate change takes place abruptly and rapidly (as in the aforementioned case of the asteroid or due to human activity today), a global environmental crisis occurs that affects all species and ecosystems, resulting in a collapse of many ecosystems as they have no real capacity to adapt to the changes that occur.

In this way, in the absence of external factors that cause the current climate change in the conditions that we evidence, and in the face of the concrete experience that human activities as a whole are being responsible for said climate change, there is no other possible explanation than to point out. the human activity in its present form as responsible for the global environmental crisis that happens.

There are various consequences of this global environmental crisis that we can divide into three large groups :

Ecological consequences

In this section we could include all those that have a direct effect on ecosystems and life forms. To mention a few examples:

• The extinction of both flora and fauna species.
• The degradation of the biodiversity of ecosystems.
• The proliferation of invasive species.
• Alterations in natural biological cycles.

Social consequences

In this section we would include all those that, directly or indirectly, would affect human activity itself and human societies. In this sense, some examples would be:

• Crop losses or soil degradation.
• The inability to find enough fresh water to meet human demand.
• Migrations of population groups in search of geographic areas with greater resources.
• The proliferation of diseases linked to pollution.
• The proliferation of diseases linked to the geographical displacement of infectious diseases themselves as a consequence of an increase in global temperature.

Properly climatic consequences

These types of consequences would be largely responsible for some of the ecological and social consequences. However, due to their own character, it is worth evaluating them in themselves, since they imply the modification of the climate as it had developed until now. Some examples are:

• Desertification.
• Deforestation.
• The acidification of the sea.
• The increase in the number of phenomena such as hurricanes or typhoons, as well as their proliferation in geographical areas that are not traditionally associated with these phenomena.

When it comes to talking about solutions to the global environmental crisis, these can be divided into two large groups :

Preventive solutions

They are those focused on stopping or avoiding the increase of the consequences of said crisis. In this sense, the best example can be found in the suppression of the use of fossil fuels in favor of renewable energies . In this way, we would be able to stop the damaging effects of much of the human activity produced by the global environmental crisis.

Restorative or healing solutions

In this case, they would be solutions aimed at recovering or restoring the damaged environment . Some examples of this type of solution go through:

• Reforest deforested areas.
• Clean the seas.
• Restore ecosystems through plans for the protection of native flora and fauna.
• Improve the management of hydrographic resources among many others.

If you want to read more articles similar to Global environmental crisis: what is it, causes, consequences and solutions , we recommend that you enter our Pollution category .