What Is the Most Significant Effect That People Have on the Environment?

What Is the Most Significant Effect That People Have on the Environment? People affect the environment in many ways. From climate change to extinction, pesticides to overpopulation. However, what may be the most significant of all is pollution. Pollution is the leading factor to many of these issues, and so it must stop.

Pollution causes climate change. While this may seem unlikely to some, pollution is a leading cause of climate change. If you were to look up some of the leading causes of climate change, you would find that climate change was caused by farming, trash, gasses, oil drilling, and other factors. While none of these directly say ‘pollution,’ they all hint towards it. For example, when gasses and oils are released into the air, they begin to contaminate it. We call these substances pollutants, meaning “a substance that pollutes something, especially water or the atmosphere.” Hence, why they must be contained. When pollutants are contained, death will be stopped.

Climate change isn’t the only reason we must stop pollution, however. Between 90,000 and 360,000 people die of pollution each year in the U.S. alone. Now imagine how it would be in the rest of the world. Seven million people die from pollution each year. Studies show that one in four children under five die because their water or food has been exposed to pollution. Only around 150,000 people die from climate change yearly, which is fewer deaths from pollution in Europe, and Europe is less polluted than most places. If pollution is stopped dead in itś tracks, those millions of lives can be saved.

Counterclaims/counterargument:

Some might say that global warming has the greatest impact on the earth because global warming, as a whole, can wipe out life on earth. However, while this is true, global warming can only be stopped if we can stop the problems that lead to it. For example, if we stop the pollution output, and work to reduce our carbon footprint, we might be able to save the earth.

In conclusion, pollution is the most important effect people have on the environment because pollution causes climate change, kills many people each year, and, if stopped, will stop global warming.