Humans – Forces of Nature

Forest and Bird, Issue 296, 1 May 2000, Page 13

Humans – Forces of Nature

uman activities are now on a par with natural disasters as major forces of nature, according to an American academic conducting research at the University of Canterbury. Jane Lubchenco, a Professor of Zoology from Oregon State University, says humans have unwittingly caused changes to the Earth’s systems that are unforeseen, unwanted and undesirable. In the last century humans have altered the chemistry, the physical structure and the biology of the planet in dramatic ways. Human activities have transformed 50 percent of the Earth’s surface, changed the Earth’s atmospheric chemistry by increasing carbon dioxide emissions, and doubled the amount of nitrogen entering the natural cycle. Each of these changes triggers responses in the earth system. For example, increases in carbon dioxide are a likely contributor to the global warming seen over the last century. Excess nitrogen in coastal waters is suspected of causing rapid increases in many harmful algal blooms and causing ‘dead zones’ in coastal waters around the world. In such places, little or no oxygen means marine life cannot be sustained. Now numbering 50, over half these ‘dead

zones have appeared in the last 10 years. These findings come from a report prepared for the United States National Science Foundation by an environmental taskforce which Professor Lubchenco chaired. ‘The environmental changes we are seeing today are fundamentally different from anything in the past — the rates of change are faster, the scales are larger, and some changes are absolutely new, like the effects chlorofluorocarbons have had on the ozone in the upper atmosphere; says Professor Lubchenco. She believes the environmental changes we are witnessing are due to a combination of the explosive growth in human population and the unsustainable rates at which we are exploiting the environment and generating wastes. "These issues are having a global impact and we need to understand what’s happening so we can figure out how we can do things differently. Professor Lubchenco says the report provides an excellent starting point for discussions between the scientific community and policy makers to meet the challenges of the 21st century. — Source: External Relations, University of Canterbury.