Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Natures’ Reaction to Anthropogenic Activities

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Science and Impact of Climate Change

Part of the book series: Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences ((AGES))

Abstract

Climate-related events including catastrophic ones are a natural phenomenon, but all natural events cannot be directly linked to the recent climate change. It is not possible to say with confidence that a particular storm, fire, flood, drought or earthquake was caused by the recent climate change. But what can be said with certainty is the fact that any action that leads to increase in GHG, whether locally or globally, increases the risk of catastrophic events. It is also true that in recent years, there has been rise in torrential hurricanes, droughts, and ice and snow storms, raging heatwaves that have devastated many areas of the world claiming human and animal lives. Disproportionate increase in human population, overconsumption of resources and pollution has reached a point where rate of replenishment of natural resources is far less than depletion. Different regions and countries in the world are under some threat or the other including inundation by sea level rise, melting of snow and glacier retreat, forest fire, droughts. The cumulative economic impact of restoration may run into billions of dollars which many poor nations can ill afford.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Natural increase means the birth rate minus the death rate, implying annual rate of population growth without regard for migration.

  2. 2.

    Megacity—A city with more than 10 million population. The number of megacities increased from 5 in 1975 to 23 in 2005.

  3. 3.

    Ecological Footprint—Area of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems required to produce the energy needs of a given population and assimilate the end products. The concept of ‘Ecological Footprint’ has emerged as an important tool to ascertain the extent of productive land and water used by an individual, a village, a city or a nation in order to produce what is consumed and to absorb the waste generated. It is a function of population size, average per capita consumption of resources and the technology used. Ecological footprint of humans is expressed as ‘global hectares’ divided into four consumption categories; carbon (home energy and transportation), food, housing, and goods and services.

  4. 4.

    Primary production means indirect consumption of phytoplankton and algae by human for each unit of marine predator (bluefin tuna or shark or whale) consumed.

  5. 5.

    1.5 ha of land per global citizen has been arrived at as follows (=0.25 ha of arable land + 0.6 ha of pasture + 0.6 ha of forest + 0.03 ha of built-up land).

  6. 6.

    Natural ecosystems need to regenerate 30% more in a given time frame to ensure ecological sustainability.

References

  • Barber, Charles Victor, Melissa M. Boness., and Kenton Miller, (eds.). 2004. Securing protected areas in the face of global change: Issues and strategies. World Commission on Protected Areas, IUCN–the World Conservation Union.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker R. 1983. Nutritional quality of the fruit from the chañar tree (Geoffroea decorticans). Ecology of Food and Nutrition. 1 Apr 1983;13(2):91–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Binford, Michael W., Alan L. Kolata, Mark Brenner, John W. Janusek, Matthew T. Seddon, Mark Abbott, and Jason H. Curtis. 1997. Climate variation and the rise and fall of an Andean civilization. Quaternary Research 47 (2): 235–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braatz SM. 1992. Conserving biological diversity: a strategy for protected areas in the Asia-Pacific region. World Bank Publications

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, Corey JA., and Barry W. Brook. 2014. Human population reduction is not a quick fix for environmental problems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111 (46): 16610–16615.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, Lester Russell. 2001. State of the world, 2001: A worldwatch institute report on progress toward a sustainable society. WW Norton & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke, Lauretta, Kathleen Reytar, Mark Spalding., and Allison Perry. Reefs at risk revisited. 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell MJ, Enoch IC. 1972. Riboflavin content of Malaysian leaf vegetables. Ecology of food and nutrition. 1 Sep 1972; 1(4):309–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Church, John A., Peter U. Clark, Anny Cazenave, Jonathan M. Gregory, Svetlana Jevrejeva, Anders Levermann, Mark A. Merrifield et al. 2013. Sea-level rise by 2100. Science 342 (6165): 1445–1445.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cinner, Joshua E., T. R. McClanahan, N. A. J. Graham, T. M. Daw, Joseph Maina, S. M. Stead, Andrew Wamukota, Katrina Brown., and Ö. Bodin. 2012. Vulnerability of coastal communities to key impacts of climate change on coral reef fisheries. Global Environmental Change 22 (1): 12–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, Robin, Robert Lamb., and Dilys Roe Ward. 2002. Global environment outlook 3: past, present and future perspectives. Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, Joel E. 1995. How many people can the earth support? The Sciences 35 (6): 18–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diolaiuti, Guglielmina., and Claudio Smiraglia. 2010. Changing glaciers in a changing climate: How vanishing geomorphosites have been driving deep changes in mountain landscapes and environments. Géomorphologie: relief, processus, environnement 16 (2): 131–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowling, John Malcolm. 2008. Future perspectives on the economic development of Asia, vol. 5. World Scientific.

    Google Scholar 

  • Draper, Robert. 2009. The climate betrayed him-Australia’s dry run. National Geographic 215: 36–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlich, Paul. 1970. The population bomb. New York Times, 47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falconer, Julia. 1990. The major significance of minor forest products. Rome, Italy: FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falconer, Julia., and JE Michael Arnold. 1991. Household food security and forestry: An analysis of socio-economic issues. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008. High Food Prices and Food Security–Threats and Opportunities.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, “The state of world fisheries and aquaculture.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO, IFAD., and WFP, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2014. Strengthening the enabling environment for food security and nutrition, 2014. Rome: FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, Paul. 2010. Time for a sea change. National Geographic 218: 70–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hails, Chris, Sarah Humphrey, Jonathan Loh, Steven Goldfinger, Ashok Chapagain, G. Bourne, R. Mott et al. 2008. Living planet report 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hallegatte, Stephane, Colin Green, Robert J. Nicholls, and Jan Corfee-Morlot. 2013. Future flood losses in major coastal cities. Nature Climate Change 3 (9): 802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, Alan. 2003. Medicinal plants and conservation: Issues and approaches. International Plants Conservation Unit, WWF-UK 51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haub, Carl., and Diana Cornelius. 2007. World population data sheet Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawksworth, John., and Gordon Cookson. 2006. The world in 2050. How big will the major emerging market economies get and how can the OECD compete.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, Emily A., J. Rachel Carr., and Chris R. Stokes. 2017. A review of recent changes in major marine-terminating outlet glaciers in northern Greenland. Frontiers in Earth Science 4: 111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, Peter J. Mumby, Anthony J. Hooten, Robert S. Steneck, Paul Greenfield, Edgardo Gomez, C. Drew Harvell et al. 2007. Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318 (5857): 1737–1742.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, Lori M. 2000. The environmental implications of population dynamics. Rand Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, P. D., K. E. Trenberth, P. Ambenje, R. Bojariu, D. Easterling, T. Klein, D. Parker, J. Renwick, M. Rusticucci., and B. Soden. 2007. Observations: Surface and atmospheric climate change. Climate Change: 235–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamukuru, Albogast T., Yunus D. Mgaya, and Marcus C. Öhman. 2004. Evaluating a marine protected area in a developing country: Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania. Ocean and Coastal Management 47 (7–8): 321–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kowalski, R. 2013. Sense and sustainability: The paradoxes that sustain. World Futures 69 (2): 75–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunzig, Robert. 2011. Population 7 billion. National Geographic 219 (1): 32–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kunzig, Robert. 2014. Carnivore’s Dilemma. National Geographic: 108–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolbert, Elizabeth. 2009. Outlook: Extreme. Nafional Geographic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauren, E. James, Jasen, Treat., and Williams, Ryan et al. 2016. Disappearing ice. National Geographic 3 (6).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayell, Hillary. 2002. Human “footprint” seen on 83 Percent of Earth’s Land’. National Geographic News October 25 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  • McKibben, Bill. 2012. Global warming’s terrifying new math. Rolling Stone 19 (7): 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNeely, Jeffrey A., and Sue Mainka. 2006. The future of medicinal biodiversity. IUCN, 165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, Peter. 2012. Weather gone wild-disastrous rains. No rain at all. Unexpected heat or cold. Is Earth’s climate changing dangerously? National Geographic 222 (3): 30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohan, Brij, ed. 2015. Global frontiers of social development in theory and practice: Climate, economy, and justice. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munier, Nolberto. 2005. Introduction to sustainability: Road to a better future. Springer Science & Business Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nijhuis, Michelle. 2014. When the snows fail. National Geographic 226: 58–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radyuhin, Vladimir. 2010. Russia: Forest up in flames. The Hindu, Newspaper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radyuhin, Vladimir. 2013. Down to minus 45. The Hindu, Newspaper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosner, Hillary. 2015. The bug that’s eating the woods. Natl. Geogr. Mag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandhu, Shabeg, Laura Jackson, Kay Austin, Jeffrey Hyland, Brian Melzian., and Kevin Summers. 1997. Monitoring ecological condition at regional scales.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scarborough, Peter, Paul N. Appleby, Anja Mizdrak, Adam DM Briggs, Ruth C. Travis, Kathryn E. Bradbury., and Timothy J. Key. 2014. Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK. Climatic change 125 (2): 179–192.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schiermeier, Quirin. 2008. Global warming brews weird weather. Nature news. Aug 27th (2015). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008: High Food Prices and Food Security-Threats and Opportunities. FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, Julian Lincoln. 1996. The ultimate resource 2. Princeton: Princeton University Press (revised in 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, Adam B., and Richard W. Katz. 2013. US billion-dollar weather and climate disasters: Data sources, trends, accuracy and biases. Natural Hazards 67 (2): 387–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, Will. 2015. Thirsty country: Climate change and drought in Australia. Sydney, Australia: Climate Change Council of Australia Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone, Brian, Jeremy J. Hess, and Howard Frumkin. 2010. Urban form and extreme heat events: Are sprawling cities more vulnerable to climate change than compact cities? Environmental Health Perspectives 118 (10): 1425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stroeve, Julienne, Marika M. Holland, Walt Meier, Ted Scambos., and Mark Serreze. 2007. Arctic sea ice decline: Faster than forecast. Geophysical Research Letters 34 (9).

    Google Scholar 

  • The Economist. 2015a. Is it global warming or just the weather? The Economist, May 9th.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Economist. 2015b. California’s drought, All the leaves are brown. The Economist, May 28th.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Economist. 2015c. Insurance in Asia-Astounding claims. The Economist, Jun 11th 2015c.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. 2001. Population, environment and development. The Concise Report.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Environment Programme (Unep). 2013. Global environment outlook 2000, vol. 1. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veron, J.E.N., O. Hoegh-Guldberg, T.M. Lenton, J.M. Lough, D.O. Obura, P. Pearce-Kelly, C.R.C. Sheppard, M. Spalding, M.G. Stafford-Smith, and A.D. Rogers. 2009. The coral reef crisis: The critical importance of <350 ppm CO2. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58 (10): 1428–1436.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wackernagel, Mathis., and J. David Yount. 1998. The ecological footprint: An indicator of progress toward regional sustainability. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 51 (1–2): 511–529.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, John N. 2011. Human population and the hotspots revisited: a 2010 assessment. In Biodiversity hotspots, 61–81. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Forest Service, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

    Asheem Srivastav

Authors
  1. Asheem Srivastav
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Asheem Srivastav .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Srivastav, A. (2019). Natures’ Reaction to Anthropogenic Activities. In: The Science and Impact of Climate Change. Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0809-3_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation