1. Causes of Degradation
1.1. Increased standards of living
1.1.1. increased demands for resources
1.1.2. Malthusian Theory
1.1.2.1. proposes the principle that human populations grow exponentially (i.e., doubling with each cycle) while food production grows at an arithmetic rate (i.e. by the repeated addition of a uniform increment in each uniform interval of time).
1.2. Deforestation
1.2.1. Palm oil companies illegally set aside land to be cleared for planting more tress in the cheapest and fastest possible methods.(Slash and Burn). In 2015, blazes spread across 10 million hectares, worst since 1997.
1.3. Extraction of natural resources
1.4. Pollution
1.4.1. Inappropriate disposal of waste
1.4.2. Industrial pollution
1.4.3. Rapid population growth
1.4.4. Environmental accidents/disasters
1.5. Invasive species
2. Consequences Of Degradation
2.1. Loss of biodiversity
2.1.1. 90% of worlds primates live in rainforests. The Amazon rainforests is capable of holding 1,100 distinct tree species per square kilometere. It contains 2.5 million species of insects and 40,000 plant species. Rampant deforestation would undoubtedly cause a loss of biodiversity.
2.2. Displacement of animals
2.2.1. Kuduzu plants in the United States (invasive species)
2.3. Loss of vegetation
2.4. Pollution of natural habitats
2.4.1. Soil Run off. Flash floods.
2.4.2. Half of Indonesia's has been felled in a few years and permission has been granted to convert up to 70% of what remains into palm and acacia plantations.
2.5. Habitat Destruction
2.5.1. Great Pacific Garbage Patch in Great Pacific Ocean. The size is estimated to be between 70,000 to 150,000 square kilometers. Plastic degradation via sunlight results in toxic plastic deravaties from leaching into the ocean. In addition, much of the rubbish is ingested by wildlife. one third of Laysan albatross chicks die due to being fed plastic by parents. A recent study has shown that close to 267 species have been affected by the Patch.
2.5.1.1. .
2.6. Ozone Layer Depletion
2.6.1. depletion of ozone layer due to the release of choloroflourocarbons and other radicals means stronger UVrays penetrate the Earth's atmosphere.
2.7. Health Hazards For Humans
2.7.1. pollutants linked to harmful diseases and illnesses like cancer.
2.8. Global Warming
2.8.1. increasing greenhouse gases traped in earth's atmosphere causing unprecedented rise in temperatues.
2.8.1.1. A study led by Nepali scientist at the University of Milan found that glaciers on or around Mount Everest had shrunk by 13% in the last 50 years with snow line 180m higher that it was 50 years ago.
2.8.1.2. Unpredicted weather patterns such as the European Heat Waves that killed over 70,000 people; the 2014 North American Cold Wave (Polar Vertex), which caused temperatures to drop to record low of -27C in Chicago.
2.8.1.3. Temperatures were 2C above normal temperature in January 2014.