10 "innocent" things that are crushing the planet

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

People do not influence the planet in the best way. Various species of plants and animals are disappearing thousands of times faster than they should. Over 20,000 species are now teetering on the brink of extinction, and scientists are trying to figure out how we can save them.

Worst of all, even seemingly completely harmless actions of people only bring the catastrophe closer. Factrum has collected a dozen examples of such "innocent" behavior.

1. Using disposable chopsticks

Most of them are produced in China - over 80 billion a year! The vast majority of these sticks are used and discarded in the Middle Kingdom. Such a huge amount would be enough to cover Beijing's Tiananmen Square 360 times with an impenetrable layer!

Unfortunately, the Chinese cut down 20 million trees annually to make 80 billion sticks, and not all of them. Only trees over 20 years old are suitable. Amazingly, the third largest country in the world in the near future may be left without forests at all because of some chopsticks!

2. Taking birth control pills and other hormonal medications

Wastewater greatly affects freshwater ecosystems: even the residual amount of estrogen released into the environment can destroy dozens of species. For reference: estrogen is the active ingredient in birth control pills and is also used in hormone therapy.

In 2001, small amounts of estrogen were introduced into a freshwater lake at a research center in Ontario, Canada. The effect appeared almost instantly. The male fish began to produce egg whites and then to produce eggs. Even a minimal amount of estrogen was enough to transform them into females.

3. Taking antidepressants

Scientists from the University of York fed earthworms that drank wastewater containing 3-5% antidepressants to starlings, and then monitored for six months.

Birds began to exhibit the same antidepressant side effects as humans. They began to eat much less, lost interest in individuals of the opposite sex. And this is a double blow: insufficient nutrition makes birds weaker, and there is a high probability that they will not be able to survive the winter, and a weakened libido reduces the number of nests. Is this the reason why the number of starlings in the United States has decreased by 50 million over the past 30 years?

4. Using disposable drinking straws

According to the Ocean Conservancy, straws are among the 10 most common types of garbage in the world's oceans.

Remaining on the surface of the water, the straws are carried over great distances by wind and currents. They are made of polypropylene plastic, a non-degradable and non-dissolving material. So billions of discarded straws remain in the world's oceans forever. Marine life is estimated to ingest 10 to 25 tons of plastic annually. Over a million birds die every year when they eat plastic.

5. Consumption of frog meat

Frog meat has long been popular outside of France. Most of the frogs in the world are imported by Japan and the USA - over 5 million individuals per year.

Experts say that many frogs shipped from South America are infected with chytrid fungus. Fortunately, it is harmless to humans. The fungus, which spreads through live food, not only spreads, but also hybridizes into other species. At the moment, more than 10 strains of the chytrid fungus are known.

Scientists from the University of Michigan were able to trace their interaction and the emergence of new, increasingly deadly species and argue that the resistance of the fungus threatens the entire planet.

6. Application of antibacterial soap

In 2013, a study was conducted, during which experts tried to find out what happens to all kinds of antibacterial substances after they enter the sewer.

Most often, triclocarban and triclosan are used in modern household chemicals. Most of these substances are removed from the effluent by treatment plants, but some still remain.

The CDC found traces of the chemicals used in the manufacture of antibacterial soaps in 76% of the urine samples of Americans over five years old

Other studies have shown that triclosan is present in the organisms of many animals - rats, amphibians, etc. It has a strong effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland. With the accumulation in the body of young individuals, triclosan provokes accelerated puberty, leads to infertility, obesity and cancer.

7. Keeping cats in apartments

More than 75% of litters for cat litters from different manufacturers are made from the so-called bentonite clay - a substance with excellent absorbent properties, when it swells, it increases in size by 12-14 times.

Bentonite clay is mined in open pits. And this is bad both for the environment and for humans. Clay mining is increasingly destroying the soil surface.

There are dozens of cat litter alternatives made from recycled waste, paper, plant materials, and more. Unfortunately, the process of obtaining them is more costly …

8. Farming fish and seafood

Shrimp farming leads to severe degradation of coastal areas, the disappearance of wetlands, an increase in the salinity of land and water.

Breeding salmon in water significantly increases the concentration of fish droppings. Under natural conditions, this problem is irrelevant, but when a lot of fish are grown in a small enclosed area, the ecosystem of the reservoir suffers greatly.

Waste sinks to the bottom, where it reacts with drugs and reagents used to clean fishing nets. Such an environment is favorable for the reproduction of sea lice. To destroy them, in turn, you have to use other chemicals. As a result, aquatic animals living in the surrounding areas are dying out en masse.

9. Consumption of foods containing soy

Recent studies have shown that growing soybeans has a devastating impact on nature. Soybeans have long been used to make milk replacers, sausages, and many other foods. In addition, they are used in the production of soaps and candles.

But not only people eat soy. More than 80% of the crop of this plant is used to feed livestock. It is clear that the demand is huge, so more and more free space is needed to grow it. Do not forget that the territories used for this purpose are cut down and then fertilized with pesticides that cause great harm to natural ecosystems.

10. Food waste

On 28% of agricultural land, food is grown that is destined to be thrown away. Needless to say, how many species of animals and plants that have lost their habitat during the clearing of these territories by humans are on the brink of extinction today?

In addition, due to food waste, 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases enter the Earth's atmosphere every year

Most of the waste comes from food processing, but the percentage of household waste is also very high. For example, people often throw away unspoiled fruits and vegetables simply because they are dented or ugly. Also, products with an unfinished shelf life often end up in the trash when their owners buy fresher ones.

It is not easy to realize that just using antibacterial soaps or buying fruit juices is causing enormous harm to the environment. The above facts once again prove how fragile the ecosystem in which we live is. And even seemingly innocent actions of people can cause the extinction of thousands of species of living organisms.