• What is the environmental impact?
• Types of environmental impact
• Causes of environmental impact
• Examples of environmental impact
• Environmental impact evaluation
• Measures to mitigate environmental impact

We explain what environmental impact is, what types exist, their causes and examples. Also, its measurement and how it can be mitigated.

Our environmental impact is so great that it defines our geological period.

What is the environmental impact?

The environmental impact, anthropic impact or anthropogenic impact encompasses the different effects that human activity and the human life model unleash on the environment natural.

These alterations are so significant and have such a lasting effect on the ecosystems of the world, that many scholars suggest the use of the term anthropocene (that is, linked to the human being) for the current geological period, whose characteristics could not be understood without the environmental impact of our industries.

Environmental impact can have many forms and also different effects on the environment. In general terms, it can be defined as the transformation of the land, maritime and even atmospheric environment as a consequence of different human activities.

Their forms can range from deforestation and the destruction of soils due to mining, to maritime oil spills and the chemical contamination of the atmosphere.

The big problem with this phenomenon is the cost that it has for other life forms, since by destroying its habitats many natural species they perish and become extinct. Thus the biodiversity planetaria, which is one of its great and incomparable treasures.

Furthermore, the future consequences for the sustainability of the life as we know it in the world they are unpredictable. Therefore, the actions taken today could be much more costly for the entire species than we even suspect today.

Types of environmental impact

Environmental impact can be classified according to different criteria, taking into account the changes made in the environment. Thus, it is possible to speak of:

• Negative impact. When it causes damage to the environment or impoverishes its quality.
• Positive impact. When it helps reduce the impact of other initiatives, or allows to sustain the environment practically unchanged.
• Direct impact. When environmental deterioration is the work of human actions.
• Indirect impact. When environmental deterioration is not a direct consequence of human actions, but of the products or waste that it generates, and that unleash a series of unpredictable reactions in the ecosystem.
• Reversible impact. When it is possible to take actions to counteract the change produced in the environment.
• Irreversible impact. When there is no way to undo the damage done to the ecosystem.
• Continuous impact. When it takes place constantly, without stopping.
• Periodic impact. When it occurs only in certain periods of weather.
• Cumulative impact. When it is the result of past and present actions, the effects of which pile up or add up over time.
• Residual impact. When its effects persist over time or persist after measures have been taken to mitigate it.

Causes of environmental impact

Industrial society is based on mass consumption, which produces a lot of waste.

It is inevitable that the way of life of the humanity have some kind of environmental impact. As a species we learned thousands of years ago that we could make life more comfortable, long and fulfilling by adapting the environment to our needs and transforming different materials, instead of adapting ourselves through the very slow evolutionary process, like the rest of the species.

However, not all human activities have the same environmental impact. Many of them are almost innocuous, or have such a moderate impact that the nature you can counteract it in a short amount of time. But there are others that greatly impact the ecosystem, permanently or almost permanently, without giving nature time to correct the damage done.

The economic and production model that has prevailed in the world since Industrial Revolution is based on the massive obtaining of raw Materials and its transformation through different processes. Many of them generate hazardous waste, or by-produce elements that, having no use whatsoever for civilization, are returned to nature in proportions that are impossible to assimilate quickly.

In this way, the causes of environmental impact can be summarized as:

• The unbridled economic and industrial activity of the human being, which had its beginnings around the 18th century and has only grown without stopping.
• The lack of regulation in environmental matters during a good part of the emergence of industrial society, as well as the global economic inequalities that prevent the nations dedicate the same budget to safeguard the environment.
• The construction of a model of society based on the consumption of materials, which generates large amounts of waste, and requires enormous efforts in terms of recycling that not all of us seem willing to do.

Examples of environmental impact

The following cases are examples of environmental impact.

• The deforestation. To provide inputs and raw materials to industries of wood and paper, with which furniture, building materials, pencils and others are made products, we proceed to cut down trees whose growth and maturation required, at least, dozens of years.This leaves many animal species homeless and without sustenance, deprives the soil of the protection of a vegetal layer that absorbs water. In addition, it impoverishes the atmosphere by removing trees from circulation that fix environmental carbon in their bodies (by absorbing CO2). Fortunately, this phenomenon can be combated through reforestation plans, but the rate of felling is usually higher than that of sowing.
• Radioactive materials. The nuclear energy is an important source of electricity employed by many countries in the world, the largest investors being France and Japan. This energy does not pollute in the same way that the fossil fuelsBut it by-produces barrels of plutonium and other radioactive chemical isotopes, which emit toxic particles over hundreds or even thousands of years. Disposing of such waste is difficult, and where radioactive waste deposits are available, surrounding life will always be affected and harmed.
• The atmospheric pollution. Perhaps one of the most dramatic cases of environmental impact is that of the atmosphere, into which we dump several tons of polluting gases daily, a product of industry, the cattle raising and the burning of fossil fuels. Many of these carbon-rich gases, such as methane or carbon dioxide, remain in the atmosphere and prevent the irradiation of the heat, contributing with the climate change; other gases, rich in sulfur, react with the Water and produce acid rain. Those are just a couple of examples of its effects around the world.

Environmental impact evaluation

To measure the environmental impact of different human activities, a technical-administrative procedure known as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is used. It is carried out when the activity is still a project, in order to decide if it should be carried out or if it requires reformulation, based on the ecological cost that its realization will entail.

In many laws EIA has become indispensable in the world. It can be one of the elements required when granting resources or tenders, since the responsibility protection of the environment generally falls on the Condition.

The EIA is prepared by specific and determined project. It takes into account factors such as the type of work, the elements to be used, the procedures, the technologies that it involves, energy demands, etc.

Measures to mitigate environmental impact

According to the organization of activists for the environment Greenpeace, the main considerations to take into account to reduce the environmental impact of our activities are:

• Save money Energy. That is, using the amount of electric power or caloric essential, not wasting it through unnecessarily turned on lights, unnecessarily turned on heaters, or excessively cold air conditioners, to name a few examples.
• Favor green energy. Around 30% of the world's energy generation comes from more environmentally friendly sources than traditional ones Energy sources. That number needs to grow.
• Sustainable construction. Urban expansion must take place in terms that are as harmonious as possible with the surrounding nature and using materials responsibly.
• Use less water. Global water consumption is on the rise, which means that we are dirtying more and more volume of water. We must avoid the waste of white water and treat sewage for its maximum use.
• Consume responsibly. This means distancing oneself from the consumer culture that buys and discards non-stop, generating much more waste than the bare minimum. We must administer with a more sensible criterion.
• Recycle The trash. Garbage separation and recycling policies are vital to reducing the amount of waste and saving on the extraction of new raw materials. There should be serious and accessible policies for recycling at all cities, and projects should prioritize recyclable materials or recycled sources.
• Composting. The organic material Decaying can be reintroduced into the soil and provide nutrients that would otherwise have to be extracted from artificial fertilizers. Eco-sustainable measures like this should be popularized.