Human-environment interaction is an
overarching theme in Geography. It can
be described as interactions between human social systems and ecosystems. It
concerns the numerous relationships (both positive and negative) between people
and their surroundings. These systems are complex as they have many parts and
are interconnected. Importantly, the type of society strongly influences
people’s attitude towards nature, their behavior and, in turn, their impact on
ecosystems. Characteristics of human
social systems comprise of population size, social organization, values,
technology, wealth, education, and knowledge.
The relationship of man and environment is
bi-directional, meaning that human beings are affected by the environment and
they also affect the environment.
People modify the natural world for their
purposes so that can obtain as much benefits from it as possible. Ecosystem
services are essential human wellbeing, including the provision of resources
like water, timber, food, energy, and land for farming.
Nevertheless, people’s actions have
consequences on the environment. Undoubtedly, there exist a link between human
activities and environmental degradation. The state of the environment has been
significantly changed due to human activities. The activities have also exerted
tremendous pressure on our natural world due to driving forces such as
socio-economic and socio-cultural forces.
Furthermore, it relates to how people
adapt behaviorally and physically to the environment and, conversely, how they
depend on and modify it. In fact, people have caused such major environmental
change that Nobel Prize-winning scientist Paul Crutzen suggested, in 2000, that
we’ve entered an era known as the Anthropocene.
Depend -
How do we rely on our environment to make our lives better?
We depend on the environment for food
supply; energy source; air; water; natural resources for industry, and
recreation
Modify -
How do we change our environment to fit our needs?
Humans can impact our environment
negatively, including: energy production; overuse of resources threatens
natural balance; intensive agriculture leads to loss of diversity; and industry
leads to pollution of air and water.
Adapt
- How do we change ourselves to live within our environment?
The constituents
of the study of interaction between environment and the human beings include:
1) Physical
Environment which is aspect of natural environment such as climate, terrain,
temperature, rainfall, flora, fauna, etc.
2) Social
– Cultural Environment. It includes all aspects of cultural environment such as
norms, customs, and process of socialization, etc.
3) Environmental
Orientations which refer to the beliefs that people hold about their
environment.
4) Environmental Behavior refers to the use of environment by people in the course of social
interactions.
5) Products
of Behavior: These include the outcomes of people’s actions such as homes,
cities, dams, schools, etc. Thus, these are products or outcomes dealing with
the environment.
A relevant example of a human-environment
interaction relates to climate change. Scientists wholeheartedly believe that
there is evidence suggesting human activities have contributed to continuing
changes in global temperatures and climates. Moreover, an attempt has been made
by people to change these actions. In terms of adaption, speculatively, people
will be forced to adapt to the effects of climate change in the coming decades.
Human-environment interactions entail how the
natural environment shape, control, and constrain human systems by referring to
natural hazards that disrupt human activity and how human decision-making and
processes shape and, even change, the natural environment, including
ecosystems, river systems, vegetation, and climate.
Sustainability
One thing is for sure, there is a greater
concern about whether social and ecological systems can coexist in a
sustainable manner. This has ultimately led to implementing the sustainability
concept. It relates to whether and how human activities can exist without
disrupting the ability of natural ecosystems to properly function.
The environment is a naturally-given
capital, but it is exhaustible. Thus it is our duty to use resources
sustainably and judiciously in order to properly conserve it for future
generations.
Environmental
concern
Nowadays there is a greater and growing
concern about the deteriorating quality of environment. Fortunately, efforts
have continually been made to improve the quality and to ensure the sustainable
use of resources. The effect of human activities is long-term and irreversible
and will affect the lives of generations to come.
We don’t always realize that even our simple activities play an inevitably role in degrading
the environment. All billions of people living on our planet affect the
environment in some form or another. The majority of people, through their
unsustainable activities, have a collective, negative effect on the environment
in which we live. An appropriate example is air pollution.
Water, a natural resource, is a finite
resource that isn’t being replenished fast enough.
We must help to sustain our planet for not
only our own lives but also for future generations to come. The only way that
this will take effectively place, is if theirs is equilibrium between the
humans and their activities and the environment.
References
Man-Environment Interaction – Module V.
Social and Applied Psychology.
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