HES4810
Assignment 2
Exceptional Answers
Unique No: 571104
Due 02 July 2025
,HES4810
Assignment 2
Due date: 02 July 2025
Unique number: 571104
Impact Mitigation and Management
Question 1: Human Activities and Their Detrimental Effects on Environmental
Aspects
Human activities significantly impact environmental aspects, leading to long-term
ecological consequences. Drawing from the HES4810 Lessons, this section identifies
three ways human activities detrimentally affect climate, topography, soil, geology, and
plant and animal life, supported by critical analysis and scholarly evidence.
1.1 Climate
The climate is profoundly altered by human activities, contributing to global warming
and ecosystem disruption. Three detrimental impacts include:
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Industrial activities, transportation, and
deforestation release carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄), intensifying the
greenhouse effect. For instance, the burning of fossil fuels in power plants
contributes approximately 30% of global CO₂ emissions (IPCC, 2014). This
disrupts climate patterns, leading to extreme weather events and rising sea
levels.
• Deforestation: Clearing forests for agriculture or urban development reduces
carbon sinks, exacerbating climate change. The Amazon rainforest, for example,
has lost 17% of its area in the last 50 years, diminishing its capacity to sequester
CO₂ (Nepstad et al., 2008).
• Urbanization and Heat Island Effect: Urban sprawl increases local
temperatures through the heat island effect, where concrete and asphalt absorb
, and radiate heat. Studies show urban areas can be 2–5°C warmer than rural
surroundings, altering regional climates (Oke, 1982).
Critical Analysis: These activities reflect a prioritization of economic growth over
environmental sustainability. The failure to adopt renewable energy or reforestation
initiatives perpetuates climate instability, with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable
populations.
1.2 Topography
Human activities reshape topography, often with irreversible consequences. Three
detrimental impacts include:
• Mining Activities: Open-pit mining and quarrying alter landforms, creating
artificial depressions and spoil heaps. For example, gold mining in South Africa
has transformed landscapes, reducing natural slopes and increasing erosion
risks (McCarthy, 2011).
• Urban Development: Construction of infrastructure, such as roads and
buildings, levels hills and fills valleys, disrupting natural drainage patterns. This
can lead to flooding, as seen in urban areas like Johannesburg during heavy
rains (Dyson, 2009).
• Agricultural Terracing: While intended to prevent erosion, improper terracing
can destabilize slopes, leading to landslides. In Ethiopia, poorly designed
terraces have increased soil loss in some regions (Nyssen et al., 2009).
Critical Analysis: These alterations prioritize short-term utility over long-term
geomorphological stability, often ignoring the cascading effects on water systems and
biodiversity.
Assignment 2
Exceptional Answers
Unique No: 571104
Due 02 July 2025
,HES4810
Assignment 2
Due date: 02 July 2025
Unique number: 571104
Impact Mitigation and Management
Question 1: Human Activities and Their Detrimental Effects on Environmental
Aspects
Human activities significantly impact environmental aspects, leading to long-term
ecological consequences. Drawing from the HES4810 Lessons, this section identifies
three ways human activities detrimentally affect climate, topography, soil, geology, and
plant and animal life, supported by critical analysis and scholarly evidence.
1.1 Climate
The climate is profoundly altered by human activities, contributing to global warming
and ecosystem disruption. Three detrimental impacts include:
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Industrial activities, transportation, and
deforestation release carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄), intensifying the
greenhouse effect. For instance, the burning of fossil fuels in power plants
contributes approximately 30% of global CO₂ emissions (IPCC, 2014). This
disrupts climate patterns, leading to extreme weather events and rising sea
levels.
• Deforestation: Clearing forests for agriculture or urban development reduces
carbon sinks, exacerbating climate change. The Amazon rainforest, for example,
has lost 17% of its area in the last 50 years, diminishing its capacity to sequester
CO₂ (Nepstad et al., 2008).
• Urbanization and Heat Island Effect: Urban sprawl increases local
temperatures through the heat island effect, where concrete and asphalt absorb
, and radiate heat. Studies show urban areas can be 2–5°C warmer than rural
surroundings, altering regional climates (Oke, 1982).
Critical Analysis: These activities reflect a prioritization of economic growth over
environmental sustainability. The failure to adopt renewable energy or reforestation
initiatives perpetuates climate instability, with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable
populations.
1.2 Topography
Human activities reshape topography, often with irreversible consequences. Three
detrimental impacts include:
• Mining Activities: Open-pit mining and quarrying alter landforms, creating
artificial depressions and spoil heaps. For example, gold mining in South Africa
has transformed landscapes, reducing natural slopes and increasing erosion
risks (McCarthy, 2011).
• Urban Development: Construction of infrastructure, such as roads and
buildings, levels hills and fills valleys, disrupting natural drainage patterns. This
can lead to flooding, as seen in urban areas like Johannesburg during heavy
rains (Dyson, 2009).
• Agricultural Terracing: While intended to prevent erosion, improper terracing
can destabilize slopes, leading to landslides. In Ethiopia, poorly designed
terraces have increased soil loss in some regions (Nyssen et al., 2009).
Critical Analysis: These alterations prioritize short-term utility over long-term
geomorphological stability, often ignoring the cascading effects on water systems and
biodiversity.
