EXPLORE: Consequences of the Green Revolution

The Green Revolution and Overpopulation

Pesticides are hazardous in large quantities and some are toxic in small quantities. It's easy for these pollutants to circulate through the air, water and land. Photo courtesy of CK-12. 

The Green Revolution also led to environmental impacts to the planet. One such impact was the loss of natural landscapes to farming activities. Forests and other landscapes have been cleared for farming (as well as urban areas). Rivers have been dammed and the water transported by canals for irrigation and domestic uses. Ecologically sensitive areas have been altered: wetlands are now drained and coastlines developed. 

Another impact has been pollution. Modern agricultural practices produce a lot of pollution from pesticides and fertilizers. Dead zones grow as fertilizers drain off farmland and introduce nutrients into lakes and coastal water ways. Farm machines and vehicles used to transport crops produce air pollution because they run on fossil fuels. Moreover, many types of pollutants easily cycle between the air, the water and the land. As a result, the entire earth system is affected; not location or organism - not even polar bears in the remote Arctic - is free from pollution.

The Green Revolution helped the human population to grow. The increased numbers of people have impacted other resources as well. Humans need clean water, shelter and a place for waste. A large percentage of people expect much more than to simply have their basic needs met; this has led to an overconsumption of resources by some members of the human population.

For about one quarter of the world's population, there is an abundance of food, plenty of water, and a secure home. Comfortable temperatures are made possible by home heating and cooling systems, rapid transportation by cars, instant communication and many other luxuries. All of these require resources to be produced, primarily powered by fossil fuels. The production and use of these materials produces waste that must be disposed of. 

Source: Overpopulation and Overconsumption. Retrieved from http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Earth-Science-Concepts-For-High-School/r16/section/13.3/ on December 27, 2013.