All life on earth has an effect on its environment, including bacteria and giant redwood trees. In recent years, humans have had a greater impact on the planet than any other species. Since the industrial revolution, the detrimental effects we have been having on our planet have been happening so fast and on such a large scale that we haven’t given it time to heal and regenerate.
Since 1950, our energy use and impact on the environment by urbanization, deforestation and acidification of the oceans and agricultural processes has increased at an alarming pace. Biochemistry is a key component of many of these processes. New research is being conducted to find solutions to the growing problems.
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Environmental degradation
The number of resources being consumed by the human population outpaced the earth’s ability to regenerate them in a year in 2017. The most pressing issues that must be addressed to ensure sustainable life on Earth are climate change, destruction of the biosphere, overuse of fertilizer, and agricultural impact.
The amount of nitrogen that has entered the oceans from fertilizers has quadrupled in the past 70 years. This is due in part to an increase in food production and a decrease in natural minerals. This causes acidification of the marine environment, which can result in coral reef bleaching and culling fish populations. This has a devastating effect on marine wildlife, as well as the human food supply.
Despite concerted efforts to slow down some of these processes, the rate that other forms of environmental destruction are worsening at an alarming pace is alarming.
Biochemistry plays a vital role
The delicate processes and cycles that are the foundation of life on earth are affected by how humans use resources. Each of these four spheres is based on biochemistry, and any change to one of them can have a profound impact on the chemical composition.
The lithosphere, also known as the geosphere contains non-renewable minerals and nutrients that are essential for plant growth. It also contains fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, coal, and natural gas. These valuable resources are mined by humans, which can disrupt the composition of the Earth’s lithosphere and increase erosion and sedimentation.
Organisms continually alter the atmosphere through their consumption and expelling of carbon dioxide, oxygen and other chemical compounds. The release of harmful chemicals like carbon dioxide and methane from fossil fuels can alter the balance of the atmosphere and alter the quality and temperature of the planet.
The Biosphere is a collection of all living organisms on the planet. It also includes how they interact with one another. The rate of extinction has increased by 100 percent due to the changes humanity is making on the planet.
The hydrosphere is all the water on earth. It is affected by all the organisms that depend on it. Humans have disrupted this balance by altering surface water flow, mining valuable groundwater, draining wetlands and destroying ecosystems for agriculture. The human use and modification of natural processes is responsible for the disruption to the world’s water system.
Humans have either directly or in indirect ways altered the chemical composition of these systems. A significant increase in fertilizer usage has resulted in an increase in nitrogen levels in soil and water cycles. The by-products of fossil fuel combustion also contribute to an increase in terrestrial nitrogen levels.
The abrupt rise in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere is also due to fossil fuel burning.
Novel Research
Even though the situation is difficult, innovative research is making remarkable progress in addressing some of the problems. New technologies such as fuel cells that produce clean, renewable energy and reduce smokestack emissions are opening the door to a more sustainable economic model.
Carbon capture and Storage (CCS), one of the new technologies that can be used to reduce carbon emissions, is one. It is designed to store carbon produced from fossil fuels in stable geoological configurations underground. The carbon could be stored in structural traps, or dissolved in a suitable fluid.
The development of lithium-ion battery technology using alternative production methods such as nitrogen-dopedcarbon is another new technology that could help reduce carbon dioxide production. This technology has the potential to produce lithium-ion batteries that are faster to charge, more cyclable, and retain more capacity.
Aytac developed an antimicrobial packaging material that can be used to produce sustainable active packaging. This is a popular topic of research. et. (2021). This packaging is biodegradable and sustainably produced. It also has antimicrobial properties, making it an attractive alternative to traditional packaging.
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Future visions
The current world’s resource use is unsustainable. It is time to make massive changes to save humanity and the planet. Even though the pressures of feeding an ever-increasing populace are daunting, it is essential to improve how housing, food, or energy are produced.
The destruction of fertile soils, the water cycle, and our planet’s atmosphere is harming both humanity and all other organisms on earth. While the research into sustainable technologies is encouraging, it is imperative that policymakers across the globe make a concerted effort to find more.
References:
- Chu, E., and Karr J. (2013) Environmental Impact, Concept and measurement. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (Second Edition), 278-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-384719-5.00253-7
- Milman, O. (2015). Scientists warn that Earth’s environmental degradation rate puts life at risk [Online]Our World. Available at: https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/rate-of-environmental-degradation-puts-life-on-earth-at-risk-say-scientists (Accessed on 30 December 2021)
- Paris, S. (2018). Environmental degradation [Online]World Atlas of Global Issues. Available at: https://espace-mondial-atlas.sciencespo.fr/en/topic-resources/article-5A01-EN-environmental-degradation.html (Accessed on 30 December 2021)
- K. Patnaik and R. Badam, Peng, Y. Higashimine, K. Kaneko, T., and Matsumi N. (2021). Extremely fast-charging lithium-ion batteries using bio-based polymer derived heavily nitrogen doped carbon. Chemical Communications. 57, 13704-13707. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CC04931C
- Tyne R. L. Barry P. H. Lawson M. Lawson M. Byrne D. J. Warr O., Xie H. Hillegonds D. J. Formolo M. Summers Z. M. Skinner Z. M. Eiler J. M. Ballentine C. J. (2021). Rapid microbial methanogenesis in the presence of CO2 storage in hydrocarbon reservoirs. Nature. 600, 670-674. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04153-3
- (Aytac Z. Xu J. Pillai S.., Eitzer B. Xu T.. Vaze N.. Ng. K. White J. Chan-Park M. Luo Y. and Demokritou P. (2021). Active Food Packaging: Enzyme and Relative Humidity-Responsive antimicrobial fibres. American Chemical Society. 13 (42), 50298-50308. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c12319)