A land teeming with lush forestry and fresh air seems like a far reach from the current state of the world. Not too long ago, this was Earth’s reality. However, with the onset of industrialisation, and the subsequent exploitation of our natural resources, our environment rapidly deteriorated. We polluted our atmosphere and contaminated our waterways with oil and debris. Not only did we pose a threat to human health, we also risked the safety of our future. 

Experimenting with elements 

Not long after the Industrial Revolution, the use of nuclear energy arose as an alternative to fossil fuel to combat climate change. Society’s view on nuclear energy became contentious when the largest nuclear disaster to date occurred in Chernobyl in 1986. The explosion of the nuclear reaction caused hundreds to be afflicted by Acute radiation syndrome and many died within a few weeks from this disease (World Nuclear Association, 2022). Following the accident, a 30-kilometre exclusion zone around the power plant was enforced to prevent further contamination to humans. Yet unexpectedly, forest coverage has since increased 1.5 times over (Matsala et al., 2021). In the absence of humans, wildlife appears to be flourishing—in particular, grey wolves are thriving and have become the top predator in the exclusion zone (Itoh, 2018). There remains a lack of research surrounding the long-term implications of radiation on the health of wildlife (Itoh, 2018), good and bad. The negative effects of radiation are evident in the increase of cases of tumour growth and deformed beaks and claws in local birds (Itoh, 2018). The local flora were also negatively impacted with tree rings during the period of the incident indicating that radiation caused a reduction in tree growth (Mousseau et al., 2013). 

Natural disasters becoming more disastrous 

Similarly, the impacts of industrialisation have become especially discernible with the increasing severity of natural disasters; effects of which have been further compounded by climate change. Human activities such as the consumption of fossil fuels has played an overwhelming role in the increase of global temperatures, leading to more extreme weather conditions (Wuebbles & Jain, 2001, Nema et al., 2012). These higher temperatures have consequently amplified the intensity of droughts and fire seasons (Liu et al., 2010). Air pollution levels into some areas cause citizens to be perpetually smothered by smoke.

Nature’s takeover 

As the foundation of Earth, nature has the capacity to reclaim areas that humans once inhabited. In Houtouwan, China, a once-thriving fishing village has now been overrun by vegetation. Almost every inch of the village has been camouflaged by vegetation—only mere silhouettes of the buildings remain amongst the greenery. It makes sense that an open area combined with abundant rain and shine would give way to overgrown vegetation; yet a Banyan tree elsewhere in China managed to slowly take root through even just the cracks of a brick floor. In Bangkok, a half-demolished shopping mall is now an oasis for aquatic life. This did not happen of its own accord; the mall was abandoned when it failed local regulations and was then flooded during monsoon season. Locals then introduced fish to prevent insects from breeding in stagnant waters and it has been flourishing ever since. 

Life is nothing without nature, yet there is a fine line between using nature’s resources for greater good or using it to our demise. There is a dire need to regulate the use of our finite resources. Nature thrives in abandoned places and has the potential to overcome human-inflicted disasters and outlive humanity. 

References

Itoh, M. (2018). Wildlife in the Exclusion Zone in Chernobyl. 177–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70757-0_11

Liu, Y., Stanturf, J., & Goodrick, S. (2010). Trends in global wildfire potential in a changing climate. Forest Ecology and Management, 259(4), 685–697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.002

Matsala, M., Bilous, A., Myroniuk, V., Holiaka, D., Schepaschenko, D., See, L., & Kraxner, F. (2021). The Return of Nature to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: Increases in Forest Cover of 1.5 Times since the 1986 Disaster. Forests, 12(8), 1024. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12081024

Mousseau, T. A., Welch, S. M., Chizhevsky, I., Bondarenko, O., Milinevsky, G.,

Tedeschi, D. J., Bonisoli-Alquati, A., & Møller, A. P. (2013). Tree rings reveal extent of exposure to ionizing radiation in Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. Trees, 27(5), 1443–1453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0891-z

Nema, P., Nema, S., & Roy, P. (2012). An overview of global climate changing in current scenario and mitigation action. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(4), 2329–2336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.01.044

World Nuclear Association. (2022). Chernobyl Accident 1986. World Nuclear Association. https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx

Wuebbles, D. J., & Jain, A. K. (2001). Concerns about Climate Change and the Role of Fossil Fuel Use. Fuel Processing Technology, 71(1-3), 99–119. ScienceDirect. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-3820(01)00139-4