Two Broad Types of Environmental Stress

Two Broad Types of Environmental Stress

1. Natural Stress (or "natural hazards") -- Common examples:

Volcanic eruptions (Mt. Pinatubo, 1991)

Earthquakes

Drought (U.S. summer of 1988)

Snowstorms

Floods (Mississippi R., 1993) Human draining of many wetlands in upper Mississippi River watershed has worsened flooding.

   Forest fires    Long-term policy of extinguishing fires has allowed accumulation of dead wood, now making forest fires worse.

However . . . human activities can change the magnitude and frequency of some "natural hazards". Hence, for instance, some floods and some forest fires are not solely the doing of Nature (or what insurance companies refer to as "Acts of God"). To better understand how humans can contribute to "natural" stresses, read "Natural Disasters-- At the Hand of God or Man?" [1,100 words] (alternate site)

2. Human-Induced Stress (mainly caused by humans) -- Examples:

Land use dominated by autos

Urban air pollution

Acid rain

Soil erosion

Pesticide poisoning

Deforestation

Livestock factory farms

Coral reef destruction

Species extinction

Bears' perspective...

Optional online reading

"There Can Be No Escape From Nature," George Monbiot, Guardian of London, 2 November 2000.

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Thomas Detwyler maintains this page (tdetwyle@uwsp.edu)
Last updated 23 January 2001