how human actions have consequences in all aspects of a natural system
CHANS is the concept that humans have interactions and connectivity with natural systems. Instead of focusing on the ecological, socio-ecological, and economic factors of a natural system, the CHANS study focuses on all of them together at the same time and how they affect each other. CHANS demonstrates how human actions have consequences in all aspects of a natural system.
We can see how human interaction is affecting global ecosystems by looking at commercial aircraft. There are thousands of flights around the world every day non-stop. According to the article, Airplane Emissions, “Airplanes could generate 43 gigatonnes of planet-warming pollution through 2050, consuming almost 5 percent of the world’s remaining carbon budget” (Emissions, Par. 1). Airplane jet engines produce CO2, which is the most prevalent manmade greenhouse gas. The United States alone is responsible for nearly half of the worldwide CO2 emissions from aircraft. The CO2 goes into the atmosphere and results in global warming. CO2 traps the radiation of the sun from bouncing back into space and gets trap inside the atmosphere resulting in the climate’s temperature to increase. This has resulted in species disappearing completely and whole ecosystems to change drastically. For example, the massive fires in Australia that occurred this January 2020. According to the article, Australia’s Weird Weather is Getting Even Weirder by Umair Irfan, Climate change has caused the climate in Australia to be hotter and drier. This created the perfect conditions for large parts of the country to catch fire and the reason it was difficult to stop the fires. (Irfan,2020, Par.2). Thousands of animals died, and millions of acres of land were burned.
Another problem being created by CO2 is the melting of the Glaciers in Antarctica. As the temperatures rise because of global warming, these glaciers melt. This results in the sea level increasing and damage to coastal land. Airplanes are not the only factor at fault for global warming. The emissions from aircraft do contribute a whole lot to the problem. Imagine the number of planes that fly every day around the world. If we stopped the aircraft from flying to reduce CO2 emissions, it would create a catastrophic economic collapse. People would not be able to fly anymore, and we would not receive our Amazon packages on time.
When it comes to organizational coupling, this example causes vulnerability to the ecosystems of the world because climate change is causing temperatures to rise globally. Under couplings across spatial scales, the effects of local human action can result in consequences in other parts of the world. This example causes an impact all around the world. Aeroplane emissions help create global warming around the world. It would be almost impossible to try to reduce aircraft emissions unless we can develop an engine in the future that produces less CO2 emissions. Ultimately, we all need to find a solution to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. Global warming is destroying ecosystems around the world.
Airplane Emissions. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2020, from https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/transportation_and_global_warming/airplane_emissions/
Irfan, U. (2020, January 15). Climate change is making Australia’s weird weather even weirder. Retrieved January 16, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/2020/1/15/21065557/australia-fires-climate-change-weather-extreme-heat-drought-flood