Discuss three (3) positive and three (3) negative impacts of humans on the biosphere. Which positive and negative impacts do you believe are the most significant to consider. Justify your response.
Negative impacts of humans on the biosphere
The earth is more fragile today than it had been during the course of its long history, spanning 4.5 Billion years. It is the largest biosphere and is currently home to various flora and fauna; the sheer diversity of life on earth is just staggering and made more unique by the fact that life, for the moment, exists only on earth. Humans affect the environment in positive and negative ways. The positive impacts that humans have made on the biosphere are: domesticating animals, using resources to establish new products, and improving agriculture. The negative impacts include global warming, clear cutting forests and using the land improperly, and industrializing the resources that are available.
stating that “China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States” (CNN 2018). Figure 4 shows the observed, reported and expected capabilities China has or is likely to have from its four most equipped islands: Woody island in the Paracels and Firey Cross, Mischief and Subi Reef in the Spratlys. Once these capabilities are fully operational, China will have comprehensive control over the region. This military capacity gives China the upper hand in diplomacy and as of present, has granted it immunity from abiding to international arbitration. Further militarization has shown China’s commitment to its sovereignty claims and the lack of commitment it has to abiding by UNCLOS. The long-standing failure to comply with international law sends a signal that China does not see it as legitimate. Moreover, China’s increasing military confidence in the region suggests it does not fear U.S. or multilateral attempts to impose it.
Despite China’s assertive position in the region, this has not stopped U.S. intervention. In reaction to the reclamation and militarization of islands, the U.S. has conducted several FONOPs throughout the region. By sending its military vessels within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese reclaimed islands, the U.S. seeks to excise the right to freedom of navigation in international waters and demonstrate the illegitimacy of China’s claim to territorial seas. Since May 2017, the U.S. has conducted a total of six FONOPs, triggering aggressive responses from China on multiple occasions (CFR 2018). Most notably, in September 2018, a Chinese warship, Luyang sailed within 45 yards of U.S. destroyer, the USS Decatur, while it was conducting a FONOP around Gaven Reef in the Spratly Islands. The move was met with condemnation, with U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman, Commander Nate Christensen saying the Chinese destroyer had approached in “an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the South China Sea” (Hutchens 2018). China’s defence ministry responded saying that the operation was a “serious threat to China’s sovereignty and security, seriously damaging Sino-U.S. military ties and seriously harming regional peace and stability” (BBC 2018). The U.S. sees FONOPs as vital in maintaining its interests in the region, and increased commitments to the Asia-Pacific region have shown a willingness to engage in the region. U.S. PACOM Commander, Chief Admiral Harry B. Harris JR, expressed a conti