Today most of the studies focus on how and why humans have altered the environment and their impact on the sustainability of the ecosystem. Most of the development occurs disregarding the environment through the extreme application of possibilism. A school of thought in human geography states Possibilism has over emphasized the role of culture and civilization. The role of the environment is neglected; it may lead to environmental loss which will result in environmental problems if we continue to act against nature. As a result, many disasters such as climate change due to pollution, greenhouse gas emission, and landslide may occur in the world.
The great geographer, Paul Vidal de la Blanche, states that the environment sets limitations for cultural development but it does not completely define culture. Culture instead is defined by the opportunities and decisions that humans make in response to dealing with such limitations (Briney,2020).
Environmental Possibilism since the climate change on account of adding extra CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are being contributed around the globe due to them passive infrastructure development and the economic demand the values of the countries around the world relevant to the human activities must adjust to control the effects of climate change on the environment (Gomeseria,2018). Possibilism are not economically viable against the environment. For example, rice cultivation in the rain fed area is possible but not economically viable. It is a world-wide feature that many developing and developed countries in the world today transcend environmental boundaries. Large-scale construction has completely changed the natural environment of the environment. Rapid developments in concepts such as modernization, globalization, and industrialization are polluting the environment. Also, related explosions, fires, etc. are harmful to human beings as well as the environment. The results are not short-lived but long-term.
Development in the modern period has given birth to industrialization, urbanization, modern transportation systems, Agriculture, Housing etc. When the West developed, it did so perhaps in ignorance of the environmental impact of its activities. Evidently such a path is neither practicable nor desirable. The developing world now faces the challenge of developing without environmental degradation (Bhardwaj,n.d)
Following examples emphasize how the human-environmental relationship has deteriorated as people consider the extremist approach of possibilism in this way.
- 1984 gas leak at a factory in Bhopal, India: Approximately 5,000 died, another 50,000 were affected and at least 1,000 were blind
- Horizon oil spill in the deep water zone of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010; considered one of the biggest environmental disasters in American history. Beaches, wetlands and estuaries, floating booms, controlled burns, and the spread of oil using 1.84 million gallons (7,000 m3) of U.S
- The 1986 nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl, Ukraine; 10-day fire caused a large amount of radioactive material to be released into the atmosphere and a large cloud of radioactivity to form.
- 1979 America’s own dissolution; a significant accident in the history of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants.
- London’s killer fog
- Johnstown Dam Failure May 31, 1889
- 2021 Suez Canal obstructions due to the blocked of Ever Given ship
- Laos dam failure in 2017
- Mariana dam failure in Brazil, 2015
- Francis dam failure in 1928, California
Humans need to be more careful when dealing with nature as they look at the consequences of major disasters around the world, such as dam bursts, nuclear explosions, gas leaks, and oil spills. It is important to keep in mind that in today’s world of technology, mathematical methods, modern computer technology, etc. are in more advanced use, but the environment is above all else. It is more effective for man to build a reservoir by crossing a flowing river and connecting two hills with a dam. This is because it has the potential to generate water for human agriculture as well as hydropower for daily consumption. Yet man must not be selfish in doing all this. Nature also has an affordable size.
A reservoir cannot store too much water. Also, when constructing a dam, one should be more concerned about its quality, or the dam can break during heavy rains. As a result, the human-environmental relationship breaks down. This should be taken into account during nuclear testing as well as in oil transport. Oil spills into the ocean are increasingly destroying marine resources. Also, toxins enter the body of fish. After eating these fish, human beings have to suffer the consequences. A large gas leak releases toxic chemicals into the environment. Toxic gases that are harmful to the body as well as to the plants that mix with the atmosphere are harmful to the biodiversity of the earth due to their long-term dependence on the atmosphere. It also causes acid rain. As a result, the relationship between the environment and human beings is broken.
Finally, in a technologically advanced society, people do not have to be submit to the environment, as in the Stone Age. It is necessary to change the environment and carry out development activities. But it must be a sustainable development. Destroying the environment completely and thinking only of one’s own development have devastating consequences. That is the extremist approach to feasibility. To prevent this, it is important for human beings to respect and nurture the environment.
References
Bhardwaj A, (n,d). Ability enhancement compulsory course on environmental studies [online]. Available from, https://www.scribd.com/document/458838909/BEVAE-181-E-pdf
Briney A. (2020) what is environmental determinism? A topic later replaced by environmental possibilism [online]. Available from, https://www.thoughtco.com/environmental-determinism-and-geography-1434499
Edgardo M & others. (2020) Dam failure and a catastrophic flood in the Mekong basin (Bolaven Plateau), southern Laos, 2018.
Gomeseria R. (2018) environment possibilism [online]. Available from,https://www.academia.edu/36077919/_Environment_Possibilism_
Monnier J. (2021) What was the Deepwater Horizon disaster? [online]. Available from, https://www.livescience.com/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-disaster.html
Wright A. (2013) The Top 20 Biggest Man-Made Disasters: A collection of the biggest disasters we caused to the Earth [online]. Available from, https://medium.com/@audrey96928626/the-top-20-biggest-man-made-disasters-37f7f2a1ed2
Possibilism in Geography perspectives in Human geography UPSC [online]. Available from, https://www.onlyiasexam.com/2019/09/possibilism-in-geography.html?m=1 accessed in 02nd November 2021
