Research & Reviews: Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences
MenuISSN: 2347-7830
ISSN: 2347-7830
+44-7723-59-8358 Ali Mahmoudpou*
Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis Alumni, Concord Crescent, London
Received: 18-Jun-2023, Manuscript No. JEAES-23-103047; Editor assigned: 20- Jun-2023, Pre QC No. JEAES-23-103047 (PQ); Reviewed: 04-Jul-2023, QC No. JEAES-23-103047; Revised: 27-Jul-2023, Manuscript No. JEAES-23-103047 (R); Published: 03-Aug-2024, DOI: 10.4172/2347-7830.12.3.001
Citation: Mahmoudpou A. The Impact of Human Life on the Destruction of the Environment. RRJ Ecol Environ Sci. 2024;12:001.
Copyright: © 2024 Mahmoudpou A. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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In this article, the historical role of humans in interacting with the plant, animal and climatic environment is briefly examined and the growing process of environmental destruction and transformation in parallel with the advancement of technology and population increase is analysed. In prehistoric times, it refers to the genetics and innate instincts of other creatures that have lived on earth millions of years ago according to instinctive behaviours and played their role in the food chain and maintaining the ecosystem. The relative stability of natural landscapes in the absence of early humans and their gradual deterioration parallel to the expansion of human civilizations is the main topic of discussion. The effects of environmental destruction in all eras indicate the totalitarianism, competition and power-seeking of humans compared to wildlife, each of which is satisfied with its sustenance and share. Disrupting the natural circulation of the ecosystem for all the inhabitants of the planet is caused by abnormal human behaviours, which have been increased significantly in the last two centuries. The progress of science and the expansion of industrial societies, by changing habits and lifestyles and making consumers dependent on industrial goods, create consequences that impose negative and irreparable effects on the environment and all its inhabitants and creatures.
Ecosystem; Abnormal human behaviours; Inhabitants; Powerseeking; Human civilizations
Abbreviations
A glimpse on human vs. wildlife
Compared to other creatures, humans have many physiological advantages and disadvantages. Vulnerability to weather changes forces them to prepare clothes and compensate for their deficiencies. Fingers and thumb movement is an extraordinary characteristic that only monkeys relatively possess. Vulnerability to microbes makes humans more fragile than even the weakest birds and insects. A bird easily swallows an unwashed and uncooked earthworm and drinks water from any water hole and flies away. Mankind is not able to live like a sparrow for a single day and survive against environmental pathogens. Human legs are designed only for walking. Knees cannot be used for running and jumping, otherwise have to cope with the consequences of arthritis (diseases and complications affecting the joints) much sooner. No professional athlete or runner has been able to live a long and useful life, and everyone suffers from various complications. Professional athletes have to retire before the age of 30 or they will be left out. Thousands of superior traits can be seen among animals, which humans are incapable of and cannot compete with. All animals do not have all superior qualities and are satisfied and bound by what nature has bestowed upon them [1]. Nonetheless, a clumsy snake can hunt the fastest animals. Greed, insatiability, narrow-mindedness, and jealousy are not common among animals. They don't have a fridge or cooking appliances. A meal with a full stomach is enough for them for the whole day or more in order to leave other animals safe enough from their bites.
Beautiful exceptions are also seen among animals. Mice are known to steal and collect food. Ants, bees, and termites have a social life and live in their special nests, and everyone is diligent in their duties. Whatever it is, a fixed protocol and mechanism is followed by all animals around the world, without using each other's experiences or being trained in a school. The smaller the creatures, the more their number and the higher their reproduction rate. Hierarchy is observed between them and in the food chain, smaller organisms are prey for larger organisms. Changing the balance of their population by humans through destruction and indiscriminate hunting or killing in favor of domestic animals often leads to bad effects. Extinction of a species causes the population of other species to explode [2]. Such imposed changes in the ecosystem cause other direct and indirect events. In these cases, researchers investigate many issues, and their findings are presented in well-documented shows such as secret of survival or the conflict of survival. The role of any creature in its living environment should not be denied, and according to the famous saying, no creature was created without wisdom, and if we are unaware of the wisdom of this creation, it is not a reason that there is no wisdom in it. The study of complex natural mechanisms confirms that nothing was created simultaneously by chance or accident. In the tropical regions of Africa where large herds of elephants live, in years of water scarcity and lack of food, female elephants delay their pregnancy up to seven years in order to control their population according to the available fodder. The gestation period of an elephant lasts three years [3].
Herbivorous creatures are more noble and harmless and avoid any kind of damage to others. They content themselves with a handful of useless grass and unwillingly raise themselves to feed the carnivores. The wisdom of creation and the role of many of them cannot be understood and answered, and in our opinion, they are redundant, insidious and parasites. Vultures, hyenas, flies, etc. have the role of cleaning the remains of the table and the surplus of other animals. Otherwise, garbage and infection would spread all over the world [4]. They have assumed the role of municipal officials and nature recycling workers, but they cannot deal with the human waste of the new age. Nature is full of incredible surprises; the discussion about its various cases does not fit in thousands of books. Beyond these movements and biological diversity, there is a highly codified and unchangeable programming that is instinctively institutionalized in the individuals of small and large organisms, whether plants, animals or microbes. In fact, no matter where you look, it indicates an unimaginable and repeatable miracle [5].
What distinguishes humans from other animals is, first of all, the brain, and its appearance. Animals also have brains, but the brains whose hard drive has the necessary software at their disposal since birth and can be used without education and training. If you teach skills to dogs, dolphins, and circus animals, these skills cannot be inherited and cannot be passed on to their offspring. Whereas the brain of a human baby is zero kilometres and is devoid of any voluntary instincts. Some involuntary behaviours are also under the control of the brain, and complex mechanisms, including the involvement of hormones, automatically control physiological behaviours. A human baby is not able to breathe at birth and immediately turns red and bruised due to lack of oxygen. The pain caused by the midwife's slaps on the child's hips and its reflection in the form of crying and sobbing, causes the start of breathing. Sucking the mother's breast and soiling the swaddle and diaper are among the basic behaviours that are mastered instinctively, and by crying, they communicate hunger and pain and discomfort caused by the wetness of the diaper and skin rash caused by the acid of urine and feces [6].
All other human behaviours are gradually learned and acquired. Without a guardian, a child does not last long. In the microbial and plant world, the means of survival and standing on its own feet is amazing. According to Saadi, the leaves of green trees are in the mind of a conscious person, each page is a book of knowledge reflecting the Mighty God. No matter how much we talk about the wisdom and secrets of these phenomena, the mystery of creation cannot be well explained and understood. It is only among animals that raise their offspring for a while. The bigger the animal, the longer the treatment and rearing of offspring. Smaller animals reach maturity and fertility in a few days or weeks [7].
No animal has as much moral and morphological diversity as humans. Although all normal humans have all the known genes and chromosomes, children of the same family are not alike. The only exception is identical twins who are completely alike but gradually acquire different behaviour and habits. Observing our apparent diversity and complete dissimilarity among millions of different individuals is a wonderful miracle. While on a poultry and cattle farm, individuals cannot be easily separated based on their appearance.
The human brain can be compared to a large hard drive with a very large capacity, in which only the primary operating system is installed and launched. The rest of the memory volume should be gradually stored in it through acquisition. Human behaviour and interaction with fellow humans and the environment have been growing, developing and changing throughout history. Humans can use the information of their predecessors. Although human knowledge cannot be inherited, it is accessible and acquired learning is possible. The changes that have occurred by humans in the last ten thousand years are worth a lot of attention. Though the more primitive, the adverse effects of interactions of human societies have been less and less pronounced. Human temperament and the range of their capabilities and skills bring them together with dependence to each other. Human societies have been formed according to the principle of "one for all, all for one". The exchanges of goods in ancient era were formed based on people's needs for each other and the lack of ability and strength to live alone hence gradually the early societies turned into advanced and populous societies [8].
Nonetheless, the social life is accompanied by many problems and the ugly and hateful characteristics of humans have been institutionalized in all societies. Mankind, with all its advancements and rich knowledge, has not been able to protect itself and its fellow humans in the absence of malice, envy, hatred, greed, narrow-mindedness, malice, hoarding, lies, theft, etc. Each of these attributes is defined by many terms and they are also found in different languages and cultures. If humans adapted the way of interacting with each other and the environment from wildlife and everyone was satisfied with their natural belongings, there would be no need for so many laws, courts, prisons, governments, demarcation between countries, all kinds of political parties, military and armed gatherings, and mass killings. Humans are different and have different thoughts. The sense of competition and power-seeking and hoarding separates them. Everyone thinks about himself and ultimately about his relatives, and the sense of totalitarianism causes the thought and mention of human beings to seek and own more than what the environment has provided for them [9].
A look at the historical conflicts in the Iranian plateau
We are honoured of history and proud of it, which is filled with stories of killings and bloodshed in order to acquire as much wealth as possible and expand its territory. The ultimate goal of an invader is to covet the lands of far and near neighbours, to rule over more people, in order to collect ransom and taxes from small owners and to slave distant nations and tribes in order to abuse and alienate them. In the old days, there was no industry or factory. Agriculture and livestock in the traditional way and with manual tools provided people's lives for thousands of years. Wherever there was flowing water, a small settlement was formed. Large settlements still depend on the existence of running water. The diversity and ease of agriculture in all parts of the world, which started in Mesopotamia and gradually expanded, was affected by running water and rainfall. Lands that had enough rainfall made dry-farming possible in hills and valleys. But in places with little rain, the farmers were always looking at the sky and were willing to sacrifice their children in exchange for rain. Or they prayed to the goddess of rain and worshiped it. The feeding and survival of people and cattle depended on water and rainfall much more than in today's world. The construction of large dams and massive canalization in large areas for water supply were beyond their capabilities.
Providing the bread and the lack of self-sufficiency, stability and food security were primary concerns of human societies, which led them to inhumane and brutal behaviours. When the gathering of families and clans grew bigger and bigger, the white-bearded elders and wealthy individuals reached to the headship and sovereignty because of the responsibility. The tribes who were not able to feed themselves from a fixed area formed the mobile clans who always lived in temporarily settlements. It is obvious that there was a conflict between the clans over the ownership or sharing of a narrow stream and acre of land, and they stood up to defend their natural property or were defeated in front of the invader. Still, fertile lands and rivers are considered the most important wealth of nations, and to protect them, they defend against invaders and bloods are spilled so that not a single piece of barren land falls into the hands of the enemy [10].
If in the small societies of the ancient era, people were reached at sticks and stones to defend their land, gradually the attackers got all kinds of cold weapons, and since the last century, defensive weapons have been accumulated in the hands of nations to the extent that it is enough to kill hundreds of billions of people. Early civilizations presumably started in the Mesopotamia and gradually spread to the colder regions of Europe and the warmer regions of Africa, India, and the Far East. Although small empires with more than five thousand years old can be traced from Egypt to China and beyond, the first empire that was record-breaking in terms of size and military power belonged to the Achaemenid dynasty in Persia. The conflicts between prehistoric clans and tribes and with the same motivation of occupying lands rich in water and grass in order to secure the needs of people and livestock gradually turned into the conquest of the country and ruling over wider borders. In the meantime, slaving the vanquished and looting their property and collecting ransom and tribute from the remaining residents constitute the first industry and the economic foundations of large societies. Such a violent trend has been increasingly occurring for at least the last three thousand years [11].
The important point is that these occupations and rulings were never permanent and were accompanied by revenge and fighting back. In this entrapment and engagements, a large part of the communities was killed, and a large number were raped and taken as slavery. Since time immemorial, jealousy of tribes that owned fertile lands plus greed and encroachment on their properties is a heinous behaviour that has been common and spread among human beings in such a way that they have lost their reputation in front of wildlife. In other words, the larger the borders of a nation, the higher was the amount of murder and bloodshed. It is not without reason that wars and killings between tribes and clans have always been common in these vast lands. Revenge and blood for blood are the reaction of the conquest of the country. Sometimes, these conflicts may occur between two clans and tribes over the right and sharing of a stream or river. But when the governance and tribal kingdoms and the mechanisms of collecting ransom and tribute or collecting taxes from peasants and landowners expand into large scale engagements, then it turns into national conflicts. Blood feuds and revenge may wait hundreds of years like a fire under the ashes waiting for the right opportunity [12].
Considering the vast land of the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires, the three respective clans ruled the largest country in the world for over eleven centuries. The invasion of the borders of the ancient Greeks and the successive wars between the government of Persia and ancient Greece, finally turned into a big failure when the dynasty of the children of Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great were burned by the soldiers of Alexander the Great and they ruled this land for the next seventy years.
The deserts of Arabian Peninsula lacking water and grass were often immune to the consequences of these conquests. Although among Arab tribes, fights for taking over a well or belongings and family members of others were common, and bandits often encroached on the merchandise and caravans of wealthy merchants. Primitive Arabs apparently had no knowledge of the pleasant climate lands of northern Iran and its sunless white women. Sassanid Shapur's ambition to reach the end of the Arabian Peninsula and conquer Hejaz and Yemen was successfully carried out, and the captives were allowed to walk to the pleasant land of Persia, while a rope was passed over their shoulders to keep them bound. This is why the Sassanid conqueror was nicknamed Shapur Zulaktaf (Lord of the Bi-shoulders) by the captives. I see this crisis as a turning point in our land, which a few generations later led to the avenge of the new Muslim Arabs and their unprecedented slaughter; a crime that did not happen in any other nation. Not only did the Arabs set fire to Tisophon's palace and cut the gold woven Baharestan carpet into pieces to divide among themselves. They occupied the land left by the Sassanids for more than two hundred years. They raped, murdered, and slaved millions of innocent people in order to introduce them with their unwanted faith of Islam [13].
The discovery of so-called Imamzadeh tombs in the most remote parts of Iran indicates an invasion that was irreversible. A war that turned into Arab migration and prosperity. Caliph Harun al-Rashid and his son Mamun made Khorasan their capital, and the 8th Imam went to Mamun's court with his offer of assigning him as the next Khalif in line. The seventh Imam, who lived in Iraq and spent his life in prison, is buried in Kazmin, Iraq. He had thirty-seven children, who apparently followed their older brother to Khorasan. The descendants of each one were buried in the corners of the pleasant country generation after generation. The Imam zadehs of Iran have their roots in this migration, who also married many beautiful and well-shaped women and expanded the family tree of the Imam zadegans. Their Seyyid descendants are mostly attributed to Imam Musa Kazem and are called Mousavi. In addition, the beautiful daughter of Yazdgerd III, who was captured in the Arab war, was taken over by Imam III, and their children established the Hosseini family in Iran. There is unconfirmed documentation that the fourth Imam or Ali Oasat (the half-brother of Ali Akbar and Ali Asghar who were killed in the desert of Karbala) is actually the son of Imam Hussein and the grandson of Yazdgerd. This suspicion is the proof of the blood connection and kinship of Iranians with the Imam and strengthens the foundations of Shiism in Iran [14].
Looking at the homelands of the Median and Achaemenid kings, the territory of their ancestors is limited to a region, currently known as Hamadan and Shiraz provinces. The expansion of these borders in the next eleven centuries, which reached tens of times its size, indicates that the territories of the neighbouring tribes were encroached upon and countless tribes were under the control of the invaders despite their inner desire. The elders of a clan may be temporarily or long-term forced to compromise due to their lack of strength and ability to face the invading army and prefer obedience to war, destruction and captivity. The memories of these assaults and killings remain forever among their survivors and are narrated to future generations. The bitter and sweet stories that have never been forgotten and the heroic stories of their heroes have remained in the form of immortal epics and become mythological legends that are no less than the epic of the legends of Shahnameh. All the modern nations that include the current land of Iran and its far and near neighbors have their roots in the ancient clans and tribes that were once captured by Persian emperors. After the defeat of Persepolis and seven decades of rule by the Greek generals, this time it was the turn of the brave men of another Parthian tribe to throw out the Seleucids from the occupied land and build another empire for five centuries, although occupying different and smaller borders. Following their decline, another Mesopotamian clan held a wider rule for more than four centuries [15].
After the encroachment of the Tazi Arabs and their brutal occupation for two centuries, numerous clans and ethnic groups gained power in different areas of this border and region and began to bloodshed more or less depending on the extent of the ancient enmities. The further these clans were from the center of the current Iran, the more bloodshed they caused. The Ghaznavid, Seljuq, and KhwarizmShahi Turks, who formed a great empire, had no relationship to the modern Persia and Iran, but they are considered to be our close neighbors. The view that we have on the history of our Iran in those periods is different from the history that those nations gathered for themselves. If we consider them among our emperors, it is obvious that the Turks of current Turkmenistan or the Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Afghans to have a different attitude. What is certain is that those ancient tribes had the opportunity to revive the territory of their ancestors and expand their borders. Due to the roots of the Turks in those dynasties, in the historiography of the Turkish nation of Turkey, where the Ottoman Empire once had most of the Muslim lands in its territory, in addition to the Ottoman state defined in the history of Iran, it also includes all the borders of the Turkish dynasties ruling Iran. In addition, the Aq Quyunlu, Qara Quyunlu, Safavi, Afshar, and Qajar dynasties are also derived from Turkish clans, which should be seen how the historians of Turkey describe them to their fanatical nation [16].
Other clans that came to power were Samanids from Herat, Saffaris from Sistan and Zandians from Lorestan region. Narratives indicating significant bloodshed and conflict from these governments close to present-day Iran have not been recorded in history, although no occupation and rule has been free of repression, extortion, and destruction of local and central governments and governors. No government has come to power for beneficence and charity, and ransom and tribute have not been free from the force of the sword and bayonet [17].
Among these old conquerors and bloodthirsty, Teimur Gourkani from the city of Samarkand and Genghis Khan and his bloodthirsty children from Mongolia, which was a desert in the old empires, had a strong grudge in their hearts. We should look at the history of those countries today; how they describe their historical myths. Be sure that they are not introduced as offensives and criminals, and they cover up their crimes, and like Darius the Great, they create heroes who define and praise the borders of Uzbekistan and Mongolia a hundred times more than the current situation. In addition to these, we have repeatedly seen a lot of damage from Russia over the past few centuries, which has long had an eye on expanding its territory to the Persian Gulf [18].
Let's go back a little, following the attack of the Arabs into Persia and their two centuries of aggression and looting, the first bloodlust and revenge of the Iranians occurred by a warrior from the Khorasan region named Abu Muslim, who overthrew the Umayyad government and replaced it with their equivalent. Bani Umayyah were the children of Abu Sufyan and Muawiyah, uncle and cousin of the Prophet, and the Caliphs of Bani Abbas were the children of Abbas, another uncle of the Prophet. Both clans were corrupt and plundering Arabs who ruled Persia and the Islamic world for more than four hundred years until the conquest of the Houlaqou Khan of the Mongol.
Brave men such as Babak Khorramdin and Hassan Sabbah with their followers and companions, although they did not have a vast government and territory, they fell out with the Bani Abbas caliphs for several decades, and their story is not related to territory and borders. Because unlike kings and other dynasties, they lived in castles and were like a thorn in the eyes of the central government and accused of rebellion. The devotees of Hassan Sabbah had frightened the Abbasid caliphs and the Seljuk kings with their fearsome network, which is beautifully depicted in the book of God of Alamout.
Unfortunately, according to Jean Gore, the author of Khwaja Tajdar, historiography is only a brief look at the fate of kings and rulers, and like passing over the peaks, it does not pay any attention to the lives of individuals and communities that live in the valleys and low altitudes. Based on my background and studies in the history and changes in respect with agriculture and livestock and the regime of several thousand years of peasant’s vs landlords and what I myself have witnessed in the current changes in the cities and villages of the country in the past six decades, I pointed out the importance of land and water and the production of basic necessities. In the absence of industry and technology of the 20th century and the advancement of electronics in the past few decades, I myself lived sometimes in a ninety-year-old house that was merely made of raw bricks along with clay and straw. These types of buildings represent an ancient way of life that are still seen as old buildings or ancient monuments in many cities. Before the introduction of steel and cement in the construction of houses, whose lifetime in our country could not exceed a century, one can understand the house-building style of the past several thousand years in the old cities, which were razed to the ground many times during the past earthquakes. Buildings made of stone and lime belonged to the rich and rulers. In the villages of the country and in recent decades, with the supply of cement, clay bricks has been replaced by cement blocks that are made manually and ignoring the necessary strength, they make several blocks with a handful of cement and stack them with mud mortar. Although in recent years, apartment buildings have been extended to the villages, but during smaller earthquakes, we notice that many casualties are related to the same block and mud buildings. The nomadic life that covers hundreds of thousands of people in the corners of the country has not yet reached the stage of cement blocks; homes that are built in natural bed of the floodwater fall apart or washed away with a few minutes of downpours and flashfloods [19].
The trend of change in social lifesty
Paying attention to the style of rural house building and its developments in the last six decades that my life spans, it is possible to figure out their farming style. The growth of agriculture has been very slow throughout history and since the last century, it has suddenly witnessed drastic changes due to the growth of industry and the discovery of fossil fuels. Concrete dams, water reservoirs and water supply canals are a process that has been made possible by developed countries and civil engineers and non-agricultural professional forces, and their lifespan does not exceed a century. At the beginning of the last century, the population of the whole world was only one and a half billion, and since then six and a half billion have been added to it. Before that, traditional agriculture was based on dry farming and reproduction of local crops. If we go back two or three thousand years, the process of agriculture and breeding livestock has not changed drastically compared to the last one or two centuries. Population pressure and lack of available land and water prompted the progressive people of the last century to create countless initiatives and inventions in transforming the science and techniques of food production for the ever-increasing population [20,21].
In the past century, although we have witnessed severe political conflicts leading to world wars and military occupation by powerful countries and the fragmentation of small countries into smaller countries around the world, the corresponding campaigns to obtain more water and soil and fertile lands have been minimized. In the past centuries, following the era of Islam and the Renaissance and the dismantling of vast empires such as ancient Greece and Rome, many states emerged in Europe, which did not have enough opportunities to conquer other European countries. Before the European powers were divided into many small countries, all of them with the expansion of their naval forces, became great pirates who turned most of the world into their colonies. In addition to looting the agricultural products of poor nations who were incapable of military defense, the Western looters sought to loot the natural and mineral resources of their colonies. The American continent was the next goal of the colonists in the last two to five centuries, and they were sent from all over Europe to plunder it. As the European immigrants settled in the new continent, the American country was gradually formed, which not only prevented its own exploitation, but also became a great force that freed other colonies as well. With the independence of United States in the last two centuries, this country witnessed countless developments that left an important impact all over the world. After the United States united with the Allies against the hostile Germany, this time we witnessed the birth of a new military power that turned itself into the undisputed ruler of the world under the banner of democracy. The Cold War of the second half of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of two big military and nuclear giants. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, it became clear that military power and having more nuclear bombs were not the reason for superiority, but economic power and capital production became more important. In the third millennium, however, human greed has led to modern totalitarianism, which has turned a small number of countries into economic and military giants. More than seven billion people all over the world are just plain consumers. Every day that passes, the advancement of industry, technology, and automation has put a large number of workers out of work, and the world is becoming increasingly available to technicians and hardware and software engineers.
Science and knowledge have advanced a lot and people's lifestyles have changed. Nonetheless, problems are added to human life day after day while new solutions solve a problem and become a new problem. The main reason for the problems and required changes is the increase in population and consumers of products and producers of waste. China and India each have more than 1400 million consumers and need unlimited raw materials and energy. In the meantime, the earth and the home for all creatures have undergone many anomalies that have narrowed the field for all its inhabitants. Without having a role in the occurrence of problems, plant and animal creatures have become victims of greed and pure instincts of human beings.
Engineers and scientists are highly educated people who strive to provide the needs of consumers. Before they can solve a problem, they themselves become part of a new problem, which is often inevitable and irreversible.
Lifestyle of wildlife and the impact of humans in its disturbance
As mentioned earlier, wild animals that have coexisted on earth for millions of years follow a programmed and heritable instinct. Any disturbance in the process of survival and reproduction of animals has occurred due to the influence of human beings. Through indiscriminate hunting and by disrupting the environment, humans have forced many creatures to become extinct or face the risk of extinction. Human totalitarianism towards the environment has always been to the detriment of the old inhabitants and the original owners of nature. The pristine nature that has been turned into private properties and farms by the will of mankind has caused the expulsion or destruction of creatures that had a natural territory for themselves. Contrary to human expectation, which is beyond his understanding, wild creatures stick to a certain territory and defend that territory against aggressors and are bound by their rights. This phenomenon has been documented in specialized studies of nature's large predators. Animals feel the presence of other animals with their very strong senses. You may have observed animals sniffing and following the tracks of other animals. They determine the boundaries of their territory by spraying various substances secreted from their bodies, including urine residues, like an invisible wall. The encroachers to the natural territories are confronted or they refuse to enter it by understanding the non-individual's territory. Each territory may consist of different animals. In other words, the territory of one animal may overlap with the territory of a number of other different species.
A wide hierarchy can be seen among animals, which consists of countless animal species and each of them plays a specific biological and ecological role. A large number of animals make their living by hunting their prey. There is usually enough food for all of them in nature unless humans have disturbed the natural movement and coexistence of animals by occupying parts of nature. In the eyes of humans, all animals that do not deserve to be domesticated or hunted and fed are considered harmful and disturbing creatures. For example, from a pair of small creatures belonging to the rodent family, which includes countless species, up to seventy thousand babies may be produced every year. These figures are only an estimate and in practice it may be significantly different from the reality. What is certain is that these figures reflect the high reproduct ive capacity of rodents.
Rodents such as mice and rabbits, with teeth designed for permanent chewing, are continuously chewing on various plant materials. Their required food are abundantly found in nature and if chewing stops, the teeth continue to grow and cause disruption in the animal's biology. When the territory of these animals is conquered by humans and turned into a farm, in order to produce a certain product, it should be expected that the corresponding product will be attacked by rodents. While naturally, they feed on weeds and wild plants whose growth must be controlled by those rodents. The ecological and biological cycles of wild animals or wildlife, which consists of hundreds of millions of different microbial and animal species, are very complex and amazing, although they may not be noticed in the neglected eyes of humans. In addition to rodents, there are hundreds of millions of species of insects and other types of arthropods that feed on plants or other creatures in nature.
Each of these animals, whether microscopic, small or large, whether herbivorous or carnivorous and predatory, were not created without wisdom. All of them instinctively play a specific biological and ecological role and task. All of them feed on their special diet and grow and reproduce. Plants that are formed by feeding on the decomposed remains of animals and plants along with water and other minerals and gases in the atmosphere, are fed by countless numbers of animals. Many of these plants do not play a role in feeding humans and humans do not play a role in their production and breeding. Nonetheless, destroying natural lands and forests in order to create fields and pastures removes a large part of food resources from the reach of a large number of organisms. It is obvious that the plants grown in these farms are attacked by various organisms, which are considered pests in the eyes of selfish humans. In addition to the creation of farms, human beings continuously take large parts of nature out of their natural state and turn them into cities, villages, roads, commercial, industrial, and military areas. Many of these animals driven from these areas are destroyed and removed from their ecological cycle.
All these insidious and disturbing animals and plant pests are prey and special food for other creatures. In other words, the reproduction of seventy thousand rodents from a pair of male and female in one year, which only defines a certain ability, determines the food source of other organisms whose task is to hunt and feed on smaller animals. Any disturbance in the reproductive process of animals causes disturbance in natural ecological cycles, which leads to the elimination and extinction of certain species and the vulnerability of other species. Farms, orchards, livestock farms, poultry production and breeding centers, or any type of food consumed by humans, are obviously always vulnerable to the invasion of various types of wild creatures.
The progress of industrial societies and new agricultural approaches and their negative impacts on the environment
In pristine and natural wildlife, it is never expected that the reproduction of organisms will lead to an outbreak. But we often face such outbursts. The causes of these outbreaks should be sought in the aggressive approaches of humans. Eliminating a certain population of insects by continuous spraying causes the destruction or increase of the population of other species. Ecological cycles and food chains of organisms, whose number and diversity are beyond our ability and thinking, have subtle connections that in case of sudden destruction of one species, it is accompanied by the proliferation and outbreak of another species or even the risk of destruction and extinction of useful species. Mites are plant pests, and some of them are parasites of aphids, and by penetrating the aphid's body, they feed on it and after the death of the host aphid, they leave its body behind. Such an interaction has a special feature and a specific species of mite attacks and feeds on specific species of aphid.
Spraying against the mite, which is a plant pest, also kills the aphid parasitic mites. After a short period of time, the aphid population that was controlled by the mite is increased. In the case of spraying against aphids, the prey of mites that feed on aphids is reduced and useful mites are in danger of being destroyed or becoming pests themselves. Knowing this, when spraying against aphids, farmers add acaricides (miticides) to it at the same time. The result is that both pest and non-pest animals are killed and there is a disturbance in their population cycle, which eventually leads to resistance to pesticides, or the population increases of other pests. In modern organic agriculture, it is recommended to use beneficial insects and predators instead of agricultural pesticides. A small issue should be noted here that aphids with three pairs of legs are considered insects, but very small mites with four pairs of legs are not insects. Both groups belong to the higher category of the arthropod.
Spraying with agricultural pesticides is a solution invented by scientists in the 20th century. The purpose of this solution is to protect plants that are fed by humans. During the hundred years of the last century, many industries were created and countless scientists, engineers and technicians were engaged in work and research. Thousands of different types of pesticides and thousands of spraying tools were invented, produced, and supplied on manual, motorized, mechanical and aerial scales. Chemicals such as DDT were used with very strong effects on large levels against various pests, which were able to kill any insect and mite immediately. After decades of widespread use of DDT, scientists faced a problem that indicated the extreme stability of this harmful chemical in the ecosystem. DDT was a poisonous chemical that was used in third world countries routinely by farmers and gardeners who were satisfied with the control of nuisance creatures. The stability of DDT in biological and ecological cycles and its transfer from farm soil to surface and underground water and polluting river water and reaching the sea and being fed by fish and marine creatures and returning to the table of consumers is amazing. The important point is that this substance is highly carcinogenic and has killed countless people in the world. It has been decades since the production and use of DDT has been banned in the world, but there have been farmers and gardeners who have been using it illegally in places where law enforcement is difficult. Perhaps there have been incidences of cancers that have been blamed to other causes without sufficient investigation while DDT has been ignored. This chemical was widely used in Pakistan. Transgenic cotton has also been widely cultivated in Pakistan, and opponents of the use of transgenic cotton have reported suspected cancerous diseases among Pakistani cotton workers. In my opinion, it is not unlikely that such disorders are still connected with new or old use of DDT. It may only be diluted in nature and reach an undetectable level, but it maintains its stability and effectiveness for decades.
Human's continuous effort to preserve plants and producing as many plant products as possible has been accompanied by countless approaches. There have been many cases like the above discussion about DDT, where the losses and consequences of scientific and research approaches have been much more than their beneficial role. In the third millennium, great steps have been taken to prevent the excessive consumption of pesticides. The use of useful insects and microorganisms to combat plant pests and the use of breeding in developing crop species resistant to various diseases and pests have been put on the agenda of researchers and many successes have been achieved. The primary beneficiary of these products is the producers who own the seed production companies. Anyway, no plant may be bred to be resistant to different types of diseases and pests. Therefore, numerous cultivars should be modified to be propagated in different regions of the region. Banning of a product like DDT is certainly faced with the resistance and reflection of a large range of producers, sellers and workers who have benefited from this chemical for decades, because they have to spend a huge amount of money and efforts to replace the production line of a substance with another product.
Let us go back a bit. There was a talk about the outbreak of some animal species, which was mentioned in respect to the population of aphids and mites. There are many cases in pest and disease control of crops, where the control of organism or microorganisms would cause damage and disruption of the natural balance of organisms and microorganisms. In older days, mankind with its small population was relatively peaceful with its environment. In the absence of agricultural machinery and modern irrigation systems, small-scale farms and gardens were managed in traditional ways and had to get along with low tonnage and productivity. Agricultural products were not transported over long distances and out of season; they were satisfied with whatever was produced locally and could be kept. The basic methods of storing products and food were practiced in everyone's home. In the absence of hunting weapons, few people could exterminate the population of creatures by using bows and arrows and setting traps.
The indiscriminate killing of wild animals in order to feed or protect domestic animals and remove them to acquire wild territory in order to expand farms has always upset the balance of the population of wild animals. Eliminating a predator species such as wolf to support the flock of sheep and killing foxes to support chickens and roosters would increase the number of small rodents that the same hunters use for prey. Humans have been unfair to their environment and other creatures since time immemorial, and with the expansion of societies in recent centuries, humans have irreversibly tried to dominate the entire nature hence facing the consequences of this cruelty. During the thousands of years of human history on earth, the human population has also been under natural control, although the number of their progeny may have been exceeded more than a dozen.
Although medical science and traditional medicine have been common throughout the world for a long time, infectious diseases caused by bacteria were not very treatable. Until the 20th century, not much was known about the nature of bacteria and their pathogenic mechanism. The wounded were treated with burning iron. The discovery of penicillin in the early 20th century saved the lives of many war-wounded soldiers during the First World War. This drug is still used today, and thousands of other antibiotics have been discovered and developed since then. The control and treatment of infectious diseases caused by bacteria in the last hundred years is the main reason for the increase of more than six billion consumers.
Since the last century, many approaches have been invented to increase the yield and protect agricultural and horticultural products, some of which have been successful in eradicating the environment and agricultural lands. The expansion of farmlands in large areas was possible through the use of agricultural machinery. In this regard, natural pastures and noncultivated lands were cultivated by machines along with the eradication of thousands of years old forests and many fruitless trees were eliminated. Those lands were home for millions of species of small and large creatures, which were killed or driven-away from their natural territory. Today's human generation is facing the consequences of these invasions. Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation with inappropriate water contaminated with harmful salts and industrial wastes have made many lands unusable due to salinity and alkalinity and faced them with desertification. While these lands were the home of wild plants and creatures that lived on those natural pastures for millions of years.
Destructive effects of industrial progress on the environment
Being a beneficiary of a part of the communities in the production and processing and supply of various products for countless consumers is a factor that engages a large range of society in creating various types of disorders in the environment and ecological cycles. In other words, a large part of societies are consumers of products that are directly or indirectly involved in eradication of the ecosystem. Researchers and engineers are constantly trying to produce new products and justify their consumption. Consumers are manipulated by producers and sellers. The economy and job creation are flourished and the products that were unknown not long ago end up in houses, farms, stores, and factories for the convenience of consumers. It won't take long that all of these products to end up in disposal lands as unusable and waste materials.
The trend in consuming lesser paper and saving forest trees that were cut down to produce paper, caused paper bags to be replaced by nylon bags in the last few decades. Every year, millions of tons of disposable plastic materials and products that used to be made from materials other than polymers obtained from crude oil end up in places where it is impossible to recycle them and burning them causes atmospheric pollution. A large part of the daily waste of eight billion consumers is made of petrochemical polymers. The materials used in the production and packaging of food, health, electronics, clothing, household appliances and building materials are made from a variety of polymers, only a few of which can be recycled. Plastic bags, bottles, and plastic containers of all kinds of drinks and mineral water constitute the most plastic waste. Previously, bottles were made of glass, which were washed and reused many times. Injection syringes and serum bottles were prepared from sterilizable and reusable glass. Syringes and plastic serum bags are sometimes recycled, but they are often sent to landfills. Plastic waste has become an unsolvable problem all over the world. If not recycled, burying them requires more than 500 years for decomposition.
In addition to allocating large lands near the cities to accommodate domestic and industrial waste, every year thousands of tons of plastic materials and fetid leachates of organic materials enter the wetlands and open seas through surface waters and rivers, and these pollutants have also made their way to the oceans. By entering the digestive system of aquatic organisms, we witness dying of sea birds and the disturbance of the population balance of these organisms.
The constant change in the way and style of people's consumption by manufacturers and engineer elites who invent new products for their own employment has made consumers a means of eradicating their own ecosystem and environment. The production and supply of new products to provide comfort and convenience to people constantly changes their lifestyle and makes them dependent. Many of these products are not vital, and without them, mankind had lived for thousands of years, but it should be seen how any industrial and consumer approach cause direct or indirect impact on the environment of humans and other creatures.
Exploration of crude oil and consumption of fossil fuels
Access to fossil energy reserves deep in the ground first started in the US in the middle of the 19th century, and a few decades later, its extraction became possible in Iran. In Masjid Suleiman, located in Khuzestan, crude oil sources were so close to the surface of the earth that without drilling and under the influence of pressure, it flowed naturally like a water spring on the surface of the earth. Still, oil plays a disturbing role in people's lives in the residential houses of Masjid Suleiman, and it spontaneously leaks or erupts from the basement or ground floor of the houses and flows into the streets. Ordinary people are not able to collect and sell barrels of oil in foreign markets, and there is no pleasure in dealing with this unpleasant substance. According to ancient documents, preparing bitumen from crude oil flowing on the surface of the earth by drying it exposed to air has been common since the time of Darius the Great, or bitumen was found naturally on the surface of the earth. Also, according to archeological studies, Zoroastrians had built their fire temples in places where natural gas came out of the ground, and they were always burning without producing smoke and ash.
For the first time in Iran, the Englishmen observed crude oil springs in Masjid Suleiman. Since the time of Naseradin Shah, the oil exploration by a British company started commercially, and immediately different companies spread their vicious wings on that prey. A British company known as Darcy began extracting the first oil well in the Middle East in 1287, at the time of Muzaffaruddin Shah. British companies had been taking over this natural wealth of Iran for decades by paying only 16% of their net profit to the Iranian government. In an optimistic view, tens of thousands of residents of the region were employed in oil extraction and an oil refinery was built in Abadan in 1291. With the development of production capacity, Abadan Refinery reached the rank of the largest refinery in the world in the 1330s. The Qajar kings did not have the necessary knowledge, expertise, and policy. At a time when Iran's economy was based on agriculture and livestock in traditional peasant landlord relationship, the income from oil was considered a windfall to pockets of royal family. The cruel deal of the British continued until the nationalization of oil industry as of March 1329 by Dr. Mossadegh. After his historic victory in the court, the respected government encountered bankruptcy and collapse due to an imposed lack of oil trade. Examining the details of the history of oil in Iran is beyond the scope of this discussion, and many articles have been written on this subject by other authors.
The point discussed here is to examine the relationship between the origin of crude oil and its harmful effects on the environment. I have always wished that instead of oil and gas and their ever-looted wealth, our country had a favorable situation in terms of rainfall and its distribution, and almost half of our lands would not be arid desert without any vegetation, and our country would not be classified as a dry and semi-arid region. In my personal opinion, crude oil and fossil fuels are the biggest environmental problems. They have been in the heart of the earth for millions of years, and for thousands of years, no one knew about their existence. There was no sign of atmospheric pollution and its adverse effects on the pollution of farmlands and water sources. There is no historical documentation of countless diseases and mysterious cancers that take the lives of thousands of victims every year and huge amounts of money that are spent on their treatment. Countless environmental problems and anomalies are closely related to crude oil and oil derivatives and the levels of energy extraction from them.
Expansion of transportation systems and increased consumption of fossil fuels
For thousands of years, human civilization has relied on the use of four-legged animals in the field of transportation on land, and until the invention of the first mechanical cars in the 18th century, various types of chariots and carriages were used that were pulled by horses, donkeys, and cows. However, transportation on water has a very ancient history and may be as old as the age of prehistoric humans. The construction of floating boats and their use in transportation on rivers and lakes were started in ancient times. The invention of small and large boats and ships, which were moved by oars and sails, started thousands of years ago and was used to transport passengers and goods. Boats made of wood and sealed with bitumen were common in the old wars of Iran and Greece in the Achaemenid period.
Coal is another fossil fuel that was discovered by mankind hundreds of years ago, and it was used in making steel and heating furnaces and as the driving force of ships and locomotives that had steam boilers. In addition to being used in the steel industry, coal is still used as a source of energy production in factories that do not have access to cheaper fuel. Therefore, severe air pollution through coal burning is not a recent issue. After the invention of the steam engine by James Watt in 1765, steam propulsion was first used in the shipbuilding industry in 1803. Coal burning was used to produce energy in steam-powered ships. A few decades later, many problems of using coal were solved by replacing it with petroleum derived fuels.
Small trains pulled by horses on wooden rails became possible in the 16th century. At the same time, with the invention of the first steam ship in France, the first railway train using the traction power of the steam engine and coal fuel and steel rails was ready for operation in Wales, England. In the past two centuries, many developments have occurred in the evolution of all types of freight and passenger trains and transformed the transportation industry on land.
A century after the invention of modern ships and railway trains, in the early 20th century, the first motorized airplane was invented, and the industry of aircraft and air traffic, and the construction of cargo and fighter planes, evolved rapidly in the following decades. The automobile industry also reached its peak in the 20th century. In the decades after the Second World War, we saw an increase in the world's population of one billion every decade, and in the last forty years, by doubling it, the world's population crossed the border of eight billion people. With the progress of transportation related industries, we are witnessing a heavy global traffic. Countless numbers of giant airplanes transport millions of people around the world. Many giant ships deliver fossil fuels and industrial and agricultural products to consumers in all parts of the world. In this way, all kinds of pests and pathogens of plants, animals and humans are also spreading rapidly in the world despite the rules and regulations of international quarantine. In recent years, we witnessed the rapid spread of the corona virus worldwide, whose global epidemic caused the death of nearly seven million people.
The progress of science and technology in recent centuries and the successive inventions and discoveries of scientists and engineers, along with the discovery of oil and energy obtained from fossil fuels and in parallel with the increase in the world's population, have reached an extraordinary speed. Unlike countless other creatures that have always continued their lifestyle without any change, ever dissatisfied humans have always been associated with the thought of change. These changes engage all their fellows and all creatures and the environment in the benefits and consequences of the outcomes. A few people seize every opportunity and use it to gain wealth and power by manipulating the others. Consumers should bear all the costs and prepare to change their lifestyle with satisfaction and obedience. The energy industry was a phenomenon that involved the whole world and all its inhabitants and creatures. Countless inventions and developments have happened in this century and a half, all of which are directly or indirectly related to oil energy. In other words, in the absence or discovery of oil, our lifestyle and the drastic changes that have taken place on the surface of the globe in the last seven generations would still be the same as in the 18th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the world population was about one and a half billion people.
However, due to the size of the world's population in the past centuries and the limited transportation, the pollutants produced have been much less. There were no cars that could move by burning coal and steam power. In many parts of the world, it was possible to heat homes by burning firewood and charcoal. For thousands of years, homes were lit by tallow lamps and used to burn oil obtained from the tail and fat of animals, including whales. The same oils were also used to light torches for lighting the streets. With the discovery of crude oil and the production of kerosene, this substance gradually replaced animal oil. Before the discovery of electricity, even in American White House, night lighting was merely made possible by lamps known as Petromax, when the former presidents of America traveled on horseback or riding in a carriage. New inventions in the automotive and aviation industry became possible due to the emergence of oil and the extraction of oil derivatives, and their history could not exceed one and a half centuries. These are private, public and cargo vehicles that have been engaged with burning all kinds of harmful fuels and dumping their waste in the atmosphere in the last one hundred and fifty years and especially in recent decades. It was not long ago that scientists realized the carcinogenic effects of lead and gradually, with the relevant developments, the addition of lead in gasoline compounds were banned. Suspended particles of lead from the exhaust of gasoline cars were added to the air of cities.
Considering that many changes have been made in the engines of gasoline cars to reduce the amount of gasoline fuel emissions, still, the invisible smoke from the exhaust of these cars is very dangerous and breathing them in a closed environment could be deadly. Hundreds of millions of private cars are moving and burning gasoline in the environment of cities and roads. The resulting fumes are dumped in the atmosphere of the cities. Black fumes caused by burning diesel in heavy trucks, urban and intercity buses, and industrial and agricultural machinery turn millions of tons of diesel into polluting fumes every year. The only factor that dilutes these pollutants is wind and air movement, and the only natural gift that cleans the atmosphere of cities from these pollutants is continuous rainfall, which is not available everywhere in the world. Only a small part of the emitted gases is carbon dioxide, only a part of which is absorbed by the leaves of green trees and turns into sugar. In cities that are devoid of landscape or in cold seasons when trees are inactive, carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere.
Vehicles which use liquid or compressed natural gas for fuel produce lesser pollutants, most of which is carbon dioxide that can be used by plants. In case of incomplete combustion and lower oxygen consumption, part of the gases produced is colorless and odorless carbon monoxide gas, which is highly toxic and deadly. Inhaling this gas in a closed space may quickly cause toxicity and death. In recent decades, various types of natural gas such as methane, propane and butane have replaced the heavy fuels such as diesel, kerosene and fuel oil and are used to heat homes and gas stoves, water heaters, and supply energy to industrial factories and power plants.
Although the amount of pollutants produced from liquefied and natural gas fuel is much less compared to other fuels and coal, due to the increase in their consumption at the global level and due to the large number of people around the world, the amount of carbon dioxide production has been increased in the atmosphere and its amount is increasing every day. Its normal amount is around 0.04% (four parts out of ten thousand, or 400 PPM). This gas is produced naturally through the respiration of all organisms and is released through the exhaled air. Carbon dioxide is a vital substance and is absorbed by green plants during the growing season and only during the day or under artificial lighting. Plants, like other organisms, breathe during the day and night and expel carbon dioxide, unless in dormancy.
To burn each molecule of methane gas (the simplest natural gas), two molecules of oxygen (or four oxygen atoms) are consumed, and one molecule of carbon dioxide is produced along with two molecules of water vapor. In other words, for every 16 units of methane, 36 units of water vapor and 44 units of carbon dioxide are produced and added to the air around the earth. This unit has skyrocketed on a global scale and on an annual basis, and at the same time, compared to the amounts of pollutants caused by the consumption of heavier fuels by industries, thermal power plants, vehicles, public transportation including ships and trains, it seems insignificant. The water vapor produced by fuel consumption is invisible in the hot season, but in the cold season it emits like smoke or white clouds. In thermal power plants producing electricity, which heat large steam boilers using natural gas, diesel or fuel oil, water steam is produced along with invisible or black emitted gases. That looks like a big volume of smoke in cold season. The black smoke containing carbon monoxide and sulfur oxide gases produced by burning diesel and especially diesel fuel leaves serious effects on air pollution in cities.
Carbonic gas in the mentioned amount in the atmosphere near the surface of the earth, absorbs moisture and heat from sunlight. At high altitudes in the atmosphere, the amount of carbon dioxide becomes less and less due to dilution. For this reason, at altitudes above ten kilometers, the absorption of moisture and the temperature of the sun is reached to a minimum, and the air temperature even in the summer season reaches about fifty degrees below zero. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, the sun's rays are passed unhindered to reach the ground, that is why we always face cold and snowy weather at high elevations. The problem that has plagued the Earth's climate in recent decades is called global warming. With the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere around the earth, the temperature of the earth's air has gradually increased. This is the reason why the thousands of years old icebergs in the North Pole of the Earth are gradually melting and the water level of the open seas and oceans is increasing. In this way, many ports, and low-lying lands adjacent to the open seas are in danger of being submerged, and the extent of the open seas increases with the submergence of land. In addition, many biological and ecological cycles are endangered. To fight this phenomenon, the only solution is to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in the world.
China, with a population of more than 1400 million people, has the largest share of air pollution in the world. Consumption of electricity and energy by people during the day and night for lighting, preparing hot water, cooking food, heating the house, transportation and consumption of all materials and items whose preparation and production is associated with energy consumption, in addition to the expansion of various industries and transportation of the needs of this large population, and the volume of exports of industrial goods to all parts of the world has made China a country with an extraordinary thirst for energy. Energy in any case (except for electricity generation through nuclear energy or natural methods) is associated with the burning of fossil fuels, which in the best possible conditions is associated with an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The United States, having many industries, is the second producer of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and ozone) in the world.
According to Damian Carrington, 2018, the world's 7.6 billion population constitutes about 0.01% of the world's biomass. 82% belong to plants. 13% is the population of invisible bacteria that live deep in the soil. The remaining 5% include all microscopic organisms, insects, fungi, and higher organisms. The human biomass is a small portion of this part. Sea creatures include only one percent, i.e., one hundred times the number of humans. However, since the dawn of human civilization, humans have been able to exterminate 83% of wild mammals and increase the domestic animal population. Among all existing mammals, 36% belong to humans, 60% of them are cattle and domestic animals, most of which are cows and pigs. The remaining 4 percent belong to wild animals. The proportion of domestic birds or chickens compared to wild birds is 70% against 30%. These figures reflect the destructive role of human selfishness in changing the balance between creatures and inhabitants of the planet.
The population of stray dogs and cats in our country is an environmental problem, to which rats and mice must be added. They endanger the health of the environment. Animal advocates, who are full of love for creatures, is a movement that covers a range of people and is the cause of the increase in the number of these animals. In the US and Canada (and maybe in European countries), stray animals are never seen. Although there are many domestic dogs that are always tied in a collar and are considered as members of the family. Cats are not tied to a collar and have freedom of action and roam in a small territory. All these pets are vaccinated and castrated, and their reproduction is prevented. Mice and rats are more or less seen in cities and sewage systems. Even in the north of Tehran city, fearless mice and rats can be seen roaming around in the garbage and gutters of the street. In Western countries, wild animals should never be fed. There are those who feed the ducks and geese by the rivers and ponds, but this is illegal and sometimes they are taken to court and fined. If the natural balance of organisms is not disturbed by humans, no organism will multiply abnormally. In addition to being given food by people, exposure to waste in cities is an important reason for attracting and multiplying stray animals. In this regard, rigid culture building for officials and people should be planned.
However, industrial activity and human lifestyle leave very harmful effects on the environment of all organisms. Air pollution is not limited only to the increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is necessary for the growth and reproduction of plants and the production of sugars, which provide required energy for all the interactions of the plant itself as well as all other organisms. If its concentration in the air around the earth increases, it causes warming beyond the normal level and the occurrence of severe environmental consequences. There are other harmful substances that are continuously being added to the air, water, and soil as environmental pollutants. Many harmful and deadly gases are discharged from the exhaust of all cars, chimneys of houses and especially factories and thermal power plants and industrial machines in the nearby air. In addition to carbon dioxide, burning coal, fuel oil, and gasoline produces many other harmful gases that are lethal to breathe in a closed environment. Carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide and methane are all harmful gases. Piped natural gas is methane. Methane is also produced and emitted from the fermentation of waste in sewers and municipal waste landfills, which may lead to explosion if not discharged. Continuous rains are able to wash these gases from the air and bring them back to the earth's surface. However, rainfall that contains harmful gases is called acid rain. Carbonic gas dissolved in rainwater produces carbonic acid. Rain containing sulfur oxide gas leads to the production of sulfuric acid. These acidic substances increase the acidity of soil and water and with chemical effects on the minerals in the soil may end up releasing aluminum and toxic heavy metals such as mercury. These metals have toxic effects on all organisms. They are absorbed by plants and consumed by all kinds of organisms. Acidic rains along with heavy metals enter freshwater lakes and open seas through running water. In addition to gaseous pollutants, industrial factories also add a lot of harmful waste to the environment through their sewage. Industrial sewage along with liquids from urban waste pollute water supplies and reservoirs through running water and rivers. Therefore, in addition to polluting the city's drinking water and water used by livestock and other organisms, the pollution reaches the lakes and seas and endangers the lives of aquatic organisms and fish. As a result, all the aquatic creatures and birds that feed on those fish are exposed to human-produced poisons, and some of the contaminated fish and aquatic animals end up on the human table. My ideal society is wildlife without human intervention, instinctive and programmed by nature's creator.
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