Large-scale mining operations can result in significant deforestation through forest clearing and the construction of roads. According to the National Geographic website, forests still cover about 30 percent of the world's land area, but an area of the size of Panama is deforested every year. In addition to deforestation, mining also destroys aquatic ecosystems by using heavy metals and other toxic substances in the extraction metal ores, such as gold, silver, copper and iron. These substances contaminate water supplies and harm fish, disrupting the food chain and contributing to the extinction of already endangered species. Mining operations also emit toxic gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
Humans use more than half of the freshwater runoff that they can access. And more than half of this water is used in agriculture. To meet ever-increasing demands for freshwater, humans have altered river systems, destroying terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In addition, the pesticides and fertilizers used in modern agriculture can accumulate in and harm the soil, water sources, and plants and animals. Pesticides can also kill birds and pollinating insects, such as bees, which feed on the crops. Intensive farming leads to soil erosion and limit biodiversity by harming or eliminating native plants and animals.
Since the 18th century and the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has increased by almost 30 percent. Industries are also responsible for the production of other toxic gases, such as sulfur and nitrogen dioxides, which together with carbon dioxide, contribute to global warming. Increasing temperatures and the melting of ice sheets have especially disrupted Arctic ecosystems. Industries can also affect aquatic ecosystems. Excessive chemicals from industrial wastewaters can cause algal blooms, which create toxins that are harmful to fish and shellfish. The use and transformation of nonrenewable materials, such as crude oil, makes the negative impacts of the petrochemical industry on ecosystems even bigger. Oils spills and other accidents can cause extreme and sometimes irreversible damage to surrounding ecosystems.
In addition to the negative impact on some fish populations, destructive fishing methods, such as bottom trawling, blasting and poisoning, can also harm seaweeds and other parts of the marine ecosystem. In bottom trawling, large nets are dragged along the seabed, picking up fish and shrimps, but also catching and damaging other marine life. Although practiced in smaller scale, the use of explosives and toxic substances, such as cyanide, are also destructive fishing practices. Unsustainable fishing practices have contributed to the destruction of more than 65 percent of the seagrass communities in the world. Almost all cold-water coral reefs found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean show scars from bottom trawling.