Humans have geographically altered the world. Sure, for billions of years, the earth has been changing itself, but humans have done a much faster job. Humans, with our awful habits of deforestation, burning fossil fuels, and causing drainage, are ruining our earth. At first glance, global warming is good for the earth. It would undeniably prevent another ice age from occurring. On the other hand, it would also cause hurricanes, which is bad. Human actions have become the key factor of the earth’s changes. These actions have become way more dangerous than any natural force. George Perkins Marsh, an American geographer, lawyer, public servant, and philologist, took it upon himself to make it known that human actions were changing the earth, for the bad. Marsh, in his book Man and Nature, showed like no one had before the effects man had on the environment and why it mattered. Man and Nature remains today a geographical classic. Marsh compares the earth to a home and man to the tenant. He essentially says man is ripping out the carpets, breaking windows, and letting the ceiling collapse. I definitely agree with that statement. Through the years, evidence of human transformation of the earth has presented itself to me. The hurricanes of 2004, for example, are a result of global warming. The ocean is warmer and the winds stronger, which makes for a very powerful hurricane. And hurricanes, or course, cause damage to homes, cities, and even states. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne affected me personally. They came romping through my town of Oviedo destroying a tree and blowing out 2 of the screens in my backyard. Imagine what will happen when global warming gets stronger. We have caused it. We will endure the consequences.

The human population has increased. The birth rate is up and is only to increase. There are more people. Ergo, there must be more houses, grocery stores, malls, and businesses. The problem with that situation is that we are cutting down trees and ruining some animal’s habitats to make space for such buildings. About 10 years ago, the neighborhood I live in now didn’t then exist. It was filled with trees and probably home to many different kinds of animals. When it rained, the plants were there to absorb the water. Now that most of the plants are gone, the only thing left to get rid of the fluids is the drainage system in roads that drain the fluids. Sometimes the drains don’t drain fast enough which causes great floods that kill plants. Deforestation’s contributions to global warming are emphasized as the dilemma and population control and restrictions on economic expansion are the answers. Man has reduced famine and produced “climate-proof” machinery that makes humans less susceptible to global warming even if it should take place. I have experienced one of the effects global warming has had on humans. Hurricanes are becoming more popular. In 2004, four strong hurricanes came through my town. Because of deforestation, my home, my school, the mall, and every building is where it is today. Also because of deforestation, we have more flooding and less oxygen. As stated by the first sentence of the chapter, the word human in the phrase “human transformation of the earth” is not superfluous. Humans are indeed changing the earth.