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Animal agriculture worldwide encompasses 83% of farmland (but only accounts for 18% of the global calorie intake), and the direct consumption of animals as well as over-harvesting them is causing environmental degradation through habitat alteration, biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and trophic interactions. [174]
Human activities affect marine life and marine habitats through overfishing, habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, ocean pollution, ocean acidification and ocean warming. These impact marine ecosystems and food webs and may result in consequences as yet unrecognised for the biodiversity and continuation of marine life forms.
Air pollution caused by agriculture through land use changes and animal agriculture practices have an outsized impact on climate change. Addressing these concerns was a central part of the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land [ 3 ] as well as in the 2024 UNEP Actions on Air Quality report. [ 4 ]
Ocean plastic pollution can carry disease, harm wildlife, and alter the ocean’s critical role taking in carbon dioxide and helping to regulate the planet’s climate.
[28] [29] [30] One well known example of a species affected is the polar bear, whose habitat in the Arctic is threatened. [31] Algae can also be affected when it grows on the underside of sea ice. [32] Warm-water coral reefs are very sensitive to global warming and ocean acidification. Coral reefs provide a habitat for thousands of species.
Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. [155] Point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm drain, a wastewater treatment plant or an oil spill. Non-point sources are more diffuse. An example is agricultural runoff. [156] Pollution is the result of the cumulative effect over time.
Animals affected by oil should be cleaned and allowed to recover from stress. [2] Animals should be kept in a quiet and warm environment while they recover. [2] Direct contact with oil or oiled wildlife can be hazardous to human health, [1] so it is recommended that treatment be performed by people who have received training. [2]
For example, painted goby males did not take part in visual courtship behaviour when in a noisy environment. [15] Female painted gobies in this experiment were also less likely to spawn in a noisy environment. Noise pollution can also affect foraging behaviour in marine animals, which results in less effective strategies.