Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reason san examples to support your answer.
The controversy over whether the Earth is being damaged by human activity, or whether human activity makes the earth a better place to live simmers, and it divides environmentalists, politicians, anthropologists, and even the public on both sides. As far as I am concerned, this issue is a complex one and we cannot use either-or choice to determine which is right, because each of these alternatives is viable in certain circumstances. In the following analysis, I would like to present several reasons to support my position.
First of all, several human activities are beneficial to the life of human beings. Undoubtedly, because of the tremendous development of sciences and technologies, people's life in the Earth now is much better than that in the past. For example, along with the progress in medical science, many diseases, such as yellow fever, measles, or smallpox, that at once killed many human beings, can be controlled or even cured now. Obviously, without the achievements in the areas of modern medicine and health care, people infected Sars, a kind of new epidemic disease that outbroke in China last year, would face the same fate of people in the outbreak of yellow fever, which killed thousands of native American, in America in 1900’s.
Moreover, people not only reap benefit of the development in science of medicine, but also enjoy the modern life that is embraced by any other high tech products. For instance, the improvement in computer science, wireless system, satellite technology, and Internet all make the communication between people much more convenient. Today, people can use Email, MSN or mobile telephone to communicate with anybody at any time and in any location in the world. Another example is the development in vehicle. The appearance of truck, train, plane, and spaceship each make the transportation faster. A person lived in Chicago in 1900 perhaps would not imagine that a person can travel from Chicago to Detroit in four hours by driving, or even less than only two hours by plane, however, that trip would cost at least two weeks one century ago. All of these pleasing and exciting advancements prove that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live.
However, although human activity has positive influence on the life of human being in many aspects, it harms the environment and brings dangers as well. High tech weapons, such as modern tank, air force and spy satellite, that are expected to defend homeland have been highly developed in the last few years. But people in the earth have never felt more secure than ever before. After seeing and hearing the news about 911 event, people in the world suddenly realized that how near the terrorism around us, which gives us only terrors and fears. The environment problem and energy crisis are another serious problems people are facing in the world. Vehicle, for example, is the product of industrialization, and it improves the life of people. But it also burns gasoline, depleting natural resources like fossil fuels and, most importantly, emitting large amount of pollution in the air. Moreover, indiscriminate dumping of waste materials, extensive destruction of forests, inadequate sewage treatment, and so on are all serious causes of environment problems, which degrade the quality of our life. Facing such dangers and problems, we have to admit that people have many things to do to make the earth a better place to live.
In conclusion, because of the development of sciences and technologies, the earth has become more and more cozy and favorable for human to live. However, the environment problems, the energy crisis and the dangers of war and terrorism all partly neutralize the advantages the human activity bring us, and make the earth dangerous for human to live.