Threats and Impacts
Turn the tide
Human activities subject terrestrial and marine ecosystems to intense stressors and profound changes occurring at a pace unprecedented in the planet’s history. Deforestation, overexploitation of resources, the destruction and fragmentation of entire habitats, and the pollution of air, water, and soil threaten all forms of life.
The impact of human activity on biodiversity is not only an ecological issue; it touches the economy, development, health, security, food systems, ethics, and the future of today’s young generations—and those yet to come.
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Curious by nature
A Dangerous Interplay
In recent decades, the main human-driven pressures and the changes inflicted on ecosystems have intensified, despite repeated warnings from scientists worldwide. Human activities must now be regarded, in effect, as comparable to the great forces of nature. The changes induced in soils, oceans, and the atmosphere; in the hydrological cycle and in the biogeochemical cycles of key elements—together with the loss of biodiversity—are themselves triggering multiple further shifts that are hard to predict and that interact in complex, sometimes irreversible ways.
Moreover, exponential population growth over the past two centuries has increased demand for natural resources, fueled migration, and driven rampant urbanization across vast areas at the expense of wildlife habitats. The sharp rise in the urban population means that, in this century and for the first time in history, the number of people living in cities has surpassed those in rural areas—with obvious negative consequences for quality of life, resource availability, water and energy supplies, public health, and pollution.
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Oceans at risk
From the sea we gain medicines, well-being, health, food, jobs, culture, inspiration, and spirituality. In return, we have given it pollution and degradation. Although the oceans may seem boundless, we must learn to see them as fragile and at risk—and adopt sustainable behaviours to protect them and, with them, our own survival.
Human activities subject oceans and seas to intense stressors, including:
Pollution of many kinds—oil, plastics, and chemicals released into waters and the atmosphere
Habitat destruction and fragmentation
Depletion of fish stocks; intensive and illegal fishing
Disruption of the water cycle, major ocean currents, and the cycles of life-critical elements
Rising sea level and temperature, and ocean acidification
Coastal urbanization
Wildlife trade
Deep-sea exploitation
We thank Valerio Rossi Albertini for his video contributions.
Oceans at Risk
7:10
Most of the pollution affecting the world’s beaches, oceans, and seas originates on land and consists of plastic, microplastics, and microfibres. Impacts and possible solutions.
Ocean Acidification
7:48
Excess carbon dioxide intensifies the greenhouse effect and is also absorbed by the oceans, making them more acidic—the “evil twin” of global warming.
Plastic and Ocean Pollution
16:04
ChatGPT ha detto:A few simple experiments help us understand what plastic is made of—and why, if we continue on this path, our seas could contain more plastic than fish within a few decades.
GhostNets
7:20
The most dangerous and widespread marine litter is “ghost gear”: lost or abandoned fishing equipment—plastic nets, traps, hooks, and steel longlines that can stretch for several kilometres.
Coastal urbanization
Across much of Italy, the coastal landscape has been heavily reshaped by human activity and by interference with the natural dynamism of the land–sea boundary. Urban growth has shifted from inland areas to the coast and, at roughly the same time, weak territorial planning and the exponential rise of tourism demand have turned many shorelines into showcases of illegal construction and degradation. Today, large stretches of the Italian coast are places where erosion, subsidence, pollution, saltwater intrusion into aquifers, habitat fragmentation, and overbuilding go hand in hand with cultural, social, economic, and environmental damage—evidence of a development model that must be radically rethought.
Between land and sea
The “consumption” of the coast—i.e., the degradation of areas that naturally act as filters between land and sea—has led to the disappearance, reduction, or alteration of sandy and rocky shores, coastal dunes, lowland or Mediterranean forests, brackish lakes and wetlands, and wet meadows, replaced by ports and residential, tourist, industrial, or agricultural developments. Many areas now partially or wholly under assault from uncontrolled building still retain traces of their former splendor, both natural and archaeological. Establishing Marine Protected Areas, reserves, and national or regional parks is the most effective way to safeguard terrestrial and underwater landscapes that remain relatively intact, protect biodiversity, promote responsible tourism, and manage coastal and marine ecosystems sustainably for everyone’s benefit.
Coastal Erosion
4:17
