Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting , pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly damaged. NSES Content Standard Science in Personal and Social Perspectives 9-12 NSES Content Topic Natural Resources Human populations use resources in the environment in order to maintain and improve their existence. Natural resources have been and will continue to be exploited to maintain human populations. The Earth does not have infinite resources, and increasing human production and consumption places severe stress on the natural processes that renew some resources and depletes those resources that cannot be renewed. Humans use many natural systems as resources.
Natural systems do have the capacity to reuse waste, but that capacity is limited.
Changing natural systems can exceed the limits of organisms to adapt naturally or humans to adapt technologically. NSES Content Standard Science in Personal and Social Perspectives 9-12 NSES Content Topic Environmental Quality Natural ecosystems provide an array of basic processes that affect humans. Those processes include maintenance of the quality of the atmosphere, generation of soils, control of the hydrologic cycle, disposal of wastes, and recycling of nutrients. Humans are changing many of these basic processes and the changes may be detrimental to humans. Materials from human societies disturb both physical and chemical cycles of the Earth.