Urbanization
Urbanization in Southern Europe is an ongoing issue as humans have become a more powerful environmental force over the years. The conversion of Europe´s land surface to urban locations is one of the most irreversible human impacts on Earth´s biosphere. It accelerates the loss of farmland, changes the climate, affects hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles, destroys habitats, and can result in loss of biodiversity.
The environmental impacts expand much farther than just urban areas themselves. Recent studies have shown that urbanization also has an influencial factor on precipitation patterns and direct loss in vegetation biomass. When urbanization takes place, the water cycle changes as cities have seemingly more precipitation than surrounding areas. Due to dumping of sewage from factories into the Mediterranean, water pollution occurs, which is a direct result. When left untreated, it can lead to epidemics, such as the one found in this specific region. |