Explain any two human activities responsible for degradation of environment.
Explain any two human activities responsible for degradation of environment.
Official answer
Two human activities causing environmental degradation:
- Deforestation: Large-scale cutting of forests for agriculture, industry, and urbanisation reduces green cover, disturbs the carbon cycle, and leads to soil erosion and loss of biodiversity.
- Industrialisation and burning of fossil fuels: Rapid industrial growth and increasing use of coal, oil and gas release greenhouse gases and pollutants into the air and water, causing global warming, air pollution and water contamination.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark each for any two correctly explained human activities (deforestation, industrial pollution/fossil fuel burning, overexploitation of resources, unplanned urbanisation) — any two valid activities with explanation accepted.
Hint
Think of activities linked to industrial growth and destruction of forests as your two examples.
Quick oral answer
Two key human causes of environmental degradation are deforestation, which destroys forest cover and biodiversity, and industrial/fossil-fuel-based pollution, which raises greenhouse gases and contaminates air and water.
Common mistakes
- 1.Merely naming activities (e.g., 'pollution', 'deforestation') without any explanatory line, losing marks for the 'Explain' requirement.
- 2.Confusing natural environmental changes (like earthquakes) with human-caused degradation.
Analysis and explanation
This question is drawn from the chapter on global environmental politics, which links human economic activity to ecological crisis.
Concept
- Environmental degradation refers to the deterioration of air, water, soil and biodiversity due to unsustainable human activity.
Key causes
- Deforestation for agriculture, logging, and urban expansion.
- Industrial emissions and fossil-fuel consumption raising greenhouse gas levels.
- Overexploitation of natural resources (over-fishing, over-mining, excessive groundwater extraction) can also be cited as a valid alternative.
Exam tip
- 'Explain' requires one line of elaboration per activity (not just naming it) — simply writing 'deforestation' and 'pollution' without explanation would not earn full marks.
Interesting facts
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has repeatedly identified fossil fuel combustion as the single largest human contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Global forest cover has shrunk significantly since the mid-20th century, with tropical deforestation being a major driver of biodiversity loss.
Question details
Q15 of 38 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 12
- Subject
- Political Science
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section B
- Marks
- 2
- Type
- Short Answer
- Chapter
- Environment and Natural Resources
- Topic
- Human Activities Causing Environmental Degradation
- Bloom's level
- understand
- Syllabus topic
- Unit 2: Contemporary World Politics — Environment and Natural Resources: Causes of Environmental Degradation
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
What are the main human activities that degrade the environment?
Key human activities include deforestation, industrial pollution and fossil fuel burning, overexploitation of natural resources, and unplanned urbanisation, all of which damage air, water, soil and biodiversity.
Why is deforestation considered environmentally harmful?
Deforestation removes green cover that absorbs carbon dioxide, disrupts the carbon and water cycles, causes soil erosion, and leads to loss of habitat and biodiversity.