Sporting activities are the most effective way of improving our mental and physical health.
Some engaging hobbies like hiking, swimming, and running helps us bond well with our environment.
Unfortunately, there are several types of hobbies that can damage our environment.
So, What Are Some Hobbies That Are BAD For The Environment?
Hobbies that mainly use machines tend to cause some adverse effects on the environment. Such kinds of hobbies include; auto-racing, skydiving, golfing, motorized water sports, drawing, skiing, and other motor-racing sports.
Tag along as we shed more light on some of these hobbies.
1. Golfing
Although it is hard to believe that a sport usually played on green grass courses is not considered eco-friendly, the maintenance and development of golf courses can negatively affect the environment.
This is mainly because golf usually requires a vast land cover and often leads to the displacement of wildlife.
These wild animals are forced to move to the forests and meadows to provide room for the expansive golf courses. An average of 110 golf courses are constructed in a year, thus, leading to the conversion of about 150 acres of land from wildlife homes.
Additionally, electric cars, flying golf balls, and consistent large groups of people can scare away the nearby wildlife and force them to migrate.
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2. Overfishing and Overhunting
Overfishing is a form of overexploitation of natural resources and can damage the environment by significantly reducing the number of certain species and animals to near extinction.
For example, overfishing can result in the depletion of certain fish species in an area and even prevent the growth, replenishment, and new development of new fish species.
Although hunting is almost everyone’s outdoor activity, overhunting can lead to the destruction of natural reserves, breeding areas, and even extinction.
The balance in the ecosystem is usually destroyed when any native species or living organism is removed from the system in large quantities or becomes extinct.
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3. Skiing & Snowboarding
The most adverse effect on the environment when it comes to snowboarding and skiing is during the sporting preparations.
Snowboarding and ski resorts are usually energy-intensive operations that require large amounts of energy.
Research has proven that one ski lift weekly alone nearly consumes as much energy as one household consumes in a year.
Moreover, winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding can expose the local wildlife to stressful and uncomfortable conditions that may force them to migrate.
Large amounts of material and energy are also spent manufacturing the necessary gear for participating in winter sports.
4. Habitual Spending
Habitual spending is the excessive and constant purchase of consumer items.
It usually comes after the basic needs have all been met, allowing you to buy unnecessary items mainly for leisure.
Habitual spending causes a significant increase in the consumer’s demand for products, thus making the market increase its supply to meet the rise in demand.
As a result, production factories are forced to increase their total product production, which results in an increase or constant energy consumption.
This sudden increase in energy use can have an adverse effect on the environment as it involves excessive burning of fossil fuels.
The most effective way to deal with habitual spending is to cut down on the number of goods you consume to reduce pressure on market supply and production of those items.
Ultimately, the natural resources of the environment will be conserved.
5. Excessive Use Of Paper
Regardless of how we often overlook our daily use of paper, we must understand that paper is made from trees.
Paper is used on a daily basis and in different forms, including; the use of tissues in the toilet, the use of paper towels in the kitchen, and in print media communication.
The excessive use of paper results in the constant cutting down of trees to fulfill the high market demands.
Therefore, the increased number of trees cut down yearly can affect the ecological balance by destroying wildlife habitats and weather patterns.
6. Excessive Shopping
Most of the items sold in shops are usually packed in plastic containers, and the carrying bags offered by the cashier are also made of plastic.
It has been proven that food packaging accounts for approximately 70 percent of the household’s rubbish.
Plastic is the leading cause of the world’s most complicated environmental pollution problems, with plastic materials almost everywhere on the earth’s surface.
Plastic materials are hazardous to the environment as they have long-lasting effects on the fragile regulatory and ecosystem cycles.
The best way to deal with plastic pollution when shopping is by opting to recycle shopping bags or carefully dispose of your plastic carrying bags after use.
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7. Cooking
You might be probably wondering how cooking is bad for the environment?
Well, cooking with fuels (gas, charcoal) or burning firewood causes the smoke emissions which can damage the environment.
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The presence of these black carbon particles in the atmosphere leads to the formation of heat-absorbing layers that causes an increase in global temperatures, triggering global warming.
Furthermore, black carbon particles in the atmosphere have led to changes in weather patterns and reduced rainfall quantities in various parts of the world.
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The most effective way to prevent environmental pollution through cooking is by opting for eco-friendly cooking options.
8. Drag Racing
For most people, it is not a surprise that drag racing is among the bad hobbies for the environment.
With several gasoline-fueled vehicles driving at incredible speeds through the streets, it is more likely to cause some adverse effects on the environment.
Moreover, the racing cars do not have the standard catalytic converters like in other normal cars; thus, they emit poisonous emissions and fumes into the atmosphere.
Numerous research has proven that these vehicles burn up to 23,000 liters of fuel, which is also associated with large amounts of carbon emission of roughly 9kg of CO2 per gallon burned.
9. Air Sports
Although they are known for their thrilling life experiences, air sports such as parachuting and skydiving also have a negative effect on the environment.
This is because every time you want to skydive, large amounts of jet fuel are required to fly you up to a suitable altitude, causing the release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
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Fortunately, some efforts by the World Air Sports Federation are targeted towards making air sports more environment friendly with the introduction of eco-friendly innovations.
10. Water Sports
Recreational watercraft are fitted with a gasoline engine that often consumes a lot of fuel.
They also have less-effective carbon emission regulators than vehicles, meaning they can lead to more air pollution.
In addition to causing noise pollution from the movement of the water and boat engine, watercraft can disturb the natural habitat of wildlife, birds, and fish due to constant boat activity.
Watercrafts damage the water by releasing hazardous heavy metals and other toxic products and substances from marine engines.
Final Thoughts
Not all hobbies have adverse effects on the environment; perfect examples include running, swimming, and hiking.
However, there are some that are harmful to the environment, as mentioned above; thus, you need to control the rate at which you carry out any of these hobbies to help improve global sustainability.
With the numerous advancements being developed to promote environmental conservation, there is hope that there will be a green future for the generations to come.
References
https://thegreenerview.com/11-eco-friendly-hobbies-and-sustainable-skills/
https://impactful.ninja/worst-sports-for-the-environment/
https://www.bustle.com/p/11-things-that-are-bad-for-the-environment-that-you-do-every-day-8777115
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