Environmental Impacts of the Anthrosphere

Many industries require large quantities of materials that are taken from Earth by the extractive industries. This may result in the disruption of the geosphere from mining and dredging and from pumping petroleum. The other major effect on the geosphere results from the need to dispose of wastes. Scarce land may be required for waste disposal dumps, and the geosphere may become contaminated with pollutants from disposed wastes. 

Industrial systems are largely dependent on the utilization of fossil fuels, so many environmental effects are due to fossil fuel extraction and combustion. Greenhouse-warming carbon dioxide emissions, acid gas emissions, smog-forming hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, and deterioration of atmospheric quality from particles released from fossil fuel combustion are all atmospheric effects associated with fossil fuel combustion. Coal mining activities have the potential to release acid mine water to the hydrosphere, petroleum production can release brines or result in ocean oil spills. 

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