TPO 17

The reading specifies that the human population has been growing constantly and because of that the need for agriculture and pesticides increased. This growing need caused harm to wildlife and birds population. The professor, however, states that the claim of the passage is convincing and refutes the proposed reasons.

First, based on the reading, humans are destroying birds' natural habitats such as wetlands and grasslands to build more homes and malls which leads to a reduction in the birds' suitable areas. In contrast, the lecturer explains that constructions decreased the habitat of some types of birds and for rest, it produced better and larger places to live. The population of birds such as hawks and sea gold increased severely in rural areas and people complain about it. Therefore, the point about the uniform declination of birds' habitats and the population is not true.

Second, the growth of agriculture should match the growth of the human population meant the elimination of more wilderness areas of birds. Nevertheless, the professor says that it is true that the agriculture products should increase but with the development of technology, people use less and less land. A new crop has been developed that produces more foods with the use of fewer lands and therefore, the demand for lands for cultivation is decreasing.

Third, according to the passage, pesticides are poisons that can get into the chain food of birds and kill them or prevent them from producing. On the contrary, the professor asserts that new pesticides have been used recently which contain much less toxic chemicals. Moreover, the developed new crops are resistant to chemical materials and there is no point in using them. Hence, chemical materials will be removed from environments and can not harm the birds anymore.