Chapter 21
Environmental Problems and Solutions
Name ____________________________________________
Environmental Problems
Industrial Revolution: Began in the late 1700’s. Rapid development of industry
which introduced new forms of air and water pollution.
Pollution: An unwanted change in the environment.
5 types of Pollution
Garbage: The average American produces 26 pounds of garbage per
week. Garbage ends up in landfills. Some garbage is
hazardous, which means it can make people sick.
Chemicals: Fertilizers, pesticides, plastics. These chemicals may pollute
the water, destroy the ozone, and make people sick.
High Power Waste: Nuclear power plants burn fossil fuels to generate
electricity and they produce radioactive waste.
Gases: Carbon gases in the atmosphere trap heat to keep Earth warm.
This is known as the Greenhouse Effect. Air pollution has
the amount of these “greenhouse gases” increasing Earth’s
temperature. If global temperatures continue to rise, the polar
ice caps will melt.
Noise: Too much noise affects your ability to hear and think clearly.
Renewable Resource: Can be replaced at the same rate at which it is used
Examples: Solar and Wind
Nonrenewable Resource: Cannot be replaced as quickly as they are used.
Examples: Fossil Fuels and minerals
Human Population Growth
Advances in farming and medicine have allowed humans to overpopulate
Habitat Destruction
Deforestation: cutting down forests.
Marine Habitats: are being destroyed by oil spills, plastics and chemical
wastes.
Environmental Solutions
Conservation: The wise use of natural resources, especially those that are
nonrenewable.
The 3 R’s
Reduce: Use less resources. Turn off the light when leaving the room.
Reuse: To use an item again instead of throwing it away, like refilling a plastic
water bottle.
Recycle: Convert waste into a reusable material. Plastic water bottles can be
converted into reusable shopping bags.
Maintaining Biodiversity
When biodiversity is low, the community is weak.
When biodiversity is high, the community is stable.
The Endangered Species Act protects endangered species from activities that
could harm them. The act requires recovery programs like captive breeding.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a government organization that
helps protect the environment.
In order to protect individual species, we must
protect and conserve their habitats!!!!