SOCIETAL ISSUES
Lecture (3) – Human Interactions with the
Environment
Spring 2024
GENX002
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Outline
1. Definitions
2. Human Environment Interaction
3. Negative Human Environment Interaction
4. Activity
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Definitions
Environment
• Everything around us including living or non-living things.
• Living things interact with their environment and adapt
themselves to conditions in their environment.
• In the environment, there are different interactions
between animals, plants, soil, water and other living and
non-living things.
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Definitions
Human Environmental Interaction
Human-environmental interaction is the connection between
human society and the environment. It is a complex system due
to the fact both society and the environment have many
elements.
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Definitions
Human Environmental Interaction
Human-environment interaction can affect human life, as society
impacts the environment in everyday activities.
Human-environment interaction focuses on three main ideas:
1. Depends on
2. Adapts
3. Modifies
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Definitions
How Does Society Depend on the Environment?
There are many ways in which humanity depends on the
environment.
The most essential way in which this occurs is through the
resources and services that the environment provides.
These are essential for life and include:
1. Food and water
2. Climate
3. Raw materials.
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Definitions
How Does Society Depend on the Environment?
Society's dependence on the environment
manifests in various critical ways:
1. Natural Resources:
• Food Production: Agriculture relies on soil
quality, water availability, and climate conditions.
• Water Supply: Freshwater sources are essential
for drinking, sanitation, and irrigation.
• Energy Sources: Fossil fuels, solar, wind, and
hydroelectric power are derived from natural
systems.
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Definitions
How Does Society Depend on the Environment?
Society's dependence on the environment manifests in various critical
ways:
2. Ecosystem Services
Climate
Regulation:
Forests
and oceans help regulate the
Earth's climate by absorbing
carbon dioxide.
Water Filtration: Wetlands and
forests filter pollutants from
water, enhancing quality.
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Definitions
How Does Society Depend on the Environment?
Society's dependence on the environment manifests in various critical
ways:
Indigenous Cultures of North America
3. Cultural and Recreational Values
Connection
to
Nature:
Many
cultures derive identity and spiritual
practices
from
their
natural
surroundings.
Recreation: Natural areas provide
Connection to Land: Many Native American
spaces
for
leisure
activities, tribes view land as sacred, deeply
promoting physical and mental well- intertwined with their identity and beliefs.
Nature is often seen as a living entity, and
rituals are performed to honor the Earth.
being.
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Definitions
How Does Society Adapt to the Environment?
• As human-environment interaction takes place, adaption to
the environment often occurs due to society.
• This adaptation can transpire due to different factors, for
example, civilizations will adapt to the climate they are located
in, or they will adapt to the physical environment they are
faced with.
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Definitions
How Does Society Adapt to the Environment?
Society adapts to the environment in various ways, employing strategies
that encompass technological, and economic adjustments.
1. Technological Innovations
Renewable
Energy:
Societies
are
increasingly adopting solar, wind, and
hydroelectric
energy
to
dependence
on
fuels
fossil
reduce
and
mitigate climate impacts.
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Definitions
How Does Society Adapt to the Environment?
Society adapts to the environment in various ways, employing strategies
that encompass technological, and economic adjustments.
2. Urban Planning
Green Infrastructure: Cities incorporate
parks, green roofs, and urban forests to
manage heat, improve air quality, and
enhance resilience to storms.
Disaster Preparedness: Urban areas
develop infrastructure such as levees and
flood barriers to protect against natural
disasters like hurricanes and flooding.
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Definitions
How Does Society Adapt to the Environment?
Society adapts to the environment in various ways, employing strategies
that encompass technological, and economic adjustments.
3. Policy and Governance
Regulations: Governments implement environmental regulations to protect
natural resources and promote sustainable practices.
Community Engagement: Involvement of local communities in decision-making
processes fosters sustainable management of resources.
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Definitions
How Does Society Modify the Environment?
• Human activities inevitably lead to changes in our environment.
• Society also modifies the environment as a process of interaction
with the environment.
• This can include deforestation, agriculture, and building dams,
which is done to gain development within society.
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Definitions
How Does Society Modify the Environment?
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Human Environment Interaction
Negative
Human
Environmen
t Interaction
Human
Environment
Interaction
Positive
Human
Environmen
t Interaction
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Negative Human Environment Interaction
1. Deforestation (Dependence, Modification)
• Removal of forest from a land which is then converted to a nonforest use.
• Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms
or urban use.
• Most deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests.
Rainforest:
• Forests which have high and continuous rainfall.
• Annual rainfall for tropical rainforests is between 2.5 and 4.5 m.
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Tropical Rainforest:
• Forests with tall trees, warm climate, and lots of rain.
• In Africa, Asia, Australia, as well as Central and South
America. (The largest is Amazon rainforest).
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Importance of Rainforests
1. Provide a home to many plants and animals.
2. Hold millions of unique plants and animals (biodiversity).
3. Help stabilize the world’s climate.
4. Protect against flood, drought, and erosion.
5. Are source for food.
6. Support tribal people.
Rain forests are being destroyed rapidly for
logging, mining and agriculture.
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Destruction of Rainforest: 1-Logging
• Millions of hectares are cut down
every year, often illegally.
• Trees are not replaced after being
cut.
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Destruction of Rainforest: 2- Mining
• Mining companies are responsible for much
deforestation.
• They cut down trees to extract gold and other minerals.
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Destruction of Rainforest: 3- Others
• Agriculture: land for poor farmers who do not have
anywhere else to live.
• Grazing of cattle.
• Road construction.
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Destruction of Rainforest – Effects
1. Extinction of plants and animals.
2. Shortage of valuable food products.
3. Soils and nutrients are washed away and forest cannot
grow again.
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Negative Human Environment Interaction
2. Water Usage (Dependence)
3. Energy And Natural Resources (Dependence, Modification)
Our energy needs have vastly expanded beyond heat.
Modern society depends heavily on energy for transportation and
communication systems.
This expansion is a key factor in the dramatic surge of carbon
emissions over the last century.
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Negative Human Environment Interaction
4. Airborne Pollution (Modification)
• When discussing air pollution, the focus often narrows to carbon
dioxide (CO2).
• However, the reality is more complex, involving various
pollutants from factories, vehicles, and even households.
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Effects: Pollution due to Industry
Industrial pollution comes from manufacturing products from
raw materials.
* iron from ore,
* lumber from trees,
* gasoline from crude oil * stone from quarries.
These processes produce a product, along with several waste
products.
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