Chapter 4 Notes
Conserving Resources
I. Resources
A. Natural Resources
1. parts of the environment that are useful or
necessary for living things
2. types of resources
a) renewable: recycled or replaced
constantly by nature (hydroelectric,
solar, wind, geothermal)
b) nonrenewable: used up more quickly than
can be replaced (ex. petroleum, aluminum,
natural gas)
B. Fossil fuels
1. formed over hundreds of millions of years
2. examples: coal, natural gas
3. fossil fuel conservation:
a) car pooling / public transportion
b) reduce use of electricity
C. Alternatives to fossil fuel
1. hydroelectric power: produced when energy is
created by falling water
2. wind power: wind turns a turbine, which
powers an electrical generator
3. nuclear power: atomic nuclei from uranium are
split apart in a nuclear fission reaction
4. geothermal energy: heat energy contained in
the Earth’s crust
5. solar energy: using the sun’s energy for heat,
solar cells
II. Pollution
A. Air pollution
1. pollutant: a substance that contaminates the
environment
2. caused by: volcanic eruptions, soot, smoke,ash
3. smog: air pollution caused when sunlight
reacts with pollutants in the air
B. Acid precipitation
1. formed when pollutants from burning fossil
fuels react with water in the atmosphere to
form acids
2. acid precipitation has a pH below 5.6
3. effects of acid rain
a) washes nutrients from soil; kills trees
b) lowers pH of water in ponds, rivers
4. preventing acid rain:
a) use low sulfur fuels
b) smokestacks with scrubbers
c) use electric hybrid cars
C. Greenhouse effect
1. when heat is trapped by gases in the
atmosphere
2. increase in carbon dioxide in the air (from
pollution) increases the amount of gases that
trap heat
3. this is causing an INCREASE in the Earth’s
average temperature
4. global warming causes:
a) changes in rainfall patterns
b) increase in storms, hurricanes
c) polar ice caps to melt
D. Ozone Depletion
1. thinning of the ozone layer
2. caused by CFCs which are used in
refrigerators and air conditioners
3. CFCs mix with the ozone, breaking it apart
4. ozone depletion causes:
a) increase in amount of UV radiation
b) increase in amount of skin cancers
E. Indoor Air Pollution
1. carbon monoxide: can cause serious illness or
death
2. radon: naturally occurring radioactive gas
that can cause lung cancer
F. Water Pollution
1. surface water: found in lakes, streams, and
rivers
2. problems:
a) algal blooms: caused by excess nitrogen;
kills fish
b) mercury and other chemicals: can lead to
death in water dwelling animals, and build
up in humans
3. ocean water:
a) oil spills
b) sewage treatment
c) garbage
4. groundwater: pollution in water that seeps
underground and then pollutes drinking water
G. Soil Loss
1. erosion: movement of soil from one place to
another
2. can wash into streams and harm fish
H. Soil Pollution
1. soild wastes: trash, food scraps, and paper
last decade in a landfill
2. hazardous waste: materials that are harmful
to living things
a) radioactive wastes from nuclear power
plants
b) household wastes like paint thinner,
batteries
III. The Three Rs of Conservation
A. Reduce
1. reduce use of natural resources
a) walk or ride a bike instead of using car
b) avoid buying things you don’t need
c) look for products made with less
packaging
B. Reuse: use items more than once
C. Recycle
1. reusing materials that requires changing or
reprocessing an item or natural resource
2. plastics: can be recycled
a) type 1: easiest to recycle (soft drink
bottles)
b) type 2-4: can be recycled
c) type 6-7: cannot be recycled
3. metals:
a) 25% of steel in cars and autos is recycled
b) 100% of steel in beams and plates for
skyscrapers is recycled
c) you can recycle cans
4. glass: can be recycled over and over
5. paper:
a) recycled into paper towels, cardboard
6. compost: grass clippings, leaves and fruit and
vegetable scraps can be used on soil
(increases nutrients)