SOCIAL STUDIES 11
COUNTER POINTS CHAPTER 17
ENVIRONMENT
 BIOSPHERE - _______________________________________ – EVERYTHING WE DO IN THE
WORLD IMPACTS THE BIOSPHERE – AS THE WORLD POPULATION INCREASES THE STRAIN
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
POPULATION AND RESOURCES
 80 MILLION PEOPLE ARE ADDED TO THE WORLD EVERY YEAR BUT MOST ARE IN THE
DEVELOPING
WORLD
SO
THE
IMPACT
HAS
BEEN
MINIMAL
–
___________________________________________________________________________
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 WORLD SCIENTISTS’ WARNING TO HUMANITY – PAGE 421
 SUSTAINABILITY
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 AGENDA 21 – TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE WORLD ECONOMY –
LITTLE PROGRESS
WATER: THE INDISPENSABLE RESOURCE
 EVERY PERSON NEEDS _____________ OF WATER EVERY DAY TO SURVIVE
 DEVELOPED NATIONS WASTE OR POLLUTE WATER
 _____ OF THE WORLD WATER IS FRESH WATER – _____ OF THAT IS IN _____ AND MOST
OF THE REST IS IN ____________________
 THERE IS ENOUGH WATER IN THE WORLD BUT IT IS THE DISTRIBUTION THAT BECOMES
AN ISSUE
ABUSING AND UNDERGROUND RESOURCE
 THE
MAIN
THREAT
TO
THE
WORLD’S
FRESH
WATER
IS
_______________________________________________ – FALLING GROUNDWATER
AND DIVERSION OF SURFACE SUPPLIES ARE TO BLAME – CREATING A SHORTAGE FOR
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
 ____________________________________________________________ – THE USA,
CHINA AND INDIA ARE ALL FACING REDUCED GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES AND THEY
PRODUCE 50% OF THE WORLD’S FOOD SUPPLIES.
 WHERE ELSE CAN WATER BE FOUND –_____________________ – WATER TRAPPED IN
POROUS ROCK BENEATH THE SURFACE – EASILY PUMPED AND USED FOR IRRIGATION
BUT SLOW RECHARGE
 PAGE 425 – FIGURE 17-5
 PERMEABLE v IMPERMEABLE ROCK
 INCREASED DRILLING INTO THE AQUIFER IS CAUSING THE WATER TABLE TO
DECREASE – ESPECIALLY IN CHINA (1.5m) AND INDIA (1-3M)
ABUSING SURFACE WATER
 SURFACE WATER HAS BEEN USED FOR SEWAGE DISPOSAL, AGRICULTURAL AND
INDUSTRIAL WASTE – TANKER ACCIDENTS
 MUNICIPAL – ______________________________________________
 AGRICULTURAL – ____________________________________________
 INDUSTRIAL – _______________________________________________
 POLLUTION IS MAINLY CONFINED TO COASTAL AREAS AND ENCLOSED WATERS
THAT DO NOT HAVE GOOD WATER CIRCULATORY CYCLING – POLAR BEARS AND
WHALES HAVE INCREASED MERCURY LEVELS
 THAMES AND LAKE BAILKAL (RUSSIA) SO POLLUTED THAT THERE WAS NO LIFE IN THEM
– THAMES HAS RETURNED BUT ONLY AFTER STRICT RULES – CAUSED BY INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION AND MASSIVE DUMPING
 VICTORIA AND HALIFAX ___________________________________________________,
INTERIOR MILLS DUMP ______________________ INTO THE FRASER RIVER,
_______________________________ COMES FROM THE FRASER VALLEY AND THE
LOWER MAINLAND
 OKANAGAN AND KALAMALKA LAKES ARE THREATENED BY MILLFOIL – THE SHREDDER IS
OUT EVERY MORNING GRINDING UP THE WEEDS
SOLUTIONS
 CONSERVATION
 EFFICIENT/SMALL SCALE SUPPLY SYSTEMS
 LARGE SCALE DAMS ARE REPLACED WITH MICRO-DAMS, HYDRO SYSTEMS RUN
WITH A RIVERS FLOW, BETTER WATER HARVESTING (AT HOME RAIN BARRELS) ,
BETTER SPRINKLER SYSTEMS, HIGH EFFICIENCY/LOW FLUSH TOILETS, HOT
WATER ON DEMAND SYSTEMS
 CANADA, USA AND INDIA HAVE NO NATIONAL WATER POLICIES TO
REGULATE GROUND WATER
CHANGES IN THE AIR
THE HOLE IN THE OZONE LAYER
 OZONE
LAYER
IS
A
THIN
LAYER
OF
OZONE
(O3),
___________________________________________________________________________
 OZONE BLOCKS ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION WHICH CAUSES SKIN CANCER IN HUMANS AND
DAMAGES PLANKTON UP TO 20M BELOW THE OCEAN SURFACE
 NORTH AND SOUTH POLES HAVE VERY THIN OZONE LAYERS – ________________________
 CHEMICALS USED BY HUMANS, IN PARTICULAR _______________________________ HAVE
DONE 80% OF THE DAMAGE
(__________________________________________________________________________.)
 _______________________ – 1987 ALL INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES AGREED TO REDUCE THEIR
USE OF CFC’s – HOWEVER THEIR USE IS INCREASING – COMPLETE ELIMINATION IS
REQUIRED AND EVEN THEN IT MAY TAKE 100 YEARS TO GET BACK THE LAST 20 YEARS OF
DAMAGE
THINGS ARE WARMING UP – GLOBAL WARMING
 THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT – SEE PAGE 431 DIAGRAM
 WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING? THE INCREASE OF THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH – WHAT
WOULD BE THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING?
 ___________________________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
THREATS TO CANADA
 BEST SEEN IN THE ARCTIC WHERE THE PERMAFROST IS __________, POLAR BEARS ARE
________________________ AS THERE ARE NOT AS MANY SEALS, SEA ICE IS MELTING
 IN BC SPAWNING SALMON NUMBERS ARE ____________________________________ –
WARM WATER KILLING THE PHYTOPLANKTON THAT THE SALMON FEED UPON – WEAKER
FISH CAN NOT SURVIVE THE SPAWNING
 WARMER WEATHER HURTS THE SKIING INDUSTRY AND FREAK WEATHER (ICE STORMS),
DROUGHTS AND MASSIVE FOREST FIRES OCCUR WITH MORE FREQUENCY
BUT THERE ARE SOME POSITIVES
 LONGER GROWING SEASONS HELPS FARMERS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
BUT WOULD HURT THE FARMERS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE – IS THIS A
GOOD THING?
 1997 _____________________ – COUNTRIES PROMISING TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS
EMISSIONS BY _______________________________________
 CREDIT BUYING FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
 CANADA IS ONE OF THE TOP EMITTERS OF GREENHOUSE GASES, EVEN AFTER
SIGNING KYOTO – _________________________________________
COMPLAINTS AGAINST KYOTO
1. COSTS ARE TOO HIGH TO IMPLEMENT SUCH HIGH STANDARDS
2. LOSS OF JOBS PROBABLE
3. NON-AGREEMENT BETWEEN FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS REGARDING
REGULATIONS
ALTERNATIVE SOURCES
 CAN BE USED TO LESSEN THE DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
CARS ARE THE BIGGEST POLLUTERS IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT – HYBRID CARS ARE NOW
BEING MADE, ELECTRIC CARS