 National Geographic Video: State of the Earth -
Climate
Environment
 What is it?
 The natural environment encompasses all living &
and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth
Presidential Policies & the Environment
 T. Roosevelt
 John Muir & Conservation efforts of National Parks
 Newlands Reclamation Act 1902
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Allowed the federal gov’t to create irrigation projects to make
dry lands productive
 Yellowstone National Park (1872)
 Grand Canyon (1919)
LBJ’s “Great Society”
 L. B. Johnson
 Wilderness Preservation Act (1964)
 Protected 9.1 million acres of nat’l forest from
development
 Water Quality Act (1965)
 Required states to clean up rivers & lakes
LBJ continued
 Clean Air Act Amendments (1965)
 Established exhaust emission standards for cars
 Air Quality Act (1967)
 Set guidelines on air pollution & increased federal gov’ts
power to enforce clean air standards
Nixon’s Policies
 R. Nixon
 Silent Spring (1962)
 Rachel Carson published;
warned of the harmful
effects of chemicals on the
natural world
 Led to Earth Day
demonstrations
 Clean Air Act (1970)
 Regulated levels of air
pollution
 EPA established (1970)
Environmental Protection Agency
 The White House and Congress established the EPA
in response to the growing public demand for cleaner
water, air and land.
 Task of the EPA:

Repair the damage already done to the natural environment
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Establish new criteria to guide Americans in making a
cleaner environment a reality.
EPA continued…
 EPA leads the nation's environmental science,
research, education and assessment efforts
 The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and
the environment.
Carter’s Policies
 J. Carter
 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
 Protected more than 100 million acres of land & doubled
the size of the nation’s park & wildlife refuge system
Carter continued…
 3-Mile Island
 Love Canal, NY
 Environmental disaster
 Long-buried chemicals
began seeping up
through the ground
 Exposure was linked to
high rates of birth
defects
To Do:
 In your opinion, which president did the most for the
environment? Justify/defend your answer.
 Consider: Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson,
Richard Nixon, or Jimmy Carter
IPCC
 The U.N. formed a group of scientists called the
International Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC.
 The IPCC meets every few years to review the latest
scientific findings & write a report summarizing all
that is known about global warming.
 Each report represents a consensus, or agreement,
among hundreds of leading scientists.
 To Do: Why is it important that an international group
of scientists meet to discuss environmental issues?
Explain.
Environmental Issues
 Climate change
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Global warming
Global dimming
Fossil fuels
Sea level rise
Greenhouse gas
Ocean acidification
 Conservation
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Species extinction
Pollinator decline
Coral bleaching
Poaching
Endangered species
 Energy
 Energy conservation
 Renewable energy
 Efficient energy use
 Environmental
Degradation
 Habitat destruction
 To Do:
 Of the 4 environmental
issues listed, which one do
you think we should be most
concerned with & why?
Issues continued…
 Genetic engineering
 Genetic pollution
 Genetically modified food
controversies
 Intensive farming
 Overgrazing
 Irrigation
 Environmental effects of meat
production
 Overpopulation
 Burial
 Land degradation
 Desertification

Soil, Soil conservation, Soil
Erosion, Soil Contamination, Soil
salinization
 Land use
 Urban sprawl
 Habitat fragmentation
 Habitat destruction
 Nuclear Issues
 Nuclear power
 Radioactive waste
 To Do:
 Of these 6 issues, which one do
you think is most concerning &
why?
Issues continued…
 Ozone Depletion
 Pollution
 Water pollution
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Acid Rain
Marine pollution
Ocean dumping
Oil spills
Ocean acidification
Wastewater
 Air pollution
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Smog
Indoor air quality
 Resource Depletion
 Exploitation of natural resources (overconsumerism)
 Fishing; Bottom trawling; Illegal &
unregulated fishing; Shark finning;
Whaling
 Logging / Clearcutting / Deforestation
 Mining
 Toxins
 Chlorofluorocarbons
 DDT
 Dioxin
 Heavy metals
 Herbicides
 Pesticides
 Toxic waste
GROUP PROJECT
 In assigned groups, you will research one of the
following topics.
 Acid Rain
 Air Pollution
 Global Warming
 Animal/Species Extinction
 Deforestation
 Ozone Depletion
 Ocean Issues (pick 1 issue or all 3)

sea water rising, oil spills, wastewater, & pollution
TO DO
 Research
 Each group member needs to
research for your topic

If you don’t have a cell phone w/
Internet access, print your research

No Wikipedia
Consider
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World Wildlife Federation
(WWF)
National Geographic
IPCC
EPA
 Poster – bring your own!
 Title
 At least 5 Visuals (pictures,
charts, graphs, etc.)
 Background (5 W’s & How)
 Current Info & Research
 Changes in Policies, Future
Implications,
Recommendations
 Presentation
 Each group will present
their topic to the class