Environmental Problems
21-1
Ever since the Industrial Revolution in the
1700's, the environment has become more
polluted due to our reliance on machines.
Pollution is an unwanted change in the
environment caused by substances like
wastes or radiation
Pollutants can be:
Natural - volcanic eruptions
Man-made - chemical waste,
fertilizer, garbage etc.
Let's see a little bit about pollution! (real player - pollution)
Americans throw away more thrash per person than any other country on the
planet! ~12 kg/week
Much results in the production of hazardous waste when it
enters the landfill!
~ things that can catch fire
~ corrosion
~ explosive
~ carcinogens
Just in case you were wondering what types of industries cause what type of
pollution, here's a pretty lengthy list!
Type of industries
Type of pollution
Manufacture of chemicals,
pesticides, medicines
Water pollution, air pollution
Manufacture of gases
Air pollution
Cement, steel and other
mine based industries
Air pollution and solid wastes,
noise pollution
Textile industries and their
ancillaries
Water pollution, air pollution,
noise pollution
Transport vehicle
manufacturing
Solid wastes, noise pollution,
air pollution
Petroleum based industries
Water pollution, air pollution
Forest dependent industries
Air pollution, solid wastes and
sound pollution
Food industries
Water pollution, air pollution,
food pollution
Paper industries
Water pollution, air pollution,
solid wastes, sound pollution
Sugar industry
Water pollution, air pollution,
solid wastes
Brick industry
Air pollution, water pollution
Aircraft industry
Solid wastes, water pollution,
air pollution
Electrical appliances and
electric goods industries
Solid wastes, air pollution
IT based industries
Air pollution
Telecom industries
Solid wastes and air pollution
Chemical Pollution
Harmful chemicals that may get into the environment:
~ CFC's - chlorofluorocarbons
* used in aerosol cans, refrigerators, plastic
production
* no longer legal!
PCB's - once used in appliances and paint products
~poisonous and may cause cancer!
~banned from use now
Nuclear Waste
While nuclear power
plants provide excellent
energy to our homes
and businesses, they
also produce radioactive
waste!
This can result in:
~ mutation of DNA resulting
in
birth defects in
offspring
~ vomiting, diarrhea
~ burns
~ cancer
~ death
Gases in the
Atmosphere
Our atmosphere is made of a mix of different
gases
~ CO2
~ Nitrogen
~ Oxygen
~ other trace gases
CO2 and other air pollutants
act like a blanket - trapping
in heat
The increase in CO2 and air pollutants has shown to be increasing the
global temperature - Global Warming
The common name for this is the
Greenhouse Effect!
~ the process by which the earth traps
infrared rays
Lets see how this works!
(Greenhouse effect - real player)
Some Effects of Global Warming are and could be:
~ increase in global temperatures - Avg. global temps. likely to increase by
between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees Celsius (2.5o and 10.4o F) by the year 2100.
~ loss of shoreline and
coastal ecosystems
~More severe weather - storms,
drought
~ melting of the glaciers and polar ice
caps
~ rise in overall sea level
~Ecosystems may not be able to adapt fast enough
leading to extinction or take over where they once did not
live
This pollutant affects the senses!
~Affects your ability to
hear and think clearly
~ may permanently damage
your hearing
~ need to wear ear protection when in a noisy environment
for long periods of time!
Resource Depletion
2 Types of resources
~Renewable and Non-renewable
Renewable resources can be used over and over again
or has an unlimited supply
~these can be reused or replenished within our lifetime
~EX: Water, sunlight, wind, geothermal, some species of
trees
Non-renewable resources
~cannot be
replaced or can be replaced but not for thousands or
millions of years
~EX: minerals, fossil fuels like oil and coal and
natural gas, tropical forests
Exotic
Species
Northern snakehead
Invasive species - non-native species that reproduce rapidly due to lack of
predators.
~ often overcrowd native species and overtake the habitat thus destroying o
changing the ecosystem
ex: zebra mussles - in Lake Erie - have pushed some species to near extinction!
They take over the
ecosystem by not having
natural predators and
pushing out the native
species
EX: Killer Bees - originally from Africa
and very aggressive!
Why introduced? Imported and
bred with European honey bees to
increase honey production
Impact: More aggressive than
European honeybees; negative impact
on honey production industry
Let's see a little about this
species...(real player killer bees)
Interested in other invasive species?
This is a great topic to do some extra
credit!
Habitat Destruction
Habitat - where something lives!
Everything needs a place to live, so
when the habitats are polluted or
changed, some things may lose their
home!
Biodiversity - the number and variety of org. in a certain habitat
~ the more biodiversity a habitat has, the more resilient it is
when catastrophes happen
Forest habitats - high biodiversity
~supplies planet with oxygen, food and shelter
~we use the trees for building supplies and paper.
~today we replenish the trees we cut down!
~ can have bad effects if we aren't
responsible when we use this
resource ...
many plants and
animals will be lost if
the forest is not respected and replaced!
Marine habitats - high biodiversity
~habitat loss comes from:
* oil spills
* chemicals from land run-off
* plastics dumped into the ocean
Environmental Solutions!
21-2
As our population grows, we will need
more food, space, transportation, and
waste disposal!
~ so what does this mean for our
If we don't use our resources wisely;
we Earth??
will continue to pollute our environment!
More natural habitats will be lost
Many species may die out
(including us!)
Conservation!
Conservation - the preservation and wise use
of natural resources
Things you can conserve:
~ fuel
~ water
~ energy
~ waste products
~ food
~ natural resources!
So how do we go about DOING conservation?
~ the 3 R's of course!
*Reduce
*Reuse
*Recycle
1.) Reduce:
~ use less of the earth's resources!
~ about 1/3 of waste from some countries is from packaging material!
* we can use less to package things
* we can use biodegradable packaging!
- biodegradable = able to be broken down
by living organisms
* we can use organic fertilizer - not chemicals
*we can use renewable resources like solar
energy, wind, water to power things
2.) Reuse:
~using something again or re-purposing it!
Things you can reuse:
~ Products:
* plastic bags - use at the grocery store!
* bottles - refill with a drink!
* building materials - new houses etc.
* old tires - playground mulch
Here is a great website for creative ideas on how to re-use things! Check it out!
http://www.squidoo.com/reuse-everything
paper dress
You can reuse the rain water!
~ get a rain barrel and
use the water collected to water
your plants, your lawn, or wash
your car!
3.) Recycle!!
Recycle - recovery of materials from waste
So many things can be recycled!
What are some things that you can think of?
Cardboard
Aluminum
Glass
Paper
By recycling these things, we can save so much
energy and material!
Some interesting facts:
Recycling newspaper can save about 1 million trees a week!
Recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy
needed to make Al from ore!
Glass can be recycled many times and be made
into new things!
What else can we do??
Help maintain
EX:
If there are only a few species in the ecosystem, it would not take
much to bring about the downfall of that ecosystem!
The more species there are in the
ecosystem, the more likely that system is to
recover from the loss of one species
Protect the species that are
here!
Endangered Species Act:
designed to protect species that
are on the verge of extinction
against people hunting them or
destroying their habitat.
Some animals on the list are:
http://www.allabout
wildlife.com/tenmost-endangeredanimals
#1
Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
This bird's habitat was severely disrupted by
logging and humans hunted it for it's feathers
Let's learn a little bit about the world's most
endangered animal...
(real player - ivory billed woodpecker)
Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
#2
Amur leopard
This beautiful cat is on the list and only
about 40 are left in the wild!!
Habitat destruction due to logging, road
building, civilization encroachment and
poaching have decimated this cat's
numbers.
Amur leopard
Let's see a bit about this cat!
(real player - amur leopard)
#3
The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
is the most endangered of the world’s five
rhinoceros species, with an estimated 40-60
animals remaining on the western tip of the Island
of Java (Indonesia) in Ujung Kulon National Park.
Javan rhinoceros
It has been hunted to near-extinction for its horn, which is used to
make Asian folk medicines.
Let's see a clip on this rhino! ( real player )
#4
GREATER BAMBOO LEMUR
This Lemur is from Madagascar! Almost all of
them are disappearing very quickly due to
habitat loss and illegal hunting
Greater Bamboo Lemur
Shall we take a look at this adorable creature? (real player)
The Northern Right Whale is the most
endangered of all the world’s whale species. The
right whale got its name because whalers
considered it the “right” whale to kill, as it not only
was full of valuable whale oil, but it floated after it
was dead, which made it easy to handle and
process.
#5
Northern Right
Whale
Although now protected, global climate change and fishing nets
still pose a threat to this species!
Let's learn a bit more about this whale! (real
player)
Others on this list include:
6Western Lowland Gorilla
Disease and illegal hunting are taking an alarming toll on this gentle giant of a primate
7Leatherback Sea Turtle
The population of the world’s largest turtle is dropping at an alarming rate
8Siberian (or Amur) Tiger
The world’s biggest cat weighs as much as 300 kilos (660 pounds)
9Chinese Giant Salamander
Humans are eating the world’s largest amphibian into extinction
10Kakapo Parrot
So few of these flightless parrots remain that the survivors all have names
Plus . . . Two Important Species From the Previous List
Mountain Gorilla
Their habitat is shrinking, and fewer than 700 remain
Hawaiian Monk Seal
Scientists don’t know why this seal’s population keeps declining
Great opportunity for extra credit here!! Research an
endangered species! Tell me why it made the list, how
many are left in the world, what caused its decline, where
is it found, what is being done to restore the numbers or
protect it? Give some good background info on your
animal (or plant!) ~ Due by test day! ~ 10 pts~
Environmental Strategies
EPA
- environmental protection agency
* government org. that helps protect the
environment
* keeps people informed about environ.
laws
* helps enforce those laws
What you can do:
~ Reduce Pollution
~Reduce pesticide use
~ Protect habitats
~learn about local environmental issues
~ Develop alternative energy sources
What else can you think of?