Environmental Issues
Humanities GCSE
CONTENTS
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Types of energy
Environmental problems
Groups
Direct & Indirect action
Pollution & tourism
Coral reefs & the rainforest
Quiz
Click a bubble to reveal the type of energy, or click next!
BIOFUELS
WIND
NUCLEAR
SOLAR
GEOTHERMAL
TIDAL
H.E.P.
FOSSIL FUELS
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Biofuels are mostly wood, which is
renewable if it can be grown faster than
it is chopped down. They can also be
made from crops, like sugar and corn,
and can be used as 385 for cars. A
problem is that you need lots of land to
grow and make it. Landfill waste and
animal dung can also provide this type of
energy, and can provide methane, which
can be burned for energy.
Nuclear energy is made in nuclear power
plants. In 2007, nuclear power provided
around 18% of the UK’s electricity. In 1956,
the first nuclear power station was built.
The fuel is a mineral called uranium, which
is mined, so it is not a renewable resource.
It is seen as a replacement for fossil fuels,
although some people have fears over its
safety, especially since the recent nuclear
emergency in Japan. Its production does
not produce carbon dioxide.
Fixed wave generators use the power of
the waves to force air up a column which
turns a turbine. These generators are
relatively easy to build, and are small, so
there is little impact on the landscape. It is
suitable for the UK in certain areas where
there are lots of waves – in Scotland, the
biggest wave farm in the world will be
built. The River Severn would be ideal, but
there would be problems with the local
environment.
Wind power is the fastest-growing
alternative energy source in the UK. A
wind farm is full of wind turbines which
can turn the wind into energy. They
must be placed somewhere with lots of
wind, like a shoreline. They can make
lots of noise pollution, and might ruin
the landscape for some local residents.
The pressure of the blades can also
affect bats.
Solar power is best suited on a small scale,
for homes and small buildings. It can be
generated using solar panels, which can be
inserted on to most roofs. Sunlight is free,
infinite, and produces no pollution, so it is
an ideal alternative source of light for
sunny places. However, it can be expensive
to convert the sunlight into energy, and
works best in a very sunny country. In the
future, it might be used on car tops or on
aeroplanes.
H.E.P. stands for hydro-electro power, and
is highly suited to the UK because of its
high annual rainfall. It is very efficient, as
90% of the water collected is turned into
energy. It can be created when water is
stored in a large dam, and, using
electricity, is turned into energy. It requires
steep valleys in which to build the dams,
and large areas of land to use, but the UK
can provide that. It does damage fish and
local ecosystems.
Geothermal energy uses heat from the
earth to generate energy, and can only
be used where the Earth’s crust is
thinnest. There are low running costs,
but it might not be ideal for England
since the Earth’s crust here is quite thick.
Some offices in Southampton are heated
by water pumped from 1,800m below
the ground.
Coal, oil and gas are all fossil fuels. They
were formed millions of years ago from
dead plants and animals, and provide
the majority of the energy from the UK,
although many people are trying to cut
down on the use of fossil fuels. In power
stations, the fuels are used to heat water
– this steam is used to drive turbines
which then turn an electrical generator
which produces energy.
These are five of the most important environmental problems to consider. Click on
one of the issues, or press next to go on to the next topic.
urbanisation + industrialisation
pollution + humans
pollution
biodiversity
tourism
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Urbanisation is the process of more people moving to the
towns and cities rather than living in the country, and
industrialisation is the process of human workers being
replaced by machinery. As countries develop, people demand
more goods, which requires more factories to develop more
products. With urbanisation, more houses have to be built in
the cities, which means more of the environment has to be
destroyed. As more people move to the city, they find
themselves unable or unwilling to do more environmentally
things – like growing their own food on an allotment, or
cycling to work because of traffic difficulties.
The air, water and land become polluted in many ways. The
land becomes polluted by radioactive waste being dumped in
it – the village of Drigg, Cumbria, will be paid £75 million in
compensation to have radioactive waste stored under the
village, which could have an impact on human life and local
ecosystems. Also, landfills produce methane, which can
produce greenhouse gases and harm the Ozone layer.
When rubbish and sewage are tipped into water supplies,
they can pollute it, and make it harmful to local organisms. 4
billion tonnes of waste are tipped into the Yellow River, China,
every year, making the Shandong province the “cancer capital
of the world”.
The main cause of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels. In
Mexico City, smog can cause health problems. Harmful gases
destroy the Ozone layer, letting in UV rays.
Pollution can harm in many ways – in China, 750,000 people
die every year from pollution-related health problems. UV
rays let in by holes in the Ozone layer can cause skin cancer,
and smog, caused by pollution, can cause asthma. Dirty air
looks and feels disgusting to everyone, so can affect the
quality of life of animals and humans. Living around nuclear
waste can be an eyesore, and can cause health problems. It
can affect water supplies and soil, and in LEDCs, children can
get lead poisoning and asthma from living on rubbish dumps.
Pollution can also cause acid rain.
Habitats like coral reefs and rainforests are home to many
species, and include a variety of ecosystems which are vital to
the life of the environment and the species in it. Many
endangered species could provide cures for deadly diseases,
like cancer or AIDS, and could lead to important scientific
discoveries in the future. Without biodiversity, ecosystems
could collapse, which could be deadly for all animals and
plants involved. Forest tribes depend on some of the animals
and plants for their survival, and loss of biodiversity could
seriously threaten those tribes.
The five main causes of loss of biodiversity are: habitat
destruction (habitats of some species being destroyed for
land), climate change (species cannot adapt fast enough),
pollution (sewage and pesticides can hurt animals),
exploitation (deforestation, poaching and over-fishing), and
invasive alien species (from other countries that come here
and compete with the native species.)
Tourism affects both MEDCs and LEDCs, which can be bad for
the environment. Visitor numbers can be greater than the
environment can handle, and ‘honey pots’ like Malkham in
Yorkshire have suffered from people using the footpaths too
much, which can erode them, and traffic congestion on the
local roads. Mombasa, Kenya, has also suffered: sewage
pumped from the local hotels have polluted coral reefs, which
damages the ecosystem. Areas can be ruined by leisure
activities, like snorkelling. Off-road safaris can ruin the rocks of
the desert, and make the animals behave strangely – they can
desert their young due to the intrusive public. Pressure is put
on local resources to provide for tourists, and even big
landmarks like Mount Everest can suffer.
These are the groups involved in environmental issues – and how they respond to
those issues. Click on a group to see their profile, or click next to go on!
scientists
religion
pressure groups
political groups
businesses
sceptics
government
NEXT
Sometimes, scientists are referred to as ‘bright
green environmentalists’, and often try to solve
and respond to environmental problems. They
respond by using science and technology to
solve problems. Some scientists try to improve
efficiency of motor vehicles and power
stations, to see what they can do to achieve a
better future for the world.
Some religious people believe in stewardship,
which is looking after something so it can be
passed down. Hindus have Ahisma, which
means a no-violence respect policy. The
Muslim prophet Mohammed taught about
animal rights before politics, and Christians
have organisations which give out awards to
environmentally-friendly churches.
Some political groups, like the Green Party, see
environmental issues as political issues, and try
to get laws passed to protect the environment.
They campaign for green issues, and for things
like more public transport and restricted air
travel. They also want to educate people more
on the environment, and how to protect it. In
recent years, support for the Green Party has
been growing.
Sceptics don’t believe in the manmade effects
of global warming, but think it is a natural
situation. They deny global warming exists –
some do not believe the evidence, whilst
others simply do not want to change their
lifestyle and habits to suit the environment.
The government may respond to
environmental issues by passing new laws – for
example, they stopped the sale of leaded
petrol in 2000. They can also set up important
environmental initiatives, like Agenda 21, for
world leaders to sign. They have a substantial
interest in the future of the UK and the state of
the environment.
Many businesses are more concerned about
profits than the environment, but some do pay
for more environmentally friendly aspects for
their offices, such as solar panels for the roof.
Power stations may increase pollution, but
they give people jobs and money, and Trade
Unions have to protect peoples’ jobs – getting
rid of factories would get rid of jobs.
These groups pressure the government and
community into doing something about the
environment – they take direct or indirect
action on a variety of issues, which can involve
protests, sit-ins and campaigns. An example of
a pressure group is Greenpeace, who organise
many campaigns and protests to raise
awareness about the environment.
civil disobedience
sit-ins
protests
boycott
lobbying
Direct
Action
Indirect
campaigns
research
petitions
press release
Pollution and tourism
Advantages
Disadvantages
Develops the economy
e.g. more industry, more jobs
Transport
e.g. airports, roads, docks need to be
built/extended = more air/noise pollution
Improves lifestyle of locals
e.g. more money to develop
local services
Accommodation & uses of resources
e.g. more hotels built in coastal areas,
taking resources from locals
Protecting places of interest
e.g. beautiful places and
interesting landmarks
Leisure activities & changes in land use
e.g. snorkelling, which can destroy coral
reefs
Changes in lifestyle for local people
e.g. people having more traffic
pollution
global warming
tourism
Threats to
Coral Reefs
mining
fishing
nuclear testing
extraction of minerals
small-scale farming
Threats to
Rainforests
cattle ranching
logging
major engineering projects
CONTENTS
Can you make your way through the rainforest alive? Answer the questions
on environmental issues to get safely through the rainforest – press GO to
start the quiz!
GO
Which of these is not a direct
action taken by pressure groups?
Protests
Petitions
Lobbying
WELL DONE!
NEXT QUESTION
Which of these energy sources
requires large valleys to work?
H.E.P.
Tidal
Solar
WELL DONE!
NEXT QUESTION
Out of these three, what are most
businesses most concerned about?
Profit
Workers
Environment
WELL DONE!
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