UNIT 3: CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES CHAPTERS 3, 4 and 5 (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE)

WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE? Def: The study of how humans impact their environment –What book is this? Once-ler Truffula Trees Barbaloots Swomee-Swans Humming Fish Thneeds Lorax Environmental Issues: –Class List Key People and Events: –John Muir – Sierra Club –Teddy Roosevelt – National Refuges/Parks –Rachel Carson – Silent Spring

ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING TYPES OF ISSUES –R–RESOURCE USE RENEWABLE VS NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES –P–POPULATION GROWTH FASTER THAN EVER  EXPONENTIAL GROWTH DOUBLE PROBLEM: MORE PEOPLE  MORE RESOURCES NEEDED; MORE PEOPLE  LESS AVAILABLE LAND TO GET THESE RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY HAS TO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE –P–POLLUTION

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING AN ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION? –IDENTIFY ISSUE –CONSIDER VALUES – ideas that people think are important; different for different groups of people Economic – money Environmental – environment Convenience – how will it make life easier Recreational – fun Health – is it safe Scientific/Educational – what can we learn Religious/Cultural – family or society values; traditions Aesthetic – pleasing to the senses Political – how the public will react (public opinion) –ANALYZE CONSEQUENCES PROS AND CONS (COSTS AND BENEFITS) IMMEDIATE, SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM

ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING YELLOWSTONE WOLF REINTRODUCTION –For background article: click hereclick here –1995 – 14 wolves reintroduced –Why did they do it? –Why were some people opposed? –What do you think? –Would your thinking be different if it was around here? Mountain Lion Article Mountain Lion Video

LIVING RESOURCES: SUSTAINABLE YIELD – the amount of a renewable resource that can be used without reducing the supply for the future –Managing without overusing FORESTRY – managing the forests to get the resources from trees, while keeping the same amount of forests year after year –Products from Trees (why are forests important?) –Logging Methods: (know pros and cons) Clear cut – taking all trees from an area Selective Cut – only take certain species or size of tree

LIVING RESOURCES: FISHING INDUSTRY –P–Products from the sea –F–Fishery – areas of the ocean with large populations of valuable organisms 70% have been overfished Ways to help maintain sustainable yield: –L–Laws and Limits –U–Use Better Techniques »D»Dolphins and tuna example –A–Aquaculture – fish farming »R»Raise the fish in artificial environments and harvest »C»Can be used for freshwater resources as well –F–Find New Resources

LAND USE Development –Construction of roads, buildings, dams etc. for human use Mining –The removal of nonrenewable resources –Shaft Mining – digging deep into the ground for resources Coal –Strip mining – scraping the surface of the Earth for resources Minerals, iron, copper –Dangers: Cave-ins Fires Acid-mine drainage –Land Reclamation – the process of restoring the land back to its original ecosystem Agriculture

SOIL CONSERVATION Layers of Soil (from top to bottom) –Litter – dead leaves and organic material Important for returning nutrients to soil –Topsoil – rock fragments, nutrients, water, air, plant roots Most important for growing plants –Subsoil – larger rock fragments –Bedrock – solid rock What ground water lays on (aquifers)

PROBLEMS OF SOIL CONSERVATION Erosion – the loss of topsoil by wind or water –Usually held in place by roots of plants –Windbreaks – hedgerows –Tree buffer between field and stream –Strip cropping/contour farming –Terrace farming Nutrient Depletion – overusing a single piece of land, stripping it of its nutrients –Removing crops over and over from a single piece of land –Fallow – leave the crops on the field –Crop rotation – plant different crops in the field each year Different crops use different nutrients –Add Fertilizer Natural or synthetic

PROBLEMS OF SOIL CONSERVATION Desertification – climate changes and fertile land turns to desert like conditions –Can be caused by cutting too many trees down (deforestation) Disrupts water cycle –Solutions: Forest management irrigation –Last 50 years – 5 billion hectares of land

The Solid Waste (Trash) Problem Municipal Solid Waste – wastes produced in homes (trash) Sanitary Landfill – an area designated to bury and hold solid waste –Must meet many regulations –Leachate – the polluted runoff from trash mixing with rainwater Leak-proof linings –Methane gas  energy Incineration – burning trash –Takes up less space than landfills –Causes air pollution; expensive to build; Still need landfills for ash

The Solid Waste (Trash) Problem The Three “R’s” –Reduce –Reuse –Recycle  glass, plastic, aluminum, paper Composting – promoting decomposition of foods and other biodegradable materials at home –Biodegradable – a substance that can be broken down and decomposed by bacteria (and other decomposers) –Can be used as a natural fertilizer

Hazardous Wastes Any waste that can cause extreme harm to individuals or the environment Categories: –Toxic – Poisonous –Explosive – react quickly with air or water –Flammable – easily caught on fire –Corrosive – eats away; dissolve –Radioactive – unstable atoms that release energy (radiation) Nuclear wastes  Yucca Mountain national waste site Medical Wastes  cancer treatment & x-ray

Hazardous Wastes Health Effects: –Short term – irritation, breathing difficulties, internal bleeding, paralysis, coma, death –Long term – cancer, birth defects, death Disposal –Burial –Incineration –Living organisms –Recycle Superfund sites – areas identified as polluted with hazardous wastes and are being treated BE SMART AND MAKE ENVIRONMENTALLY GOOD DECISIONS!