Environmental Issues Latin America When the Earth says ¡No MAS! what will we do?!

Latin America’s Elevation Huge numbers of mountains and plateaus Mountains created by moving tectonic plates Many active volcanoes and earthquakes

The Tropics Most of Latin America is located in the Tropics Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn This Area receives direct rays of the sun for much of the year. World’s rainforest found here

Air Pollution in Mexico Mexico is one of the world’s worst areas for air pollution. Causes: Crowded cities- 8.8 million in Mexico City, compared to 448,000 in Atlanta High Elevation- less oxygen so fuels don’t fully burn Industrialization- thousands of factories Car emissions- old automobiles are common City is surrounded by mountains which traps pollution

Deforestation in Brazil More than ½ of Brazil is covered by rainforest. Home to 40,000 types of plants and thousands of animals Valuable: Medicines are made from plants Products- Brazil nuts, cocoa, rubber 20% of oxygen is produced by Brazilian rainforests Indigenous people live in the rainforest

Human-Environment Interaction Human cut down trees in order to sell timber Slash and burn farming is used to make land fertile in order to grow crops like soybeans Cattle Ranching New settlement to alleviate overcrowding in urban areas Mining Repercussions 200,000 acres lost Causes global warming- more carbon dioxide in the air

Oil Related Pollution in Venezuela Venezuela is one of the largest produces of oil and natural gas in the world. Money from Oil sales accounts for ½ the government funds Main source of income for many people Caribbean Sea has become polluted from oil spills Venezuela produces high levels of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels- causes breathing problems for kids and elderly and global warming Lake Maracaibo is sinking due to oil extraction threatening to flood local towns, homes and farms.

THiNK About IT How does geography play a role in Mexico City’s air pollution problem? What are the main sources of air pollution in Mexico City? What is a problem associated with deforestation? The world get 20% of what from the Amazon rainforest? What problems are caused by oil production in Venezuela? Why doesn't the government want to stop oil production?