A primer of environmental degradation, by the numbers. On This Day A primer of environmental degradation, by the numbers.

CO2 Emissions Each year, approximately 38.2 billion tons of CO2 is pumped into the atmosphere. That equals more than 100,000,000 tons per day. What natural activities release CO2? What unnatural activities release CO2? Which unnatural activity is responsible for the largest amount of CO2 released? Transportation

Waste Disposal Every year, Americans dispose of 262,000,000 tons of solid waste (trash). That equates to about 717,808 tons per day. Which is enough to fill M&T Bank Stadium 4 times. Per Day. Where is the majority of this waste being dumped? Approximately 50% of this material is recyclable.

Toxic Waste Approximately 365,000,000 tons of toxic waste is disposed of each year. That equates to approximately 1 million tons per day. What do we mean by “toxic” waste? Examples? Is it possible to denature and/or safely store them? Yes. Why don’t we? Money.

Species Extinction The “background” (natural) rate of species extinction is estimated to be around 1-5 species per year. What would account for this? Estimates range from 12-100 species will become extinct today. Which species is primarily responsible for this?

Deforestation Approximately 216,000 acres of forest are cut each day. How large is an acre? A football field, including both end zones, is approximately 1.33 acres in size. That means a forested area, equivalent to 2 football fields, is cut down. Every second.

Population Growth The world’s population increases by more than 200,000 people per day. That is NOT the birth rate. It is the birth rate, minus the death rate. ie: The growth rate. That equates to an increase of 160 people on Earth per minute. (7,680 per period) Each of the people added will require food, shelter, care, etc.

In Closing When you go to bed, each night, the World is: More polluted Less diverse And, more crowded. The next day, it starts all over, again.

What can be done? For Homework, propose at least one way each of the Environmental problems identified in this slideshow could be reduced and/or eliminated.