Pollution & Environmental Problems

What exactly is pollution? Pollution

What is Pollution? Pollution: any addition to air, water, soil, or food that threatens the health or survival of humans or other organisms

Pollution Point Source –Single –Identifiable source –Examples: Smokestacks Drainpipes Exhaust pipes Non-Point Source –Dispersed –Difficult to identify –Examples: Runoff Sprayed pesticides Construction sediment

What do you think? Is it cheaper to: –prevent pollution from being released in the first place? OR –clean it up once it has already been released?

Pollution Prevention Reduce or eliminate production of pollutantsReduce or eliminate production of pollutants Also called Input Pollution ControlAlso called Input Pollution Control

Pollution Prevention Typically cheaper and is more effective than clean-upTypically cheaper and is more effective than clean-up As resources become more expensive, businesses find that it is more economical to reduce their pollutionAs resources become more expensive, businesses find that it is more economical to reduce their pollution

Pollution Clean-Up Cleaning up or diluting pollutants after they’ve been producedCleaning up or diluting pollutants after they’ve been produced Also called Output Pollution ControlAlso called Output Pollution Control

Pollution Clean-Up 3 problems: 3 problems: 1.Only a temporary bandage, not a fix 2.Removes pollutants from one part of the environment only to put them in another part 3.Too costly to reduce pollutants to acceptable levels

Environmental Impact What factors affect the size of a country’s environmental impact?  (P) – population  (A) – affluence  (T) – technology

Changes in Human Society Agricultural Revolution (10,000 – 12,000 years ago) –Shift from nomadic groups to settled communities –Domestication of animals –Cultivation of plants –Little impact on environment: Only altered small areas of land Low population size and density Enough land so they could let fields restore themselves after being used

Changes in Human Society Industrial Revolution (1700s – 1800s) –Increase in production, trade, and distribution of material goods –Renewable  Nonrenewable resources –Small scale production  Large scale production –Development of modern cities Fewer farmers, more city-dwellers Concentrated pollution –Commercial agriculture

Changes in Human Society Information/Globalization Revolution (>1950s) –Improvements in transmitting information (phone, radio, TV, computer, internet, etc.) –Rapid access to information –Rapid increase in information –Globalized economy