What are the effects of the world population on the environment?

How Society has Adapted Wrongfully to the Natural World  Pollution  Destruction of Natural Habitat

Pollution Facts  Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not.  In the U.S. 41% of all insecticides are used on corn. Of these, 80% are used to treat a pest that could be controlled simply by rotating a different crop for just one year.  1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water, and industrial waste are discharged into U.S. waters annually.  Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires, and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year.

Small Steps Get and use your recycle bin! Reusable water bottle! Use public transport or a carpool!

Distribution of Products

Manufacture r Distribution Centers Stores Homes Semi-trucks  6-8 MPG if extremely efficient  Down to 4 depending on the cargo Trains  Trains can be more then 4 ½ times more efficient then cars or trucks in most cases, saving hundreds of gallons in fuel and tons of CO2 emissions. In 2006 the transportation industry logged billion miles.

The Rainforest

The Rainforest Facts  European colonists have destroyed more than 90 indigenous tribes since the 1900s  Scientists have only tested 1% of the plants for medicinal properties  The only remaining Medicine Men/Shamans are over 70 years old  If the Rainforest was valued for more than just it’s lumber, big companies would make much, much more money on the medicinal plants there.  At least 3,000 diverse species of fruits are in the rainforests; only 200 of those are used in mainstream countries.

 1 ½ acres of Rainforest land are being destroyed every second  Experts estimate that every day we are losing about 137 plant, animal and insect species due to Rainforest deforestation  The Rainforest makes more than 20% of the earth’s oxygen  1/5 of the world’s fresh water is in the Amazon Basin

Sources Raintree Nutrition Rainforest Facts Last Modified: 3/20/10 Date Accessed: February 29, Do Something 11 Facts About Pollution Date Accessed: May 29, TruckInfo Trucking Statistics Date Accessed: May 30, 2012