Environmental Issues in Latin America SS6G2 THE STUDENT WILL DISCUSS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN LATIN AMERICA. A. EXPLAIN THE MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS OF LATIN AMERICA REGARDING THE ISSUES OF AIR POLLUTION IN MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RAIN FOREST IN BRAZIL, AND OIL-RELATED POLLUTION IN VENEZUELA.

Mexico City Problem: One of the world’s worst areas of air pollution – Causes:  Overpopulated city – over 19 million people and growing.  Older cars-over 3 million  Factories- over 1,000  City is built in bowl-shaped crater of extinct volcano  Thin air because of high elevation – air pollution gets trapped.  Sun + dirty air = smog

Solutions….. Drivers leave cars at home 1 day/week ( use public transportation or carpool ) Car inspections and repairs Factories closed on days of bad pollution Improve fuels Increase cars that burn less exhaust

Venezuela Venezuela is one of the largest producers of oil and natural gas in the world. ( Ranked #5 in the world ) Money from oil sales accounts for ½ the government funds

Problems….. Caribbean Sea has become polluted with oil from spills. Venezuela produces high levels of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels – causes breathing problems for kids and elderly and global warming

Lake Maracaibo Dikes had to be built to keep the lake from flooding Sinking 3 inches/year due to oil extraction

Lake Maracaibo

Brazil  More than ½ of Brazil is covered by rainforest  Home to 40,000 types of plants and more than 1000 species 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 rainforest  More than ½ of Brazil is covered by rainforest  Home to 40,000 types of plants and more than 1000 species 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 rainforest

Problem….  Deforestation- mass cutting down of trees in the rain forest.  Nearly 200,00 square miles of rain forest have been lost due to deforestation in the last ten years.

Why cut down the trees?  Sell the timber  Create cattle ranches  Create large farms ( soybeans ) What’s the disadvantage of clearing the rain forest? The people, plants and animals living in the rain forest are threatened with extinction.

Solutions…..  Government creates laws to control the amount of forest that is cut down.  Only have certain areas cut down.  Create ways to use the rainforest’s resources without destroying the rainforest itself.  Re-plant trees and flowers as soon as they are removed.