1. AIM: HOW HAVE HUMANS IMPACTED THE EARTH?

4. Human population growth is the root of many environmental issues:
Overuse of non-renewable resources
Destruction of habitats
Deforestation
Pollution
Atmospheric changes

5. Consumption of Resources
Renewable vs. Non-renewable
Make a list of resources you feel are Renewable and Non-renewable. What are the differences?
Can a renewable resource become non-renewable?

6. Materials found on earth that can be replaced and reused
Renewable Resources:
Materials found on earth that can be replaced and reused
Still MUST be careful!!
Ex. Solar energy, Wood & Food supply

7. Ex. COAL, OIL, NATURAL GAS (Fossil Fuels)
Non-renewable Resources:
Materials found on earth that have a finite quantity
Once used up  Can NOT be replaced
Ex. COAL, OIL, NATURAL GAS
(Fossil Fuels)

8. Technology/Industrialization
Increased industrialization: uses more resources & energy use
This has positive and negative effects on humans and ecosystems

9. How Can We Help? Help maintain renewable & nonrenewable resources 
REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE

10. POLLUTION and Destruction of Ecosystems
Air, Land and Water

11. Can be in many different forms.
POLLUTION:
Can be in many different forms.

12. Land: Pollution and Ecosystem Destruction
Fertilizers/ Pesticides/ Insecticides
Runoff and Eutrophication
Poor Farming Practices and Land Use (over grazing/ over cropping)
Deforestation

13. Eutrophication: caused by enrichment of the aquatic biomes from fertilizers and wastes (too much of a good thing)

14. Eutrophic Lake

15. Poor Land Use
Leads to: loss of soil nutrients  may take decades/centuries to repair
Leads to: famine and starvation
Leads to: Habitat destruction new farm land needs to be found

16. Deforestation 1. Reduces habitats/biodiversity
2. Reduces possible resources for medicine
3. Adds to global warming
4. Increases Erosion, Flooding and Landslides

17. WATER POLLUTION and Ecosystem Destruction:
Thermal Pollution
Acid Rain Causes pH of lakes to change.

18. Factories often use water to cool their pipes.
What does this cause to happen in the waterways?

19. Air pollution can cause acid rain

23. Average pH profiles in U.S. in 1999
Why is the eastern U.S. so high in acid rain?
Air Pollution

24. Leads to: Acid Rain, Global Warming, Ozone Depletion
Air: Pollution
Burning Fossil Fuels
Industry
Other
Leads to: Acid Rain, Global Warming, Ozone Depletion

25. Atmospheric Changes
Green House Effect: Climatic change caused by increasing Greenhouse Gases (carbon dioxide is the number 1 greenhouse gas) where does it come from?

26. Earth heats up and heat can’t escape
Greenhouse Gasses
Let sunlight in
Earth heats up and heat can’t escape

27. Increased Greenhouse Gasses
Earth’s “cooling” system is “clogged”
Net effect:
Earth warms as
heat can’t escape
Photo: remember when 2 outlets per wall was more than enough??

28. Why do CO2 levels matter? CO2 is a greenhouse gas, which like the glass on your car, let sunlight in, heating up what’s inside. What’s inside then emits radiation to let it cool off. That longer-wavelength radiation is trapped by the glass or greenhouse gas until the insides heat up hotter and hotter and the radiation reaches a short enough wavelength to escape. In a car, this happens around 140°F. On the Earth, this temperature depends on the concentrations of greenhouse gasses.

29. Additional consequences
Fastest extinction rates
Increased poverty and hunger
Increased disease
Air-borne (e.g. asthma)
Insect-borne (e.g. malaria)
More extreme weather
Droughts
Flooding
Heat-waves
Storms
Species of land animals are disappearing faster now than any time since the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago. From polar bears in the Arctic no longer having sea ice for hunting, mating, and migration, to frog in the tropics, we are losing species fast, and humans are almost completely to blame. Increased winds are carrying dust farther, worsening conditions like allergies and asthma, while longer breeding seasons for insects are helping spread insect-borne disease like malaria. 29

32. Ozone Depletion
Release of certain gases (CFC’s) into atmosphere  has led to destruction of ozone shield
Ozone: layer of ozone gas that protects Earth from some of sun’s radiation
Ozone shield is thinning allowing more radiation to get onto Earth
This will cause: Mutations & Disrupt food webs and more cases or Skin Cancer

33. HUMAN ACTIVITY Contributing to Loss of Biodiversity
Direct Harvesting/ Over Hunting
Expliotation of Wildlife: uncontrolled hunting, trapping, fishing, killing animals for products.
Habitat Destruction: Deforestation
Importing Foreign Species
Biocide/Herbicide/ Pesticide use

34. Biocide Use
Use of pesticides and herbicides like DDT which disrupts the embryos of birds and put the bald eagle on the endangered species list
Biological controls  such as sex hormones, natural parasites and predators  don’t interfere with other organisms & target specific pests

37. Importation of exotic organisms
New organisms disrupt food chains and ecosystems
Some have no natural predators to keep their population in check

38. May reduce Biodiversity!
Introduced Species: species from another ecosystem is a problem because there usually aren’t natural checks
May reduce Biodiversity! )
Argentine ants Caulerpa (seaweed)

39. Zebra Mussels in the Great Lakes
Has reduced Biodiversity!

40. What can you do?

41. What can Be Done? Environmental Protection Laws have been established
wildlife parks and hunting laws to preserve species
Set up Wildlife Preserves/ reguges

42. PREPARING TO PROVIDE THIS ENVIRONMENT TO THE NEXT GENERATION
SOLUTIONS
TECHNOLOGICAL FIX
GLOBAL AWARENESS
PREPARING TO PROVIDE THIS ENVIRONMENT TO THE NEXT GENERATION

43. How Can We Fix These Problems?
Conserve non-renewable resources
Drive less/Carpool
Hybrid Cars
Recycle/Reduce/Reuse
Use alterante energy: Wind/Solar/Nuclear/Geothermal/Biofuels/hydroelectric

44. Trade-offs: Solving environmental issues involves trade-offs
There are always costs associated with social decisions but the benefits outweigh the negative aspects.

45. Solar Energy :reduces dependence on fossil fuel but it is expensive.

46. Nuclear Power: provides electricity without fossil fuel but generates nuclear wastes

47. Societies must decide on proposals and assess risks, costs, benefits and trade-offs.