1. HUMAN IMPACT on the BIOSPHERE part 4 Charting a course for the Future

2. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
DEAD ZONES
___________________
OZONE DEPLETION
ACID RAIN
GLOBAL WARMING
WASTE

3. DEAD ZONES When an ecosystem receives a LARGE input
REMEMBER !
When an ecosystem receives a LARGE input
of limiting nutrient (ie., fertilizer runoff) the
population increases dramatically = ___________
ALGAL BLOOM

7. Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
At its peak, the nearly lifeless water can span
5,000 to 8,000-plus square miles, an area almost the size of New Jersey

8. DEAD ZONES How do we HELP?
Use modern technology and
“green” farming methods to:
Decrease agricultural fertilizer use
Decrease runoff of agricultural waste

9. OZONE LAYER Our atmosphere between 20-50 km contains
OZONE LAYER
Our atmosphere between
20-50 km contains
high concentrations
of ____________
which protect us from
the sun’s harmful
______________ radiation.
OZONE (O3)
ultra-violet

10. Click here to see a movie about the effects of UV radiation
Skin cancer
__________________________________
________________________ of skin
Reduces ________________
Disrupts __________________ in oceans
Premature aging
Cataracts/blindness
crop yield
food chains
Click here to see a movie
about the effects of UV radiation
WMV, 618K

11. Click here to see a movie
WHAT WE KNOW
Scientists have been
monitoring the ____________
of ozone in our atmosphere
and have discovered
a hole in the ozone layer
over ____________.
depletion
Antarctica
Click here to see a movie
about the ozone hole
WMV, 616K

12. Ozone depletion is a global issue NOT
just a problem at the South Pole.
Research has shown that ozone depletion
also occurs over North America, Europe,
Asia, and much of Africa, Australia, and
South America.
Over the U.S., ozone levels have fallen %, depending on the season.

13. What’s the cause of Ozone Depletion?
Chlorofluorocarbon
molecules _______
released from
air conditioners,
aerosol spray cans,
fire extinguishers,
and industry
(CFC’s)
destroy ozone

14. OZONE DEPLETION MONTREAL PROTOCOL
HOW DO WE HELP?
1987- the _______________________ committed signing nations (including USA) to a ____________ in the use of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances.
CFC production was _________ after 1995 in the developed countries, and later in developing countries. Today, over 180 countries have ratified the treaty.
MONTREAL PROTOCOL
REDUCTION
banned

15. THAT’S WHY . . . AEROSOL _____________spray cans no longer contain
_____________spray cans
no longer contain
CFC propellants.
Gases in ___________________
and _____________ are collected
and recycled.
AIR CONDITIONERS
refrigerators

16. Chemical Transformation Emissions to Atmosphere
ACID RAIN
What’s the cause?________________________
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
Chemical Transformation
Nitric acid
Sulfuric acid
Condensation
Emissions to Atmosphere
Nitrogen oxides
Sulfur dioxide
Dry Fallout
Precipitation
Acid rain, fog,
snow, and mist
particulates, gases
Industry
Transportation
Ore smelting
Power generation
Nitrogen oxides
Sulfur oxides
Releases _______________ and ________________
into the atmosphere that react with water to produce ACID RAIN.

18. ACID RAIN EFFECTS damages buildings and statues damages forests
kills fish
reduces biodiversity
causes illness & premature death from heart & lung disorders like asthma and bronchitis

19. ACID RAIN
HOW DO WE HELP?
Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes
use of alternative renewable energy sources
Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels
conserve electricity
drive less
Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency
OR run on alternative fuels
Recycle
(uses less energy than starting from scratch)

20. GREENHOUSE EFFECT Temperatures of Earth remain within a range
______________ because the _____________
acts as a natural _________________ blanket.
suitable for life
atmosphere
insulating

21. GREENHOUSE EFFECT Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) methane water vapor CFC’s
Atmospheric gases such as
___________________
NORMALLY trap heat
energy from the sun
like a greenhouse
= _____________________
Carbon dioxide (CO2 )
methane
water vapor
CFC’s
Greenhouse effect

22. GLOBAL WARMING- Is it real?
Some people say that the Earth has cycles of warmer/cooler climate change and that this is just part of that cycle.
Most scientists believe that the increase in global temperatures is the result of human activities that have increased the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

23. 1. "warming of the climate system is unequivocal“
In 2007 in Paris a U.N.- backed panel of international scientists issued a major announcement on climate change stating that:
1. "warming of the climate system is unequivocal“
2. There is a 90% probability the cause “man- made”.
Either way… our planet is getting warmer!

24. FACTS WE KNOW
Global mean surface temperatures have increased °F since the late 19th century.
The 20th century's ten warmest years have
occurred in the last 15 years of this century.

25. FACTS WE KNOW
The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased.
Graph & glacier pix: polar bears:

26. FACTS WE KNOW Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have
increased steadily.

27. GLOBAL WARMING WHAT’S the CAUSE?
Burning solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), wood and wood products
Production and transport of fossil fuels
Decomposition of organic wastes in landfills
Animal sources (methane)
Deforestation (trees remove CO2 from atmosphere)

28. Coastal flooding What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Cartoon from Brookings Register
Coastal flooding

29. Changes in Gulf Stream What’s so bad about warming up a little?
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Changes in
Gulf Stream

30. More severe storms What’s so bad about warming up a little?
More severe storms

31. Weather extremes What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Heat waves and drought
Brookings Register

32. Changing habitats means loss of species
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Changing habitats
means
loss of species

33. What’s the Kyoto Accord got to do with it?
The Kyoto Accord is an agreement, aimed at
reducing global warming that asks
participants to __________ their ________________ emissions to a percentage of their 1990
emission levels _____________.
REDUCE
GREENHOUSE GAS
by 2012

34. PROBLEMS WITH the KYOTO ACCORD
ALL countries not required to reduce emissions equally
7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia,
Developing nations don’t have to reduce emissions at all
India and China, which have ratified the protocol,
are not required to reduce carbon emissions under
the present agreement despite their relatively large populations.
Developed nations (like USA) can meet required reductions by
purchasing emission reductions from elsewhere and funding
developing countries for climate related studies, projects, and
technology

35. What is a CARBON FOOTPRINT?
What is a CARBON FOOTPRINT?
A ____________________ =
the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product
CARBON FOOTPRINT

36. THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!
THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!
Fossil fuels are a limited resource…
eventually they will be gone!

37. THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!
Our supply of fossil fuels is dependent on
countries that are not “friendly” to the U.S.

38. THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!
Drilling and transporting fossil fuels has negative
environmental consequences
Brookings Register

39. THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!
Images from:
Innovation and alternative energy technologies for automobiles and power generation are good for our economy

40. WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR TRASH?
According to the
Environmental Protection Agency,
the average American produces
about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day.
That adds up to a approximately
220 million tons of garbage each
year for all of us.

41. PICTURE THIS:
It would bury more than 990,000 football fields under six-foot high piles of waste..
. . . and that’s just the United States!

42. TRASH KILLS It has been estimated that over
a million sea-birds and 100,000
marine mammals and sea turtles
are killed each year by ingestion
of plastics or entanglement.

43. PLASTIC IS FOREVER! PLASTIC IS MADE FROM FOSSIL FUELS!
PLASTIC IS FOREVER!

44. We Can’t Just Keep Piling it up in Landfills
We have to:
_____________
REDUCE,
REUSE,
RECYCLE
Plastic recycling video