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Published byLindsay Dalton Modified over 9 years ago
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Human Impacts on the ENV: Human Impacts on the ENV: Global Warming, Ozone Depletion, & Acid Rain
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A. “First World” Pollution 1.people have always transformed the Earth’s land, water, & air 2.Human industrial actions the past 250 years, though, have accelerated the process 3.U.S. disproportionately consumes 1/4 th of world’s energy & generates 1/4 th of the pollutants
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Industry creates a landscape, not for beauty, but for profit and utility
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B. “Third World” Issues 1.In the periphery, over 2 billion people live without clean water or sewers 2.1 billion live in cities with unsafe sulfur dioxide levels 3.What about the growing economies of the “BRIC” countries (Brazil, Russia, India & China)?
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Industrial Landscape, Lanzhou, China http://www.huffingt onpost.com/2014/0 1/16/beijing-air- pollution_n_460720 0.html http://www.huffingt onpost.com/2014/0 1/16/beijing-air- pollution_n_460720 0.html
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“Asian Brown Haze” Over Northern India
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C. Resource Depletion 1.Energy resources –Nonrenewable fossil fuels: petroleum, natural gas, coal 2.Mineral & metal resources –gemstones, copper, iron, bauxite, diamonds, gold –“3 T’s”: tin, tantalum, tungsten
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D. Energy Resources 1.1800’s: coal supplanted wood as leading energy source –U.S.: main energy resource is coal- burning power plants 2.Petroleum became important with diffusion of automobiles –almost all transportation systems operate on petroleum products 3.Natural gas heats millions of homes today
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Coal Reserves The U.S., Russia, China, & India have the largest reserves of coal
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Petroleum Reserves 2/3 of the world’s known petroleum reserves are in the Middle East… Saudi Arabia has over 1/4 th of world reserves
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Natural Gas Reserves Russia has the world’s largest natural gas reserves. Iran & other Mid-Eastern countries have large reserves, but the U.S. has relatively little.
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E. Uneven Distribution of Fossil Fuels 1.The global distribution of fossil fuels: –some regions have abundant reserves –Core countries consumption majority of fossil fuels –major cause of global instability in the world
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The U.S., with about 5% of world population, consumes about 25% of world energy.
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F. Pollution 1.Air pollution –global, regional, & local 2. Water pollution –sources –wastewater 3. Land pollution –solid waste –toxic pollutants
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G. Air Pollution 1.concentration of particulate matter in the air: human or natural events 2.most common air pollutants: burning of fossil fuels like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons 3.3 human activities generate most air pollution: motor vehicles, industry, & power plants
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4. The “Greenhouse Effect” –caused by burning of fossil fuels –chemical composition of the air is being altered –leads to Global Warming
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A vast blanket of pollution being called the "Asian Brown Haze"
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S.E. Asia (left) E. Russia (right)
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Global Temperatures, 1880–2000 Annual mean temperatures have increased more than 0.5 C since 1880
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5. Ozone Depletion –The stratosphere contains a concentration of ozone gas –absorbs UV rays from the Sun… –chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) destroy ozone layer
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6. Effects of Acid Rain –Industrialized, densely populated regions in Europe & eastern U.S. are especially affected by acid rain –caused by burning fossil fuels mixing w/ oxygen & rain –Acid precipitation damages lakes: killing fish & plants (Over 90 lakes in Adirondack Mts. of New York devoid of fish life by 1980... In E. Canada, 50,000 lakes impacted…)
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Effects of Acid Rain
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Acid Deposition Due to prevailing winds, the highest sulfate deposit levels in North America lie east of the emission sources. Deposit levels in Germany are higher than in the U.S.
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