1. What is the work of environmental scientists, and what are the most pressing environmental concerns faced by Earth today?

2. Environmental scientists study interactions between organisms and their environments. What would happen in the ecosystem if this praying mantis were to become extinct?

3. Environmental scientists learn about the interdependence of all life on Earth. Why is the birth of these otter pups an indication of a healthy ecosystem? What natural resources do we depend upon for survival? Indicator Species

4. How are we humans impacting the Earth’s environments? We must understand the answers to these questions, in order to address and try to find resolutions for each of Earth’s main concerns…

5. Resource Depletion Pollution Extinction Poverty Weighted environmental cost Environmental misunderstanding Phorid Fly https://youtu.be/pFVvOo1Qd_8

6. Describe the role of the indicator species to the environmental scientist. Give ONE example. Explain how resource depletion can be one of Earth’s main environmental concerns. How can extinction be one of Earth’s main environmental concerns? Why is anthropogenic pollution one of Earth’s main environmental concerns?

7. Natural Resources Sunlight, air, water, soil, minerals, plants, animals, forests and fossil fuels When a resource becomes depleted, a large part of it has been used up.

8. No matter how much solar energy we use, sunlight will continue to shine on the surface of the Earth, and remain a source of energy until our sun dies. Some renewable resources can become depleted! When all the coal has been mined, that will be it. No more silver will be formed deep within the Earth…at least not within the short span of human existence. Most recently, another category of “renewable” resources has been added. Inexhaustible resources…Can you think of a few?

9. List some natural resources upon which humans rely. Describe how a renewable resource may become depleted. Why is wind and hydrogen energy considered inexhaustible?

10. Some pollutants are inadvertent byproducts of human activity. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides found in automobile exhaust. Some are intentional and a direct result of human invention. Why would humans pollute on purpose? Pesticides used by the agricultural industry in an attempt to keep nature at bay Soil and water Air: Pollution caused by humans, whether inadvertent or not, is anthropogenic.

11. The present rate of extinction may be as high as 140,000 species per year! The natural process whereby the last surviving individual of a species dies and is gone forever. Nearly 2/3 of all animal species that have existed on the Earth have become extinct. How are humans causing extinctions now? Hunting and poaching, destruction of habitat, pollution, extermination, and through the introduction of foreign species and diseases. Lamprey Zebra Mussels

12. What is pollution that is caused by humans called? What are three types of pesticides? Describe three ways that humans are causing extinctions. What types of pollution are NOT anthropogenic?

13. Poverty vs. Affluence Almost a third of the poverty-stricken live in rural areas. They are more dependent on their surrounding natural resources for their basic needs and wellbeing. High concern for survival, push them to not think about their future requirements. When it comes to your family either eating, or starving, you are less likely to concern yourself with preserving the environment for the future. Thus, they usually end up living in environmentally sensitive areas where they exploit and contaminate the resources and expose themselves to number of diseases, as a result. Is affluence an automatic “protector” of the environment? NO! With affluence, comes waste. Conspicuous Consumption!!! the pretentious display of wealth for the purpose of acquiring or maintaining status or prestige

14. Weighted Environmental Cost It is estimated that every ton of CO 2 emitted into the atmosphere costs the U.S. government $37 in diminished agricultural productivity, damage caused by rising sea levels and poor human health conditions related to climate change. Would it be cheaper, in the long run, to invest money into clean renewable technology? In 2012, there were 9.7 billion tons of CO 2 released into the planet's atmosphere. Land development is advertised here in North Carolina. The land is appealing because it is close to the highway, and a Walmart. Is its economic value greater than the environmental value of the biodiversity that will be disrupted if it is developed? NO!

15. Environmental Misunderstanding AARFF'S Alaska fly in trip for pike ? (Alaska Arctic Awesome Remote Fly Fishing) Since the illegal introduction of Northern Pike to South and Central Alaskan waters, their voracious nature has rendered many of these waterways sterile of other game fish. This has damaged the salmon industry, perhaps Alaska’s number one fish, economically. What’s the answer? Fish toxins? Dewatering?

16. Why is poverty on of Earth’s main concerns? Why is affluence almost as devastating on the environment as poverty? Describe what is meant by “weighted environmental cost”, and why it’s a threat to the environment. How is environmental misunderstanding a concern for the environment?

17. An easy way to remember Earth’s biggest environmental concerns is with the acronym “HIPPO” Habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, population (human), and overharvesting.