CHAPTER 22

HUMANS AND THE

ENVIRONMENT

Human

Resource

Use

Ecological footprint:

analysis of people’s

use of food & natural

resources & their

production of wastes

& pollution

-humans have

exceeded Earth’s

capacity to repair itself

- humans must learn

to live sustainably

Acid rain destroys living things. - pH of 5.0 no longer supports fish - populations of frogs & other amphibians are becoming extinct because their young cannot properly develop in low pH water.

Some forests are dying —Germany’s Black Forest.

-Burning of fossil fuels releases

pollutants into the air

-Nitrates,

sulfates, &

particulates

A possible fix: capture the polluting

emissions.

- expensive to install “scrubbers”.

- polluter and the recipient of the

pollution are far from each other and

neither wants to pay the price

Ex—Canadians receiving U.S.

industrial pollution

Destruction of the Ozone Layer

- “Bad” ozone forms in lower

atmosphere when exhaust emissions

from cars and factories reach

sunlight (smog)

*is corrosive.

*In humans: irritates/damages

lungs, air passageways, eyes,

suppresses the immune system, and

aggravates heart disease.

- “Good” ozone (O3) is the ozone layer in the Earth’s outer atmosphere, which absorbs about 99% of all UV light before it reaches the Earth’s surface. * A hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica opens for 6 weeks during late summer and early fall. * A hole has also opened over the Arctic.

*Ozone in these areas is an average

of 50% thinner than 20 years ago. *Increased UV exposure has resulted

in increased incidents of skin cancer,

cataracts, and cancer of the retina.

-What is Destroying the Ozone Layer? *CFC’s or chlorofluorocarbons (freon) - once considered inert - used as coolants in refrigerating equipment, aerosols, styrofoam. *CFC’s stick to frozen water vapor over the poles changing O3 (ozone) to O2 (oxygen gas).

In the 1970’s CFC’s were thought to be inert and in 1985 when the ozone holes were discovered, people became concerned.

(FYI)

In the early 1990’s, the US and 92 other countries signed international agreements that banned CFC production.

(FYI)

Burning fossil fuels increases the greenhouse effect

G W The increase of

L A gases in the

O R air from fossil

B M fuels being

A I burned causes

L N more of the

G sun’s energy to be

trapped in the atmosphere. FYI,…

no need to copy.

Using fossil fuels in industry and burning vegetation to clear land

Ecosystem Damage

Pollution

Society has always had a tendency

to assume that the environment can

absorb any amount of pollution.

Biological magnification: amounts of

toxins increase significantly each trophic

level in a food chain/web

Ex: DDT pesticide

- Outlawed in 1970’s

Pollution

Lake Erie—in the early 1970s, it was

so polluted that few fish could survive.

(FYI)

- little regulation on the manufacture,

storage, and disposal of toxic and

carcinogenic chemicals. ex:

Switzerland 1986—In putting out a

warehouse fire, 30 tons of mercury

and pesticides ended up in the

Rhine River and flowed into the

North Sea; massive kills of aquatic

life both plants and animals.

Alaska 1989—

Exxon Valdez

oil spill

Consuming Nonreplaceable Resources

endangered: in danger of extinction

extinction: death of every member of

the species

(Sorry to inform you that Jurassic Park isn’t a true story.)

Laughing owl, 1914 Bourbon crested sterling, 1950s

Tasmanian Wolf, 1936

About 20% of the world’s plants and

animals will become extinct in the

next 50 years.

Sustainable development: way of using

natural resources w/o depleting &

providing for human needs w/o causing

long-term environmental harm

- Quotas on how much fish you can catch

Isn’t

this an

ugly

fish?

Conserving Biodiversity

Conservation: wise management of

natural resources

- Try to protect entire ecosystems, not just

individual species

Biodiversity

-total of variety of all org’s in biosphere

Ecosystem diversity: includes variety of

habitats, communities, & ecological

processes in the living world

Species diversity: # of different species in

the biosphere

- Over 1.5 million species in world

Habitat fragmentation:

splitting of ecosystems

into pieces

habitat destruction =

damming a river,

draining swamps,

logging, clearing land

for agriculture or

buildings

-Other plants & animals

can even threaten species

diversity

Invasive species:

introduced species that

reproduces quickly

because their “new”

habitat lacks the pop.

controls that they have

“back home”

There are 3 kinds of nonrenewable

resources which are being consumed

at an alarming rate.

TOPSOIL

GROUNDWATER

FOSSIL FUELS

Loss of topsoil—made of organic

matter (subsoil consists of inorganic

particles and minerals)

- the US has lost ¼ of its

topsoil since 1950.

We have:

1)turned over soil to eliminate weeds

2)allowed overgrazing

3)practiced poor land management

- ex: strip mining

To limit erosion:

-plant vegetation on bare fields

-no-till drill

-build windbreaks

- build irrigation ditches

-contour plowing: plowing that follows

the contour of a slope rather than going

up & down

-terracing: carving steps along a hillside

- One way we have lost soil is through

mining in order to obtain minerals and

fossil fuels

Mining

3 types of mines:

1. Strip mines

2. Open pit mines

3. Shaft mines

strip mining: layers

of Earth are removed

to gain access to

minerals

- earthmoving

equipment pushes

soil away to

expose ore

Ways to minimize

environmental damage from

strip mining:

-treating & containing runoff

-controlling emissions into the air

-re-vegetating mined areas

-replenishing topsoil that was removed

Open pit mining: dig a

big pit

-removes ore that starts

near the surface &

extends down for 100’s of

meters

Shaft mines: used to

mine ore in veins

-network of tunnels that

follow the veins

-mining can be bad for the environment!

-leaves scars on the land

-waste materials pollute rivers & lakes

-miners are required by law to replace

any top soil that is removed during strip

mining

Pollution and depletion of ground water

1)mostly trapped in porous rock

reservoirs called AQUIFERS

2)Large amounts wasted watering

lawns, washing cars, running fountains

3)if chemicals pollute it, there is

no effective way to remove the

pollution.

Solving Environmental Problems

AReducing Pollution

1.Many successes in the 1990s:

aWorldwide ban on CFC production.

bIn US, restricted or banned use of

DDT, asbestos, and dioxin

cAlso in the US:

1)Sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide,

and soot were cut by 30% in 10 years.

2)Sewage treatment plants removal of

chemicals and bacteria has increased

by 72% in the last 12 years.

3)EPA estimates businesses and

private agencies are spending $100

billion per year on pollution control.

B Why Pollution is Profitable 1. A weak link in our economy of supply and demand is that businesses do not pass on all of the indirect costs in making a product. Ex—the cost of petroleum does not include all the money it would take to fix all the environmental problems created by extraction, shipment, refining, and use of petroleum products:

(FYI)

a reduced fish catches, b unusable lands, c air pollution resulting in damaged people (health), plants, buildings, d etc,etc,etc,etc. 2.All of these costs are passed on to future generations.

3. Pass Laws Forbidding Pollution --cars must have catalytic converters (breaks down toxic emissions)

4. Tax Things That Cause Pollution --increase cost of the product to hopefully reduce its use --cost can’t be so high that it inhibits industrial growth --can happen in the form of pollution permits that were first auctioned in 1993.)

5. How to Solve Environmental Problems a 5 components to solving any environmental problem:

1) Assessment—scientific analysis of what is happening; collecting data. Construct a model of the ecosystem and its response to your model. 2) Risk Analysis—use scientific analysis and predict consequences of intervention; both good and bad.

3) Public Education --explain problem, list possible solutions, results, and costs. 4) Political Action --special interest groups, write letters, and vote. 5) Follow Through --watch to see if the environmental problem is being acted on.

6. What You Can Contribute a Recycle

(table 22-2 p. 452)

b Reduce personal use of resources,… carpool, bicycle, walk, use public transportation, turn your heat down in the winter, and have a warmer home in the summer, turn off lights when you leave the room, etc, etc, etc.

HERE’S AN IDEA,…

cREUSE

What Illinois could

look like… & it does in

central Illinois