The document discusses several key environmental issues including water quality, air pollution, climate change, waste management, and energy resources. It notes that while water supplies are abundant in the US and Canada, much of it is contaminated. Air pollution from vehicle emissions and industry contributes to smog and acid rain. The accumulation of greenhouse gases is causing global warming and climate change with impacts like rising sea levels. Proper management of waste materials and transition to renewable energy sources are needed to address these issues.

1. Chapter 18
Environmental Issues
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2. Environmental Issues
• Environmental health: the area of health
concerns that focuses on the interactions of
humans with all aspects of their environment
– Diseases associated with contaminated water,
food, waste, and other pollutants
– Pollutants that result from human and industrial
activities and that cause chronic diseases and
global environmental damage
– Climate change, the depletion of resources, and
world overpopulation
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3. Water and Water Quality
• Water cycle: natural process by which the
earth’s supply of water is continuously
collected, purified, and distributed
• Surface water: precipitation stored in lakes,
reservoirs, and wetlands on the surface of
the earth
• Groundwater: precipitation that sinks into
the ground and makes up 95% of the
world’s supply of freshwater
• Deep aquifers: giant underground reservoirs
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4. Water Supplies and
Shortages
• In U.S. and Canada water supplies
abundant but much of it is contaminated
• Withdrawal rates of surface water projected
to double in the next 20 years
• Conflicts between regions and states over
water supplies
• Main cause of water waste is artificially low
cost of water
– Government subsidies to agriculture and industry
lead to limited financial incentive to invest in
water-saving technologies
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5. Water Supplies and
Shortages
• Consumers and businesses need to use
water-saving technologies
• Farmers and the agricultural industry need
to develop ways to irrigate crops more
efficiently
• Government and policy makers must
manage water basins and groundwater fairly
and effectively
• Failure to address our water-related
problems will lead to economic and health
problems, increased environmental
degradation, and loss of biodiversity
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6. Virtual Water
• Virtual water: water used to produce foods,
consumer products, and other services
– One hamburger = 640 gallons of water
• The amount of water needed to produce a
give amount of a product is its water
footprint
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7. Water Footprint for Food
Production
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8. Water Pollution
• Any chemical, biological, or physical change
in water quality that harms living organisms
or makes water unsuitable for desired use
• Most surface-water reservoirs are
contaminated by pollutants at specific
locations through sewers, pipes, or ditches
• Main sources of groundwater contamination:
– Storage lagoons
– Septic tanks
– Landfills and hazardous waste dumps
– Underground storage tanks filled with gasoline,
oil, solvents, and hazardous waste
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9. Safe Drinking Water
• The Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)
established many health standards for
drinking water
• 98% of Americans have plumbing where
lead can leach into tap water as pipes and
fixtures deteriorate over time
– Cold water from the tap is less likely to contain
lead from supply pipes
– Run water after being away to flush out potential
contamination
• Many benefits to water fluoridation, but
excessive fluoride consumption can lead to
fluorosis
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10. Conserving Water
• Americans use three times the water per
capita of the average worldwide
– 70% used for washing and carrying away waste
• There are many ways to use less water:
– Bathroom: shorter showers, turn off faucet when
brushing teeth; low-flow toilet; water-saving
showerheads
– Laundry: wash only when full load; buy only
Energy Star appliances
– Kitchen: run dishwasher only with full load; do not
run water continuously when doing dishes by
hand
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11. Earth’s Atmosphere
• Troposphere: lower atmosphere, containing
about 80% of the earth’s air
• Stratosphere: upper atmosphere, 11 to 30
miles above the earth’s surface
• Greenhouse effect: warming of the earth’s
surface by heat trapped by gases in the
lower atmosphere
– Greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, water vapor
• Ozone in the upper atmosphere shields us
from about 95% of the sun’s UV rays
– Protective in upper atmosphere, but at ground
level it is a main source of air pollution
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12. Air Pollution
• Air pollution: the presence of one or more
chemicals in the atmosphere in sufficient
quality and quantity to cause harm to life
• Air Quality Index (AQI): measure of air
pollution issued daily by the EPA
• 100 or higher, air is considered unhealthy for
sensitive groups, such as people with asthma
• 300 or higher, air is considered hazardous
• The EPA charts four pollutants: ozone,
particle pollution, carbon monoxide, and
sulfur dioxide
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13. Air Quality Index
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14. Ozone and
Particulate Matter
• Ozone is poisonous to most living organisms
– Ground-level ozone causes respiratory irritation,
aggravates respiratory and heart disease, and
damages the lungs, especially in those with
respiratory problems
• Particulate matter consists of particles or
droplets of dust, soot, oil, metals, or other
compounds suspended in the air
– Small particles may remain in the lungs and irritate
and damage alveoli; and may also trigger an
immune system response that contributes to heart
disease and lung disease
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15. Smog
• Smog: mixture of pollutants in the lower
atmosphere that makes the air hazy
– Industrial smog: air pollution that forms mostly in
cold weather
• Coal and oil burning
– Photochemical smog: sits as a thick haze over
cities in the summer
• Vehicle exhaust, industry, and other sources
combine, producing large amounts of ozone and
more than 100 other chemicals
• Fossil fuels: oil, coal, natural gas
• Problems amplified by temperature inversion
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16. Acid Deposition and
Precipitation
• Acid deposition: the depositing of acidic
pollutants from the atmosphere on the
earth’s surface, in either dry or wet form
• Acid precipitation: mixing of acidic pollutants
in the atmosphere with moisture and their
precipitation in the form of rain, snow, sleet,
hail, or fog
• Environmental damage depends on the
ability of the soil to neutralize acid
• Less damage where soils are alkaline—Midwest
• Extensive damage where soils are neutral or acidic
—northwestern U.S., northeastern North America
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17. Reducing Outdoor Air
Pollution
• Clean Air Act (1990) empowered the EPA to
set emission standards
– Improved air quality
• Clear Skies Initiative (2002) set mandatory
caps to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxide, and mercury
• A new car today emits 75% less pollution
than cars built in 1970
• 57% of Americans still live in areas where
the air is considered unhealthy at some time
of the year
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18. Global Warming and
Climate Change
• Climate change is the long-term changes in
average daily weather that occurs over
many years
– Substantial evidence of earth’s warming; debate
over whether it’s natural or human-caused
• Human activities have increased the amount
of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere
• As a result, global temperatures have risen
– Melting glaciers and polar ice caps; rising sea
levels
• Intensification of greenhouse effect has led
to global warming
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19. The Greenhouse Effect
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20. Greenhouse Gases from Food
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21. What Needs to Be Done?
• Kyoto Protocol (1997), not ratified by Congress
• 2009 Copenhagen Accord: produced a
nonbinding pledge to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions
• 2013 world’s top scientist endorsed a cap on
greenhouse gases
– Scientists now worried about feedback loops and
that delaying prevention efforts could be devastating
• Substantial reductions will require massive
changes in industrial processes, transportation,
energy sources, and personal lifestyles
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22. Predicted Effects of Climate
Change
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23. Your Carbon Footprint
• Every time you use fossil fuels you
contribute to carbon dioxide emissions
– Driving a car, turning on a light, running a
dishwasher
• The more CO2 you generate, the larger
your carbon footprint
www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm
www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghemissions/ind_calculator.html
– Walk more; drive less
– Consume less electricity
– Recycle
– Eat less or no meat
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24. Indoor Air Pollution
• Indoor air pollution can be higher and more
hazardous than outdoor air pollution; yet we
spend 80–90% of our time indoors
• Eleven of the most common air pollutants are
usually 2 to 5 times higher inside the home
• Environmental tobacco smoke, formaldehyde,
radon, carbon monoxide, mold, polybrominated
diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
• Also dust mites, animal dander, mildew
• Reduce many pollutants by keeping the
house, pets, and bedding clean; maintaining
30–50% humidity; and removing shoes
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25. Solid Waste
• Any unwanted or discarded material that is
not a liquid or gas; garbage
– 1,600 pounds per person per year in U.S.
– E-waste is the fastest growing problem; the U.S.
sends most to Afghanistan and Haiti for disposal
and recycling
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26. Hazardous Waste
• Any discarded solid or liquid material that
meets one or more of four criteria:
– Contains a toxic, carcinogenic, or mutagenic
compound at levels that exceed EPA standards
– Catches fire easily
– Can explode or release toxic fumes
– Corrodes metal containers
• Direct exposure poses health hazards
• Federal laws restrict the storage of
hazardous waste in sanitary landfills
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27. Hazardous Waste
• Common forms:
– Household hazardous waste: batteries, paints,
household cleaners, oils, pesticides
– Emergent contaminants: pharmaceuticals,
cosmetics, antibacterial soap, shampoo, shaving
cream, dishwashing liquids, plastic, flame
retardants, and other chemical compounds
– Medical waste: any solid or liquid waste that is
generated in the medical diagnosis, treatment, or
immunization of human beings or animals
– Radiation and radioactive waste: low-level
radiation used in medical and dental procedures;
high-level radioactive waste from nuclear weapons
and power plants
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28. Approaches to Waste
Management
• Sanitary landfills are carefully selected sites
where waste is buried in plastic-lined pits
• Incinerators burn waste and sometimes sell the
energy generated by the burning
• “Not in my backyard”
• Living near a hazardous waste dump increases
risk for respiratory disorders and cancer
• Recycling: circle, or loop, program; materials
collected, sorted, cleaned, and processed into
raw materials to make new products
• Many communities provide curbside pickup; and
many states have deposit/refund programs
• Individuals can also buy recyclable, reusable, or
compostable materials
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29. Recycling Plastic
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30. Ecosystems and
Biodiversity
• Ecosystem: an interconnected community
of organisms living together as a balanced,
mutually supportive system
• Biodiversity: variety of different animal and
plant species on earth and the genetic
variation in their gene pools
• Human activities significantly disrupt these
ecosystems and have caused a decline in
biodiversity through:
– Deforestation
– Desertification
– Loss of freshwater resources
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31. Protecting Ecosystems
• Stringent federal and state protection of
animal and plant habitats in forest, deserts,
and wetlands is a component of sustainable
land management programs
– Protecting endangered species; controlling
climate change
• Individuals can help:
– Reusing and recycling paper products
– Refusing the buy products or materials made
from endangered or threatened species
– Purchasing wood with the Good Wood Seal
– Stopping junk mail
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32. Energy Resources
• World energy consumption continues to rise
• World’s largest consumers:
1. China
2. United States
3. India
• Nonrenewable energy provides 93% of the
commercial energy used in the U.S.
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33. Energy Resources
• Crude oil: U.S. reserves will be depleted
by 2100
• Coal: largest domestic source for heat and
electricity; dirtiest of all fossil fuels
• Natural gas: a mixture of gases, mostly
methane; costly to extract
– Could meet U.S. energy demands for about 82 to
118 years
– Fracking: environmental and health costs
unknown
• Nuclear power: problems with storing
nuclear waste, and concerns about safety
– Three Mile Island (1979); Chernobyl (1986);
Fukushima (2011)
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34. Solar Energy, Liquid Biofuels,
and Energy Conservation
• Solar energy: could meet 25% of consumer
demand by 2050
• Wind, geothermal, and hydro power also
being explored
• Biofuels—biodiesel and bioethanol—made
from plants and other biological material
– Problems include increased forest clearing and soil
erosion, use of water, loss of biodiversity
• Environmentalists believe the solution is to
conserve
– Reduce ecological effects, diminish energy waste;
shift to renewable, nonpolluting energy sources
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35. Your Electronic Footprint
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36. Population Growth
• How many people can the planet support?
• Global carrying capacity is estimated at 50
billion people
• Cultural carrying capacity—the number the
earth can support at an optimum standard of
living—is much less
• As it stands today, there are probably not
enough resources to extend an optimum
standard of living to everyone on planet right
now
– Currently about 1.4 billion people are living in
extreme poverty
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37. Approaches to Population
Control and Management
• Family planning: informed decisions about
the number and spacing of children
– Programs provide information on birth control,
birth spacing, breastfeeding, and prenatal care
– Could have a significant effect if implemented in
developing countries
• Smart growth: concentrates growth in
compact urban centers and environmentally
sustainable communities
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38. A Sustainable Planet
• An ecological footprint compares human
consumption of resources with the planet’s
capacity to regenerate them
– Can reveal how sustainable a particular lifestyle
is
– Can point out inequities of resource use and
consumption
• The ecological footprint of the United States
is the largest in the world
– Consume more resources, generate more
pollution, and discard more waste
• Each of us can take actions today to reduce
that footprint
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