The document discusses how humans impact the environment and various environmental issues. It notes that as the human population has increased from 10 million to over 6 billion in 10,000 years, our impact on the environment has also increased. Some key environmental issues discussed include air and water pollution, global warming, soil damage, and ecosystem disruption which can harm biodiversity. Solutions mentioned are conservation efforts to protect habitats and restoration to repair damaged areas.

1. J. Quigley
2012
THE ENVIRONMENT

2. Humans and the Environment
 We depend on the environment for food,
water, air, shelter, fuel and many other
resources. However, human actions can
affect the quality and availability of these
important resources. The study of the impact
of humans on the environment is called
environmental science

3. Humans and the Environment

4. Humans and the Environment
 10,000 years ago there
was fewer than 10
million people and
today there are over 6
billion people on the
planet

5. Humans and the Environment
 As the human population increases our impact on the
environment also increases
 Humans are a part of the environment and can strongly
affect the resilience of the environment

6. Humans and the environment
 Humans are using more resources than our
ancestors did and eventually we will run out
 Earth is an interconnected planet: we depend
on the environment and the environment is
affected by our actions.
 Learning about the connectedness helps us
care about the environment and help ensure
that the environment will continue to support
us and other species on earth

7. Resources
 A resource is
anything that
can be used to
take care of a
need
 Resources are
either:
renewable or
nonrenewable

8. Renewable Resources
 Renewable
resources are
natural resources
that can be
replaced at the
same rate with
which they are
consumed.

9. Renewable Resources
 A renewable resource
is either so large or so
constantly renewed
that it will never be
used up.
 However a resource
can be renewable but
still used up if it is used
faster than it can be
replaced.

10. Renewable Resources
 Examples:
 Wind energy
 Solar power
 Fresh water
 Trees

11. Nonrenewable Resources
 Many resources we
depend on are
nonrenewable
 Nonrenewable
resources are resources
that form at a rate that
is much slower than
the rate at which they
are consumed

12. Nonrenewable Resources
 Most of our energy
comes from fossil fuels,
which are a
nonrenewable energy
resource that formed
from the remains of
organisms that lived
long ago and take
millions of years to
form
 Coal, oil and natural gas

13. The Environment and Health
 Pollution and habitat
destruction destroy the
resources we need to
live, such as the air we
breathe, the water we
drink and the food we
eat.
 Pollution can cause:
headaches, sore
throats, nausea, and
respiratory infections

14. Environmental Issues
 Air Pollution
 Global Warming
 Water Pollution
 Soil Damage
 Ecosystem Disruption

15. Environmental Issues
 Air Pollution: causes
respiratory problems
for people, results in
acid rain, damages the
ozone layer and may
affect global
temperature

16. Environmental Issues
 Acid Rain:
Caused by air
pollution, it is
precipitation
that has an
unusually high
concentration of
sulfuric or nitric
acid. It ruins
forests and lakes

17. Environmental Issues
 Global Warming:
The gradual
increase of the
average global
temperature
 Caused by
pollution which
damages the
ozone layer and
lets in more UV
rays

18. Environmental Issues
 When it is hot outside, the inside of your car
gets REALLY hot… why? The Greenhouse
Effect
 The greenhouse effect is the warming of the
surface and lower atmosphere of the earth
that happens when greenhouse gases (CO2
and H2O) absorb and reradiate heat
 Burning of fossil fuels increases the amount
of CO2 in the atmosphere, which causes an
increase in global temperatures

19. Environmental Issues
 Effects of Global Warming:
 Ice sheets over Antarctica and Greenland have already
started to melt. Which can cause flooding on all the
coasts around the world
 Global weather patterns are affected. More hurricanes
and typhoons because of warmer weather
 Droughts will become more frequent with warmer
weather destroying crops
 Equilibrium in ecosystems will be affected
 Migration patters of some birds are already starting to
change

20. Environmental Issues
 Water Pollution
can come from
fertilizers and
pesticides used in
agriculture,
livestock farms,
industrial waste,
runoff from roads,
septic tanks and
unlined landfills

21. Environmental Issues
 When water is
polluted it gets into
the land and into
rivers. Aquatic
habitats and public
water sources get
contaminated
 It can also affect
ecosystems and
cause animals/people
to get sick

22. Environmental Issues
 Soil is important for
farming and making
food
 Fertile (good) soil
comes from a
thousand or more
years of breaking down
rocks, remains of dead
organisms and bacteria

23. Environmental Issues
 Soil Erosion: destroys
fertile soil that we need
in order to produce food
 Soil is eroded by
transporting materials,
wind and water.
 When vegetation is
removed (like in clear
cutting) the rain washes
away all the good soil!

24. Environmental Issues
 Soil Conservation:
sustainable agricultural
practices help conserve
fertile soil. The
following practices
help conserve soil:
 Cover crops
 Crop rotation
 Contour plowing

25. Environmental Issues
 Ecosystem Disruption can result in the loss of
biodiversity, food supplies, potential cures for
diseases and the balance of ecosystems that
supports all life on earth

26. Environmental Issues
 Over the past 50 years
about half of the
world’s tropical rain
forest have been cut
down or burned for
timber, pastureland or
farmland, this is called
deforestation
 Deforestation destroys
those habitats

27. Environmental Issues
 Habitat
destruction
causes more
animal death,
extinction and
loss of
biodiversity than
any other human
activity

28. Environmental Issues
 Ecosystem disruption decreases the number of
Earth’s species. Biodiversity affects the stability
of ecosystems and the sustainability of
populations.
 Biodiversity is the variety of organisms in a given
area. Every species plays an important role in
cycling of energy and nutrients in an ecosystem.
Each species depends on or is depended on by at
least one other species…
 When a single species disappears, a strand of the
food web disappears… it causes catastrophic
problems!

29. Environmental Issues
 Invasive Species
 Humans have affected ecosystems by introducing plants
or animals to an area that is not that organisms natural
place to be.
 This causes organisms that naturally live in that area to
die out or to compete for resources

30. Environmental Issues
 Extinction: the death of
every member of a
species
 There are many species
on the edge of
extinction… this
happens because of
loss of habitat,
pollution,
deforestation…

31. Environmental SOLUTIONS!!
 CONSERVATION:
Protecting
existing natural
habitats
 RESTORATION:
Cleaning up and
fixing damaged
habitats

32. Environmental SOLUTIONS!!
 REDUCE: cutting back an
the amount of energy
you use and the amount
of waster that you
produce
 Turn off water when you
brush your teeth
 Turn off the lights when
you leave
 Walk or bike instead of
driving
 Cloth napkins and glass
plates instead of paper

33. Environmental SOLUTIONS!!
 REUSE: reusing goods
saves both money and
resources.
 Buy a water bottle
instead of throwing
away plastic bottles
 Bring your own
silverware instead of
using plastic forks
 Use garage sale and
resale shops for clothes
or home goods

34. Environmental SOLUTIONS!!
 RECYCLE: the process of
recovering valuable or
useful materials from
waste or scrap
 Plastic
 Paper
 Batteries
 Glass
 Styrofoam
 Water
 Metal
 Technology: phones,
computers…

35. Environmental SOLUTIONS!!
 Research and technology can help protect our
environment by providing cleaner energy sources,
better ways to deal with waste and improved
methods for cleaning up pollution
 Education makes people more aware of
environmental issues. Education also shows people
how they can help address each issue. Expressing
support or advocating for efforts to protect the
environment can help get more people involved in
these efforts
 Careful planning for the future can help us avoid
damaging the environment and can help us solve the
environmental issues that we face.