HUMAN IMPACT
ON ENVIRONMENT
HUMANS AFFECT REGIONAL AND
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH…
• Agriculture
• Development
• Industry
WHICH IMPACTS THE
QUALITY OF EARTH’S
NATURAL REOURCES (SOIL,
WATER, AND ATMOSPHERE)
AGRICULTURE
• Monoculture- practice of clearing large areas of land to plant a single highly productive crop
year after year
PROS
CONS
ENABLES EFFICIENT SOWING, TENDING, AND
HARVESTING OF CROPS USING MACHINES
PROVIDING FOOD FOR 7 BILLION PEOPLE
PROVIDING FOOD FOR 7 BILLION PEOPLE
FRESH WATER AND FERTILE SOIL IMPACT
FERTILIZER PRODUCTION AND FARM MACHINERY
ALSO CONSUME LARGE AMOUNTS OF FOSSIL
FUELS
DEVELOPMENT
• The growth of cities and suburbs is tied to the high standard of living that
Americans enjoy
• BUT has environmental effects
– Dense human communities produce lots of waste which can affect air, water, and soil
resources
– Development consumes farmland and divides natural habitats into fragments
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH
• Provide us with the conveniences of life homes, clothes, cars,
phones, etc.
• BUT, they require a lot of energy to produce and power
– Burning fossil fuels– coal, oil, and natural gas
– Discards wastes directly into the air, water, and soil
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: PROVIDES FOR
HUMAN NEEDS WHILE PRESERVING THE ECOSYSTEM THAT
PRODUCE NATURAL RESOURCES
R E N E WA B L E R E S O U R C E S
N O N R E N E WA B L E R E S O U R C E S
• Can be produced or replaced by a
HEALTHY ecosystem
• Natural processes cannot replenish them
within a RESONABLE amount of time
– Trees
– Fossil Fuels
– Water
• Coal
– Air
• Oil
– Not always renewable
• Natural gas
USING
RESOURCES
WISELY
S O I L , W AT E R , A I R
SOIL
S O I L E RO S I O N
S O I L U S E & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
• Desertification
• Minimize soil erosion through careful
management of both agriculture &
forestry
• Deforestation
• Affect soil quality supports agriculture
and forestry
– Most dangerous when completely bare
• Keeping roots and stems from previous
years crops
• Crop rotation
• Contour plowing
• Selectively harvesting MATURE trees
WATER
WAT E R P O L L U T I O N
• Primary sources are industrial and agricultural
chemicals, residential sewage, and nonpoint
sources
• Biological magnification- pollutant (DDT,
mercury) is picked up by an organism and is not
broken down by organism. Instead collects and
increases as it moves down the food chain
• Flushing your toilet large amount of sewage can
stimulate algal blooms
– Oxygen poor areas called DEAD ZONES
WAT E R Q UA L I T Y &
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
• Protect natural water cycle
• Protecting plants and forests
• Watershed conservation
– Pollution control
– Sewage treatment
• Water conservation
– Drip irrigation
– Turning off faucet when brushing teeth
ATMOSPHERE
AIR POLLUTION
• Common forms include: smog, acid rain,
greenhouse gases, and particulates
• Ozone high in the atmosphere is good but not
to breathe in
• Acid rain nitrogen and sulfur combine with
water vapor in the air to form acids that erode
buildings and kills plants when it falls
• Carbon Dioxide Excess in atmosphere from
burning fossil fuels lead to global warming and
climate change
A I R Q UA L I T Y &
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
• Very difficult
• Doesn’t “belong” to anyone
• Automobile emission standards and cleanair regulations
• Example: unleaded gasoline from previous
leaded gasoline has increased air, soil, and
water quality in the U.S.
BIODIVERSITY: TOTAL OF ALL GENETICALLY BASED
VARIATION IN ALL ORGANISMS IN THE BIOSPHERE
TYPES
T H R E AT S
• Ecosystem- variety of habitats,
communities, and processes in the
biosphere
• Habitat fragmentation- leaving habitat
“islands”
• Species- number of different species in the
biosphere, or in an area
• Introduced species
• Genetic- sum total of all different forms of
genetic information carried by a particular
species
• Hunting and demand for wildlife products
• Pollution
• Climate change
CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY
• Protecting individual species
• Preserving habitats and ecosystems
– Ecological hot spot-significant numbers
of species and habitats are endangered
• Considering local interests
– Ecotourism