HUMAN IMPACT on the
BIOSPHERE
Chapter 6-4
Charting a course for the Future
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
DEAD ZONES
___________________
OZONE
DEPLETION
___________________
ACID RAIN
___________________
GLOBAL WARMING
___________________
WASTE
___________________
DEAD ZONES
REMEMBER !
When an ecosystem receives a LARGE input
of limiting nutrient (ie., fertilizer runoff) the
BLOOM
population increases dramatically = ALGAL
___________
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
The DEADZONE forms each April, generally grows
throughout the summer, reaching a peak in late July.
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
At its peak, the nearly lifeless water can span
5,000 to 8,000-plus square miles, an area almost
the size of New Jersey
DEAD ZONES
How do we HELP?
• Use modern technology and
“green” farming methods to:
• Decrease agricultural fertilizer use
• Decrease runoff of agricultural waste
OZONE LAYER
Our atmosphere between
20-50 km contains
high concentrations
OZONE (O3)
of ____________
which protect us from
the sun’s harmful
ultraviolet
______________
radiation.
EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION
Skin cancer
__________________________________
Premature aging
________________________
of skin
Cataracts/blindness
__________________________________
crop yield
Reduces ________________
food chains
Disrupts __________________
in oceans
WHAT WE KNOW
Scientists have been
depletion
monitoring the ____________
of ozone in our atmosphere
and have discovered
a hole in the ozone layer
Antarctica
over ____________.
Ozone Video
The annual ozone "hole“ over Antarctica has
occurred during the Antarctic Spring (October)
since the early 1980s.
Rather than being an actual hole
through the layer, the ozone
hole is a large area
with extremely
low amounts of ozone.
Ozone levels fall by over
60% during the worst years.
Ozone depletion is a global issue NOT
just a problem at the South Pole.
Research has shown that ozone depletion
also occurs over North America, Europe,
Asia, and much of Africa, Australia, and
South America.
Over the U.S., ozone levels have fallen
5-10%, depending on the season.
What’s the cause of
Ozone Depletion?
Chlorofluorocarbon
(CFC’s)
molecules _______
released from
air conditioners,
aerosol spray cans,
fire extinguishers,
and industry
destroy ozone
________________
OZONE DEPLETION
HOW DO WE HELP?
MONTREAL PROTOCOL
1987- the _______________________
committed signing nations (including USA) to
REDUCTION in the use of CFCs and other
a ____________
ozone-depleting substances.
banned after 1995 in
CFC production was _________
the developed countries, and later in
developing countries. Today, over 180
countries have ratified the treaty.
THAT’S WHY . . .
AEROSOL
_____________spray
cans
no longer contain
CFC propellants.
AIR
CONDITIONERS
Gases in ___________________
refrigerators are collected
and _____________
and recycled.
OZONE DEPLETION
How do we help?
We can't make enough ozone to replace
what's been destroyed, but provided that
we stop producing ozone-depleting
substances, computer models predict
natural ozone production reactions
should return the ozone layer to normal
levels by about 2050.
This is the first example of different countries
getting together on an environmental issue,
agreeing on what to do, doing something,
and seeing a positive effect
ACID RAIN
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
What’s the cause?________________________
Emissions to Atmosphere
Nitrogen oxides
Sulfur dioxide
Chemical Transformation
Nitric acid
Sulfuric acid
Condensation
Dry Fallout
particulates, gases
Industry
Transportation
Ore smelting
Precipitation
Acid rain, fog,
snow, and mist
Power generation
Sulfur oxides
Nitrogen oxides and ________________
Releases _______________
into the atmosphere that react with water to
produce ACID RAIN.
ACID RAIN EFFECTS
•
•
•
•
•
damages buildings and statues
damages forests
kills fish
reduces biodiversity
causes illness & premature death
from heart & lung disorders like
asthma and bronchitis
ACID RAIN
HOW DO WE HELP?
Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes
use of alternative renewable energy sources
Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels
conserve electricity
drive less
Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency
OR run on alternative fuels
Recycle
(uses less energy than starting from scratch)
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Temperatures of Earth remain within a range
suitable for life because the _____________
______________
atmosphere
acts as a natural _________________
blanket.
insulating
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Atmospheric gases such as
Carbon dioxide (CO2 )
___________________
methane
___________________
water vapor
___________________
CFC’s
___________________
NORMALLY trap heat
energy from the sun
like a greenhouse
Greenhouse effect
= _____________________
GLOBAL WARMING- Is it real?
Some people say that the Earth has
cycles of warmer/cooler climate change
and that this is just part of that cycle.
Most scientists believe that the increase in
global temperatures is the result of human
activities that have increased the amount of
CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere
In 2007 in Paris a U.N.- backed
panel of international scientists
issued a major announcement on
climate change stating that:
1. "warming of the climate system
is unequivocal“
2. There is a 90% probability the
cause “man- made”.
Either way… our planet is getting warmer!
FACTS WE KNOW
Global mean surface temperatures have increased
0.5-1.0°F since the late 19th century.
The 20th century's ten warmest years have
occurred in the last 15 years of this century.
FACTS WE KNOW
The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and
floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased.
FACTS WE KNOW
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have
increased steadily.
GLOBAL WARMING
WHAT’S the CAUSE?
• Burning solid waste, fossil fuels
(oil, natural gas, and coal), wood and wood products
• Production and transport of fossil fuels
•Decomposition of organic wastes in landfills
• Animal sources (methane)
•Deforestation
(trees remove CO2 from atmosphere)
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
We’re freezing here in WI!
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Coastal flooding
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Changes in
Gulf Stream
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
More severe storms
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Weather
extremes
Heat waves and drought
What’s so bad about warming up a little?
Changing habitats
means
loss of species
What’s the Kyoto Accord got to
do with it?
The Kyoto Accord is an agreement, aimed at
reducing global warming that asks
REDUCE
participants to __________
their
GREENHOUSE GAS emissions to a
________________
percentage of their 1990
emission levels _____________.
by 2012
PROBLEMS WITH the KYOTO
ACCORD
(The US has not ratified this agreement)
In 1998-Clinton administration signs the Kyoto
Accord committing the United States to a 7%
reduction in carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 emissions
levels, to be achieved between the years 2008
and 2012.
2001- Bush administration withdrew the U.S.
signature, claiming that the treaty was "fatally
flawed".
2008- Australia (last major nation hold out) signed
160 nations have now agreed (not US)
PROBLEMS WITH the KYOTO
ACCORD
ALL countries not required to reduce emissions equally
7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia,
Developing nations don’t have to reduce emissions at all
India and China, which have ratified the protocol,
are not required to reduce carbon emissions under
the present agreement despite their relatively large populations.
Developed nations (like USA) can meet required reductions by
purchasing emission reductions from elsewhere and funding
developing countries for climate related studies, projects, and
technology
KYOTO is “OLD NEWS”!
Standards set by Kyoto will expire in 2012.
United Nations Meeting on
Climate Change
Met in December 2009 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Current Status
• OBJECTIVE: to keep the maximum temperature
rise to below 2 degrees Celsius;
• the commitment to list developed country
emission reduction targets and mitigation action
by developing countries for 2020;
• Proposed $ 30 billion short-term funding for
immediate action till 2012 and $100 billion
annually by 2020 in long-term financing
(still needs to be approved by countries)
• The challenge now is to turn what is agreed into
something that is legally binding in Mexico one
year from now.
What is a CARBON FOOTPRINT?
A ____________________
CARBON FOOTPRINT =
the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas)
emissions caused directly and indirectly by
an individual, organization, event or product
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/
The US is no longer the #1 CO2 emitter
but . . . we contribute to the problem.
Even if you don’t “believe” in
global warming . . .
Even if countries can’t agree
on emission levels …
we should still work to reduce our emissions
of global warming gases BECAUSE . . .
THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING”
make sense anyway!
Fossil fuels are a limited resource…
eventually they will be gone!
THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING”
make sense anyway!
Our supply of fossil fuels is dependent on
countries that are not “friendly” to the U.S.
THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING”
make sense anyway!
Drilling for and transporting fossil fuels has
negative environmental consequences
THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING”
make sense anyway!
Drilling and transporting fossil fuels has negative
environmental consequences
THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING”
make sense anyway!
Innovation and alternative energy technologies for automobiles
and power generation are good for our economy
GLOBAL WARMING
HOW DO WE HELP?
Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes
use of alternative renewable energy sources
Watch your carbon footprint
Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels
Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency
OR run on alternative fuels
Cut down on CO2 emissions
(with or without the Kyoto accord)
Recycle
(uses less energy than starting from scratch)
Reduce deforestation (plants use CO2)
WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR TRASH?
According to the
Environmental Protection Agency,
the average American produces
about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day.
That adds up to a approximately
220 million tons of garbage each
year for all of us.
This only takes into consideration
the average household member
and does not count industrial waste
or commercial trash.
PICTURE THIS:
It would bury more than 990,000 football
fields under six-foot high piles of waste..
. . . and that’s just the United States!
TRASH KILLS
It has been estimated that over
a million sea-birds and 100,000
marine mammals and sea turtles
are killed each year by ingestion
of plastics or entanglement.
PLASTIC IS MADE FROM FOSSIL FUELS!
PLASTIC IS FOREVER!
PACIFIC OCEAN GARBAGE GYRE
Covers an area twice the size of TEXAS
Estimated to contain
over 100 million tons
of debris
• See a video
We Can’t Just Keep Piling it up in
Landfills
We have to:
_____________
REDUCE,
_____________
REUSE,
_____________
RECYCLE
QUOTES
This we know... the earth does not belong to man,
man belongs to earth. All things are connected,
like the blood which connects one family.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of
the earth. Man did not weave the web of life –
he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to
the web, he does to himself.
~ Chief Seattle, 1854
QUOTES
If you want to see an endangered species, get
up and look in the mirror.
~ John Young, former Apollo astronaut
A true conservationist is a man who knows
that the world is not given by his fathers,
but borrowed from his children.
~ John James Audubon, 1785 - 1851
It's not easy being green.
~ Kermit the Frog
WE NEED TO START CONSIDERING THE
EFFECTS ON OUR PLANET WHEN WE
MAKE DECISIONS!