human impact on the biosphere chapter 6 - mr....

HUMAN IMPACT on the

BIOSPHERE Chapter 6-4

Charting a course for the Future

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

ACID RAIN

OZONE DEPLETION

DEAD ZONES

GLOBAL WARMING

WASTE

DEAD ZONES

When an ecosystem receives a LARGE input

of limiting nutrient (ie., fertilizer runoff) the

population increases dramatically = ___________

REMEMBER !

ALGAL BLOOM

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

Our atmosphere between

20-50 km contains

high concentrations

of ____________

which protect us from

the sun’s harmful

______________ radiation.

OZONE LAYER

ultraviolet

OZONE (O3)

EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION

__________________________________

________________________ of skin

__________________________________

Reduces ________________

Disrupts __________________ in oceans

Skin cancer

Cataracts/blindness

Premature aging

crop yield

food chains

WHAT WE KNOW

Scientists have been

monitoring the ____________

of ozone in our atmosphere

and have discovered

a hole in the ozone layer

over ____________.

depletion

Antarctica

Ozone Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUfVMogIdr8

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

molecules _______

released from

air conditioners,

aerosol spray cans,

fire extinguishers,

and industry

________________

destroy ozone

(CFC’s)

HOW DO WE HELP?

1987- the _______________________

committed signing nations (including USA) to

a ____________ in the use of CFCs and other

ozone-depleting substances.

CFC production was _________ after 1995 in

the developed countries, and later in

developing countries. Today, over 180

countries have ratified the treaty.

OZONE DEPLETION

MONTREAL PROTOCOL

REDUCTION

banned

_____________spray cans

no longer contain

CFC propellants.

Gases in ___________________

and _____________ are collected

and recycled.

THAT’S WHY . . . AEROSOL

AIR CONDITIONERS

refrigerators

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

Emissions to Atmosphere

Nitrogen oxides

Sulfur dioxide

Chemical Transformation

Nitric acid

Sulfuric acid

Precipitation

Acid rain, fog,

snow, and mist

Dry Fallout

Condensation

particulates, gases

Industry Transportation Ore smelting Power generation

ACID RAIN

What’s the cause?________________________ BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

Releases _______________ and ________________

into the atmosphere that react with water to

produce ACID RAIN.

Sulfur oxides Nitrogen oxides

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

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

ACID RAIN

Recycle

(uses less energy than starting from scratch)

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Temperatures of Earth remain within a range

______________ because the _____________

acts as a natural _________________ blanket.

atmosphere suitable for life

insulating

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Atmospheric gases such as

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

NORMALLY trap heat

energy from the sun

like a greenhouse

= _____________________

Carbon dioxide (CO2 )

Greenhouse effect

methane

water vapor CFC’s

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!

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

FACTS WE KNOW

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have

increased steadily.

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)

GLOBAL WARMING

We’re freezing here in WI!

What’s so bad about warming up a little?


Coastal flooding


Changes in

Gulf Stream


More severe storms


Weather

extremes

Heat waves and drought


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

participants to __________ their

________________ emissions to a

percentage of their 1990

emission levels _____________.

REDUCE

GREENHOUSE GAS

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 ____________________ =

the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas)

emissions caused directly and indirectly by

an individual, organization, event or product

CARBON FOOTPRINT

http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

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!


make sense anyway!

Our supply of fossil fuels is dependent on

countries that are not “friendly” to the U.S.


make sense anyway!

Drilling for and transporting fossil fuels has

negative environmental consequences


make sense anyway!

Drilling and transporting fossil fuels has negative

environmental consequences


make sense anyway!

Innovation and alternative energy technologies for automobiles and power generation are good for our economy

HOW DO WE HELP?

Cut down on CO2 emissions

(with or without the Kyoto accord)

Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes

use of alternative renewable energy sources

Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels

Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency

OR run on alternative fuels

GLOBAL WARMING

Recycle

(uses less energy than starting from scratch)

Reduce deforestation (plants use CO2)

Watch your carbon footprint

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

• See a video

Covers an area twice the size of TEXAS

Estimated to contain

over 100 million tons

of debris

http://youtu.be/tnUjTHB1lvM

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!

human impact on the biosphere chapter 6 - mr....

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