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Environmental Issues

Effects of Human Activity:

     Competing for resources

     Disposal of  wastes

     Replacement of resources

Environmental Issues

     Resource Use

     1. renewable (sunlight, wind)

      Also called  inexhaustible

     2. nonrenewable  (coal, oil)

     Population Growth

      1. Improvements in Medicine

           Agriculture, Sanitation.

     Pollution

      1. Result of human activity

          a. burning coal

          b. pesticides

Approaching Environmental Issues

1.Making decisions starts with

         environmental scientists

2. What to do with information

     Decisions involve values along with facts and figures.

Costs and Benefits

Environment is valued for many reasons:

     1. Economic—lumber, minerals

     2. Recreation—boating, hiking

     3. Health—river: clean drinking water

     4. Ecological—other organisms

     5. Scenic—great beauty

Proposal to build a Chemical plant in Williamson County:

     1. Will proposal Provide jobs?

     2. How much will it cost?

     3. Will it be safe?

     4. Will it reduce natural beauty of the

         Landscape?

How can forests & fisheries be managed?

Forest Resources

     Maple syrup, rubber, lumber, paper,

     furniture.

    Trees/plants produce oxygen, absorb

     carbon dioxide, and prevent flooding,

      control soil erosion.

Managing Forests

    Logging Methods

    1. clear-cutting (quick, cheap, safer)

    2. selective cutting (less damaging)

    Sustainable Forestry

    1. harvest trees with out reducing supply

Fisheries

 Major fisheries include:

Grand Banks and Georges Banks

Overfishing: fish caught at a faster rate than they can reproduce, the population decreases.

70% of the world’s fisheries have been over fished.

Fishing Limits

Laws limiting the amount and size of fish caught have been established to help protect fish species.

Methods

Nets with larger mesh size, no more poison or dynamite

Aquaculture

Raising fish for food in artificial ponds or bays. Catfish and Salmon

Costs: replacing natural habitat, pollution,

            Spreading disease to wild fish

            Populations

New Resources

9000 Species of fish harvested  for food,

Good Source of protein.

Find new species of fish for harvesting,

Example: Tilapia

Biodiversity

Factors affecting biodiversity:

   Area: more species can live in larger area

   Climate: more species live closer to the equator

                  Hypothesis: warm, lots of water, lots of Plants, which  provide food for

                  the organisms

   Diversity of niches: coral reefs provide different niches for organisms.

Value of Biodiversity

Economic value: provide food, oxygen, Tourism(jobs)                        

Value of Ecosystem: Keystone species, help other species survive                             

Gene Pool Diversity: Organism in one species share many genes, but also have some genes that differ from those of other

Organisms, the individual differences make up the total “gene pool”

Species that lack a diverse gene pool are less able to adapt to disease.

Causes of Extinction: Natural catastrophes and Human Activities

Volcanoes; kill whole populations

Habitat destruction: clearing forest, new highway, new mall

Poaching: killing species

Pollution: poisons in the water

Exotic species: animals introduced to new area

Protecting Biodiversity:

  Captive breeding

   Laws/Treaties

   Habitat preservation

Georgetown Independent School District

Last updated:  08/20/08 02:16 PM