HUMAN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

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HUMAN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT Be nice to other
people. They outnumber you 7 billion to one. -
Unknown - Even if you're on the right track,
you'll get run over if you just sit there. --Will
Rogers
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WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON HUMANS HAVE SUCH A STRONG
IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT?
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Population growth 10,000 years ago, 10
million people by 1850, population was 1
billion 80 more years to reach 2 billion
(1930) 45 years, it doubled again (4
billion in 1975) 12 years to reach to
reach 5 billion (1987) 7 billion in 2010
by the year 2025, there will be 8 billion
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Carrying capacity refers to the number of
individuals who can be supported in a given area
within natural resource limits. The carrying
capacity for any given area is not fixed. As the
environment is degraded, carrying capacity
actually shrinks, leaving the environment no
longer able to support even the number of animals
who could formerly have lived in the area. No
population can live beyond the environment's
carrying capacity for very long.
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HUMANS CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE THE CARRYING CAPACITY
OF THE HUMAN RACE THROUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
TO CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
WAYS HUMANS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS?
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• HUMANS CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE THE CARRYING CAPACITY
  OF THE HUMAN RACE THROUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
  TO CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT.
• WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS HUMANS HAVE BEEN ABLE
  TO DO THIS?
• INCREASED FOOD PRODUCTION
• CHEAP ENERGY
• IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH CARE
• IMPROVED SANITATION

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WHEN HUMANS INCREASE THEIR CARRYING CAPACITY,
THEY OFTEN DO SO AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHER
SPECIES. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS HUMANS ARE
IMPACTING THE ENVIRONMENT IN A NEGATIVE WAY?
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• WAYS HUMANS DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMENT
• MINING
• AGRICULTURE
• DEVELOPMENT
• POLLUTION AIR AND WATER
• TIMBER INDUSTRY
• SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
• RECREATION

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IN MINING TO EXTRACT MINERALS, SOMETIMES THE
MINES ARE NOT RECLAIMED AFTER MINING IS FINISHED.
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OFTEN, THE LAND IS NOT REUSUALBE, AND WATER
LEACHING THROUGH THE MINE WASTES CAN BECOME
ACIDIFIED AND CAN PICK UP HEAVY METALS WHICH ARE
TOXIC.
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• AGRICULTURE CAN ALSO DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMENT.
  SOME OF THE PROBLEMS INCLUDE
• MONOCULTURE
• PESTICIDES
• POLLUTION OF STREAMS WITH FERTILIZER AND ANIMAL
  WASTE
• EROSION AND LOSS OF TOPSOIL
• HABITAT DESTRUCTION

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THE DEMAND FOR TIMBER HAS RESULTED IN
DEFORESTATION IN MANY FORESTS, INCLUDING TROPICAL
RAIN FORESTS. THIS IS RESULTING IN LOSS OF
SPECIES. TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS COVER ONLY 6 OF
EARTHS LAND SURFACE, BUT THEY CONTAIN ABOUT HALF
OF ALL SPECIES. RAIN FORESTS ARE BEING LOST AT
THE RATE OF 78 MILLION ACRES PER YEAR. IN 1950,
RAIN FORESTS COVERED 15 OF THE EARTHS LAND
SURFACE.
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• URBAN DEVELOPMENT IS CAUSING MANY PROBLEMS.
• LOSS OF HABITAT
• HEAT ISLAND EFFECT FROM BUILDINGS AND PAVEMENT
• IMPERVIOUS SURFACES CAUSE MORE RUNOFF AND LESS
  WATER SOAKING INTO THE GROUND.
• STREAM POLLUTION RESULTS FROM STORMWATER RUNOFF.
• FLASH FLOODS RESULT FROM INCREASED RUNOFF.

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• ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE, STORMWATER RUNOFF
  RESULTS IN STREAM POLLUTION.
• DIRT
• OIL AND GREASE
• TRASH
• PET WASTE
• FERTILIZER FROM LAWNS

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• PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR
• OZONE DEPLETION (IN STRATOSPHERE)
• OZONE AT GROUND LEVEL FROM AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC
• PARTICULATES FROM AUTOMOBILES AND COAL-FIRED
  POWER PLANTS
• ACID RAIN FROM AUTOMOBILES AND COAL-FIRED POWER
  PLANTS

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• PROBLEMS WITH WATER
• DROUGHT
• ACID RAIN
• AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF
• STORMWATER RUNOFF
• INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION
• AQUIFER DEPLETION

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SOLID WASTE AMERICANS USE MORE STUFF THAN ANYONE
ELSE IN THE WORLD. WE THROW AWAY 4 POUNDS OF
TRASH PER PERSON PER DAY. WERE RUNNING OUT OF
LANDFILL SPACE. SOME CITIES HAVE TO TRUCK THEIR
GARGAGE OUT OF STATE.
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SOLID WASTE Reduce the amount and toxicity of
trash you discard. Reuse containers and
products repair what is broken or give it to
someone who can repair it. Recycle as much
as possible, which includes buying products with
recycled content.
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WHAT DO THE FOLLOWING PICTURES HAVE IN COMMON?
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THEY ALL SHOW LOSS OF LAND TO EROSION.
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http//www.nytimes.com/video/2007/12/21/us/1194817
097875/utah-s-fight-over-public-land-use.html