Environmental Issues

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Environmental Issues
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This topic will be examined, through source and
recall questions, in Paper 1 of the GCSE. It
links with knowledge gained in Science classes.
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(No Transcript)
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• THE ENVIRONMENT
• Simply, the environment is our surroundings. It
  
• has taken billions of years to evolve
• may be natural or managed
• is a huge ecosystem made up of other sub -
  systems
• can be tiny (microsystems), local, national,
  global or universal in scale
• is fragile and very easily damaged
• is inter connected and self reliant
• is the source of EVERYTHING mankind needs

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• An ecosystem is a natural system whose members
  benefit from each other's participation via
  symbiotic relationships. It is a term that
  originated from biology, and refers to
  self-sustaining life systems

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CompetitionAny living species competes with each
other. They may compete for
- Living space - Food - Water - Mates
Get off my land, you tiny little double humper!
In addition to this competition, the population
of a species can be affected by predators,
disease, migration and other factors.
Yum! Marmot Surprise!
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Predators and Prey A PREDATOR is an animal that
hunts and eats another animalThe PREY is the
animal it eats, for example
How tiresome. Bunny again!
Prey
Predator
Consider the populations of these two animals
over time
Rabbit
Fox
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Food ChainsA food chain shows where the energy
goes in a food chain (in other words, what gets
eaten by what)
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Pyramids of BiomassIn this food chain we can see
that the mass of organisms in each stage is less
than in the previous stage
We can draw a Pyramid of Biomass to show this
pattern
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Improving the efficiency of a food chain
Clearly, food chains arent very efficient. How
could the efficiency of a food chain be improved?
1) Reduce the number of stages in the chain
2) Limit an animals movement or keep it warm
3) Use plant hormones to regulate the ripening
of fruit
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Recycling ourselves
Waste
Eating
Death
Broken down
Absorption
Microbes are the key to this they break down
waste and dead bodies so that the products can be
used by plants for growth. Microbes work best in
warm, moist conditions where there is plenty of
oxygen.
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The Carbon Cycle
6. These microbes also release CO2 through
respiration
1. CO2 is taken in by plants for photosynthesis
and turned into carbohydrates
2. Plants release CO2 through respiration
4. Animals release CO2 through respiration
3. The carbon is taken in by plants is then eaten
by animals
5. Animals (and plants) die and their remains are
fed on by microbes
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The Nitrogen Cycle
1. Plants absorb nitrogen in the form of NITRATES
4. Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonium
compounds into NITRATES
2. Plants are then eaten by animals the
nitrogen becomes PROTEIN
3. Microbes break down waste products and dead
animals and plants to form AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
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Why are there environmental issues?

• A massive increase in world population. By 2050
  the world population is expected to be 9 billion.
  Over 75 million people are added to the world
  each year.
• A lot more technology is used in every day life.
  This means natural resources are used
  increasingly.
• Desires and expectations have changed.

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• Although we are multicultural, many people in
  MEDCs are out of touch with their environments.
  MEDC lifestyle is often divorced from direct
  environmental contact.
• Our attitudes often swing from irrational fears
  to lack of care or concern.
• Like all our attitudes, our attitude to the
  environment is culturally socialised.

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KEY IDEA 1 Culture and beliefs influence the ways
in which individuals, groups and societies
perceive and exploit natural resources
terminology, ecosystems, issues, cultural
comparisons
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KEY IDEA 2 Problems can arise from the different
ways in which people want to use the environment
atmospheric pollution and deforestation what,
why, how and who, plus alternatives and models
for sustainability
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KEY IDEA 3 Environmental issues have varying
effects on individuals, groups and societies
tourism and the environment, LEDC (and maybe
MEDC) case studies
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KEY IDEA 4 Individuals, groups and societies can
play an important part in influencing behaviour,
attitudes and values regarding environmental
issues
case study of pressure groups, their methods and
effectiveness
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The Rainforest

• Deforestation cutting down trees.
• 2 football pitches disappear a second.
• One third have been destroyed.
• Considered very important- half the worlds
  species of plant/animal live there.
• a cure for aids?

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Case Study- Brazilian Rainforest

• What is happening????
• Deforestation- trees converted into timber for
  sale abroad. Particular demand for hardwoods
  such as mahogany.
• Minerals are extracted from the land beneath the
  trees. E.g. iron ore, diamonds

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Causes

• Clearance of rainforest provides plots of land
  for rapidly growing populations.
• Cattle ranching- land often used for 2 years only
  before worn out and nutrient empty.
• Engineering projects- eg dams, roads,
  settlements. Territory is opened up, electricity
  gained.

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Groups Involved

• Scientists and researchers
• Brazilian government
• Commercial companies e.g. loggers
• Original inhabitants of the forest.
• Growing population of poor people from the
  surrounding countryside.

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Effects

• Desertification- if trees are removed, less water
  is held, rainfall decreases, the area becomes
  drier.
• Soil erosion- exposure means it is washed away by
  heavy rain.
• Global warming trees no longer absorb CO2 so it
  is released into the atmosphere.
• Animals, insects, plants die. New medicines are
  disappearing?

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What Can be Done?

• Stewardship understand the needs of the
  environment and treat it appropriately.
• Sustainable development meet the needs of the
  present without compromising the future.
• Protect and manage the remaining forests
• Improve quality of life for people through other
  means.
• Agreement from governments and groups to conserve
  the forest.

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Natural Resource Exploitation

• Exploit- what does it mean?

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Case Study Aral Sea

• Once the 4th biggest inland sea in the world.
• 1960s flow of water dropped the Soviet
  government had set up a major irrigation scheme
  in order to grow lots of rice and cotton to help
  the Russian economy.
• 90 of natural flow was diverted.
• Sea level fell 14 m. Water was twice as salty.

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Effects

• Climate winters are colder and summers are
  hotter as the sea water no longer moderates.
  Rainfall has declined.
• Desertification- salt in the air. Toxic dust.
• Work cotton and rice industries are failing.
  Harbours are inland! Fish die.
• Water Supply short supply/polluted.
• Health- no water, salty/dusty air.

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Endangered SpeciesCase Study Fish and Marine
Life

• Demand for fish has increased. (10 fold since
  1970 in Asia)
• Total world sea fish catch has increased steadily
  since 1950
• The worlds fish stock has almost been fully
  exploited.
• (this means dropped to levels where species might
  die out)

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• Fishing has changed since 1950.
• Bigger nets
• Huge factory ships
• Fish detected with greater accuracy- electronic.
• Catch young fish as well now- not yet bred.
• By-catch- needless killing of non target
  species. Kills not only fish, but porpoises,
  dolphins etc

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What can be done?

• Regulation of industry
• International laws
• UN Convention on the Law of the Seas.
• Problems though.
• Oceans are huge!
• Countries regard their coastal waters as their
  territory under their control.
• Oceans are international- no clear
  responsibility.
• Growing populations and growing wealth- demand is
  rising.
• Fishermen have to be honest about quotas.

A Striped Bass from the Atlantic Ocean
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Pollution

• Any substance in water, soil or air which damages
  the natural environment. It may offend peoples
  sight, taste, hearing, or smell, and/or cause a
  health hazard. The usefulness of a natural
  resource is usually reduced by being polluted.

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Case Study - Oceans

• The solution to pollution is dilution
• Treated like an open sewer.
• Bags, netting, packaging, human sewage, factory
  outflows of acids, poisonous metals, farm
  chemicals, nuclear waste, oil.
• Many countries have no other affordable way to
  dispose
• of sewage and
• other waste.

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Effects

• Agricultural waste contains nutrients from
  fertilisers. Excessive amounts makes algae grow
  which kills other marine life. (called red,
  brown or green tides).
• Sewage kills living things. Surfers are at
  risk from toxic spray.
• Oil spills/discharges ships pump out toxic
  waste (ballast).
• Chemicals/air borne gases and particles new
  chemicals such as DDTA or PCBs end up in the fat
  of sea life such as bears, seals, whales, sharks.
  They affect hormones and therefore breeding.
• Other dumped waste plastic doesnt disintegrate
  easily.

The Yangtze Dolphin in the Yangtze River Salmon
in the River Thames
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Are There Solutions?

• You need to change peoples perceptions that the
  oceans can clean the world.
• Lack of wealth and resources restricts
  improvement.
• Redesign and replacement of better sewage systems
  is not popular.
• Other waste disposal methods would bankrupt
  industries and companies.
• The seas are too large to police. There is open
  access. Pollution can move!
• Growing populations and increased pressure.

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Action

• Governments monitor areas and control dumping.
  Polluters can be fined. Can lead protests about
  international problems.
• Environmental groups can protest to prevent
  pollution. They help arouse public interest.
  E.g. Surfers against Sewage in Cornwall.
• UN laws / fines

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Sustainable Exploitation.

• Non renewable resources
• What are they?
• Examples?

Natural Gas
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• Wood
• Widely used in LEDCs as fuel.
• Technically a renewable resource but large trees
  are being cut down more quickly than they can be
  replaced.

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• Fossil Fuels
• Take ages to be created
• Oil and gas are almost used up.
• Coal is running out
• Will we run out in 60 years time????
• What has happened to demands?

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Fossil fuels cause pollution.

• On burning they produce carbon dioxide, sulphur
  oxides and nitrogen oxides.
• These lead to
• CLIMATE CHANGE
• ACID RAIN
• SMOG
• In Mexico City, ¼ of all fruit and vegetables
  grown are contaminated with deadly levels toxic
  pollutants.

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Nuclear Power

• 28 of UK power
• Chernobyl
• Difficult and expensive
• to dispose of
• nuclear waste.

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Renewable Energy Sources

• What are the benefits and problems with each?
• Hydropower (think about the Three Gorges Dam
  1.2 million people displaced)
• Wave Power
• Tidal Power
• Solar Energy
• Wind Energy
• Bioenergy

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The Impact of Leisure and Tourism

• Tourism is big business. (8 of total world
  trade, involves 10 of the U.K population, gives
  Caribbean islands 50 of their income)
• Tourism is growing and changing rapidly.

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How is it an environmental issue? The Effects

• Transport
• Accommodation / Use of local resources.
• Leisure Activities and Changes in Land Use there
  were almost 2000 ascents of Everest in 2003.
• Changes in local lifestyles
• New cultures replace the old.

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Controlling the Effects

• Local community groups e.g. the Himalayan Code
  for Tourism in Nepal.
• Independent organisations / pressure groups -
  e.g WWF contribute funds to projects.
• The travel industry eco-travel associations set
  up. Green Globe
• SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
• ECO TOURISM

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Climate Change

• More and more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
  act like a blanket, trapping heat.
• An increase in global temperatures.
• Guaranteed to happen in YOUR lifetime.
• Will drastically change weather patterns
• This will in turn affect plants/animals.
• Are the changes part of century long patterns?
  Yes and no..

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Most agree climate change IS occurring

• Increasing CO2
• Evidence of changes in climate
• Glaciers are melting
• Low lying coastal areas are disappearing
• Record heat waves eg May, 2003, India, 49C
• An increase in the number of serious droughts
• Heavier rainfall and increased flooding in
  Bangladesh
• Insects and diseases are migrating. Malaria in
  the U.K?

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Why is Climate Change a Problem?

• Unpredictable effects
• Effects on plant and animal life
• Uneven impact across the world
• The wet get wetter, the dry get drier.

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Solutions

• Reduce the greenhouse gases produced.
• The Kyoto Protocols (1997) countries agree
  levels of acceptable emissions. There are goals
  to reduce outputs. The USA is a key problem.
• The U.K government is cutting down on coal
  burning, and encouraging cleaner energy
  production.
• Individuals use less energy, use public
  transport, recycle.
• Accept it will happen and prepare to adapt.
• Extreme weather- prepare, predict, protect!

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What can we do about environmental problems?

• Identify the issue
• Work out what can be done
• Persuade people to take action

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Government

• Local Agenda 21 local authorities encourage
  local partnerships between communities,
  businesses, and themselves. This includes
  recycling and traffic reduction.
• Stopped the sale of leaded petrol
• Inspections of industrial sites
• Educates the public.

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Pressure Groups

• Union of Concerned Scientists- produce
  publications full of scientific data.
• Friends of the Earth- campaign, advertise,
  collect funds, produce materials for schools,
  demonstrate, appear in the media.
• Greenpeace campaign! Spectacular publicity!

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Ordinary People

• Local single interest groups campaign locally.
  
• Individuals burn less fossil fuels, use cars
  less, recycle, produce less waste, buy
  environmentally friendly goods, use alternative
  energy sources.

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To Conclude

• Think through all the ideas covered.
• Focus on CAUSE and EFFECT
• Know your case studies.
• Mind map key ideas for each sub topic.
• Remember the tips from the last session.
• Have you taken anything from this material? I
  hope so.