Human Action and Recent Environmental Change
Transcript of Human Action and Recent Environmental Change
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
INDUSTRIALIZATION
and URBANIZATION Two processes that more than any others
have revolutionalized human life and
brought about far-reaching ecologicalchanges
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
What is industrialization?
oTransformation of a society or country from a primary
agricultural activity into manufacturing of goods and
services
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
oChange from individual manual labor to mechanized
mass production and assembly lines
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
oUses technological innovations instead of superstitious
beliefs and dependency
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
o More efficient division of labor and economic growth
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
INDUSTRIALIZATION
AND URBANIZATION Two processes that more than any others
have revolutionalized human life and
brought about far-reaching ecologicalchanges
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THE IMPACT OF ENERGY NEEDS
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
What is urbanization?
o Formation and growth of cities
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
oMigration of population from rural to urban areas
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
o Commonly referred to as the human civilization
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
What is your concept of urban and rural areas? Are these places really independent of each other?
RECALL Rural Urban Dichotomy vs. Rural Urban Continuum
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HUMAN ACTION AND RECENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
INDUSTRIALIZATION AND URBANIZATION
Changes that have moved beyond a local or a
regional scale to affect the entire globe
Environmental impacts
omassive energy use
(industrialization)
o land use change(urbanization)
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTINDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The discovery and utilization of fossil fuels - coal, oil,
and natural gas Why use these fuels?
o they provided more constant, dependable, and effectivesource of power
As a resulto A steady increase in power production and demand
occurred
Furthermore
o Resource extraction and conversion increased rapidly
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
SOURCES OF ENERGY
Renewable resources
solar, hydroelectric, wind, and geothermal power
used to drive pumps, machines, and electricity
generators
Nonrenewable resources: fossil fuels derived from organic materials that are
burned directly
nuclear energy originated from isotopes which emit
radiation
MASSIVE ENERGY USE
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTLARGEST PROPORTION OF THE WORLDS CURRENTENERGY CONSUMPTION
35%
oil
24%
coal
18%
gas
6%
hydropower
5%
nuclearpower
12%
biomass
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTHENCE, THE WORLD HAS VAST AMOUNTS OF
RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO HUMAN NEEDS
BUT
THE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
OF THESE AVAILABLE RESOURCES
IS GEOGRAPHICALLY UNEVEN.
MASSIVE ENERGY USE
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTWORLD PRODUCTION OF ENERGY
50% of oil supply is from the Middle East
Most of the coal is from the Northern Hemisphere
MASSIVE ENERGY USE
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTWORLD CONSUMPTION OF ENERGY
Affluent core regions far outstrip the peripheral regions inenergy consumption BUT
consumption of energy in the peripheral regions is risingrapidly due to globalization
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
EVERY STAGE OF ENERGY CONVERSION PROCESSHAS AN IMPACT ON THE PHYSICAL
LANDSCAPE.
MASSIVE ENERGY USE
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTACID RAIN
o the wet deposition of acids on earth created by the
natural cleansing properties of the atmosphere
MASSIVE ENERGY USE
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTo Forests are being poisoned/killed and soils are becomingtoo acidic
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTGLOBAL WARMING
o increase in global temperatures associated with the
greenhouse effect
MASSIVE ENERGY USE
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
MASSIVE ENERGY USE
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MASSIVE ENERGY USE
AND ITS IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENTo Reduction in the winter hunting season and global rise insea levels
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
In addition to industrial pollution and steadilyincreasing demands for energy, the environmentis also being dramatically affected by PRESSURES
ON THE LAND. WHAT IS LAND USE?
exploitation of land for agricultural, industrial, residential,recreational, or other purposes
WHAT IS LAND USE CHANGE? Includes clearing of land for fuel, farming, grazing, resource
extraction, highway building, energy generation, and war
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
PROCESSES OF LAND USE CHANGE:
o CONVERSION: the wholesale transformation of
land from one use to another; ex: forested land to
settlementoMODIFICATION: an alteration of existing cover; ex:
grassland overlaid with railroad tracks and forest
thinned but not clearcut
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
AS HUMAN POPULATIONS HAVE INCREASED
AND THE NEED FOR LAND FOR SETTLEMENT
AND CULTIVATION HAS ALSO INCREASED,
CHANGES TO THE LAND HAVE FOLLOWED.
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENTREGION OR
COUNTRY
PRE-1650 1650-1749 1750-1849 1850-1978 TOTAL
North America 6 80 380 641 1107
Central America 18 30 40 200 288
Latin America 18 100 170 637 925Australia 6 6 6 362 380
Former USSR 70 180 270 575 1095
Europe 204 66 146 81 497
Asia 974 216 596 1220 3006
Africa 226 80 216 469 759
TOTAL 1522 758 1592 4185 8057
TABLE 1 Estimated Area Cleared (square kilometer)
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENTGLOBAL DEFORESTATION
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
o Elimination of a renewable resource that is not
easily regenerated
o Loss of biological diversity of an ecosystem
o Destabilization of oxygen and carbon dioxide
cycles of the forests
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE
WORLDS FORESTS, GREAT GEOGRAPHICAL
VARIABILITY EXISTS AMONG COUNTRIES.
For most core regions, net clearance of the forests
has been replaced by regeneration BUT
Most of the periphery clearance of the forests hasaccelerated way farther
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
GLOBAL LAND USE
CULTIVATION
oOccurred mostly in the core regions because of the
increased population, increased consumption, andincreased globalization
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
o GRASSLANDS: cleared for other uses and have been
overgrazed
NOT
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
DESERTIFICATION: the degradation of land cover
and damage to the soil and water in grasslands
and arid and semi-arid lands
DESERTS
IN THE
WORLD
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
This phenomenon leads to:
Severe drought
Land decline
Recurrent famine
More disaster
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
WETLANDS
swamp
marshland
bog
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
HUMAN IMPACTS ON WETLANDS
o Draining or filling of wetlands
oWetland conversion into settlement/ cultivation
RECALL: MINAMATA DISEASEIN JAPAN
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MANS EFFORT IN REDUCING
ENVTL IMPACTS OF ENERGY
CONSUMPTION Preferred alternatives to the more obviously
environmentally polluting fossil fuel sources
Something to think about:
Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
Jathropa Biofuel
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MANS EFFORT IN REDUCING
ENVTL IMPACTS OF ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
Advantage: Zero Carbon Emissions
Nuclear energy does not involve burning fossil
fuels, and therefore does not in any way
contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. In thisrespect (albeit only this respect), it is as clean as
solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower.
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Disadvantage: Waste Disposal
Spent fuels from a nuclear power plant are
radioactive and highly toxic.They also pose
security risks, as a terrorist who acquired asubstantial amount of nuclear waste could
construct a so-called "dirty bomb," with the
purpose of spreading radioactive materials over a
large area. An accident or attack involvingradioactive waste would likely contaminate a
strictly local area.
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Advantage: Energy Independence
Nuclear fuels are derived from uranium and
plutonium. Uranium is available in plentiful
quantities in the United States, and plutonium iscreated as a byproduct of the nuclear fission
process (indeed, Breeder Reactor designs
maximize plutonium production). Replacing oil
burning power plants with nuclear power plantwould therefore be helping with achieving energy
independence.
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Disadvantage: Reactor Safety
In the case of an extreme failure, the result would bea nuclear meltdown, where the reacting nuclearmaterial burns or melts its way through its
containment vessel, into the ground, and then intothe water table. This would throw a huge cloud ofradioactive steam and debris into the atmosphere.Accidents of this type have the potential to release
radioactivity over an immense area. A small, well-contained accident might just contaminate the powerplant, while a major one could result in fallout beingspread worldwide.
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Disadvantage: Cost
According to the United States Department of
Energy, when all costs are factored in, nuclear
power costs an estimated $59.30/MWH. This isexpensive when compared to other means of
generating electricity. For example, clean wind
power is $55.60/MWH; coal $53.10/MWH; and
natural gas $52.50/MWH.
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Jathropa Biofuel
Using biofuels can reduce the amount of greenhouse
gases emitted. They are a much cleaner source ofenergy then conventional sources.
As more and more biofuel is created there will be
increased energy security for the country producing it,
as they will not have to rely on imports or foreignvolatile markets.
First generation biofuels can save up to 60% carbon
emissions and second-generation biofuels can save up
to 80%. Biofuels will create a brand new job infrastructure and
will help support local economies. This is especially
true in third world countries.
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There can be a reduction in fossil fuel use.
Biofuel operations help rural development.
Biodiesel can be used in any diesel vehicleand it reduces the number of vibrations,
smoke and noise produced.
Biodiesel is biodegradable. They are non-toxic.
They are renewable.
Biodiesel has a high flash point, making it
safer and less likely to burn after an
accident.
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DISADVANTAGES
Very costly
Biofuel may raise the price of certain foods, which are
also used for biofuel such as corn.
Biofuel development and production is still heavilydependant on Oil.
As other plants are replaced, soil erosion will grow.
A lot of water is used to water the plants, especially indry climates.
Deforestation in South America and South EasternAsia causes loss of habitat for animals and for
indigenous people living there. New technologies will have be developed for vehicles
for them to use these fuels. This will increase theirprices significantly.
IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
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IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Let every individual and institution now think and
act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seekingchoices in ecology, economics and ethics that willprovide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution,
poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life
and foster peaceful progress in the humanadventure.
- John McConnell, founder of Intl Earth Day