ProjectTopic:

Our impact on the environment Worked by:

Malda Shushku

What is Ecology?

“ECOLOGY”

The study of the interaction of people with their environment.

What do you think??How do human activities affect the

environment?

1. Population growth

There are about 7 billion people in the world and over 95 million babies are born per year – that is an average of three babies per second!

Exponential growthThe human population is said to be growing exponentially. This means that the larger the population, the faster it grows.

An increase in average life expectancy is largely responsible for the rapid increase in population. Why do people live longer than they did hundreds of years ago?

better healthcare (hospitals, medicines, vaccines) more and better food cleaner water better sanitation

The biggest increase in population is in developing nations, rather than developed nations. Why do you think is the case?

2. Air pollutionHuman activity produces two main types of air pollutant:

noxious gases – These include carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

particulates – These are tiny particles suspended in air (e.g. smoke) and which are usually produced by the combustion of fossil fuels.

Air pollution has been a major problem since the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th Century, and has been made worse by humans’ reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy.

Air pollution, global warming, acid rain, damage to the ozone layer and smog. Each of these has serious implications for the environment and human health.

Global warming and greenhouse gases

One of the greatest threats caused by air pollution is global warming. Global warming is caused by a build-up of greenhouses gases, which leads to an increase in the Earth’s temperature.A greenhouse gas is an atmospheric gas that absorbs infrared light.

Key greenhouses gases include:

carbon dioxide (CO2)

methane (CH4)

water vapour (H2O)

nitrous oxide (N2O)

How hot can the greenhouse effect get?

The planet Venus is further from the Sun than Mercury but has an higher average temperature. Its surface can reach up to 482°C, which is hot enough to melt lead!

Venus’ atmosphere is mostly made up of carbon dioxide, which traps so much of the solar radiation that the planet becomes extremely hot.

The hostile climate conditions on Venus make it impossible for life to survive.

What is global warming? The term “global warming” is often used in connection

with climate change, but what does it mean?

Global warming refers to the increase in the Earth’s temperature due to the greenhouse effect, which can cause changes in climate.

However, the term “global warming” is being used now to refer to the warming predicted to occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases and other human activities. This enhanced greenhouse effect may lead to significant climate change.

Remember, global warming and climate change are not the same thing and should not be used interchangeably.

How can we stop global warming?People should be required to:

• Use less fuel

• Use public transport

• Recycle rubbish

• Ride bicycles more

• Plant more trees

• Use unleaded petrol

• Use less aerosol sprays

• Put filters on factory chimneys

What damages the ozone layer?

The ozone layer is a protective part of the atmosphere that absorbs some of the Sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays.Damage to the ozone layer means that more UV rays reach Earth, increasing the risk of skin cancer.

The ozone layer is damaged by chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine.

CFCs are used in fridges and freezers, aerosol sprays and packaging materials such as polystyrene. The production and use of CFCs is now banned in many countries and could be worldwide in a few years.

Water pollutionSewage, industrial waste, oil, pesticides and fertilizers all pollute water.

Fertilizers and sewage can easily be washed into rivers, streams and lakes. The nutrients, phosphates and nitrates in these substances cause eutrophication.

Eutrophication is the accumulation of nutrients in water, which causes excessive algal growth.

This leads to a reduction in oxygen levels and the death of aquatic life.

Land and soil can be polluted by two main types of substance:

Land pollution

solid waste – such as plastic, metal, paper and other man-made substances

chemicals – such as herbicides and pesticides, crude oil and waste from industrial processes.

Land pollution often leads to water pollution, as chemicals are washed into rivers and lakes.

How much waste?Every year, billions of tonnes of paper, plastics, synthetic materials, metal and wood are thrown away.

On average, each UK household produces over 1 tonne of rubbish each year.

How could you estimate the amount of rubbish you throw away each year?

What methods are there for disposing of waste materials?

What are the options?

Landfill is the cheapest solution, but sites quickly become full and the waste contaminates the surrounding air, soil and water.

Incinerating waste reduces volume, but often produces toxic chemicals.

Recycling materials allows them to be useful again, and reduces the need to use more raw materials.

Composting uses natural biological processes to decompose organic materials, but cannot be used to dispose of non-biodegradable waste.

Composting uses natural biological processes to decompose organic materials, but cannot be used to dispose of non-biodegradable waste.

What is the best solution?The best way to deal with waste is to produce

less of it!It takes 100 kg of resources to make 10 kg of shopping, and most of that ends up in the bin.

If products were redesigned to be biodegradable or easier to recycle, the amount of waste and disposal costs would be significantly reduced.

 Environmental Impact by Energy Source

• All energy sources affect the environment. There is no such thing as a completely “clean” energy

source.

Energy is a very important part in our everyday life but etting the energy we need affects our environment in many different ways. Some energy sources have a greater impact than others.

Energy is lost to the environment during any energy transformation, usually as heat. Notice the heat from your computer or car after it has been in use for a while.

Nothing is completely energy efficient. Fortunately, the energy industry has become increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection and is working to reduce its long-term impact.

CoalCoal mining has the potential to harm air, water

and land quality if it is not done with proper care. Acidic water may drain from abandoned mines underground, and the burning of coal causes the emission of harmful materials including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury.

“Clean coal” technology is being developed to remove harmful materials before they can affect the environment, and to make it more energy-efficient so less coal is burned.

The coal industry also restores mined land to or prepares it for more productive uses once surface mining is done.

SolarSolar energy produces no air or water pollution or greenhouse gases. However, it has some indirect impacts on the environment. For example, the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells (PV) produces some toxic materials and chemicals.

Ecosystems can also be affected by solar systems. Water from underground wells may be required to clean concentrators and receivers, and to cool the generator, which may harm the ecosystem in dry climates.

WindWind is a clean energy source. It produces no air or water pollution because no fuel is burned to generate electricity. The most serious environmental impact from wind energy may be its effect on bird and bat mortality. Wind turbine design has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades to reduce this impact.

Turbine blades are now solid, so there are no lattice structures that entice birds to perch. Also, the blades’ surface area is much larger, so they don’t have to spin as fast to generate power. Slower-moving blades mean fewer bird collisions.

Conclusion Now that we know how do humans affect the environment, let us not sit back leaving all the responsibility of conserving our planet on a handful of people. Each one of us can make a valuable contribution towards preserving our environment. Let us do our own because in the well-being of the environment lies the key to our survival.

But is there something that we can do in order to minimize the negative impact of energy in the environment?

Yes, of course. When there is a problem there is always a solution. There are a lot of ways to conserve energy:

Conserving energy helps the planet and saves money—so why don’t more people make the effort to do it? Maybe they don’t realize how easy it is or what an impact they can make on the environment by following simple conservation tips. If each person around the world did just one thing to save energy, it would make Earth a cleaner place with a healthier environment.

A recent report from consulting firm McKinsey found that the United States could save $1.2 trillion through 2020, by investing in improvements like sealing leaky building ducts and replacing inefficient household appliances with new, energy-saving models. That investment would cut the country’s projected energy use in 2020 by about 23 percent. 

Easy Ways to Conserve Energy

1. Set your clothes washer to the warm or cold water setting, not hot.

2. Turn down your water heater thermostat.

3. Clean or replace air filters as recommended.

4. Use less hot water by installing low-flow shower heads.

5. Whenever possible, walk, bike, car pool, or use mass transit.

Read on to find out how you can start making a difference now!

Endangered speciesIn 1975 there were two million Africa elephants. This year the number of Africa elephants has fallen to 500000. The elephant is now one of thousands of endangered species which are seriously being threatened.

RainforestsTwenty-five years ago 100 000 sq. km of the earth’s rainforests was being lost each year. Now every year, approximately 170 000 sq. km of rainforest is being destroyed.

Los of animals such as Tomato Frog, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Frigate Bird, Tiger beetle, American Crocodile, Gorilla, Seahorse, Siberian Tigre are in danger of extinction.

All around the world, there are many natural habitats that are in danger of disappearing. When a habitat becomes endangered, the plants and animals that make their homes are also endangered. People destroyed wild places everywhere. Why? Simply because there are too many of us! We need room for houses, clean water and large areas for building factories.

How can we protect endangered species?

“Every individual can make a difference… if we continue to leave decision-making to the so-colled decision-makers, things will never change.” Today the danger to our natural world is increasing and many species are becoming extinct. We need to do something soon or else many creatures won’t survive.

First of all we need to make sure that there are stricter laws that protect endangered species. If long prison sentences for illegal hunters were introduced, then people would be discouraged from harming these animals.

Secondly, it would be a good idea to educate people about the dangers of extinction. As a result, more people might do voluntary work protecting endangered species. Individuals may also think twice before using or bying products made from, or tested on, these animals such as fur coats and skin creams.

All in all, there are many solutions to this problem. The sooner we take action, the better the future will be for all endangered species.

What should we do to make our city a cleaner, healthier place?

Conditions in our environment are getting worse every day. The traffic is awful and the streets are full of litter. What’s more, the air is so polluted you can hardly see the sky through the smog. How can we make our city a cleaner, healthier place to live and work in?

Firstly, steps must be taken to improve air quality. A useful suggestion would be to ban cars from the city centre. In this way, there would be fewer cars on the roads and lower levels to harmful gases would be released into the atmosphere. If this were done, there will be less smog over the city.

Secondly, it would be a good idea if factories were moved out of the area. The result of this would be that air pollution would be reduced. Alternatively, it would help if factories used special filters to stop poisonous gases escaping into the atmosphere.

Finally, efforts should be made to deal with the problem of litter. This could be solved quite easily by providing more rubbish bins in public places. As a result, people would stop dropping litter on the ground.

There are many ways to improve conditions in our city. Putting some of these ideas into action would definitely make life better for everyone.