HUMAN IMPACT on the BIOSPHERE part 4

Transcription

1 HUMAN IMPACT on the BIOSPHERE part 4 Charting a course for the Future

2 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS DEAD ZONES OZONE DEPLETION ACID RAIN GLOBAL WARMING WASTE

3 DEAD ZONES REMEMBER! When an ecosystem receives a LARGE input of limiting nutrient (ie., fertilizer runoff) the population increases dramatically = ALGAL BLOOM

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7 Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone The DEADZONE forms each April, generally grows throughout the summer, reaching a peak in late July.

8 At its peak, the nearly lifeless water can span 5,000 to 8,000-plus square miles, an area almost the size of New Jersey Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

9 DEAD ZONES How do we HELP? Use modern technology and green farming methods to: Decrease agricultural fertilizer use Decrease runoff of agricultural waste

10 OZONE LAYER Our atmosphere between km contains high concentrations of OZONE (O 3 ) which protect us from the sun s harmful ultra-violet radiation.

11 EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION Skin cancer Premature aging of skin Cataracts/blindness Reduces crop yield Disrupts food chains in oceans Click here to see a movie about the effects of UV radiation WMV, 618K

12 WHAT WE KNOW Scientists have been monitoring the depletion of ozone in our atmosphere and have discovered a hole in the ozone layer over. Antarctica Click here to see a movie about the ozone hole WMV, 616K

13 The annual ozone "hole over Antarctica has occurred during the Antarctic Spring (October) since the early 1980s. Rather than being an actual hole through the layer, the ozone hole is a large area with extremely low amounts of ozone. Ozone levels fall by over 60% during the worst years.

14 Ozone depletion is a global issue NOT just a problem at the South Pole. Research has shown that ozone depletion also occurs over North America, Europe, Asia, and much of Africa, Australia, and South America. Over the U.S., ozone levels have fallen 5-10%, depending on the season.

15 Chlorofluorocarbon molecules (CFC s) released from air conditioners, aerosol spray cans, fire extinguishers, and industry destroy ozone What s the cause of Ozone Depletion?

16 OZONE DEPLETION HOW DO WE HELP? the MONTREAL PROTOCOL committed signing nations (including USA) to a REDUCTION in the use of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances. CFC production was banned after 1995 in the developed countries, and later in developing countries. Today, over 180 countries have ratified the treaty.

17 THAT S WHY... spray AEROSOL cans no longer contain CFC propellants. AIR CONDITIONERS Gases in and refrigerators are collected and recycled.

18 ACID RAIN What s the cause? BURNING FOSSIL FUELS Emissions to Atmosphere Nitrogen oxides Sulfur dioxide Chemical Transformation Nitric acid Sulfuric acid Dry Fallout particulates, gases Condensation Precipitation Acid rain, fog, snow, and mist Industry Transportation Ore smelting Power generation Releases Nitrogen oxides and Sulfur oxides into the atmosphere that react with water to produce ACID RAIN.

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20 ACID RAIN EFFECTS damages buildings and statues damages forests kills fish reduces biodiversity causes illness & premature death from heart & lung disorders like asthma and bronchitis

21 ACID RAIN HOW DO WE HELP? Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes use of alternative renewable energy sources Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels conserve electricity drive less Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency OR run on alternative fuels Recycle (uses less energy than starting from scratch)

22 GREENHOUSE EFFECT Temperatures of Earth remain within a range suitable for life because the atmosphere acts as a natural insulating blanket.

23 GREENHOUSE EFFECT Atmospheric gases such as Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) methane water vapor CFC s NORMALLY trap heat energy from the sun like a greenhouse = Greenhouse effect

24 GLOBAL WARMING- Is it real? Some people say that the Earth has cycles of warmer/cooler climate change and that this is just part of that cycle. Most scientists believe that the increase in global temperatures is the result of human activities that have increased the amount of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

25 In 2007 in Paris a U.N.- backed panel of international scientists issued a major announcement on climate change stating that: 1. "warming of the climate system is unequivocal 2. There is a 90% probability the cause man- made. Either way our planet is getting warmer!

26 FACTS WE KNOW Global mean surface temperatures have increased F since the late 19th century. The 20th century's ten warmest years have occurred in the last 15 years of this century.

27 FACTS WE KNOW The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased. Graph & glacier pix: polar bears:

28 FACTS WE KNOW Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased steadily.

29 GLOBAL WARMING WHAT S the CAUSE? Burning solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), wood and wood products Production and transport of fossil fuels Decomposition of organic wastes in landfills Animal sources (methane) Deforestation (trees remove CO 2 from atmosphere)

30 What s so bad about warming up a little? Cartoon from Brookings Register Coastal flooding

31 What s so bad about warming up a little? Changes in Gulf Stream

32 What s so bad about warming up a little? More severe storms

33 What s so bad about warming up a little? Weather extremes Heat waves and drought Brookings Register

34 What s so bad about warming up a little? Changing habitats means loss of species

35 What s the Kyoto Accord got to do with it? The Kyoto Accord is an agreement, aimed at reducing global warming that asks REDUCE participants to their GREENHOUSE GAS emissions to a percentage of their 1990 emission levels. by 2012

36 PROBLEMS WITH the KYOTO ACCORD ALL countries not required to reduce emissions equally 7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, Developing nations don t have to reduce emissions at all India and China, which have ratified the protocol, are not required to reduce carbon emissions under the present agreement despite their relatively large populations. Developed nations (like USA) can meet required reductions by purchasing emission reductions from elsewhere and funding developing countries for climate related studies, projects, and technology

37 What is a CARBON FOOTPRINT? A CARBON FOOTPRINT = the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product

38 but... we contribute to the problem. The US is no longer the #1 CO 2 emitter

39 Even if you don t believe in global warming... Even if countries can t agree on emission levels we should still work to reduce our emissions of global warming gases BECAUSE...

40 THINGS WE DO TO FIX GLOBAL WARMING make sense anyway! Fossil fuels are a limited resource eventually they will be gone!

41 THINGS WE DO TO FIX GLOBAL WARMING make sense anyway! Our supply of fossil fuels is dependent on countries that are not friendly to the U.S.

42 THINGS WE DO TO FIX GLOBAL WARMING make sense anyway! Drilling and transporting fossil fuels has negative environmental consequences Brookings Register

43 THINGS WE DO TO FIX GLOBAL WARMING make sense anyway! Images from: Innovation and alternative energy technologies for automobiles and power generation are good for our economy

44 WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR TRASH? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day. That adds up to a approximately 220 million tons of garbage each year for all of us. This only takes into consideration the average household member and does not count industrial waste or commercial trash.

45 PICTURE THIS: It would bury more than 990,000 football fields under six-foot high piles of waste.. and that s just the United States!

46 TRASH KILLS It has been estimated that over a million sea-birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement

47 PLASTIC IS MADE FROM FOSSIL FUELS! PLASTIC IS FOREVER!

48 We Can t Just Keep Piling it up in Landfills We have to: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Plastic recycling video