IV. Humans Alter the Biosphere
A. Modern Food Production causes Land Pollution
1. ______- (man made monocultures) that must be maintained by a high energy input in fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides.
2. Agro-Corporations have altered Food Production
- Cafos are ______to the confined animals
- Large amounts of ______are needed to keep the animals alive. This leads to drug resistant bacteria
- Large Agro-businesses have ______family farms
4. Huge amounts of animal excrement pollute ______
and ______
3. Urban ecosystem’s largest product is ______. Each day Americans throw away enough trash to fill up the Lucas Oil Stadium 3X
a) Existing landfills are running out of ______. (Buster's Landfill has area to last 3 more years.)
b) Most communities reject plans for new landfills
4. ______are not just holes in the ground.
a) Ground water must be monitored and protected from ______
b) ______must be collected or flared
c) Toxic ______must be collected and treated
d) Landfills are breading grounds for ______
4. ______- reduce trash volume but pollute the air. Further, the ash remains is usually high in toxins.
5. Toxic Waste Disposal
a) Transport, handling and disposal of toxic waste is expensive and can lead
to ______
b) ______have been proposed for long term storage but transport and political problems exist.
c) Nuclear waste is currently being stored at its production site creating the potential for environmental disasters
B. Water Pollution
1. Fertilizer run of increases ______- the increase of nutrients in the water.
a) Eutrophication results in ______- (rapid increase in algae populations.
b) When the algae die, decomposers use up large amounts of oxygen to break them down.
c) Aquatic organisms die from lack of ______.
2 Pesticide run off accumulates in the water supply resulting in
______- the build up of toxins in the bodies of organisms as you move up the food chain
3. Our Fresh Water Supply is Limited
a) Of the 7 billion people on earth, ______billion do not have access to safe, clean drinking water.(www.charitywater.org)
b) While the average American uses ______gallons of water per day, those in developing countries cannot find five. (www.charitywater.org)
c) California has about ______years of water left in the state. Maude Barlow, author of Blue Covenant and co-author of Blue Gold,
d) Water is a ______billion dollar global industry; the third largest behind electricity and oil. CBS News.
4. Our Water is Contaminated
a) In a scientific study in which more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of
water were tested, about ______of the bottles contained synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic. National Resources Defense Council,
b) There are over ______human-made chemicals that are finding their way into public water supply systems. William Marks, author of Water Voices from Around the World
c) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently does not regulate ______known water contaminants. (www.foodandwaterwatch.org)
d) From ______to ______people get sick per year from drinking tap water. Erik Olson, Deputy Staff Director of Barbara Boxer’s Environmental and Public Works Committee (EPW)
C. Air Pollution
1. Burning ______(oil, coal and gas) pollute the air by releasing particulates, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides.
a) ______(soot) builds up and covers buildings and neighborhoods and can cause respiratory problems.
b) ______combine with
atmospheric water and produce ______.
1) Acid rain destroys forests, lakes and streams by lowering the pH of soil and water.
2) Few living things can tolerate a pH below 5.
c) ______can cause the "greenhouse" affect by preventing the sun's heat from dissipating back into space.
1) As a result, global temperature could rise and ______polar icecaps which will raise ocean levels. A large portion of the world’s population could be displaced.
2) Planetary weather patterns could also be affected resulting in shifted growing areas.
3. Data indicates atmospheric CO2 has been increasing for the past 50 years
2. ______are nonrenewable and world oil supplies could be depleted as early as 2050.
3. ______can reduce polluting emissions, but they are expensive and produce toxic sludge.
C. Habitat Destruction Vs. Wildlife Conservation
1. As man clears more area for expanding cities and agriculture, wild life, both plants and animals, lose their habitat
a) Loss of feeding and breeding grounds can result in ______.
b) ______- the elimination of a species from the biosphere forever.
c) If a species is ______it is near extinction and if it is
______it is near to being endangered.
2. Nearly all ______were derived from a plant, fungus, bacteria or animal species.
3. If we destroy many species, we may lose the genetic material we need to cure cancer or AIDS.
D. Possible Solutions
1. ______(garbage, manure) and ______with legumes can reduce our dependence on chemical fertilizers.
2. ______(incide, predator species, pheromone traps, and sterile male technique) can lower or eliminate our need for pesticides.
3. ______(metals, glass and paper) will reduce the speed
we are using up landfill space. Garbage can be ______to provide fertilizer.
4. ______(nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, geothermal, wind & waves) can reduce the use of fossil fuels.
5. ______Be a part of the solution