1. Human Impact Vocabulary Eighth Grade

2. acid rain rain containing acids produced by water chemically combined with certain gases

3. biodegradable material that breaks down easily

4. conservation wise use of natural resources

5. desalination process of getting fresh water from salt water

6. litter trash thrown into the environment

7. natural resource material from earth that is used by living things

8. pollutant harmful substance in the environment

9. pollution anything that harms the environment

10. recycling using a material over again

11. smog mixture of smoke, fog, and chemicals

12. wildlife the plants and animals that live in an area

13. fertilizer a substance that provides nutrients to help crops grow better

14. fossil fuel coal, oil, or natural gas that forms over millions of years from the remains of ancient organisms

15. global warming the worldwide increase in average temperature

16. greenhouse effect the trapping of heat by certain gases in the atmosphere

17. land reclamation the process of restoring an area of land

18. nonrenewable resource resources that are used much faster than they are replaced

19. ozone a form of oxygen with three oxygen atoms, helps block UV radiation in the stratosphere, is dangerous near plants and animals

20. pesticide a chemical that kills insects and other crop destroying organisms

21. renewable resources resources that are replaced as quickly as they are used

22. deforestation destruction of forests

23. ecological footprint A way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth