Human Impact on the Environment Quarter 1: Unit 3 Human Impact on the Environment

6.1: A Changing Landscape 1.) How do our daily activities affect the environment? 2.) What is the relationship between resource use and sustainable development? 3.) What happens when a growing human population does not adequately manage natural resources that are both vital and limited?

Living on Earth Humans, like all forms of life, relay on Earth’s life-support systems. Humans, like all forms of life, affect our environment when we obtain food, eliminate waste products, and build places to live Human affect regional and global environments through agriculture, development, and industry in ways that have an impact on the quality of Earth’s natural resources, including soil, water, and the atmosphere.

Agriculture One of the most important inventions in human history. Allowed early civilizations to settle and create “towns” This encouraged the growth of modern civilization – government, laws, writing, and science Impacts: fresh water and fertile soil, fertilizer production and farm machinery also consumes large amounts of fossil fuels.

Development As modern society developed, many people chose to live in cities Has environmental effects: Dense human communities produce lots of wastes; if not disposed of properly, they affect air, water, and soil resources Development consumes farmland and divides natural habitats into fragments

Industrial Growth Society was transformed by the Industrial Revolution in the 1800’s. We use electronic devices for work and play, clothes to wear, homes to live in - all this requires energy to produce and power We obtain most of this by burning fossil fuels – coal, oil, and natural gas Discarded wastes from manufacturing and energy production directly into the air, water, and soil.

Sustainable Development Ecosystem goods and services are produced by the ecosystem and benefit the human economy. Breathable air and drinkable water Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Goods – things that can be bought and sold, have value in terms of dollars and cents Services – processes or actions that produce goods

Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Renewable Resources – produced or replaced by a healthy ecosystem Example: A single tree being cut down can be replaced by trees being planted Nonrenewable Resources – natural processes cannot replenish them within a reasonable amount of time. Example: Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) cannot be replaced, they are buried organic matter from millions of years ago.

Sustainable Resource Use We need to use natural resources to meet our needs without causing long-term environmental harm. Sustainable Development – provides for human needs while preserving the ecosystems that produce natural resources Should cause no long-term harm to the soil, water, and climate on which it depends Should be able to survive environmental stresses (droughts, floods, and heat waves or cold snaps) Human economic systems as well as ecosystem goods and services – help to improve their situation

6.2: Using Resources Wisely 1.) Why is soil important, and how do we protect it? 2.) What are the primary sources of water pollution? 3.) What are the major forms of air pollution? 4.) How do we obtain what we need from local and global environments without destroying those environments?

6.3: Biodiversity 1.) Why is biodiversity important? 2.) What are the most significant threats to biodiversity? 3.) How do we preserve biodiversity?

6.4: Meeting Ecological Challenges 1.) How does the average ecological footprint in American compare to the world’s average? 2.) How can ecology guide us toward a sustainable future?