Saving the World… One problem at a time

Pollution -harmful substances, natural or man-made, in the environment -landfills, garbage, etc. -chemicals, pesticides, etc. -radioactive wastes, toxic wastes, etc. -heat, noise, etc. -humans mostly pollute the Earth, so what will happen when it gets too polluted?

Other environmental problems… -Resource depletion -use up natural resources -coal, oil, natural gas, some trees, etc. -all nonrenewable resources -takes up space and causes pollution and excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere -burning fossil fuels

Humans -overpopulation leads to problems -theory that the Earth’s will reach a point that it cannot support more humans, people will starve to death, and eventually the population will become stable -Thomas Malthus -many people argue with this because of technology and science -new technologies enable us to feed more people by growing more or bigger crops What do you think???

Humans -we cause alien organism infestations -non-native organisms take over an area and kill native organisms -example in Missouri: -Zebra mussels have infested the Great Lakes and some rivers around Missouri…we want to keep them out of our waters because they kill other organisms

Humans -deforestation -not only are the rain forests disappearing, but forests in the US are being cut down also -why??? -new housing developments, wood for building those houses, roads (interstates), etc.

Humans -what are the values of forests??? -most important – they give us oxygen -without them we couldn’t breathe -it takes one acre of trees to produce enough oxygen for 18 people/year -biodiversity -different animals and ecosystems -stuff -paper, pencils, lumber, heat, etc.

Effects -pollution is just gross and nasty -do you want to live with trash??? -chemicals can seep into ground water and poison you -could take years for the effects to show -25 years for most cancers to take over your body

What can we do??? -be nice to mother nature -don’t litter -most trash in streams and rivers is people’s trash they throw on the ground -recycle -most things now can be recycled -Rolla has a recycling center and will pick up your recycling if you live in town

What can we do??? -be conservative -turn off lights when you leave a room -this saves money on the bill and reduces the amount of energy used -walk or carpool -buy products that can be recycled instead of ones that use styrofoam

What can we do??? -be a smart citizen -when you are old enough to vote, do so… -you can change the way people treat the environment by voting for laws that protect it -use alternative energy -many different forms -most are renewable and much cleaner and safer

Alternatives -renewable resource -a resource that can be used over and over again (can “renew” itself) -nonrenewable resource -a resource that when it is used up, it cannot be replaced

Nonrenewables -resources are being used at an extremely fast rate -more cars on the road means more gas -more houses means more electricity -more people means more resources being used -that is why prices of everything keep going up, more demand and no change to alternatives

Alternatives -Wind -more and more people are turning to wind turbines for their electricity -safe, no pollution, can generate lots of energy, only a few birds get hurt in the making of energy

Alternatives -solar -more and more solar panels are being produced -we are getting solar energy from the sun even on cloudy days, just not as much -no pollution, quiet, dependable, even profitable now, just expensive starting out

Alternatives -nuclear -produces lots of energy by splitting atoms and is relatively clean -produces hazardous wastes and there is always a chance of a meltdown -uses water to cool the reactors, lowers the water table

Alternatives -hydro -uses dams to build up water, then as the water falls, it turns a turbine which creates electricity -cheap, reliable, but limited to places with rivers -does disrupt the ecosystems of the river

Alternatives -geothermal -uses the Earth to produce energy -steam rises up through pipes and turns a turbine which creates electricity -limited to certain areas with geysers or deep pockets of heated water in the Earth

Alternatives -biomass -biofuels are the number one biomass being used -you use biofuels in your car if you fill up your tank with ethanol gas (gasohol) -uses plants to make alcohol which when burned creates energy -does produce small amounts of carbon dioxide

Alternatives -tidal -some countries are now putting big turbines in the ocean -when the tide comes in it turns the turbine and creates lots of energy -cheap, no pollution, only a few fish are harmed in the making of energy

What now?? -which source of energy is the best?? -Missouri has just passed a law that states if you have an alternative source of energy at your home and produce more than you need, you can send that extra to the power plant and receive money for that extra power -the price of alternatives are becoming more affordable

Back to the problem… -this all comes back to the greenhouse effect and global warming -if we don’t take care of our planet, it might not be around for much longer -something has got to give and humans don’t seem to want to change their way of life, so the Earth will compensate somehow