1. North America: Environmental Issues
Key Terms
-fossil fuel
-acid-rain
-clear-cut
-interdependent
-tariff
-free trade
-NAFTA
Key Places
-Cuyahoga River
-Lake Erie
-Niagara Falls
-St. Lawrence Seaway
Unit 4: Pages 42-45

2. Physical Features and Environmental Problems of North America

3. The Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain system in North America.
Extends 3,000 miles along the western part of Canada & USA

4. The Canadian Shield Horseshoe shaped area surrounding the Hudson Bay
Made up of:
Rocky Hills
Lakes
Evergreen Forests
Poor Soil and Cold Climate
It contains many mineral deposits
Iron Ore
Copper
Nickel
Canadian Shield

5. Canadian Lowlands Canada’s smallest land region.
This region is Canada’s manufacturing center.
Region produces 1/3rd of the country’s crops.
FERTILE SOIL!!!!
Home to more than half of Canada’s population.
WHY???

6. Major Bodies of Water Bodies of water can be used for :
Transportation
Recreation
Industry
This means that they are……
NAVIGABLE
Many cities developed near these bodies of water.
Toronto
Ottawa
Vancouver
Quebec City
Montreal
Edmonton
Saint Louis, Minneapolis, and Cincinnati are examples.

7. The Great Lakes The world’s largest group of freshwater lakes.
Share a border with Canada & the United States
An easy way to remember them…

8. HOMES
Huron Ontario Michigan Erie Superior

9. The Great Lakes

10. The Mighty Rivers Canada has two major rivers: The Mackenzie River
The country’s longest river forms in the Rockies and flows north into the Arctic Ocean.
Called the “Mother of Canada”
The St. Lawrence River
Connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
One of North America’s most important transportation routes.

11. The St. Lawrence Seaway Completed in 1959
It’s a system of locks, canals, and dams to allow ships to move from one water level to another.
The seaway makes trade between Canada and USA easier.

12. Partners and Friends: The USA and Canada Today
What environmental concerns do Canada and the USA share today?
What economic ties do the USA and Canada have to each other?

13. What environmental problems do you think could happen in these areas?
Environmental Issues
The USA and Canada share:
The coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Great Lakes
The Rocky Mountains
What environmental problems do you think could happen in these areas?

14. Water Problems Solutions: Reduce the use of pesticides
People in Canada & the U.S. depend on the water from the Great Lakes
Use the water to drink
Use it in their factories
Use it for transportation
In the 1970’s water pollution became a serious problem.
Factories were using the lakes as a dumping ground for waste
Solutions:
Reduce the use of pesticides
Reduce the amount of human waste dumped into the lakes

15. Improving Air Quality
Acid Rain: when pollutants are put into the air, they mix with the water molecules and turn the water acidic
Causes: factories, cars, coal burning power plants
Acid Rain causes many problems:
Kills plants
Damages or kills trees
Pollutes lakes and rivers
Kills fish

16. Solutions Build factories that do not pollute the air
Cars have to make less pollution
Encourage walking, riding bikes, taking the bus or carpooling
Create agreements with the U.S.
Most of the acid rain comes from the U.S. due to wind patterns

17. The Timber Industry
Forests cover almost half of the land in Canada & USA
Clear-cutting: cutting down all the trees in a given area, leaving gaps in the forest
Issue with this practice include:
Reduced water quality
Erosion
Loss of wildlife habitat
The government & logging industry spend money to protect the forests