2. How can humans maintain a sustainable ecosystem?
Sustainability: a balance between Earth’s resources, human needs, and the needs of other species
Ecological (Carbon) Footprint: the amount of carbon emitted and its environmental impact

3. Types of Resources
Renewable: resources that are produced or replenished more quickly than they are consumed
Examples = oxygen, wood, water, sunlight, wind
Non-renewable: resources that are consumed/used more quickly than they are created
Examples = fossil fuels, metal, plastic

4. Technology’s effect on Sustainability
Technology both contributes to air, water, and land pollution and provides cleaner energy, waste management, and pollution cleanup.
3 main types of technology influence sustainability.

5. Agricultural Technology
Goal = increase food productivity
Pros:
Contour farming
Fertilizers
Farm machinery
Cons:
Fertilizers: excess nitrogen, alters soil
Farm machinery: runs on fossil fuels and pollutes

6. Industrial Technology
Goal = increase manufacturing efficiency, transportation, and communication
Pros:
Improved communication, faster transportation, and cheaper industries
Cons:
Creation of CFCs (chlorofluorohydrocarbons) from foam packing material and refrigerant
CFCs deplete the ozone layer
Burning of fossil fuels (increased greenhouse gases and produces acid rain)
Acid rain lowers soil pH, leaches soil nutrients, and changes aquatic pH

7. Alternative Energy Technology
Goal = provide “clean” energy to power society without negatively influencing the atmosphere
Pro:
decreases the burning of fossil fuels
Uses renewable resources such as sunlight, wind, water, and nuclear
Cons:
expensive
nuclear energy creates radioactive waste

8. Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is the normal warming effect when gases trap heat in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, methane, and water vapor) trap heat energy and maintain Earth’s temperature range.
They prevent heat from escaping the atmosphere so it stays trapped

9. Global Warming
CFCs deplete the ozone layer, allowing more of the Sun’s UV rays to get in
The big problem though is with the burning of fossil fuels
Combustion releases extra CO2 into the atmosphere (causing an increase in greenhouses gases and therefore, an increase in the Earth’s overall temperature)