Chapter

24
Human Impacts,
Biodiversity, and
Environmental
Issues

Lecture Presentation
by Suzanne Long,
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. Monroe Community College
 Pollutants Impair Air Quality

 Major concerns regarding air pollution:

– Global warming
– Destruction of the ozone layer
– Acid precipitation
– Smog production

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.1

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Excessive Greenhouse Gases Lead to Global
Warming
 Greenhouse gases
– Trap heat and keep it from escaping the atmosphere
– Cause atmosphere to heat up
– Examples:
– Water vapor
– Carbon dioxide (CO2)
– Methane (CH4)
– Nitrous oxide (N2O)
– Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
– Halons

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Excessive Greenhouse Gases Lead to Global
Warming
 Greenhouse effect
– Gases let sunlight through, but trap heat from
radiating back outward into space
 Greenhouse effect responsible for:
– Global warming
 Human activities have increased levels of CO2, a
major greenhouse gas, through
– Deforestation
– Burning of fossil fuels

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.2

Solar radiation
(light)

Stratosphere
Greenhouse
gases
Infrared Troposphere
radiation
(heat) Clouds

Heat

Earth
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
 CFCs Deplete the Ozone Layer

 Ozone: two different atmospheric locations

– Pollutant in troposphere (near Earth’s surface)
– Toxic, causes respiratory difficulties
– Protective shield in the stratosphere
– Shields Earth’s surface from UV light
 Statospheric ozone layer
– Depleted by reaction with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
– Concern about excess UV radiation exposure
– CFCs come from refrigerants, aerosol sprays
– CFC use has decreased due to international
agreement
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Figure 24.3

Cl + (2)O3
(3)O2

O3 O3
O3
O3 O3
Cl

O2 O2
Cl (chlorine)

Earth

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.4

1979 1996 2013

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Pollutants Produce Acid Precipitation

 Sulfur dioxide from high-sulfur coal and oil

 Nitrogen oxides from car exhaust
 Sulfur dioxide + nitrogen oxide + water vapor =
sulfuric acid + nitric acid
 Acid precipitation damage includes
– Corrosion of metal and stone
– Disruption of forest and aquatic ecosystems
 In North America, the northeastern United States
and parts of Canada have been the most affected
 Acid precipitation is decreasing due to pollution
abatement measures
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
 Smog Blankets Industrial Areas

 Smoke + fog = smog

 Components of smog include:
– Nitrogen oxides
– Hydrocarbons
– Eye and respiratory irritants
– Small oil droplets, wood particles, coal ash, asbestos,
lead, animal waste, dust
 Major source: burning of fossil fuels
 Thermal inversion: atmospheric conditions that trap
smog and prevent its dispersal
 Control: air pollution abatement measures
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Figure 24.5

a) Pittsburgh at the height of the b) Pittsburgh after programs were

steelmaking era, before smog instituted to reduce smog.
cleanup efforts began.

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Pollution Jeopardizes Scarce Water Supplies

 Human activities have three major detrimental

effects on water quality and availability:
1. Humans use excessive water, depleting freshwater
supplies
2. Building roads/parking lots prevents rainwater from
soaking in, causing runoff
3. Human activities pollute water sources

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Water Is Scarce and Unequally Distributed
 Distribution of Earth’s water
– Fresh water: <1%
– Salt water: 97%
– Glaciers/polar ice caps: 2%
 Industrialized countries use 10 to 100 times more
water than less industrialized countries
 Some desert and semiarid countries have reached
carrying capacity with regard to water supplies
 Diversion of water impacts other human populations
and other species

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Urbanization Increases Storm Water Runoff

 Combined sewage overflow (CSO) created

– Storm water combined with sewage
 CSO overwhelms receiving streams and oceans
 Human disease spread by CSO-carried pathogens:
– Gastroenteritis
– Ear and eye infections
– Skin infections
– Respiratory infections
 Leads to stream erosion

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.6

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Human Activities Pollute Freshwater

 Organic pollutants
– From sewage and industry
 Inorganic pollutants
– Nitrates
– Phosphate fertilizers
– Sulfates from detergents
 May result in eutrophication
– In a shallow body of water, rapid growth of plant life
leads to death of animal life resulting from excessive
organic or inorganic nutrients

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.7

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Human Activities Pollute Freshwater

 Toxic pollutants
– Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
– Oil and gasoline
– Pesticides
– Herbicides
– Heavy metals
 Biological magnification: the concentration of toxic
pollutants is higher in the tissues of organisms
higher on the food chain
– Example: accumulation of mercury in fish

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.8

Shark >1 ppm

Herring 0.05 ppm

Zooplankton 0.005 ppm

Bacteria 0.0005 ppm

Ocean 0.00003 ppm

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Groundwater Pollution May Impair Human Health

 Contaminates drinking water supplies

 Very slow exchange of the groundwater pool:
“cleans” slowly
 Common contaminants
– Organics (e.g., carbon tetrachloride, pesticides,
fertilizers [nitrates], radioactive waste)
 Suspected effects
– Miscarriages, skin rashes, nervous disorders, birth
defects

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Oil Pollution and Garbage Are Damaging Oceans and
Shorelines
 Oil pollution sources:
– 50% natural seepage
– 30% runoff from land
– 20% accidents at sea
– 2010: This fraction will likely be larger due to the
Deepwater Horizon explosion and “spill”
 Ultimate fate of oil released at sea:
– 25% evaporates
– 50% degraded by bacteria
– 25% sediments
 Near shore: significant damage to shoreline
ecosystems
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
 Oil Pollution and Garbage Are Damaging Oceans and
Shorelines
 Garbage, primarily plastics
 Degrade very slowly
 Floating garbage ends up on shorelines or in big
floating “rafts” in the open ocean
– Example: Pacific Trash Vortex

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.9

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Pollution and Overuse Damage the Land

 One-third of Earth’s landmass has been altered by

human activity
 Fifty percent of forests have been removed
 Migration to cities: footprint of cities expands,
consuming productive land and increasing water
runoff issues
 Desertification: transformation of marginal land into
near-desert conditions, unsuitable for future
agriculture
 Wars
 Garbage disposal
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Figure 24.10

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Energy: Many Options, Many Choices

 Nonrenewable resources: fossil fuels

– Coal, oil, gas
 Renewable energy sources
– Nuclear energy: safety, disposal issues
– Biomass fuels (biofuels)
– Use of plant materials for fuels
– Land use issues (food or fuel?)
– Hydroelectric power
– Wind farms
– Geothermal energy
– Solar power
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Figure 24.11

a) A wind farm. Wind farms are increasingly being used to

generate power in areas that have sustained winds.

b) Photovoltaic solar panels. Photovoltaic panels can provide

enough electricity to power a home.

c) A solar power plant. This power plant is in Australia.

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
 Environmental Change and Loss of Biodiversity

 Biodiversity: species richness, the assortment of

living organisms on Earth
 Currently, scientists have identified 1.75 million
different species
 Estimates of 10–30 million or more different species
 Biodiversity represents the variety of all forms of life
 Human activities have reduced biodiversity
worldwide

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Humans Alter and Destroy Habitats

 Pollution
 Overexploitation of natural resources
– Farming
– Overfishing
– Exploitation of scarce forest resources
– Logging
– Deforestation

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 24.12

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Urbanization Is a Major Force for Environmental
Change
 Worldwide shift to cities
 Less plant and animal diversity
 Worldwide, cities cause
– 78% of carbon emission
– 60% of residential water usage
– 76% of wood use for industry
 Ecological footprint much larger than city size

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Biodiversity Is Healthy for Humans, Too

 Plants (through photosynthesis) recycle carbon

dioxide for oxygen
 Plants: source of medicines
 Food sources
 Stability of ecosystems

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Toward Sustainable Development

 Sustainable development
– Development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their economic needs

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Measuring Sustainability and Quality of Life

 GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

– Total market value of all goods and services
produced within a country per year
– Standard indicator of economic progress
 GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator)
– Market value of goods and services PLUS
– Environmental costs of production of goods and
services
– Social costs
– Quality of life

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Strategies to Support Sustainable Development

 Consume less
 Recycle more
 Support sustainable agriculture
 Support green roofs
 Lower worldwide fertility rate
 Reduce rural world poverty
 Conserve energy at home
 Use environmentally preferable products
 Protect ecosystems that provide ecoservices

© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.