3.7 Environmental risks of economic development

Question 1

How can economic activities pose threats to the natural environment, locally and globally?

Answer 1

- air pollution:
ozone
carbon monoxide
particulate matter
sulfur dioxide
lead
toxic air pollutants
greenhouse gases
- water pollution
- noise and light pollution
- desertification
- enhanced global warming
- soil erosion

Question 2

The consequences of enhanced global warming

Answer 2

• global temperature variations and heatwaves
• rising sea levels
• increasing acidity in oceans
• melting of ice caps and glaciers
• the warm water of the Gulf Stream
• El Nino
• growth of the tropical belt
• changing patterns of rainfall
• declining crop yields
• impact on wildlife