Enviro Unit 5 Flashcards
clearcutting
cutting down most or all trees in an area
why clearcutting?
to harvest wood
clear the land for agriculutre or developement
slash and burn and why
trees are cut and the rest is burned down.
-fast, efficient, and economically profitable
direct affects of clearcutting
– incr. soil erosion
(no roots holding soil in place)
–incr soil and stream temperature
(loss of tree shade warms soil/water incr. turbidity)
– flooding and landslides
(machinery compacts soil) (incr sunlight dries out soil)
(all decr water holding capacity which cause flooding and landslides)
forest benefits
–filtering of air
(stomata removes VOCs, NO2, PM from air & stores in tree)
– removal & storage of CO2 from atm.
–habitat for organisms
– prevention of erosion
deforestation consequences
–reduces air filtering and carbon storage services
– cutting down trees releases CO2 from decomposition of left overt organic material
– slash& burn method releases CO2 into atm.
difference between deforestation and clearcutting
deforestation is no chance or will to regrow trees, removing forest for ever
clearcutting you can regrow trees in the future
tragedy of the commons
individuals will tend to use a shared public resource in their own self interest rather than condisering the common good, therby depleting the resource
tragedy of the commons examples
-overgrazing
- overfishing
-air/water pollution
-overuse of groundwater
why does the tragedy of the commons happen?
– when no one owns the resources, no one directly suffers the consequence of overusing it
– people assume others will overuse it if they don’t
– no penalty for overusing, degrading, polluting many public resources
how to solve tragedy of the commons?
–private land ownership (government or individual)
–fees or taxes for use EX permit for system for grazing, logging
– taxes, fines, criminal charges for pollution
Examples_ clean air act, clean water act,
the green revolution
shift in agriculture away from small, family owned farms to large, industrial-scale agribusinessess
what increases in the green revolution
mechanization, GMOs, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides
green revolution pros and cons
+ greatly incr efficiency of lands, short-term profitabilty and food supply
+ decr. world hunger and incr. earth’s carrying capacity for humans
- soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, ground and surface water contamination, fossil fuel use
mechanization
increased use of machines for plowing, tilling, harvesting
mechanization pros and cons
+ increases yield and profits
- increases reliance on fossil fuels emits GHGs to atm
- heavy machinery also compacts soil, decreasing H20 holding capacity
HYV crops (high yield variety) pro
hybrid or genetically modified crops that produce a higher yield
+incr yield and food stability in regions previosly prone to famine
hybrid
cross-pollinatinig different parent plants with ideal traits
GMOs definitoin
crops with new genes “spliced” into their genome. have genes for drought tolerance, pest resistance, faster growth and larger fruit/grain
GMOs pros and cons
+ increases profitability with fewer plants lost due to drought, disease, pest
+ less land needed to grow the same amount of food
- GMO crops are all genetically identical so genetic diversity decreases and susceptibility to disease or pests is increased
GMO BT corn example
BT corn has been modified with a gene from soil bacteria to produce a protein that kills many diff corn pests
Synthetic fertilizer
shift from organic fertilizers (like manure and compost) to synthetic fertilizers (man made ammonium, nitrate, phosphate)
synthetic fertilizers pros and cons
+increases yield and profits with more key nutrients needed for plant growth added to the soil
+ can customize, doesn’t smell like manure, easy storage and application
- excess nitrate phosphate are washed off fields and into nearby waters where they cause eutrophication
- require Fosil Fuels for production releasing CO2
irrigation
drawing water from the ground or nearby surface waters and distributing it on fields to incr. plant growth
irrigation pros and cons
+ makes agriculutre possible in many parts of the world that are naturally to dry
- can deplete freshwater sources (aquifers, rivers)
- overwatering can drown roots and cause soil salinization
pesticides
increase in use of synthethic pesticides - chemicals sprayed on crops that kill weeds, insects, and other pests that eath or damage crops
pesticides pros and cons
+ icnreases yield and profits with fewer plants lost to pests
- can wash off into runoff and kill or harm non-target species in local soil or waters (bees especially)
monocropping pros and cons
+ highly efficient for harvest, pesticide and fertilizer application
- incr soil erosion
- decr habitat diversity for species living in the area
- can deplete soil nutrients unless crops are rotated
tilling
mixing and breaking up soil to make planting easier
-incr erosion by loosening top soil
- loss of organic matter & topsoil nutrients over time
- inc. particulate matter in air and sediments in nearby watter
slash and burn
loss of:
loss of habitat, biodiversity, CO2 sequestration, air pollution filtration