Human Impact on Our Environment Flashcards
What is the main way to make more land available for building cities and more farms?
Deforestation meaning cutting down or burning forests to clear the land
What was built along the Colorado River in this area to prevent floods and provide power and water?
Hoover Dam
What are some of the negative effects of deforestation?
Loss of habitats,
Pollution,
Climate change,
Loss of soil
How has the environment benefited from the building of Hoover Dam?
It generates cleaner power through hydroelectricity generation.
How have humans modified (changed) the Colorado River?
Over 100 dams have been built on it and its tributaries to control flooding and to generate hydroelectricity.
What effects has human activity caused to the natural environment?
Water pollution, Air pollution, Land pollution, Loss of soil, Light pollution
What are some of the causes of marine (areas where plants and animals live in the water) and coastal degradation (damage and destruction)?
Population growth,
Urbanization (building cities),
Industrialization (manufacturing and factories) and
Tourism (people taking vacations) are all factors in destroying marine and coastal areas.
Building dams cause what environmental problems?
Building dams causes changes in that area’s habitats and ecosystem
Where does Las Vegas get most of it’s drinking water from? And where does that water originate?
Lake Mead
The Colorado River
Why do many cities control the growth of homes, business and industrial areas?
To reduce excessive water demands that out of control growth can create.
To protect natural habitats. To keep an ecological balance within the city environment.
Most of the water used around the world is used for what purpose?
Agriculture
Define Pollution.
Any change to the environment that has a negative effect on living things.
Explain what light pollution is and give an example.
Any exterior light source that permits light to go upwards or where it is not needed sometimes called “skyglow.” Las Vegas sky at night is a good example or your neighbor’s outside light shining on your bedroom window.
Explain what land pollution is and give an example.
Industry improperly disposing of harmful chemicals on the ground or pesticides used to kill insects that eat crops which are harmful to other animals often due to bioaccumulation.
Explain what air pollution is and give an example
Power plants generating electricity by burning coal and spewing CO2, carbon dioxide, into the air.
Explain what water pollution is and give an example.
Acid rain, sewage waste water, oil tanker spills and hot water from nuclear power generating plants being placed into bodies of water making them not usable for the species be they human, animal or plants.
What does acid rain affect? Give three examples.
Trees Fish People
Statues and buildings
Explain what Urban Sky Glow is.
The brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas.
How is the depletion of the ozone layer due to pollution harmful to people?
increases the amount of UV people are exposed to increases temperatures at the Antarctic ice cap
What is the biggest threat to the extinction of species on this planet?
Habitat Loss
Who are the people most affected by air quality and most likely to become sick from air pollution?
elderly people people with asthma people with respiratory (lung) diseases
What causes acid rain?
Chemicals in the air mixing with rain
How does a lake become acidic?
Heavy rain fall mixing with chemicals in the air.
What is the main reason for natural habitat destruction?
Human Activities
Scientists have found a rare plant that can cure a human disease but it is the only food source for the rare Kiwi in New Zealand. Explain why we should use this new resource and then explain how we should go about using it to make the drug?
If it can cure an ill person we should make the medicine. But there might be many ways to collect the plant so as not to cause the Kiwi to go extinct for lack of its only food source. Scientists could try to take parts of a couple plants and try to grow them in a lab or collect seeds and see if they will germinate and grow. Zoologists could work on finding another food source that the Kiwi might be able to eat and that could be planted for the Kiwi to get another food source. The scientists should not, in any case, take all of the plants because that probably would cause the Kiwi’s extinction and that would be one more example of humans causing habitat destruction and species extinction.
How does human population growth affect the environment?
Remove wetlands and forests
Create air, water light, and land pollution Use more natural resources,
Produce more waste
