human impacts: land impacts Flashcards
What is desertification?
Desertification is the process where productive land becomes desert due to environmental and human activities.
What are the characteristics of desertification?
Loss of vegetation and roots that bind the soil.
Soil erosion and degradation due to wind and water.
Reduced soil quality, nutrient content, and water-holding capacity.
Release of carbon from the soil into the atmosphere.
How does living soil differ from dead soil?
Living soil: Contains organisms like bacteria, fungi, and earthworms that help water penetration and retention.
Dead soil: Loses its water-holding capacity and increases evaporation, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
What are the main causes of desertification?
Climate change: Alters rainfall patterns and increases aridity.
Human activities: Overgrazing, under-grazing, deforestation, poor irrigation, and over-cultivation.
Salinization: Accumulation of salt in soil due to improper irrigation.
What are the effects of desertification?
Loss of vegetation and biodiversity.
Reduced agricultural productivity and soil erosion.
Increased carbon dioxide emissions and climate change.
Poverty, political instability, and resource conflicts.
What solutions can combat desertification?
Address climate change to stabilize ecosystems.
Improve land management practices (e.g., efficient irrigation, better grazing methods).
Reduce deforestation and promote reforestation to maintain healthy soils and carbon sinks.
What is deforestation?
Deforestation is the destruction of trees and forests by cutting or burning for agriculture, timber, or urban development.
What are the characteristics of deforestation?
Tropical rainforests once covered over 10% of land but now cover only 2%.
Tropical forests are projected to lose an area the size of India in the next 35 years.
Up to 50% of remaining forests and 10% of all species may be lost by 2050
What are the main causes of deforestation?
Agriculture: Clearing forests for crops like palm oil and cattle farming.
Timber extraction: Harvesting trees for wood products.
Urbanization: Expanding cities and infrastructure.
Mining: Clearing forests for mineral extraction.
Fuel demand: Using wood as a source of energy.
Traditional medicine: Reliance on plants from forests.
What are the effects of deforestation?
Soil erosion and degradation.
Increased risk of floods.
Loss of biodiversity and species extinction.
Disruption of the water cycle.
Increased carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change.
What solutions can address deforestation?
Promote recycling and reduce demand for new timber.
Refuse products containing palm oil.
Combat illegal logging and support forest protection.
Replant trees and promote reforestation.
Encourage sustainable land use and selective logging.
What is solid waste?
Solid waste refers to discarded material that is no longer useful to humans, requiring safe and environmentally friendly disposal.
What are the main components of the waste management hierarchy?
Reduce: Minimize waste creation.
Reuse: Use materials for other purposes without changing them.
Recycle: Process materials to be reused as products or raw materials.
Recovery: Extract usable components or energy from waste.
Treatment and disposal: Minimize environmental impact as a last resort.
Why are landfills problematic for waste management?
Landfills are unsightly, smelly, and can cause air pollution.
They attract disease-carrying vermin.
Toxins from landfills can leach into groundwater and rivers.
What are the solutions to landfill issues?
Line landfills to prevent contamination of groundwater.
Use bioremediation techniques to detoxify soil and water.
Tap methane from landfills for clean energy production.
