IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO LEARN ASAP Flashcards
When was the Afghanistan War?
1979 - 1989.
When was the Vietnam War?
1954 - 1975.
What is a proxy war?
A war instigated by a major power which does not itself become involved.
When was the Chernobyl Disaster?
April 26th 1986.
What sparked the Chernobyl Disaster and what did it destroy?
A sudden surge in power during a reactor systems test.
- destroyed Unit 4
What did the explosion in Chernobyl do?
It and the fire that followed released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment.
How did emergency crews initially respond and why did they choose what they chose?
Poured sand and boron on the reactor debris.
- sand: stop fire and additional releases of radioactive material
- boron: prevent additional nuclear reactions
What did the authorities do to the people of Chernobyl?
Evacuated 110,000 of them that were in the most heavily contaminated sites.
- 220,000 later on
What was their 2 final solutions to stop the spread of radioactive material?
Covering the damaged unit in a temporary concrete structure - a sarcophagus.
Also cut down forests to reduce contamination.
What were the 6 health effects of the Chernobyl disaster?
- Over 237 of the ‘biorobots’ received acute radiation sickness.
- Many children developed thyroid cancer.
- 2 died in explosion
- 29 died within a few months
- thousands of cancer deaths may be due to the disaster
- psychological effects
What were the environmental effects of the disaster?
- the surrounding line forest died
- animals died or stopped reproducing
- nuclear contaminants got into the Pripyat river but settled at the bottom
- biomagnification in fish
Can people visit Chernobyl now?
The city yes, not the plant.
When were Mexico’s 3 pollution emergencies?
1988, 1989, 2002.
What accounts for 75% of Mexico’s pollution?
Vehicle emissions.
What did Mexico do to combat this issue?
All cars must pass an emissions test.
What happened in ‘smellbourne’?
In the 1850s, the Yarra river was used for drinking however would have sewage, blood and rubbish pumped into it too.
How did ‘smellbourne’ become marvelous Melbourne?
The headwaters of the Yarra were declared a reserve and a sewage treatment plant was opened.
What are 6 health impacts of global warming?
- tropical diseases spreading
- new diseases
- malnutrition as ability to grow food is affected
- heat-related deaths
- more extreme weather that results in health issues (eg cholera outbreaks after floods)
- respiratory problems due to ground-level ozone
Three consequences of global warming?
- risks to low-lying islands
- health consequences
- low water supplies
