Issues On A Global Scale Flashcards
1
Q
Define biodiversity
A
- the variety of organisms living in a particular area
2
Q
What is happening globally to biodiversity
A
- not evenly distributed
- increases from poles to equator
- 59% of the worlds plants and animals live in the rainforest
- more moist and stable- plant growth is better
3
Q
Which human activities tend to decrease biodiversity
A
- deforestation
- pollution
- global warming
- rising sea levels
4
Q
Why is it important for an ecosystem to maintain biodiversity
A
- helps ecosystem adapt to changing physical environment
- having a range of species helps to maintain the ecosystem
5
Q
What does reducing biodiversity result in
A
- unsustainable and threatens the ecosystem
- humans rely on the ecosystem for natural resources and when biodiversity IPS decreased the ecosystem is less likely to produce these resources
- ,future generations will not be able to make use of them to meet their needs
6
Q
What is a fragile environment
A
- ecosystems that are easily disturbed and can’t adapt to change- coral reefs and savanna grasslands
7
Q
Characteristics of a fragile environment
Why lots of fragile environments are being damaged
A
- can be easily damaged by changes brought by human activities
- changes in the natural environment can also effect it- extreme weather like flooding
- small changes can also bring a lot of damage- coral reefs are sensitive to changes in water temperature
- once a fragile environment is damaged it is very difficult to repair
8
Q
Evidence and impact of loss of diversity
A
- estimated that up to one third of plant species are threatened globally
- climate change could result in the extinction of up to 1 million species
- ecological footprint
- measure of human demand on the earths ecosystem
- the global footprint exceeds the Earths bio capacity
- earth can no longer keep up with the demands
9
Q
Evidence and impact of deforestation
A
- clearing of the earths forests on a massive scale
- earths rainforests could be completely lost in a couple hundred years
- cut down for many reasons- agriculture, livestock
- deforestation adds to climate change and more carbon dioxide in the world
10
Q
Evidence of climate change
A
- increasing the amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is likely to increase surface warming
- likely to modify earths climate, raise sea levels
- evidence for climate change:
Rapid retreat of many glaciers
Warming of some oceanic waters
Greenhouse gas emissions data
11
Q
Impact of climate change
A
- increase in average temperature
- increase in sea levels
- shift in climate zones
- ecologists are unsure what climate change will do to plants and animals
- plants are generally intolerant and can adapt to change
- animals are seen as being more adaptable
12
Q
Evidence of pollution
A
- inevitable result of industrial development
- the change has failed to account for the fragility of the ecosystem that sustains us
- burning fossil fuels has lead to acid rain and many other things
13
Q
Why do people use fragile environments
A
- provide resources to feed subsistence farmers and native people
- provide renewable resources for export such as rubber
- important for countries to depend on exploiting its resources to develop their economies
14
Q
How can we manage a fragile ecosystem
A
- balance between conservation and exploitation
-
15
Q
Why can finding balance between conservation and exploitation be difficult
A
- some cross international boarders
- Amazon Is in 9 different countries
- ## can be difficult to persuade all of them counties to do the same thing
- many are located in LEDCS which lack money to conserve properly
- people who live in one may exploit be uses they have no other choice
