Longer questions Flashcards
Describe how and why water is pumped from the Ogallala aquifer faster than nature can replenish it
People drill deep into the ground and use powerful pumps to get water from the aquifer to supply a lot of people and crops. As the population increases, the demand for water also increases. The aquifer is shared between 8 states of America and as the domestic, industrial and agricultural rate increases, thousands of litres are pumped out of it each day. The demand is very high and nature cannot naturally replenish it as quickly as it is needed.
Give at least 4 examples of what could be done, to tackle water scarcity (economic and physical)
Water metres in homes, hosepipe bans in times of low rainfall, using grey water to flush toilets, bring water from other places, grow crops that use less water, develop crops that can withstand saltwater.
Ethiopia have constructed a network of pipes to a fresh water spring high up in the mountains which delivers water to 10 public taps. WaterAid helped set this up. It provides water to 65,000 people but it will be very expensive to replace. The scheme did not involve education about how to maintain the pipes so disease has increased. Something farmers are using too much of the water.
List some of the ways in which we can affect the decline of other species.
We cut down forests and clear land for farming and this causes different species to lose their habitats.
We use pesticides and other harmful chemicals that pollute the air, soil, river and ground, causing the death of animals.
We hunted and fished animals to extinction.
As we contribute to global warming, we cause the extinction of species that can not adapt to the changes.
