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Environmental Consequences of Human Affluence: A Comprehensive Overview

Explore the detrimental impacts of human activities on the environment due to affluence, including pollution, waste, and habitat loss. Learn about issues such as acid rain, water contamination, and energy consumption in the USA.

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Environmental Consequences of Human Affluence: A Comprehensive Overview

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Consequences Human Footprint grows with affluence!

  2. Food Fig. 11.7

  3. Waste

  4. Water Quality

  5. Energy In USA

  6. Energy • Air pollution (the most widespread and obvious form of environmental damage) • Global Warming • Acid Rain • Lead and Mercury • Ozone, etc. • Water pollution • Oil spills (surface water) • leaking gas tanks, gas additives (ground water)

  7. Pollution from Power Plants • Sulfur (90% of urban S is anthropogenic) • Combines with water in air to make sulfuric acid • Nitrogen (60% from fossil fuel burning) • Nitrogen oxides combine with water in air to make nitric acid • Lead and Mercury • Metal toxins

  8. Prevailing winds SW to NE 9

  9. Toxics Concentrated in Eastern states TX: Industry Self- Regulated 10

  10. CS Fig. 16.22 “Although some emissions that cause acid rain have been reduced, the Northeast is still suffering its harmful effects with far greater damage to the environment than previously thought, according to a major new study by the nation's leading acid rain researchers.” SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST Monday, March 26, 2001 11

  11. Forestry • Fragmentation of habitats • Loss of biodiversity (extinctions) • Clear cutting • Soil erosion • Water quality

  12. Urban Sprawl • Fragmentation of habitats • Loss of Biodiversity (extinctions) • Water pollution • Runoff from lawn fertilizers/pesticides • Blacktop keeps water from percolating into soil where some pollutants filled out – hard on streams • In developing countries – raw sewage!!

  13. The End. Back

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