Environmental Pollution Pollution is the harmful alteration of our environment.. Types of Pollution Air pollution – Most air pollution is caused by the burning of fossil fuels... Typ
Trang 1Environmental Pollution
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Trang 2Environmental Pollution
Pollution is the harmful
alteration of our
environment
Pollutants – either
unwanted by-products or
our activities or the
obnoxious residues of
things we have made,
used, and thrown away
Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Soil Pollution
Global Warming
Noise Pollution
Trang 3Sources of Pollution
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Trang 4Types of Pollution
Air pollution
– Most air pollution is caused by the burning of fossil fuels
Water pollution
– Organic sewage
– Eutrophication
– Infectious agents
– Organic chemicals
– Inorganic and miscellaneous chemicals
– Sediments from land corrosion
– Radioactive substances
– Waste heat from power plants and industry
Trang 5Types of Pollution— Continued
Soil pollution
– Pesticides – chemicals used to kill insects defined
as pests
– Herbicides – chemicals used to kill plant life,
particularly weeds
– Chemical wastes
– Radioactive fallout
– Acid rain
– Garbage
Global warming
– Since the late 1800’s the average global surface temperature has increased about 0.75 degrees C – Most warming has occurred since 1950
Trang 6Environmental Depletion
The Dwindling Natural Resources
– No nation is self-sufficient in the modern world
Energy Production and Consumption
– Energy consumption per capita is higher
in the United States than it is in any
other country in the world
– Consumption is growing more rapidly
than production
Trang 7Environmental Depletion
Over the course of human history, nearly half
of the earth’s forests have been depleted,
most of which has occurred since 1970
Energy use per capita is increasing in most of the developing nations.
In 1970, Americans drove their cars, vans,
pickups, and SUVs 1.043 trillion miles; by
2004, the number rose to 2.72 trillion miles
Trang 8The Physical Threat
Air pollution can cause or contribute to:
– Permanent lung damage in children
– Fetal deaths
– Infant mortality
– Respiratory illness
– Cardiovascular disease
– Skin problems, ulcers, and liver and kidney damage
– Premature deaths
– Asthma attacks
– Lung cancer
Exposure to toxic materials can also lead to sterility
The depleted ozone layer raises the risk of skin
cancer
Trang 9Threat to the Ecological Balance
The lust for more affluence and unrestrained
population growth are ravaging the environment –
Paul Ehrlich
A number of species of animals and plants have
disappeared
People depend on biological diversity for the quality
of their lives
Photosynthesis – a natural process essential to life, resulting in the production of oxygen and organic
materials
Urbanization – the increasing concentration of
people living in cities
Trang 10Other Problems
The Economic Costs
– Damage to livestock, trees, and crops
– Death of wildlife
– Expense of pollution-control measures
– Cost of medical care for those whose health is affected – Lost work time due to ill health
– Expense of maintaining and refurbishing buildings and other structures that deteriorated because of pollution – Cost of restoring the quality of the air and of
waterways
Threat to World Peace
Trang 11Social Structural Factors
Population Growth
– Population growth accelerates the consumption
of earth’s natural resources
– Any given area on earth has a limited carrying capacity
– Threshold effect
The Industrial Economy
– The U.S with about 4.6% of the world’s
population, accounts for 22% of the world’s
carbon dioxide emissions
– More than ¼ of all cars in the world are on U.S roads
The Politics of the Environment
Trang 12Social Psychological Factors
Attitudes and the Environment
– Many people see the earth as a resource to be mined rather than as a trust to be cared for
– 42% of Americans believe the government was doing about the right amount or too much to protect the environment.
Values and the Environment
– Quantitative colossalism
– Individualism
Trang 13Types of Pollution
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