Environment and Energy

Standard#7 Students will describe the nature of various environmental problems

What is pollution?

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.

What are the biggest producers of pollution? Air:1. Exhaust from Combustion Engines2. Use of Coal and Fossil Fuels3. Petroleum4. Mining Operations5. Plants and Mills6. Fertilizer Dust7. Chemical Pesticides8. Power Lines9. Radioactive Fallout10. Indoor Air Pollution

What are the biggest producers of pollution? Ocean: 1. Discharge of crude oil2. Industrial waste dumping3. Garbage dumping

What are the biggest producers of pollution? Water:1. Sewage Water Pollution2. Improper Waste Disposal

What are the biggest producers of pollution? Land:1. Deforestation and soil erosion2. Agricultural activities3. Mining activities4. Overcrowded landfills5. Industrialization6. Construction activities7. Nuclear waste8. Sewage treatment

What can we do to help?

1.Make people aware about the concept of Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.2. Reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural activities.3. Avoid buying packaged items as they will lead to garbage and end up in landfill site.4. Ensure that you do not litter on the ground and properly dispose of garbage.5. Buy biodegradable products.6. Try Organic gardening and eat organic food that will be grown without the use of pesticides.7. Create dumping grounds away from residential areas.

Pollution Case Studies

Chernobyl disaster

The Chernobyl disaster is the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and resulting deaths, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on the International Nuclear event scale (the other being the Fukushima in 2011). The battle to contain the contamination and avert a greater catastrophe ultimately involved over 500,000 workers and cost an estimated 18 billion rubles. During the accident itself 31 people died, and long-term effects such as cancers and deformities are still being accounted for.

What exactly happened?

Fukushima nuclear disaster

The Fukushima nuclear disaster was a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on 11 March 2011, resulting in a meltdown of three of the plant's six nuclear reactors. The failure occurred when the plant was hit by a tsunami triggered by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake. The plant began releasing substantial amounts of radioactive material on 12 March, becoming the largest nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986 and the second (after Chernobyl) to measure Level 7 on the international Nuclear event scale initially releasing an estimated 10-30% of the earlier incident's radiation. In August 2013, it was stated that the massive amount of radioactive water is among the most pressing problems affecting the cleanup process, which is expected to take decades. There have been continued spills of contaminated water at the plant, and some into the sea. Plant workers are trying to lower the leaks using measures such as building chemical underground walls, but they have not yet improved the situation significantly.

Fukushima nuclear disaster

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

• The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for California, struck Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef at 12:04 a.m. local time and spilled 260,000 to 750,000 barrels (41,000 to 119,000 m3) of crude oil over the next few days. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters. The Valdez spill was the largest ever in US waters until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, in terms of volume released. However, Prince William Sound's remote location, accessible only by helicopter, plane, or boat, made government and industry response efforts difficult and severely taxed existing plans for response. The region is a habitat for salmon, sea otters, seals, and seabirds. The oil, originally extracted at the Prudhoe oil field eventually covered 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, and 11,000 square miles (28,000 km2) of ocean.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill