Mans Effects on his Environment

Man affects his Environment through the change of:Land UsePollution&LAND USEatmospheric carbon dioxide concentration increasessoil erosion by heavy rain or strong windno root to hold soil particles togethersoil being washed into rivers fills up the river bed causes floodingDeforestationEffects on Environment :destroys natural habitats & causes loss of speciescause extinction of species because of destruction of natural habitatloss of important medicinesDeforestationEffects on Environment :Monocultureincrease in pest population monoculture enables pests to have continual supply of foodexhaustion of particular type of minerals the same type of plants draws particular types of mineral from the soil for a long timeEffects on Environment :PollutionDefinition: Any undesirable change in the environment caused by Human ActivitiesPollutantsSmoke & Exhaust FumesDomestic WastesAgricultural WastesIndustrial WastesNoiseEffect of Pollutants on Human Health & the EnvironmentCarbon Monoxideform carboxyhaemoglobin permanently with haemoglobin in blood which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of bloodHealth Effect: slow response, fainting and even deathSmoke & Exhaust Fumes

Carbon Dioxideaccounts for Greenhouse Effectcauses melting of polar ice increases in sea level causes flooding of cities

Carbon Particles :Environmental Effect: cover plants & make them unable to carry out gaseous exchange & photosynthesis Health Effect: cause respiratory diseasesLead : from carsHealth Effect: affect mental development of baby & child, cause headache, irritability, fatigue & depressionSulphur Dioxide & Nitrogen DioxideEnvironmental Effect: produce acid rain which is corrosive to buildings and plants & fish are unable to survive in acidic conditions

Acid rainAcid leachingAcid snowDry falloutDie off of aquatic lifeSO2 & NOx H2SO4 & HNO3 Smog Formationpollutants trapped by a layer of warm air above so that it cannot rise and dispersea mixture of poisonous gases & fogHealth Effect: irritates eyes & lungsEnvironmental Effect: toxic to plantsCFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)Environmental Effect: reduce amount of ozone in atmosphereHealth Effect: increase chances of skin cancerDomestic WastesRubbishEnvironmental Effect: give off bad smell & attract pestsMetal Cans & PlasticsEnvironmental Effect: non-biodegradable which needs plenty of space for landfilling

DetergentsEnvironmental Effect:create foam on surface, decrease oxygen content in rivers, living organisms suffocate & dieincrease phosphate ions, cause algal bloom (eg. red tides)affect the functioning of sewage treatment plant by killing micro-organisms which the treatment dependsAgricultural WastesInorganic FertilizersEnvironmental Effect: cause rapid growth of algae (e.g. red tides)use up lots of O2 in waterfish & other organisms die from suffocation

ManureEnvironmental Effect: decomposers increase rapidly due to sufficient food supplyO2 content in water decreases cause suffocation of fish & other organisms

Industrial WastesSoluble Poisonous Heavy Metal ElementsEnvironmental Effect: accumulate along the food chain & cause death when in high concentration

Hot WaterEnvironmental Effect: decreases the solubility of O2 in watercause suffocation of living organisms

Crude Oil (from wrecked tankers)Environmental Effect: cover sea surface which reduces light penetration and dissolve O2 amount stick feathers of birds, making them unable to fly

NoiseSourcesdomesticindustrialconstructionaltraffic

Effects:Health Effect: causes psychological stress, irritation, nervous fatigue, ear less sensitive & even deafnessWhy we need Conservation ? rapid growth of population has led to increase in demand for land & thus destruction of natural habitatConservationDefinition :wise use of natural resources, least disturbance to the environment andgive good quality of life to man

Ways of ConservationRecycling of Used Materialse.g. recycle paper & aluminum cansEconomical Use of Natural Resourcese.g. develop other energy sources like solar energy & nuclear energyPollution Controle.g. content of lead & sulphur in petrol e.g. install catalytic converter in motor carse.g. sewage treatment

Sewage TreatmentSedimentation settle down solid substances to form sludge

Decompositionaerobic respiration of microorganisms in aeration tank by bubbling air in order to oxidize organic compounds into inorganic compounds Sewage TreatmentFermentationmicroorganisms in digester to carry out anaerobic respirationproduce methane gascan be used as fuel to drive the sewage treatment plantdry sludge can be used as fertilizers

Legislation control the amount of pollutants dischargedEducationby mass media (besides normal schooling)Birth controlto decrease the stress on resourcesWays of Conservation

~ END ~