Implications of non-renewable resource use Name_________

Acid Rain

1) What is the cause of acid rain?Chemical reaction when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the air.These oxides react with water to form acidsSO2 + H2O → H2SO3

NO2 + H2O → HNO3

NO + H2O → HNO2

2) What are the specific pollutants that are known to cause it? SO2 and Nitrous oxides (NOx)

3) How are these pollutants commonly formed in today’s world? Coal power station uses a type of coal that is mixed with sulfur.This sulfur reacts with air to produce sulfur oxides.Car exhaust produces nitrogen oxides

4) What are the major environmental impacts of acid rain?Acid rain makes water so acidic that plants, fish and micro-organisms can no longer survive in lakes, streams, wetlands and other aquatic environments.

5) Which industries in Canada are negatively affected by acid rain? How?Fishing industries, agriculture and human health.

6) Which parts of North America are most affected by acid rain?The East coast along the Atlantic ocean where waters have a naturally higher acidic

content.

7) What is being done to combat the effects of acid rain in these areas (page 8)Add filters that absorb sulfur dioxide to coal power stationsStop using cars that run on fossil fuel.

8) Why is acid rain not an issue in British Columbia?There is no coal power station around BC and Washington state.The natural environment is already fairly acidic

9) How acidic has acid rain gotten in recorded history? Where did this take place?Though acidic rain was discovered in 1853, it was not until the late 1960s that scientists began widely observing this phenomenon. The term "acid rain" was coined in 1872 by Robert Angus Smith. Canadian Harold Harvey was among the first to research a "dead" lake.We have also recorded acid rain as acidic as vinegar in Europe.

Greenhouse Gases1) What is smog defined as?

smoke + fog, car exhaust containing nitrous oxides (NO, NO2, N2O, N2O4…)

2) What is the Green House Effect? How does it work?Gases in Earth’s atmosphere that absorb and trap radiation as thermal energy.These gases are warming up the Earth. Ex: CO2, H2O, CH4 (natural gases), NO, O3 (ozone)

3) What are the 3 worst greenhouse gases?1-Water vapor (H2O)2-Carbon dioxide (CO2)

3-Methane (CH4)4-Nitrous oxide (N2O)5-Ozone (O3)6-Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)7-Hydrofluorocarbons (incl. HCFCs and HFCs)

4) How/where are the 3 of them being produced that has seen an increase their levels in the atmosphere?Water vapor: clouds, more intense storms, hurricane, typhoonCarbon dioxide: fossil fuel combustion(5.5 gigatons/year), Agriculture (1 gigatons/year)Natural gas (methane): trapped in melting ice

Nuclear Power Plant s

1) What is currently done with radioactive waste from nuclear power plants?The rods are usually stored in pools of water near the reactor until a permanent location is prepared.

2) Do you think that nuclear energy is cleaner than energy produced by burning fossil fuels? Why or why not?Nuclear energy produces almost no carbon dioxide, and no sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides whatsoever. These gases are produced in vast quantities when fossil fuels are burned. Nuclear waste: One gram of uranium yields about as much energy as a ton of coal or oil. The only problem with nuclear energy is the storage of radioactive waste.

3) Where in Canada do we use nuclear energy?3 in Ontario: Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, Pickering Nuclear Generating Station Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, 1 in Quebec: Gentilly-2 (recently shut down)

Fossil Fuel Extraction and Distribution

1) Do you support the building of pipe-lines to bring fossil fuels from Alberta to BC to be shipped over seas? Why, why not?No, although the Canadian Government has recently purchased the Trans Mountain pipeline, there is a risk of pipeline oil spill as well as vessels spilling oil in the ocean. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when.

2) Canada has recently committed to the elimination of the use of coal. What year will this happen in? Canada has announced plans to phase out the use of coal-fired electricity by 2030.

3) Where in Canada is coal usage the highest? What countries are the heaviest users of coal?Canada is home to a tenth of the world's coal resources, the majority of which (over 90 per cent) are found in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.China: 3 411 million tonsIndia: 692 million tonsUSA: 661 million tonsAustralia : 493 million tonsIndonesia : 434 million tonsRussia : 385 million tons

4) Do you support the export of Canadian coal to other countries for them to use? Why or why not?No, coal contributes to climate change, greenhouse gases and acid rain.