2. Introduction
• Maybe you’ve
heard warnings
about dirty air,
water, and soil.
Or you’ve heard
about the
destruction of rain
forests. Do these
warnings mean our
environment is in
4. Pollution
• Pollution: an
unwanted change in
the environment
caused by
substances or forms
of energy
• Pollutants: anything
that causes pollution
– Can be natural or man
made
5. Garbage
– Includes hazardous
wastes, which can
catch fire, explode, or
make people sick
Chemicals
– Some are useful, like
medicines
– Others are poisonous,
can cause respiratory
problems, and cancer
Five Types of Pollution
6. High-Powered
Wastes
– Give off radiation
Gases
– Since Industrial
Revolution, carbon
dioxide gas has
increased
– Contributes to
Greenhouse Effect
Noise
– Affects ability to hear
and think clearly
– May damage hearing
7. Resource Depletion
• Renewable resource: one that can be
used over and over or has an unlimited
supply
• Examples: wind and solar energy
8. • Nonrenewable resource:
one than cannot be replaced
or that can be replaced only
over thousands or millions of
years
• Examples: most minerals and
fossil fuels, such as oil and
coal
• Resources become more
expensive as they become
harder to find
• Removal of materials carries a
high price tagoil spills, loss
of habitat, and damage from
mining
9. Exotic Species
• Exotic species: an organism that makes a home
for itself in a new place outside its native home
• Can become pests and compete with native
species
• Example: northern snake-
head fish, native to Asia,
found in MD pond
– Moves across land and can
invade more lakes and ponds
10. Habitat Destruction
• Habitat: Place
where an animal
lives
• Biodiversity:
number and variety
of organisms in a
given area
• Deforestation:
clearing of forest
lands
11. – Animals can mistake
plastics for food, or become
tangled in plastic
Time taken for objects to
dissolve at sea
Paper bus ticket 2-4 weeks
Cotton cloth 1-5 months
Rope 3-14 months
Woolen cloth 1 year
Painted wood 13 years
Tin can 100 years
Aluminum can 200-500 years
Plastic bottle 450 years
For your info…
14. Protecting Species
• Protecting Species
• Endangered Species Act:
law designed to protect
individual species in order
to maintain biodiversity
• Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA):
government organization
that helps protect the
environment
– Informs people about
environmental issues
– Helps enforce environmental
laws
15. Environmental Strategies that Help
Protect Earth’s Environment:
• Reduce
pollution
• Reduce pesticide
use
• Protect habitats
• Learn about
local issues
• Develop alt.
energy sources
16. What You Can Do?
• Walk
• Ride a bike
• Give away old
toys
• Use recycled
paper
• Recycle
• Volunteer
• Use cloth
napkins
• Visit the library
