How does human activity affect the environment?
Historically, human activities have had significant and sometimes disastrous effects on the environment. Some of the activities that we are now concerned by include the enhanced greenhouse effect, over-fishing, deforestation, pollution of various types and mining. Many countries, including Australia, are now investing in research to reduce our impact on the environment and to try to reverse the damage that has already been done.
Learning Outcomes:
- Evaluate the impact that humans have had on the environment using scientific evidence
- Discuss the different opinions that people have regarding the way in which we use Earth’s resources (Ext) with reference to international agreements (e.g. Montreal Protocol, Kyoto Protocol)
This question is HUGE. You are asked to evaluate the impact that human have had on the environment. We could look at:
1) Enhanced Greenhouse Effect, Climate Change & the Predicted Consequences
2) The effect of Aerosols on the Ozone Layer
3) Waste Management Issue
4) Decreased Biodiversity
1) Enhanced Greenhouse Effect, Climate Change & the Predicted Consequences
2) The effect of Aerosols on the Ozone Layer
3) Waste Management Issue
4) Decreased Biodiversity
Current Climate Change News
The best place to get climate change news is from the IPCC website. This stands for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is the leading bodu for the assessment of climate change. It was established by the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and WMO (World Meterological Organisation) in 1998 to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the CURRENT state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts. Information specifically about the effect of climate change on Australia can be found on the CSIRO website. Here is the report for 2014 by the CSIRO if you would like to learn more.
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Current Carbon Dioxide Levels
401.30 in July 2015 as compared to 395.25 on October 11th 2014 For more current figure, go to |
Try this quiz on "What you don't know about Climate Change Science.
More Resources
1) You can watch this hollywood movie "The Day After Tomorrow" to see what can happen if a sudden and extreme change in climate occurs. This, by the way, is extremely unlikely.
2) Article on 2050 in the SMH. |
2) Nasa has created an informative website "Climate Change - Vital Signs of a Planet" that shows the current issues caused by global warming.
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3) One of the effects of climate change on our Earth could be to stop the flowing of the Gulf Stream.
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