MAN’S PLACE

IN
NATURE
Global Environmental Change

Chapter 12
 Human Intervention
on the Earth’s Ecosystem
- Human intervention refers to the deliberate actions
taken by people to modify or alter natural processes
and environments, particularly in agriculture.
- This includes practices like irrigation, selective
breeding, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides to
enhance crop production and manage land
 Climate Change
-The change in the average weather that a given
region experiences.
-Average weather includes all features we
associate with the weather such as temperature,
patterns and precipitation.
-However, when we speak of global climate
change, we are referring to the changes in the
climate of the earth as a whole.
 Causes of Climate Change
◦Generating power
Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil
fuels causes a large chunk of global emissions. Most
electricity is still generated by burning coal, oil, or gas,
which produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide –
powerful greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and
trap the sun’s heat.
 Causes of Climate Change
◦ Manufacturing goods
◦ Manufacturing and industry produce emissions, mostly
from burning fossil fuels to produce energy for making
things like cement, iron, steel, electronics, plastics,
clothes, and other goods. Mining and other industrial
processes also release gases, as does the construction
industry.
 Causes of Climate Change
◦Cutting down forests
◦Cutting down forests to create farms or pastures, or for
other reasons, causes emissions, since trees, when they are
cut, release the carbon they have been storing.
Deforestation, together with agriculture and other land use
changes, is responsible for roughly a quarter of global
greenhouse gas emissions.
 Causes of Climate Change
◦Using transportation
◦Most cars, trucks, ships, and planes run on fossil
fuels. That makes transportation a major contributor
of greenhouse gases, especially carbon-dioxide
emissions.
 Causes of Climate Change
◦ Producing food
◦ Producing food causes emissions of carbon dioxide,
methane, and other greenhouse gases in various ways,
including through deforestation and clearing of land for
agriculture and grazing, digestion by cows and sheep, the
production and use of fertilizers and manure for growing
crops, and the use of energy to run farm equipment or
fishing boats, usually with fossil fuels.
 Causes of Climate Change
◦Powering buildings
◦Globally, residential and commercial buildings
consume over half of all electricity. As they continue
to draw on coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and
cooling, they emit significant quantities of
greenhouse gas emissions.
 Causes of Climate Change
◦Consuming too much
◦Your home and use of power, how you move around,
what you eat and how much you throw away all
contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. So does the
consumption of goods such as clothing, electronics,
and plastics. A large chunk of global greenhouse gas
emissions are linked to private households. Our
lifestyles have a profound impact on our planet.
 Effects of Climate Change
◦ Hotter temperatures
As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so does the
global surface temperature.
◦ More severe storms
Destructive storms have become more intense and
more frequent in many regions. As temperatures rise, more
moisture evaporates, which exacerbates extreme rainfall
and flooding, causing more destructive storms.
 Effects of Climate Change
◦Increased drought
Climate change is changing water availability,
making it scarcer in more regions. Global warming
exacerbates water shortages in already water-stressed
regions and is leading to an increased risk of
agricultural droughts affecting crops, and ecological
droughts increasing the vulnerability of ecosystems.
 Effects of Climate Change
◦ A warming, rising ocean
The ocean soaks up most of the heat from global
warming. The rate at which the ocean is warming strongly
increased over the past two decades, across all depths of
the ocean. As the ocean warms, its volume increases since
water expands as it gets warmer.
 Effects of Climate Change
◦Loss of species
Climate change poses risks to the survival of
species on land and in the ocean.
 Effects of Climate Change
◦Not enough food
Changes in the climate and increases in extreme
weather events are among the reasons behind a global
rise in hunger and poor nutrition. Fisheries, crops, and
livestock may be destroyed or become less
productive.
 Effects of Climate Change
◦More health risks
◦Climate change is the single biggest health threat
facing humanity. Climate impacts are already
harming health, through air pollution, disease,
extreme weather events, forced displacement,
pressures on mental health, and increased hunger
and poor nutrition in places where people cannot
grow or find sufficient food.
 Culprits on Global Environmental Change

◦Greenhouse Gasses
1) Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- is a colorless, odorless and slightly acid-tasting
gas, and is sometimes called carbonic gas.
2) Methane
- is the simplest hydrocarbon, a primary
component of natural gas, and a potent greenhouse gas.
 Culprits on Global Environmental Change

3) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s)
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are used in a variety of
applications, including refrigeration, aerosols, and blowing
agents for foams and packing materials.
- have significant negative effects on the environment,
primarily causing ozone layer depletion and contributing to
global warming.
 Culprits on Global Environmental Change
Nitrous oxide
- an odorless, colorless, non-flammable gas
- approximately 270 times more potent than
carbon dioxide in terms of warming the planet, and
currently responsible for approximately 10% of net
global warming since the industrial revolution.
- its lifespan in the troposphere is about 120 years
and it rapidly traps about 230 times as much heat
molecule as CO2
 Pollution

- is the introduction of harmful materials into the

environment. These harmful materials are called
pollutants.
 1. Water Pollution
- Water pollution occurs when harmful substances - often
chemicals or microorganisms - contaminate a stream, river,
lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water
quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.
 2) Air Pollution
- is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by
any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the
natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Household
combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and
forest fires are common sources of air pollution.
 3) Land Pollution
- or the degradation of our soil by outside contaminants —
is largely the result of unsustainable agricultural practices,
the improper disposal of waste (both hazardous and non-
hazardous), mining (often called “mineral extraction”), illegal
dumping and littering.
 4) Personal Pollution
refers to lifestyle choices and behaviors that negatively impact a
person's own health and well-being, as well as potentially
impacting the environment. Examples include smoking, poor diet,
lack of physical activity, and excessive alcohol or drug use. It also
encompasses behaviors that contribute to environmental pollution,
such as improper disposal of waste or overuse of resources.
 5) Noise Pollution
- unwanted or excessive sound that can have deleterious
effects on human health, wildlife, and environmental quality.
 6) Radiation Pollution
- the increase in the natural radiation levels caused by human
activities. It is the result when there is overexposure to cosmic
rays, ultra violet rays, infrared rays and rays from radio active
materials. Cancer, anemia, bums and vomiting are harmful effects
of this.
 Sources of Water Pollutants
1. Organic Wastes
2. Oil Spills
3. Infectious agents
4. Plant Nutrients
5. Toxic chemicals