Crash course sustainability

• Biologie
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

Sustainability

Sustainability is the use of a resource that doesn't cause long term depletion of the resource or affect the diversity of the ecosystem

1. True
2. False

Using resources in such a way that we continue living in a developed world, but at the same time we protect the environment. This is the definition of:

1. Suspensability
2. Ecology
3. Sustainability
4. Ecological precautions

Content

- Energy

- Pollution

- Deforestation

- Global warming

- Pesticides

- Fertilisers

- Waste

Energy

A sustainable way to use energy is to use an energy source that does not run out and does not cause harm to the environment. That way future generations can also use that energy source. 

We call these energy source renewable, because they renew themselves.

Renewable

Non-renewable

Coal

Natural gas

Oil

Solar

Wind

Water/hydro

Renewable resources __________.

1. can be replenished (renewed) over months, year, or decades
2. are all living resources
3. have finite (limited) supplies that will one day be used up
4. include iron, gas, and copper

Which of the following sources of energy is non-renewable?

1. sun
2. wind
3. water
4. oil

Oil, natural gas, and coal are called ________resources because they are not easy to replace.

1. pollution
2. conservation
3. natural resources
4. nonrenewable

Pollution

Polluting the environment happens in many different ways. Generally, pollution will stay in the environment a long time and have negative effects on the organisms that live there.

We find pollution in all parts of the environment: water, air and land.

'Famous' effects of pollution

• CFC's come from refrigerators and spray bottles. They are responsible for the hole in the ozone layer
• Nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide released into the air cause acid rain which harms trees and water organisms
• Burning fossil fuels create pollution with greenhouse gases
• Fertilisers leaching into water cause algal blooms

Land pollution

Water pollution

Air pollution

CFC's

Methane

Pesticides

Smoke

Oil spills

Fertilisers

Sewage

Trash

Pollution _________________________.

1. is harmful materials put into the environment
2. found in air, water, and land
3. effects plants, animals, and people
4. All of the above

What is air pollution?

1. Any harmful substance that builds up in the air
2. pollen, dust, gases
3. chemicals in the water
4. industrial pollution

What are the pollutants known to cause acid rain?

1. nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide
2. Lemon Juice and Battery Acid
3. Low pH and Acid
4. carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide

Deforestation

Clearing all vegetation from an area

Reasons:

- Use the wood

- Use the land for building

- Use the land for agriculture

- Use the land for mining

Effects of deforestation

- Loss of habitat for organisms

- Increased soil erosion because there are less roots to hold soil together

- Increased flooding because of less roots

- Increased amount of greenhouse gases in the air, because there are less plants to absorb CO2

What is deforestation?

1. Clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale
2. Eating too much vegetables
3. Going to a forest and pulling weeds
4. Clearing the five trees in my backyard

What does deforestation effect?

1. Plants and animals
2. Our biosphere
3. Humans
4. All of the above

Does deforestation contribute to global warming?

1. No, trees aren't that important
2. Sometimes because only the cutting down of Maple trees contributes to global warming
3. No, deforestation adds methane to the atmosphere, which makes the Earth cooler
4. Yes; less trees means less CO2 is turned into oxygen.

Global warming

Global warming is caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect. The greenhouse gases reflects heat coming from the surface of the earth back towards the earth. This causes the atmosphere to increase in temperature

Greenhouse gases

Not greenhouse gases

CO2

Nitrous oxide

Methane

Oxygen

Nitrogen

Argon

Which one of these does not add CO2 to the atmosphere?

1. cooking with gas
2. planting trees
3. burning wood
4. riding in a bus

The gradual increase in the temperature of the atmosphere is known as ________________.

1. Greenhouse Effect
2. Global Warming
3. Carbon Dioxide Gases
4. Methane

How do living organisms return carbon to the atmosphere in the carbon cycle?

1. respiration and photosynthesis
2. decomposition and respiration

Pesticides

Bioaccumulation: pesticides can not be broken down by organisms, so they are passed on to the next step in the food chain. This builds up (accumulates) and can have big effects higher in the chain

Alternatives for pesiticides

- Use natural enemies: for example, ladybugs hunt aphids

- Use crop rotation: plant a different type of crop on that piece of land every year. That way you can plant a crop that is not sensitive to the insects/bacteria/fungi that gathered on the crop from the previous year and you can don't have to use pesticides.

Pesticides and herbicides eventually show up in higher level consumers due to

1. climate change
2. bioaccumulation
3. habitat destruction
4. soil erosion

What are pesticides?

1. Pesticides are compounds used to control pests.
2. Pesticides are natural components of crop production.
3. Pesticides are the balance of nature.
4. Pesticides are chemical components of crop production.

Consider the following food chain:
Algae -> Mayfly -> Minnow -> Trout
In a polluted ecosystem, which organism would likely have the HIGHEST level of toxic chemicals in its body?

1. Algae
2. Mayfly
3. Minnow
4. Trout

Fertilisers

Farming use fertilisers to add nutrients to the ground for their crops to grow more/faster.

Part of those fertilisers are washed out with the rain and end up in the water. This adds nutrients (especially nitrates) to the water and causes an effect we call eutrophication

What is the very next thing that happens after fertilisers enter a river in eutrophication?

1. Fish die due to a lack of oxygen
2. Plants below the surface die due to a lack of sunlight
3. The number of aerobic bacteria increases
4. Fast growth of plants

What is the very next thing that happens after fast growth of plants in eutrophication?

1. Fish die due to a lack of oxygen
2. Plants below the surface die due to a lack of sunlight
3. The number of aerobic bacteria increases
4. Plants on the surface die due to too much sunlight

What is the very next thing that happens after plants die in eutrophication?

1. Fish die due to a lack of oxygen
2. The number of plants increases again as they have more access to sunlight
3. The number of aerobic bacteria increases
4. The number of nitrates in the river increases again

In eutrophication, what directly causes the death of fish?

1. The plants use up oxygen in respiration
2. The fish are poisoned by high CO2 levels
3. Bacteria use up oxygen in respiration
4. The fish use up oxygen in respiration

Waste

Waste piles take up a lot of space, causing more deforestation

Waste also leads to a lot of pollution

Alternatives would be the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The following is an example of reusing:

1. using fewer napkins when you eat.
2. using less water when you brush your teeth.
3. bringing cans back to a recycling center.
4. washing zip top bags after use so they can be used again.

The following is an example of reducing:

1. bringing newspapers to a recycling center.
2. using plastic bags as small garbage bags.
3. using less water when you shower.
4. all of the above.

What does it mean if an item is 'biodegradable'?

1. It means that it will eventually break down completely in nature
2. It means that it is bad for the environment
3. It means that it is perfect for composting
4. It means that it can be eaten