Environmental impact of human activities

• Environmental impact of human activities

  • Exploiting natural resources
  • Genetically modified (GM) crops
  • Invasive alien species (IAS)
  • Nature reserves
  • Deforestation
  • Biodiversity
  • Threatened species
  • The greenhouse effect and global warming
  • Biodegradable and non-biodegradable
  • The three Rs
• Exploiting natural resources


  • Environments far from human habitation, that have no resources worthy of exploitation, are relatively untouched by humans
  • Environments that have resources are often exploited to the extent that few plant and animal populations remain
• Genetically modified (GM) crops


  May produce higher food crop yields, but scientists believe they may also create environmental problems
• Invasive alien species (IAS)

  • Every area has communities of different plants and animals linked together in food webs
  • If a plant or animal is introduced to a new environment where there is unlimited food and no natural enemies, the result is a massive increase in its numbers
• Nature reserves


  Areas where human activity is strictly controlled so the organisms that live there do not become endangered or threatened with extinction
• Deforestation


  • Large areas of forest are being cut down every year to provide wood and farmland
  • Forests provide lots of different habitats
  • Once these habitats are lost, the organisms that occupied them are also lost
• Biodiversity


  • A measure of the number of different kinds of organism in an area
  • Keeping a high level of biodiversity requires maintaining and protecting lots of different habitats
• Threatened species


  • Trinidad and Tobago has a number of plants and animals that now exist in small numbers and are threatened with extinction if positive action is not taken
• The greenhouse effect and global warming

  As a result of increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and some other gases, the surface temperature of the Earth is increasing
• Biodegradable


  Natural materials, such as vegetable waste, rot when left in the ground
• Non-biodegradable


  • Materials made by humans, such as glass and plastics, are often non-biodegradable
  • The build-up of non-biodegradable waste is a problem that our society must solve
• The three Rs


  1. Reduce - by eliminating those things that are not really necessary

  2. Reuse - by using articles multiple times before they are thrown away

  3. Recycle- by reusing materials to make new articles